The University of Saskatchewan Huskies celebrate a 4-0 shutout win over the Brock University Badgers in the U Sports championship quarter-final in Charlottetown, PEI on March 25, 2022. (Mike Needham)
Drever makes 27 saves

Huskies shut out Badgers 4-0 to advance in U Sports championship

Mar 25, 2022 | 5:59 PM

The University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team made a statement Friday with a 4-0 win to start their run at the 2022 U Sports championship in Charlottetown, PEI.

The fifth-seed Huskies faced the fourth-seed, and Ontario University Athletics champs, Brock University Badgers in the quarter-final Friday afternoon.

Third-year netminder Camryn Drever made 27 saves for her third postseason shutout in seven games.

“The team helped me out lots, blocks some shots. Their (penalty kill) was awesome tonight,” Drever said.

“It’s pretty big coming into this next game, knowing that we shut out Brock and hopefully we can keep that rolling moving forward.”

Going on back-to-back penalty kills within the first five minutes, the Huskies found their stride heading into the first intermission with a scoreless tie.

Just over five minutes into the second period, however, Huskies forward Jordyn Holmes sustained a boarding injury to the lower body, which forced a stoppage as medical staff assisted the third-year player off the ice.

In the very next play, Saskatchewan rookie Sara Kendall carried the puck around the Badgers net to slip one past goaltender Tiffany Hsu’s left side.

Kendall’s first U Sports postseason goal, and the eventual game winner, was assisted by captain Bailee Bourassa and Sophie Lalor.

Huskies head coach Steve Kook said Holmes, who was being attended to at the time, was ectatic about team’s opening goal.

“She was so excited for the team, she was still in the rink at the time, she just about jumped off the cart herself,” Kook said.

“(The goal) was the right thing at the right time for everyone.”

Huskies momentum picked up big time in the third period, as Saskatchewan added three more goals to the tally starting 1:16 into the final frame.

Just one day after her 20th birthday, Huskies rookie Brooklyn Stevely fired off a shot from the left circle to beat Hsu for her second goal of the postseason.

“(Defence coach) Brian MacGregor kept telling me, ‘Stevely, shoot high,'” she told HuskieFAN post-game.

“As a defenceman, I’ve always just shot low and he told me, the goalies are going to be tracking low. He said if you can wire that puck, get it up. So I saw it and I got it up.”

The Regina product was helped by Huskies post-season points leader, Abbey Shirley, who now has seven points after Friday’s game, and Kate Ball.

Stevely’s power shot was followed by a right-side snipe from third-year forward Kara Kondrat, her second goal of the postseason, at 3:53 in the third period.

“All the credit to Larissa (Bohlken). She was driving wide and I was right in front and she popped it to me and I happened to get it five-hole,” said Kondrat.

Down 3-0, the Badgers took a timeout to regroup. With four minutes left in regulation, they pulled goaltender Hsu from net for the extra attacker.

Moments later, Huskies third-year Nicole Fry got the pass from Kennedy Brown and Kondrat, putting away a clean fourth and final goal on the empty net.

Kondrat, who was named player of the game for the Huskies, said the shared efforts on goals and assists exemplifies the team’s identity as a single unit.

“Us working hard and coming together, through the injury and everything, it shows what we can do,” she said.

The Huskies are now adhering to head coach Kook’s “two-hour rule” — that is celebrating a win for two hours before resetting for the next big game.

For Saskatchewan, that is a semifinal Saturday at 7 p.m. EST, 4 p.m. CST against the winner of quarter-final four between the host UPEI Panthers (8) and the Concordia Stingers (1).

The Huskies have never faced off against the Panthers in program history, but met Concordia in the bronze medal game of the 2017-18 national championship.

HuskieFAN will have the live call on the HuskieFAN app, huskiefan.ca and across the Jim Pattison radio network in Saskatchewan.

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