The Dogs on the Rocks
Huskies eliminated at nationals after consecutive one-goal losses
UQTR 3, Saskatchewan 2
MONCTON, N.B. — The hockey Huskies are finished because they had no finish. Despite outshooting the University of Quebec at Trois-Rivieres Patriotes 42-23 and playing most of the game in UQTR’s end, the University of Saskatchewan Huskies found themselves on the short end of the stick Friday as they dropped a 3-2 decision before 3,992 fans at the Moncton Coliseum.
As a result of their second straight loss, the Dogs were eliminated from the Cavendish University Cup national championship tournament.
“We had a lot more opportunities to score than we did (Thursday against New Brunswick) and we just lacked a little finish in the second period,” said U of S head coach Dave Adolph. “I really don’t know how that puck stayed out.” The Dogs totally owned the second period, outshooting the Patriotes 19-0 at one point — and those were only the shots that managed to hit the net. They were another 19 or so that misfired.
UQTR did not register a shot on net in the second period until the final 30 seconds. Even so, the Patriotes hit the goalsheet hard with the winner, on the power play, at the end of the period. A deflected dribbler went through the pads of a screened Saskatchewan goalie Jeff Harvey to make it 3-2 for UQTR at 19:44. It was Tommy Lafontaine’s first goal of the season.
“The bottom line is I’ve got to stop pucks,” said Harvey, who was barely tested and made 20 saves. “It would have been a lot easier if I was a little more tested, but it’s no excuse.
“Their goalie, everything seemed to hit him and we couldn’t get a puck past him. That’s just the way games go sometimes. For us, it seems to happen too often. Last year at nationals, the same thing happened. The puck didn’t go in. We’ve got to find a way to do that. If you don’t go to the front of the net and go to the greasy areas, you’re not going to get goals.”
Danny Dallaire was tested time and time again in net for UQTR.
“I saw most of the shots,” said Dallaire, who made 40 saves. “When I can see the puck and my defencemen clear the rebounds, we are a very tough to beat.” Things couldn’t have started much worse for the Huskies. Just 49 seconds in, Keegan McAvoy was assessed a roughing penalty following a scrum and two-way pushing match along the boards. A little over a minute later, 6-foot-2 defenceman Evan Schafer delivered a crushing bodycheck on a shorter UQTR player, who ducked on the play. Schafer was called for checking to the head, giving the Patriots a two-man advantage. They capitalized 18 seconds later with a power-play goal by Nicholas Desilets.
At 5:49, UQTR went up 2-0 thanks to an even-strength goal by Jonathan Boutin, who cashed in on a rebound.
The Dogs answered right back, first with a power-play goal by McAvoy, who pounced on a rebound off the back boards, and then an even-strength marker by McAvoy at 14:47. That knotted the score at 2-2 going into the second period.
“It’s not our best game of the year, but it’s not necessarily the best team, but we are the winning team,” said UQTR coach Jacques Laporte.
UQTR plays the University of New Brunswick Varsity Reds today to determine the Pool B winner.
In the other game Friday, Moncton defeated St. FX 5-3. Moncton plays Laurier today, with the winner advancing to the final Sunday (5 p.m., TSN).
“(Thursday) our energy level wasn’t good,” said Adolph. “That’s the first time I’ve seen sort of a flat effort from my teaminalong,longtime.Ourenergywasprettygoodtonight. We played a much better game. We had ample opportunities on the power play to make a difference.”
UQTR was 2-for-7 on the power play. Saskatchewan was 1-for-9.
“They found a way to put that puck in the net on the power play,” Adolph said. “That was the difference, definitely.”
dzary@sp.canwest.com
