Emily Holmes scored her first USports goal on Friday night. (Daniella Ponticelli/HuskieFAN)

By Katie Brickman-Young

Huskies look for sweep vs. Dinos

Emily Holmes scores game-winner for Huskies

Nov 19, 2021 | 10:40 PM

Emily Holmes didn’t even know she scored her first USports goal.

The University of Saskatchewan Huskie rookie forward shot the puck from centre ice in front of her bench on what she thought was a dump and line change, but it turned out to be the game-winner.

The Huskies women’s hockey team shut out the University of Calgary Dinos 2-0 on Friday night at Merlis Belsher Place in Saskatoon in Canada West action.

“I was stuck on a change and just trying to get out. I just went to go dump and change and I was pretty out of breath. Next thing I knew, I turned around and had people jumping on me because I scored,” said Holmes on the goal. “I was staring at the bench, and everyone was cheering. My sister (Jordyn Holmes) was actually the first one that grabbed me, so that was a special moment between us.”

As Holmes climbed over the boards and sat on the bench, she was mobbed by her teammates as they celebrated her first goal of the season and her first as a Huskie.

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“The bench just erupted when Emily scored. It was unexpected,” said Huskies’ head coach Steve Kook. “That was not your typical goal, but the bench was really happy for her. She works so hard during the game.”

The game was scoreless through 40 minutes of play, but the Huskies determined to bring some additional energy to the third period, and it paid off – scoring two goals and securing a shut-out for goaltender Colby Wilson.

“I thought we worked hard in the third period. I thought we got outworked a little bit in the second period,” said Kook. “I thought we worked hard in the third and outworked them. We won some board battles and ate some pucks when we needed to. That was crucial for us, especially late in the third.”

Abby Shirley scored the Huskies second of the game late in the third period to secure the victory. Huskies’ captain Baille Bourassa took a long shot on Dinos goaltender Gabby Durante, who gave up a rebound that Shirley pounced on.

Both teams struggled with discipline in the first 40 minutes, but neither team scored on their power play opportunities. The Dinos went 0-for-4 on the power play, while the Huskies went 0-for-6 on the advantage.

The power play has been a struggle for the Huskies this season, only scoring once on 37 opportunities this season. Kook saw some improvements in this game though.

“We had some good looks. I thought the powerplay was good. We shot pucks at the right time,” said Kook. “We got pucks on net, and I thought we had chances on the rebounds as well. We still have to keep doing the same thing.”

Huskies’ goaltender Colby Wilson stopped all 22 shots she faced for her first USports victory and shut out. The rookie netminder looked solid and confident in just her second game of the season.

“It is really good for Colby, and she held us in there, particularly in the second period when we were under siege a bit,” said Kook. “That will be a big confidence boost for her, especially coming in as a first year. Just knowing that she can play in big games like this and under pressure. I’m happy for her.”

The Huskies and Dinos will face off again Saturday evening (7 p.m., Merlis Belsher Place) for the rematch and the home team will be looking for the crucial sweep.

“Sweeps are always hard, but if we can get a sweep this weekend, it will put us in good standing, especially since we play Calgary and UBC who are tight in points with us,” said Kook. “We want to make sure we have fresh bodies in the lineup for the rematch.”