Courtesy: Huskie Athletics

By P.J. Kennedy (Guest Article)

Behind the scenes

A look at what goes into “Game Night” at Merlis Belsher Place

Mar 4, 2025 | 9:52 AM

For most fans of Huskie Hockey, Game Day at Merlis Belsher Place may start as they park their vehicle and enter the building twenty or thirty minutes before scheduled puck drop. Seeing the receptionist in the lower lobby, purchasing tickets, passing through security, having their ticket scanned, picking up a printed game programme, and perhaps browsing in the Huskie Store on the concourse or ordering a beverage or burger at the concession are all part of the pre-game routine.

However, long before the on-ice Canada West competition begins and during the event itself, dozens of individuals work in concert to provide a positive Game Day experience for fans.

Months in advance, the Huskie Athletics personnel led by chief athletic officer Shannon Chinn, associate athletics officer programme operations Adrienne Healey, and associate athletics officer development and marketing Michael Jenkins and their colleagues have been preparing all Huskie teams for their U Sports competition. The Huskie Athletics team oversees student eligibility, counselling, solidifies schedules, plans travel and accommodations, co-ordinates facility availability, and with coaches, sees that players are provided with sufficient medical support, physiotherapy, student trainers, and equipment managers.

The men’s hockey team has a contingent of head coach Brandin Cote and four assistant coaches, a video coach, five student trainers, two equipment managers, team doctors, and Huskie Athletics physiotherapists to provide student-athletes with the very best support they require to represent well University of Saskatchewan in Canadian interuniversity competition.

In addition to the twenty players who suit up for any one game, in January 2025, for example, there were numerous other teammates not playing, but who would see action in subsequent games. They, too, are part of the practices and training sessions provided to all thirty student-athletes on the Dogs’ roster.

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Beyond the budget provided by the university for Huskie men’s hockey, senior advancement officer Chris Jacobson and Jenkins have worked tirelessly to provide additional donor and sponsor support for the team. Without the extra financial assistance garnered by these two gentlemen as well as donations from active alumni and supporters, the Green and White pucksters would not have all the equipment they require, team clothing, scholarship support, and money for team functions.

In addition to the players, coaches, and their support staff, no game could be played without the on and off-ice officials including the referees, linesmen, ice-level public address announcer, timekeeper, statistician, penalty box officials, and scoreboard operator; the game day crew.

Promotion of the team and national and local dissemination of game results rests in large part with Huskie Sports Information Coordinator Elliot Gabler and his colleagues such as Darnell Wyke, Jordan Spooner, and E.J. Friesen who provide digital and traditional format content for the media. Their work begins well before game time and extends during and after each game. Active Huskie alumni Taylor Wildeman and Carter Folk, produce and present via email primarily to fellow alumni, a very professional pre-weekend promotion of the games as well as a “Huskie Weekend” recap of games played by the Dogs. They reference huskiehockeyalumni.com and also direct readers to the Huskie Athletics men’s hockey posts. In addition, alumnus Dan Leier continually posts promotional items in his blanket emails to hundreds of Huskie alumni and supporters throughout the season.

At MBP, hours prior to each contest, veteran broadcaster Wray Morrison can be found in the Huskie Fan.ca booth preparing to live stream the play-by-play. He, fellow broadcaster Ryan Flaherty, as well as the Canada West TV crew consisting of a rotation of several broadcasters including John Flatters, Matt Young, E.J. Friesen and Jackson Imrie provide the Game Day experience for those in attendance as well as those unable to attend the game in person.

Huskie events manager Samantha Erhardt has meticulously planned and co-ordinated the in-game experience and oversees the stellar work of game director Chelsea Berjian who is responsible for all non-competition related public address announcements, the DJ, the in-stands host, Huskie mascot (Howler), and the roving U. of S. dance and cheer team. Chelsea prepares the script and directs these activities which involve endeavours ranging from the anthem singer’s (Wayne McGillivray) performance, to prize giveaways, to entertaining the crowd during game stoppages as well as between period contests involving the Tim Bits players mini-game or student participants in fun contests.

Long before the doors open, merchandise and ticketing coordinator Sean Gilchrist and his team are at the ready in the ticket booth. As many as ten individuals are attached to the ticket sales and Huskie Store. These integral members of the Game Day contingent are on site as much as ninety minutes before the game. In addition to selling tickets, they greet fans and scan their tickets at the doors. The Huskie Store personnel located on the concourse also must set up and take down inventory long before and immediately after each weekend hockey series.

As spectators enter the upper lobby at Merlis Belsher Place, representatives from Garda World will check bags. Throughout the game, four to six of these security people circulate throughout the venue. Four to six volunteer ushers comprise the event staff at each game as well. These people provide information and assistance to spectators throughout the event.

Part of the enjoyment of attending a hockey game is having access to refreshments during the game. Typical rink food includes burgers, soft drinks, popcorn, and beer. At Merlis Belsher Place, Prairie Boys Hospitality, under manager Jason Arcand and his staff of over a dozen, provide a fully stocked concession with hot food as well as refreshments at kiosks on the concourse.

As can be seen, the many people involved with providing a positive Game Day experience extend far beyond Huskie Athletics personnel to include volunteers, security personnel, and concession workers. Yet it is the game on the ice that is the central focus for most of the spectators. Merlis Belsher Place is managed by Nustadia Recreation Incorporated which manages over two dozen recreation facilities throughout Canada.

At University of Saskatchewan, operations manager Tanya Yano has been at the helm of planning, scheduling, maintenance, and overall operations at MBP since its inception. The venue is cleaned, ice-making equipment maintained, and both the spectator and community rinks effectively maintained to a high standard. Game Day? Tanya says: “We do whatever it takes” to provide the participants with a positive experience. Her words are ably supported by the positive actions of her crew prior to and during each game.

Hours before a recent Huskie game in January, saw a Zamboni driver, an ice-edging machine operator, and six part-time cleaners preparing the venue with Yano herself actively involved. The cleaners swept and washed floors at ice level and cleaned seats throughout the arena. Three separate Zamboni floods made the ice ideal for the energetic game to follow. Concurrently, as game time approached, the Huskie hockey trainers and equipment managers put out towels at the players bench and a white board for coaches to use as well as set up sticks and other equipment.

Game Day at Merlis Belsher Place requires players who have been prepared by their coaches, supported by trainers, equipment managers, medical and physiotherapy staff well before they hit the ice. Yet the full Game Day experience is made possible only through the diligent efforts of staff from Huskie Athletics, Nustadia, Prairie Boys Hospitality, Garda World, and volunteers who together form a winning team to provide Huskie alumni, donors, sponsors, players’ family members, and community supporters with an excellent Game Day experience.

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P.J. Kennedy