Courtesy: Huskie Athletics

By Ryan Flaherty

Huskies host Ukrainian under-25 team

“Hockey Can’t Stop Tour” begins at Merlis Belsher Place

Dec 30, 2022 | 10:51 PM

The Huskie men’s hockey team won a game on Friday, but it was their visiting opponents who won the hearts of the sold-out crowd at Merlis Belsher Place.

The Dogs defeated the Ukrainian men’s under-25 squad 2-0 on a night where the final result took a backseat to the unifying power of sport. Friday’s contest was the first of four on the “Hockey Can’t Stop Tour”, a fundraising effort for war-torn Ukraine that is doubling as preparation for its national team ahead of the FISU World University Games which take place in Lake Placid, New York from January 12^th to the 22^nd.

As the first hosts on the tour, the University of Saskatchewan was determined to give their visitors a warm welcome and a good game. Mission accomplished on both fronts.

“It’s kind of weird being the away team in your own rink but that’s just proof of the waves of support those guys are getting and their country is getting. It was really special to be a part of it”, Huskie captain Connor Hobbs said. “We just knew that this was a really important game, and we just wanted to come out and have a good competition and that’s what it was.”

The contest began a bit slowly as both teams shook off some rust, travel related for the Ukrainians and layoff related for the Huskies. Saskatchewan still managed to open the scoring a couple minutes into the game as Dawson Holt converted a centering pass from Shane Collins. Alec Zawatsky lifted Saskatchewan to a 2-0 lead later in the opening period. However, any thoughts of a Huskie blowout were put to rest after that, as the Ukrainians found their skating legs and began to hold their own.

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“This is our third time on the ice together and we had a tough first period but we tried our best”, said Ukrainian forward Mikhailo Simchuk, who added that the team could feel the love from the fans. “Really good crowd. Everybody cheered for us, maybe some Canadian fans too,” he said with a smile.

Despite their best efforts, the Ukranian squad could not solve any of the Huskies’ three netminders. Goaltenders Roddy Ross, Jordan Kooy and Declan Hobbs combined for the shutout. Ross himself will be wearing Canadian colours at the FISU tournament along with Saskatchewan forward Jared Dmytriw and equipment manager Cord Ivanco.

“(Ukraine) played hard. I was really impressed with the way they competed. They’ve got some skill and some speed”, said Huskies head coach Brandin Cote. “But just being part of this event and seeing the support was amazing.”

The night’s events began with a stirring performance of the Ukrainian national anthem while several of the country’s distinctive blue-and-gold flags waved throughout the crowd. The goodwill continued as all of the Ukrainian players took a lap around the ice as the fans saluted their efforts.

“Even the national anthem…that gave me goosebumps.”, said Hobbs. “They’ve got hundreds and hundreds of people singing their national anthem in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. That’s pretty cool. We’re lucky to be a part of it.”

The Hockey Can’t Stop Tour will now move on to Calgary, where the Ukrainians will face off against the University of Calgary Dinos on January 2. They’ll then head to Edmonton for a date with the Alberta Golden Bears the following night before wrapping up the tour in Winnipeg against the Manitoba Bisons on January 9. Then it’s off to Lake Placid for the FISU Games.

“We want to be ready for everything at the World University Games, so we’ll work hard in these exhibition games and we’ll try to show our best”, Simchuk said. “Every player is so proud to play for their country in this very hard time.”

Win or lose, they’ve already given their fans back home something to cheer about.

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