Camryn Drever set a new Huskies record with her 15th win of the season as the Dogs downed Manitoba 3-1 on Feb. 9. Photo credit: Electric Umbrella/Liam Richards/Huskie Athletics

By Ryan Flaherty

raising the bar

Huskies rally on record-setting night for Drever

Feb 9, 2024 | 11:40 PM

Camryn Drever set a new program record for goaltending wins in a season as the Huskies women’s hockey team mounted a third-period comeback to defeat the Manitoba Bisons 3-1 on Friday night in Winnipeg.

The fifth-year goaltender made 27 saves to earn her 15th victory of the season, breaking the old mark of 14 shared by Jessica Vance and Vanessa Fredericks. Drever’s 39th career win also moved her past Vance and into sole possession of second place on the Huskies all-time wins list behind Cassidy Hendricks.

“It’s a pretty special honour. You work hard all season and you hope that the wins will come in your column and I think this year has been my year for that,” Drever said. “I look at the last couple seasons and my record has been not as good as what I’d hoped, and this year the wins have come for the team and for me.”

The Edmonton native had been stalled at 14 wins for a couple of weeks as the Huskies offence went cold, scoring just one goal over its previous three games, all losses. And for a while it looked like it might be another frustrating night in that regard, but then the Dogs rallied, giving their teammate the support necessary to make history.

“(Being a fifth-year) adds to it. There’s just that extra bit of drive, knowing that it’s my last year and you don’t quite understand it until you’re in your last year,” Drever said.

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Entering the final weekend of the regular season, the Huskies were already assured of finishing in fourth place, and the Bisons became locked into the sixth and final playoff spot when the Calgary Dinos defeated Regina earlier on Friday.

The Bisons opened the scoring early in the second period after a turnover behind the Huskies net popped the puck out front where Kate Gregoire knocked it home. Saskatchewan would get a chance to level the score on a power play late in the frame but failed to capitalize and Manitoba took a 1-0 lead to the third.

That’s when the complexion of the game changed. The Huskies came out with renewed energy, and at the 8:58 mark Sophie Lalor broke in on the Bisons net and outwaited goaltender Emily Shippam to score her 11th goal of the year, tying the game at one.

“Sophie kind of said it best between the second and third period for us. She just kinda hyped us up a little bit and said that we needed to step up and that we can’t win games if we don’t score, which is obviously very true. You can only stop so many pucks,” Drever said.

Following Lalor’s goal, play became increasingly chippy as the bigger Bisons started to push the physical envelope. After Gregoire was whistled for cross-checking, the Huskies capitalized on the ensuing power play as Sara Kendall fired a turnaround shot past Shippam to put Saskatchewan in front 2-1.

The rough play continued as Bisons defender Hanna Bailey was called for boarding, and after Manitoba killed off the penalty, she came out of the box and went straight towards the Huskies bench, this time earning a bodychecking minor while Dogs blueliner Isabella Pozzi responded with a cross-check that got her sent off as well. Head coach Steve Kook was proud of the way his players handled themselves.

“It got out of hand, probably a little more out of hand than it should have in a game that didn’t really mean anything in terms of standings but you get two competitive teams out there,” he said. “We saw some spirited conversations from some people that normally don’t. The fire was good, we didn’t lose any bodies, so we’re ready to go again tomorrow.”

Lalor sealed the victory with an empty net goal just before the final buzzer. The fifth-year forward, who also assisted on Kendall’s tally for a three-point night, has scored seven goals in her last four games at Wayne Fleming Arena.

Overall, Kook was pleased with the Huskies’ persistence.

“It was one of those games where we just had to get through bodies, find ways to get (to the net), hung in, hung in and got one, then just got another one and closed the door. That’s one thing that we’ve been really good at is closing the door once we’re ahead,” he said.

The Huskies and Bisons will meet again to close out the regular season on Saturday at 3 p.m., and then it’s time for the playoffs, where Saskatchewan will host the Calgary Dinos in a best-of-three quarterfinal series next weekend.

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