Huskies aim to repeat in Canada West men’s hockey final rematch with Mount Royal

As the seconds ticked down in the opening game of Canada West men’s hockey semi-finals last Friday, it was the visiting University of Saskatchewan Huskies holding onto a slim 3-2 lead.

With the host UBC Thunderbirds pressing and the puck sliding across to defenceman Alex Serraglio, Huskies goaltender Nolan Maier pushed off to make a sprawling glove-hand save to preserve the win.

It was a play that Huskies head coach Brandin Cote said might be looked back on as a pivotal moment in their run towards repeating as Canada West champions.

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“Those are the type of saves that win you a playoff series and win you a championship,” Cote said. “Having him come in and just be there, compete like he did and give us a chance to win, it was super exciting to watch.”

The Huskies will be playing for a conference title for the second year in a row, advancing to the Canada West championship series after sweeping the Thunderbirds in two games last weekend.

Holding on for the 3-2 victory on Friday, the Huskies rallied from an early 1-0 deficit on Saturday to score four unanswered goals in a 4-1 win to advance.

Scoring two goals and an assist over the semi-final series, recently named Canada West rookie of the year Conner Roulette said the team rose to the occasion to keep their championship hopes alive.

“I think it was the two best games we played all year, just structurally,” Roulette commented. “They’re a strong, big, experienced team and we were able to shut them down.”

The Huskies will now face off against the Mount Royal Cougars for the second consecutive year with a Canada West title on the ice.

Last March, the Huskies blanked Mount Royal in a winner-take-all Game 3 contest, 3-0, on the back of a 30-save shutout from Canada West goaltender of the year, Roddy Ross.

Winning the program’s first Canada West title since 2020 is a series this group is looking back on ahead of the 2026 conference final.

“We’re experienced and we understand what it takes to win,” said Huskies captain, Gunner Kinniburgh. “We have a group of guys all buying in to the same system and we’re going to be ready to go.”

The key difference this year for the Huskies will be the venue, with the higher-seeded Cougars hosting the entirety of the best-of-three series.

Skating off the ice at Merlis Belsher Place one win away from a conference trophy, Cote said Mount Royal has been waiting a year for this rematch.

“They’ve talked all year about redemption and revenge,” Cote said. “Every game they’ve played, they’ve come hard and they’ve got a great team over there. We have to be ready for that.”

Regardless of this weekend’s result, both the Huskies and Cougars will be headed to the University Cup national championship tournament as Canada West’s two representatives.

Kinniburgh said getting another shot at winning a national championship is something the Huskies have worked all year towards, but added they have more pressing matters this weekend.

“That’s also another exciting opportunity,” Kinniburgh said. “It’s really great when you have the opportunity to compete for a national championship, but we truly are just getting ready for this weekend and that’s our main focus.”

Not only will this series be a full-circle rematch going back to last year, but Saskatchewan and Mount Royal also met to open the Canada West season back on Oct. 3.

A fitting end to their conference play and a potential teaser of what to expect when the U Sports men’s hockey tournament gets underway later this month in Halifax.

“The writing is on the wall and things happen for a reason,” Cote said.

“I think both teams have proven that we deserve to both be there. We’re both earned the right to be there and we’re very excited and proud to be representing our conference at nationals again.”

Huskies named as top dogs

Several Huskies student-athletes and coaches have received hardware from the U Sports and Canada West levels over the last few days.

On Thursday, Roulette was named Canada West men’s hockey rookie of the year after a standout first season with the Huskies where he’s posted 19 goals and 43 points in 32 games to lead the team in scoring.

Ahead of their national quarter-final tilt on Thursday night, Huskies women’s basketball head coach, Lisa Thomaidis, was named U Sports coach of the year for the fourth time in her distinguished career.

Thomaidis led the Huskies to an undefeated 20-0 regular season and oversaw a team that has lost just once in their last 52 games played.

While Huskies senior guard, Gage Grassick, did not defend her U Sports women’s basketball player of the year title on Wednesday night, she was named first team all-Canadian for the second year in a row.

Two more national awards were handed out to Huskies athletes on Thursday with sprinter, Hailee Woodhouse, winning U Sports track and field rookie of the year, as well as coach, Karlyn Wells, earning U Sports assistant coach of the year honours.

Woodhouse won gold at Canada West championships in both the 300 metre and 4×200m relay events, setting new national marks this season in both races.

Wells is responsible for helping the Huskies women’s track and field team win a record eighth consecutive conference title.