The University of Saskatchewan Huskies women's hockey team stands tall after a tough loss to UBC in the Canada West final on March 13, 2022. (Daniella Ponticelli/HuskieFAN)

By Daniella Ponticelli

Drever carries team to overtime

Heartbreak for Huskies as UBC wins Canada West championship

Mar 13, 2022 | 1:20 AM

The University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team were dealt a tough defeat in the Canada West final Saturday night.

The University of British Columbia Thunderbirds had the series lead entering Game 2, after a 4-0 shutout win Friday at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre in Vancouver.

In a drastically different 60 minutes, the Huskies and UBC neutralized each other due in large part to their respective goaltenders Camryn Drever and Elise Hugens.

Scoreless through regulation, a turnover by UBC’s Chanreet Bassi gave her open ice and a clear path to get close to the net — putting the puck past Drever’s left skate for the championship game winner.

As the Thunderbirds dropped their gloves and sticks to celebrate, the Huskies felt the emotion of a heartbreaking loss.

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In his remarks to the the team post-game, Saskatchewan head coach Steve Kook reminded the Huskies of their determination to get themselves into title contention.

“Told the team that not many in the league believed they would be competing for the conference title,” Kook told HuskieFAN.

“Since the second half started, there was a whole lot of belief in their own abilities and they found their identity as a group.”

The Huskies were awarded silver medals for finishing second in the Canada West conference, an achievement that earns them a spot in the U Sports national championship in Charlottetown, P.E.I. March 24-27.

“It’s a unique situation that athletes aren’t used to — the fact that you can lose a series and still have a bigger goal to compete for,” Kook said.

“Right now it’s difficult for players to process. We will do what we’ve done all year, reset and get ready to go again.”

Opposing goaltenders Elise Hugens (left) and Camryn Drever (right) share a moment as UBC and Saskatchewan shake hands after the Canada West final Game 2 on March 13, 2022. (Daniella Ponticelli/HuskieFAN)

While UBC’s netminder Elise Hugens stayed perfect on the weekend, she faced far fewer shots on goal.

Huskies’ Drever made 33 saves Saturday, compared to Hugens 14.

Overall, Saskatchewan’s steadfast netminder made 72 saves while Hugens took care of 29 over the two games.

“Nothing more to say about Cam’s play other than she’s a big reason why we have the opportunity to go to Charlottetown,” Kook said.

“We’ve had both success and adversity in this playoff run. Next week, it’ll be important to know that, as a group, we can handle both and keep focused on that end goal.”

Saskatchewan travels back home late Sunday evening. The Huskies will be back on the road the following Sunday, March 20, for U Sports championship week.

HuskieFAN will be with the team for nationals, providing behind-the-scenes coverage and live calls on the HuskieFAN app and huskiefan.ca.