Huskies defeat Mount Royal in Canada West quarter-final opener in Calgary

The Huskie men’s hockey team delivered on the opening day of the Canada West playoffs, defeating the Mount Royal Cougars 5-3 in the first game of a best-of-three quarter-final series in Calgary on Friday.

Saskatchewan goaltender Roddy Ross made some big stops early in a 24 save performance. “I felt pretty great out there”, said Ross “It’s the playoffs now, it’s the real deal.” Ross made one spectacular save in the first period when a puck went up in the air and off his back. He somehow kept it out of the net. “Roddy was great when he needed to be”, said head coach Brandin Cote. That’s what you need in the playoffs.”

Before the game Cote said a strong start would be key, and the Huskies got just that., Saskatchewan scored first when Chantz Petruic cashed in at the 6:30 mark of the first period. After Mount Royal’s Connor Bouchard tied the game, Vince Loschiavo scored with 3:12 remaining in the opening frame.

With the score tied at 2-2, Saskatchewan buried a pair of goals in the last half of the second period. Forward Chantz Petruic and captain Connor Hobbs scored less than seven minutes apart to lift the Huskies to a 4-2 advantage entering the third period.