Huskies, Golden Bears to meet in U Sports semifinal

A national championship is right there for the taking for the University of Saskatchewan men’s hockey team.

Standing in the Huskies’ way are their hated rivals, the University of Alberta Golden Bears.

Those two are to meet in one of Saturday’s U Sports University Cup semifinals in Lethbridge, Alta.

The teams have had some great battles over the years, including in this year’s Canada West best-of-three championship series. The Bears won the conference title in three games.

Huskies head coach Dave Adolph said it’s not too hard to get the guys pumped up for this rivalry.

“We play them in the pre-season and (when) all the marbles are on the table,” Adolph said. “It’s been like that for 20 years.”

So what will be the key to beating the Bears? Adolph says the Huskies have to stay out of the penalty box.

“The games are often decided by a power play or an undisciplined penalty,” said Adolph. “It’s really a toss-up five on five. There’s not much difference between the top four teams here.”

Puck drop for Saturday’s game is 1 p.m. You can watch the game on Sportsnet 360.