CHL Top Prospects skills competition results

Team Orr opened the 2011 Home Hardware CHL/NHL Top Prospects festivities with a thrilling 12-11 win in the Skills Competition Tuesday night at Air Canada Centre in Toronto.

Doug Gilmour's crew fought back from a 5-3 deficit following the first four skills events of the evening to rally to an 11-11 tie in the three-on-three challenge before winning the contest 12-11 in a shootout. Sven Bartschi of the Portland Winterhawks scored the shootout winner.

Team Cherry's Tomas Jurco of the Saint John Sea Dogs and Team Orr's Ryan Nugent-Hopkins of the Red Deer Rebels dazzled fans with their amazing shootout skills in the Showdown Breakaway Challenge. Nugent-Hopkins led after the opening round with a score of 37 out of a possible 40 points on two attempts before Jurco posted an impressive 39 points in the event's final round to clinch the individual win in the evening's marquee event.

The Skills Competition got underway with the Fastest Skater event that saw Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds' forward Daniel Catenacci of Team Orr win with an individual best lap time of 14.017 seconds.

The Hardest Shot contest followed and it was Team Cherry's Myles Bell of the Regina Pats that stole the show with a 98.4 mile per hour blast for the win.

In the Shooting Accuracy event, four of the eight participants managed to hit all four targets but it was Team Cherry's Matthew Puempel of the Peterborough Petes that did it the fastest using just five shots to break all four targets.

Team Cherry will look to rebound in Wednesday's game that gets underway at 7:00 pm Eastern on Rogers Sportsnet and RDS.

Tickets are still available for the 2011 Home Hardware CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game Wednesday night beginning at $40 and can be purchased atwww.ticketmaster.ca or by calling 416-872-5000.

The 2011 Home Hardware CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game is supported by associate sponsors Bank of Montreal, Subway, and CCM.

Complete Skills Competition results:

Skill 1 – Fastest Skater

Team Orr:

Dougie Hamilton, Niagara IceDogs (20.231)

Shane McColgan, Kelowna Rockets (15.729)

Nathan Beaulieu, Saint John Sea Dogs (14.695)

Daniel Catenacci, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (14.017) - One goal

Team Orr Average: 16.168 seconds

Team Cherry:

Ryan Murphy, Kitchener Rangers (14.197)

Mark McNeill, Prince Albert Raiders (14.132)

Tobias Rieder, Kitchener Rangers (14.068)

Rickard Rakell, Plymouth Whalers (14.767)

Team Cherry Average: 14.291 seconds - One goal

Skill 2 – Hardest Shot

Team Orr:

David Musil, Vancouver Giants (94.2)

Stuart Percy, Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors (89.7)

Vincent Trocheck, Saginaw Spirit (92.4)

Reece Scarlett, Swift Current Broncos (86.9)

Team Orr Average: 90.8 mph

Team Cherry:

Myles Bell, Regina Pats (98.4) - One goal

Scott Harrington, London Knights (90.9)

Duncan Siemens, Saskatoon Blades (92.4)

Tyler Wotherspoon, Portland Winterhawks (89.5)

Team Cherry Average: 92.8 mph - One goal

Skill 3 – Shooting Accuracy

Team Orr:

Lucas Lessio, Oshawa Generals (1-8)

Zack Phillips, Saint John Sea Dogs (4-6)

Boone Jenner, Oshawa Generals (3-8)

Colin Jacobs, Seattle Thunderbirds (4-7)

Team Orr Total Targets: (12-29) - One goal

Team Cherry:

Sean Couturier, Drummondville Voltigeurs (0-8)

Matthew Puempel, Peterborough Petes (4-5) - One goal

Shane Prince, Ottawa 67’s (4-7)

Phillip Danault, Victoriaville Tigres (2-8)

Team Cherry Total Targets: (10-28)

Skill 4 – Show-Down Breakaway Contest

Team Orr:

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Red Deer Rebels (37)

Brandon Saad, Saginaw Spirit (31)

Sven Bartschi, Portland Winterhawks (35)

Vladislav Namestnikov, London Knights (26)

Jonathan Huberdeau, Saint John Sea Dogs (33)

Xavier Ouellet, Montreal Juniors (28)

Team Orr Average Score: (31.67) - One goal

Team Cherry:

Ty Rattie, Portland Winterhawks (26)

Tomas Jurco, Saint John Sea Dogs (35) - 39 in the final round - One goal

Nicklas Jensen, Oshawa Generals (32)

Ryan Strome, Niagara IceDogs (28)

Mark Scheifele, Barrie Colts (28)

Joe Morrow, Portland Winterhawks (27)

Team Cherry Average Score: (29.33)

For more information about the event please visitwww.homehardwaretopprospectsgame.com

Sask Sport announces award finalists

Sask Sport Inc. today announced the finalists and recipients for the Saskatchewan Sport Awards, which include the 2010 Athlete of the Year Awards, Saskatchewan Coaching Awards, and Saskatchewan Volunteer Recognition Awards. New to this year’s awards ceremony is the Officials’ Awards.

The Saskatchewan Sport Awards are held annually by Sask Sport Inc. to celebrate the outstanding achievements of Saskatchewan amateur athletes and those individuals who provide their support so these athletes can achieve their goals. This year, the committee received 88 nominations for the various award categories.

“Our province is home to many talented athletes who excel at the regional, national and international levels, and this is our opportunity to recognize them for their accomplishments. Our athletes are supported by a vast network of coaches, officials and volunteers and we want thank them for their contributions to our amateur sport system,” said Audra Young, Sask Sport Inc. President.

The finalists for the Athlete of the Year Awards are:

Master:
• Russell Hart, Regina, Saskatchewan Rowing Association
• Mike Vincent, Regina, Canoe Kayak Saskatchewan
• Hylke van der Wal, Dalmeny, Saskatchewan Athletics

Youth - Male:
• Jarret Kenke, Saskatoon, Canoe Kayak Saskatchewan
• Michael Qing, Regina, Swim Saskatchewan Inc., and Special Olympics
Saskatchewan
• Sam Valentine, Saskatoon, Dive Sask

Youth - Female:
• Emily Schann, Saskatoon, Judo Saskatchewan
• Renae Barks, Regina, Saskatchewan Rowing Association
• Jessica Campbell, Melville, Saskatchewan Hockey Association

Male:
• Ben Hebert, Regina, Regina Sport District Inc.
• Lucas Makowsky, Regina, Saskatchewan Amateur Speed Skating Association
• Jordan Eberle, Regina, Saskatchewan Hockey Association

Female:
• Colette Bourgonje, Prince Albert, Saskatchewan Wheelchair Sports Association
• Colleen Sostorics, Kennedy, Southeast Connection Sport, Culture and Recreation
District
• Kaylyn Kyle, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Soccer Association

Team:
• University of Saskatchewan Huskie Men’s Basketball Team Huskie Athletics
• Team Saskatchewan Male – National Aboriginal Hockey Championships Saskatchewan Hockey Association
• Saskatoon Hilltops, Football Saskatchewan

The recipients of the Volunteer Recognition Award, Coaching Awards, and Officials’ Awards are:

Volunteer Recognition Awards:
• Thomas Victor (TV) Taylor, Warman, Judo Saskatchewan
• Jennifer Ellarma, Kindersley, Special Olympics Saskatchewan

Coach of the Year Award:
• Dean McGarry, Lloydminster, Judo Saskatchewan

Coach Dedication Awards – Male and Female:
• Frank McCrystal, Regina, University of Regina Athletics
• Brenda Bennett, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Baton Twirling Association

Officials’ Awards – Male and Female:
• Blake Lyons, Outlook, Saskatchewan Athletics Association
• Arleen Day, Silton, Saskatchewan Curling Association

Guest speaker will be philanthropist, motivator and former NHL coach, Ted Nolan. The success Nolan has had coaching is substantial, and his accomplishments outside of hockey are equally impressive www.sasksport.sk.ca/SportAwards/guestSpeaker.php.

The Saskatchewan Sport Awards will be held Thursday, April 7th at TCU Place in Saskatoon. Tickets for the evening are available for $75 each, or $600 for a table of eight. To purchase tickets, phone 975-0800 in Saskatoon or 780-9300 in Regina, or online at www.sasksport.sk.ca/SportAwards/tickets.php.

Event sponsors include Global TV, McMaster Photographers, Canadian Sport Centre Saskatchewan, the Coaches Association of Saskatchewan and Saskatchewan Lotteries. Proceeds from the event will support the Sport Legacy Fund’s Future Best Program, which assists the next generation of Saskatchewan’s national team athletes.

Huskies move up in CIS top 10

CIS MEN'S HOCKEY TOP 10
previous ranking ( )

1. UNB (1)
2. McGill (3)
3. Alberta (2)
4. Western Ontario (5)
5. Saint Mary’s (4)
6. Saskatchewan (7)
7. UPEI (6)
8. Manitoba (9)
9. StFX (NR)
10. Lakehead (8)

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In other CIS Top 10's released Tuesday, the Huskie men's basketball team holds steady at #3 in the country and the women remain the top team in the nation at #1.

The women's hockey team remains outside the top 10 this week.

Monday morning water cooler

*EDIT: Apparently the MMWC didn't post correctly this morning so here it is now.

Good morning and welcome back to the MMWC. Hope you have a great week!

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I just got back inside from shoveling snow this morning. It's now the third time I shoveled snow this weekend! I don't mind though. I kinda like shoveling snow on a real nice sunny winter morning.

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The University of Saskatchewan Huskies men's hockey team earned a split in their weekend series with the Manitoba Bisons. Lucky for the Huskies, so too did Alberta and Calgary.

Saskatchewan remains six points back of first place Alberta and just two points up on both Calgary and Manitoba. The team now enters an off week before hosting the Dinos at the end of the month.

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Former Saskatoon Blade Walker Wintoneak has been impressive thus far for the Dinos in his rookie season. This past weekend Wintoneak netted 4 goals and 2 assists in their two games with UBC.

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With Alberta struggling with inconsistent play out of the gate in 2011 I think the title of top team in Canada West goes to either Saskatchewan or Calgary although neither team was able to outright earn that title this past weekend. It should be some series at the end of the month when Calgary comes to town.

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Sticking with the Huskies, the men's basketball team exploded for 121 points in their win over Manitoba on Saturday.

The 121 points is the most scored by one team in one game in Canadian Interuniversity Sport history.

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I am a huge fan of Rex Ryan and the New York Jets.

I'm a Titans fan by trade and make no mistake they are my team in the NFL but I'm 100% on the Jets bandwagon right now. I credit HBO's Hard Knocks for placing me in the Jets corner. If you haven't seen the series I suggest looking for it.

The personalities in that organization are a breathe of fresh air. Yes, Rex Ryan is a complete buffoon but I think that's what draws people in. It's must see tv and I've watched it a few times now.

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The shut-out streak of Whiecourt Wolverines goaltender Jordan Panasiuk has garnered some national media attention.

Panasiuk plays for the Wolverines in the North West Junior Hockey League, a Junor B hockey league in north west Alberta and north east BC.

He has turned in 8 straight doughnuts and was looking for number 9 this past weekend but due to transportation issues the game against Fort St. John was postponed.

We'll keep an eye on it here at the MMWC.

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I had a bit of a delemma on Saturday night. I had tickets to the Saskatoon Blades game against Swift Current but also had plans on attending the Huskies game against Manitoba.

I opted for the Blades game and what do you know? They lose in regulation at home for only the 2nd time all year.

I was pleased to hear the announced attendance of 8,487 for Minor Hockey Night. There is no reason for the Blades not to average 6,000 fans a night at the CUC. They're the best product in the WHL and it's about time that the city realizes that it's quality entertainment for the whole family.

I hope the acquisition of Brayden Schenn will spark some interest. We'll find out when the Blades play their next home game on Saturday night.

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My prediction for Saturday's Leafs/Flames game was almost perfect. I was growling when discussing the Leafs and Flames over some Sportscentre highlights a few weeks ago when both teams were struggling offensively. I joked that when they play it would likely be 0-0 into a shootout and take 15 shooters a side to score a goal.

There was no scoring until late in the third and it went 1-1 into a shootout before the Flames won.

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The Rider Pride Hockey Challenge kicked off in Unity on Saturday afternoon. Some of the Riders playing included Jason Clermont, Chris Getzlaf and Shomari Williams.

I was on my way out to Unity to call the game for Access 7 but was forced to turn back due to bad road conditions. The Clarion's Josh Lewis got 20 minutes down the road before turning back as well. At this point I'm still not sure if Access made it out to tape the game or not. Either way check your local listings to see if it will be on an Access station near you.

The tour continues this weekend in Nipawin and then in Weyburn in mid-February.

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I'll leave you with this link Tweeted by C95's Rambling Dave. How to eat a watermellon: http://bit.ly/fvsgmd

Have a great week!

Huskies 5 Bisons 2 recap plus thoughts

Didn't attend tonight's game as I had tickets to take in the Saskatoon Blades and Swift Current Broncos at CUC but I'm wishing I would have. Here's the game story courtesy the Huskies website:

An Andrew Bailey hat trick led the University of Saskatchewan Huskies to a 5-2 victory over the visiting University of Manitoba Bisons Saturday night in Saskatoon’s Rutherford Rink.
The second-year forward notched goals at 7:00 in the first period, 6:10 in the second and 18:48 in the third period for the hat trick.

With the win the Huskies move to 11-7 on the season, while the Bisons drop to 8-4-4. The Huskies are two points up on the Bisons in the Canada West standings after the series split – Manitoba won 5-3 Friday night. The Bisons have two games in hand on the Huskies.

Bailey’s first goal opened the scoring in the game. Kyle Bortis, who has scored six goals in his last four games, made the Huskies’ lead 2-0 at 18:29 in the first. Bailey added a his team’s third goal on the power play, before Manitoba’s Blair Macaulay scored at 11:52. Before the period was out, Riley Dudar brought the Bisons within one goal when he beat Huskie goaltender David Reekie at 18:46 in the second period.

Not wanting to give the lead away – the Huskies were up 3-0 before losing 5-3 on Friday – Cody Hobbs gave his team an insurance goal at 10:19 in the third period. Bailey scored his team’s final goal at 18:48 in the empty net.

Reekie made 25 saves for the Huskies, while Steve Christie stopped 26 for the Bisons. Saskatchewan went 1-6 on the power play, while Manitoba failed to capitalize on their three chances with the man advantage.

The Huskies will take a week of rest with a bye, while Manitoba returns home to host the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns next weekend.

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It was a PERFECT night for the U of S Huskies hockey team. Alberta lost 4-2 to Lethbridge while Calgary was dropped 5-3 by UBC. So here's the Canada West standings following tonight's play:

School	W-L-OL	Pts.	Streak
Alberta	13-3-2	28	L1
Saskatchewan	11-7-0	22	W1
Calgary	9-6-2	20	L1
Manitoba	8-4-4	20	L1
Lethbridge	7-6-4	18	W1
UBC	7-7-4	18	W1
Regina	6-12-0	12	L2

So with the win Saskatchewan is just 6 points back of the conference leading Alberta Golden Bears while both Calgary (1 game in hand) and Manitoba (2 games in hand) are two back of Saskatchewan for 2nd.

Here are a couple quick observations as I watch Hockey Night in Canada on my PVR tonight:

-Imagine if the Huskies had hung on to their 3 goal lead on Friday night? They'd be just 4 points back of first with a big weekend coming up between Alberta and Saskatchewan in February.

-The Golden Bears are moving in the wrong direction. Right now they are NOT the best team in Canada West. In my opinion that title goes to one of Saskatchewan and Calgary.

-We can possibly decide that title in a couple weeks as the Dinos visit Rutherford at the end of the month. That will be the next time the Huskies hit the ice as they now begin their final off week of the season.

-Kyle Bortis now has 6 goals in his last four games to lead the Huskies offensively. Imagine how good this team can be if some of their other offensive weapons get hot?

-Some time ago watching Sportscentre I mentioned that both the Leafs (my team if you didn't know) and Flames were so bad at that moment that when the two teams meet it'll be 0-0 and take roughly 15 shooters a piece in the shootout to finish the game. Don't look know but it's 0-0 through 40 minutes as I watch on my pvr.

I'm going to finish this game and head to bed. I'll chat with you at the water cooler Monday morning. Have a great Sunday. GO JETS!

Broncos 3 Blades 2

(From SaskatoonBlades.com)

In front of the Blades second largest crowd of 8,487 on Hockey Day in Saskatchewan/Minor Hockey Night, the Blades and Broncos finished up the back end of a home-and-home series. Last night Blades kept the lead all night and came away with a 5-2 win in Swift. Tonight the Broncos had the upper-hand and won 3-2.

The Broncos took their turn tonight with the first period lead after Assistant, Brad Hoban, scored the lone goal of the first frame on an unsuspecting Adam Morrison. He slipped the puck in the left corner of the net only 5 minutes in.

In the second frame, WHL Player of the Week, Stefan Elliott, scored to tie the game at 1-1. 20-year-old Marek Viedensky notched an assist on the goal; his 30^th of the season. The Broncos took the lead back after right-winger Dillon Wagner scored. Taylor Vause put the Broncos ahead by two with a sharp-angled powerplay goal in the last 4.1 seconds of play. The Broncos entered the dressing room after 40 minutes of play with a 3-1 lead.

Steven Stanford took over in the Blades net for the third period of play. The goaltending change tonight was the third time the team has switched goaltenders mid-game this week. Darian Dziurzynski scored to draw the Blades back within one, but it was not enough. Goaltender, Steven Stanford, was pulled in the final minute of play but even with the extra attacker the Blades could not find their way past the Broncos goaltender, Mark Friesen. Tonight the Blades were dealt their second regulation loss at Credit Union Centre and also saw their 11-game home winning streak snapped.

Blades Banter

***Levi Bews, Ryan Olsen, Curtis Hamilton and Brayden Schenn were all recognized with plaques tonight for their contributions to World Juniors. Stefan Elliott was also named Heinrich’s Jewellers Player of the Month.

***Dziurzynski now leads the team with 22 goals.

***The Jersey raffle has yet to be claimed,

I'm goin to Unity

I'm headed to Unity this afternoon to take in game one of the Rider Pride Hockey Challenge. I'll have the call on Access 7 Sports which you will be able to see on Access 7 in the coming weeks.

Riderville.com Staff

Despite the cold, several members of the Saskatchewan Roughriders have been hitting the outdoor rinks this week in preparation for game one of the Rider Pride Hockey Challenge presented by SaskCanola.

The tour kicks off Saturday, January 15 in Unity, SK where Rider players and staff will take on the Unity All-star Selects in a charity hockey game set for 2:45 pm at the Unity Arena. An autograph session will take place from 1-2 pm inside the facility as well.

Adult tickets are $10 and children are $5. Tickets are available at the door. All proceeds to benefit Unity Minor Hockey.

Rider fans in the province's northwest can expect to see players such as slotbacks Chris Getzlaf and Jason Clermont, as well as fullback Neal Hughes and defensive lineman Shomari Williams, among others, toss aside their cleats for skates on Saturday afternoon.

"The entire town is just so excited for the team's arrival," said co-organizer Michael Soloski. "It means a ton to the community for the team to come up here. This will help our fundraising efforts immensely."

Following the hockey game, a banquet will take place upstairs at the arena, where various silent auction items and a live auction will occur.

"We have some great items and it's all for a good cause, so we're encouraging fans to come on out and support the community," said Soloski.

The Rider Pride Hockey Challenge presented by SaskCanola continues next weekend in Nipawin and then in Weyburn in mid-February. Visit Riderville.com often for updates, photos and videos from the tour.

Bisons 5 Huskies 3

Darren Dupont
January 14th, 2011

The toughest lead to hold onto in hockey has quickly become the three goal lead.

The University of Manitoba Bisons scored five unanswered goals to earn a come from behind 5-3 win at Rutherford Rink Friday night. The Manitoba win creates a three way tie for second place in Canada West.

Jordan Cyr, Kyle Howarth, Blair Macaulay and Jared Walker (2) each found the back of the net for Manitoba in the second and third periods to erase the lead that the Huskies built just over twenty-three minutes into the hockey game.

Kyle Bortis continued his red hot play opening the scoring for the Huskies at the 9:55 mark of the opening period - Bortis had a pair of goals in each of the Huskies wins over Regina last weekend - and the Huskies lead 1-0 after the first.

Early in the second, just 34 seconds in fact, Steven DaSilva made it 2-0 and at the 3:22 mark Brennan Bosch would score on the power play to give the Huskies the 3-0 lead.

That would be all the offense the Huskies would be able to muster.

Cyr got the Bisons on the board at the 6:11 mark of the middle frame. Howarth cut the lead to just a single goal at 2:12 in the third and Macaulay tied the contest just past the midway point at 10:26. The Bisons weren't done there as Walker scored the go-ahead goal and eventual game winner less then two mintues later at the 12:14 mark with the extra man and then added an empty net goal with less then a minute left to play.

In the loss, Huskies goaltender David Reekie made 35 saves, while Steve Christie stopped 30 shots for the Bisons. Manitoba was 1-5 on the power play, while the Huskies were 1-3.

The Huskies and Bisons are back on the ice Saturday night at Rutherford Rink with puck-drop set for 7:00pm.

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Around Canada West Friday night the Alberta Golden Bears came from behind to beat the Lethbridge Pronghorns 9-8 in overtime while Calgary knocked off UBC 7-2.

Saskatchewan's loss combined with Manitoba and Calgary wins creates a three way tie for second place in Canada West. Manitoba has two games in hand on the Huskies while the Dinos have a single game in hand on the U of S.

The tight race for home ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs continues on Saturday in an all important match-up at Rutherford Rink.

Blades 5 Broncos 2

From SaskatoonHomePage.ca

The Saskatoon Blades rebounded from Wednesday's shootout loss in Regina by scoring three first period goals on the way to a 5-2 triumph Friday in Swift Current.

The game wasn't as lop-sided as the score might indicate as the Broncos surprised the Bridge City Bunch by ramping up their physical game in the latter stages of the first period and the beginning of the second. That allowed Swifty to score twice and close the score to 3-2...chasing starting Blades' goaltender Steven Stanford from the game. But, Adam Morrison came in and shut the door on the Broncos over the final 37 minutes while Saskatoon scored twice more to up their overall record to 33-9-2.

Darian Dziurzynski with two and singles from Josh Nicholls, Marek Viedensky and Chris Collins accounted for the Blades' scoring. Swift Current out-shot Saskatoon 35-34.

The same meet Saturday in the back-end of a home-and-home series at Credit Union Centre. It's Minor Hockey Night as part of Hockey Day in Saskatchewan with game time at 7:05 p.m. The broadcast on 92-9 THE BULL begins at 6:30.

Huskies game night: Manitoba

CANADA WEST HOCKEY

Manitoba vs. Saskatchewan

7 p.m., tonight, Saturday

Rutherford Rink

- - -

Given their apparent edge in size and their physical play, the University of Manitoba Bisons may be better suited for the smaller confines of the Rutherford Rink than the hometown Saskatchewan Huskies.

"I'm sure they're well-suited for their rink, but speaking about our team, one thing I like is that we're able to combine our speed and skill with the willingness to play a physical, gritty aggressive game," Bisons head coach Mike Sirant was saying Thursday as his men's hockey team hunkered down on the bus for the always gruelling trip from Winnipeg to Saskatoon.

"We're capable of adjusting to different rinks, whether it's the smaller ice surface of Rutherford or the larger ice surface of Max Bell (at the U of M)."

The Huskies have more skill than ever, a little more finesse than grit and more polish than spit. And it's working. The Huskies (10-6-0) have won four of their last five games and seven of their last nine. They are in second place, six points behind Alberta and two ahead of both Manitoba and Calgary.

While Manitoba (7-3-4) sports a 2-1-3 record away from home this season in the Canada West conference, the Bisons have won four of their last five games against the Huskies. Three of those wins came at Rutherford. Two of the victories propelled the Bisons over the Huskies in last year's league semifinal, sending Manitoba to the University Cup national tournament in Thunder Bay, Ont..

"It's a team that has come in here and they've had some success," said second-year U of S forward Kyle Bortis. "We've got to put an end to that. We've got to put a doubt in their mind that they can't come into our rink and win. Respect our opponent, but make sure we work hard and know what's at stake.

"We're in an OK position, but we can't be satisfied. We've got to keep pushing and pushing."

Push comes to shove is part of the growing rivalry between the Huskies and Bisons.

"It's always a special weekend when we play the Huskies," said Sirant.

"We're both trying to go for second place in our conference while still staying a close distance to Alberta. We have a real good balance on our team with our speed and our skill. We play a very up-tempo, high-pressure game both offensively and defensively. Also, our guys are willing to play solid defensively and be involved physically and sacrifice themselves, whether it's blocking shots or finishing checks."

Sirant has a relatively healthy lineup except for forward Ian Duval.

"We had quite a few longer-term injuries in the first half and most nights we played full games with only three lines," noted Sirant. "We now have the luxury of filling the whole 20-man roster and four lines."

One of the new faces in the Huskies' lineup is Derek Hulak, who gets his first taste of Bison meat this weekend.

"When you only play 14 games in the second half, every game is like a playoff game," said Hulak. "Every night is going to be a battle. We're real excited that we were able to pick up four points (last) weekend, but these points are just as important."

dzary@thestarphoenix.com

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