Dogs Have Their Day - Saskatchewan Huskies Finally End Golden Bears Reign over Canada West

By DEREK VAN DIEST, Sun Media

Forget about the three-peat.

The University of Alberta Golden Bears men's hockey team won't be going to the national championships for the first time since 1996.

The University of Saskatchewan Huskies will be representing Canada West instead.

First since 2000

Last night the Bears fell 4-3 to the Huskies at Clare Drake Arena in the third and deciding game of the Canada West final.



The win earned the Huskies their first conference title since 2000, and booked their place at the University Cup in Moncton, N.B., March 22-25.

"We came here with a purpose and that was to go to Moncton," said Huskies head coach Dave Adolph.

"We had a rough first period, but I thought we bounced back and really played our game in the second period and there was no denying us in the third."

Colin Patterson scored the winner with 2:50 left in the third period, completing the comeback for the Huskies after they were down 3-1 late in the second.

"Colin Patterson has scored some pretty big goals for us here down the stretch," Adolph said. "And there was no better time for Patty to bury one."

Derek Price, Harland Anderson and Brian Woolger scored for the Bears who went into the series as two-time defending national champions.

This was the sixth consecutive meeting between the two teams in the Canada West final. It was the first time the Huskies have won.

"I'm very proud of our guys," said Bears head coach Eric Thurston. "They didn't leave anything in the tank. They battled, but we had a tough time containing their forwards down low.

"They were very determined, so you have to give a lot of credit to Dave Adolph and his team, they never quit."

The Huskies lost the opening game of the series 2-1 on Friday, then won a triple-overtime marathon Saturday to set up last night's deciding game.

Keegan McAvoy lead the way for the Huskies, scoring a pair of goals, including the tying goal four minutes into the third period. Mason Wallin also scored for the Huskies.

Had the feeling

"It's an unbelievable feeling," McAvoy said. "We had this feeling right from our young guys to our older guys, that no matter what were going up against in the third period, we could do it. We consider ourselves a third-period hockey club and we stuck with it."

Bears goaltender Aaron Sorochan made 26 saves in the contest - many of the outstanding variety. However, it's the one that got away which cost the Bears.

Sorochan lost sight of Keegan McAvoy's slow roller early in the third and ended up having to fish the puck out of his net. He had no chance on Patterson's winner from in close.

"At that point we though momentum was going right and we had momentum on our side," McAvoy said.

"I knew I had a screen in front, I just wanted to put it on net and I don't think Sorochan saw it until the last minute. I'm lucky I caught a piece of the net. But that's playoff hockey, you put puck on net and you never know what's going to happen."

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