Huskies win OT thriller (SEE GAME VIDEO)
Force third and final game Sunday after triple overtime win
Mar 10
Click on to see Austrings Game winning goal in 3rd ot!!!
In the 428th meeting between the two teams, it was do-or-die Saturday night at the Clare Drake Arena for the University of Saskatchewan as they tried to stave off elimination in the Canada West Final against the University of Alberta Golden Bears. The Bears were looking for a sixth consecutive Conference title with a packed house urging them on, and also new that with a win, they would be on to the CIS Nationals in Moncton, Newbrunswick. The Dogs, unable to win a playoff series at the Drake since 1999, were going to need one of their most inspired efforts of the season to keep the series alive and force a third and deciding game Sunday. They did indeed play inspired hockey, in fact, they played over five periods of hockey before Curtis Austring scored his hat-trick goal at 9:16 of the third overtime, sending the Dogs into a frenzy, and into a third and final game Sunday night at 7:00pm at the Drake.
After the game a tired but happy Curtis Austring was ecstatic to get the win.
“I’m just happy we got this huge win tonight; I was fortunate to be in the right place at the right time three times in the game. Credit has to go to everyone of these guys in Green who battled their hearts out tonight,” said an exhausted Austring. “For myself, three goals is nice, but for the team, this win was pivotal; we’re playing another day.”
In the first period the Huskies once again tried to set the tone, hitting the Bears any chance they got, and rushing the net where Alberta’s goalie, Aaron Sorochan, stood tall. Saskatchewan would get the first opportunity to open up the games scoring at the 2:59 mark as the Bears Mark Ashton took a penalty, putting the Dogs on the power-play. It would be the Golden Bears who ended up with the best chance on a short-handed two-on-one, but a good defensive play by the Green and White broke the scoring chance up. Alberta would then get a break, as the Huskies Matt Girling took an interference penalty at the 7:02 mark of the first. The Bears thought they had a goal a minute into the power-play, as a tipped shot hit the back of the net, making it look as if the puck had crossed the line. It didn’t go in however, and the Huskies were able to survive the Alberta attack. The shots after the first 10 minutes were 4-2 in favour of the Huskies as both teams played a cautious game early.
Saskatchewan would once again get a first period power-play chance as Mason Wallin streaked to the net, had Trent Adamus with him, forcing the Bears Chad Klassen to interfere costing him a penalty. Right at the beginning of the man-advantage the Huskies nailed the post, but continued to look for a quality shot. They would not get the chance to do so however, as the Dogs Trent Adamus took an interference penalty of his own, evening it up to 4-4 hockey for 46 seconds before a 1:14 of Bears power-play time. Saskatchewan’s Evan Shafer then took a penalty putting Alberta on a 5-3 man-advantage for 55 seconds. Penalty after penalty was called on the Huskies, as the Bears once again went on a 37 second 5-3 again. The Dogs would kill all of the Bears power-play time and looked to re-group for the last two minutes of the period. With as many penalties called on the Huskies, they were fortunate to escape the first period with zeroes on the board. Shots after one period were 10-8 in favour of the home team.
The second frame started with both teams not willing to take too many chances. The tight checking continued until the Bears took an inference penalty at the 4:17 mark. While the Dogs would not capitalize on yet another man-advantage, they would get a second chance at the 6:17 mark, looking to open up the games scoring. The Dogs inability to put the puck in the net with an extra man would continue, as the Bears pressured the Huskies every time they got the puck, icing it more times than not. The Huskies would get their third power-play chance as Tim Krymusa charged one of the Huskies but Saskatchewan continued to look lost with one more man on the ice.
All the missed chances would catch-up with the Dogs, as the Bears, after playing in their end for most of the second, would get the first goal. Alberta’s Ian McDonald fed a wide- open Ryan Stempfle who ripped a top corner shot sending a capacity crowd into a frenzy. The Huskies would answer back quickly however, as good offensive pressure resulted in the Dogs Curtis Austring batting a shot past Sorochan to knot the score at 1-1. Assisting on the goal was Trent Adamus who did a lot of the work to find an open Austring. With the Huskies seemingly having all the momentum, they found themselves on the power-play again, and if not for solid goaltending by Sorochan, the Dogs would have taken the lead. With 3:20 left in the second Sorochan made a fantastic save, robbing Mason Wallin point-blank, and keeping the score 1-1. With 1:17 left in the second the Huskies Colin Patterson caught the Bears Chad Klassen with his head down, resulting in a big hit which also served way for a two minute minor penalty and a 10 minute misconduct for checking to the head. The Bears poured on the pressure and with just 16 seconds left in the period won a draw and scored their second goal. The Bears would take a 2-1 lead to the third period, looking to end the Dogs season.
If the Huskies wanted to keep their National hopes alive, they would have to have their best period of the year, but would first need to kill a Bears power-play that was carrying over from the second. After a successful penalty kill Saskatchewan went to the attack, searching desperately for a tying goal. Being a little too aggressive for the Huskies though was Jeff Schmidt who picked up another Dog penalty; the Bears looked to put the Huskies away. Saskatchewan would battle and battle throughout the rest of the third period until they finally got the break they were looking for. Mason Wallin and Trent Adamus worked liked Dogs to get the puck out front of the net to a waiting Curtis Austring who slammed home the trying goal with less than five minutes left in the game. With no scoring in the last five minutes of the game, both teams headed to a 10 minute overtime period immediately following regulation, where both teams once again skated to a scoreless period. They then flooded the ice and headed for 20 minutes of sudden death overtime.
In the second overtime period both the Bears and Huskies had unbelievable chances to end the game early, but fatigue was definitely playing a factor as neither team could muster enough energy to put the puck in the net. The tension in the building was incredible; the Bears and their fans just were not used to having to play as tight of game as Saturday night’s classic was. With 2:28 left in the game, the Huskies took a penalty that put the Bears on the man-advantage, looking to end the game. Jeff Harvey, long with Curtis Austring were definitely the standouts in the game, as Harvey stood his ground for the two minute onslaught poured on by the Bears on the power-play. Harvey and the Huskies survived the attack, and headed for cover as the second overtime period came to an end.
In the third overtime period the Dogs just looked like the quicker, more energetic team, and at the 9:16 mark of the sixth period, Curtis Austring became an instant Huskie hero. Not only did he get the overtime winner, it was his hat-trick goal of the game, sending the Dogs into a frenzy.
These two fierce competitors will battle it out in a third and deciding game Sunday night at Clare Drake Arena. With a ticket to Nationals on the line you can be sure that both the University of Saskatchewan Huskies and the University of Alberta Golden Bears will be laying it on the line.
Green and White in the crowd…
Prior to Saturday night’s thrilling overtime victory by the Huskies, the University of Saskatchewan Alumni society put on an event at a local pub firing up the Green and White fans that were making their way to Clare Drake for the game. With poms-poms on the tables, and Go Huskies Go signs littered throughout the establishment, it was a perfect setting to get a hearty crowd of about 25 in game mode. With proud parents, alumnus and fans of the Dogs all gathered in one place before the big game, there was a lot of good vibes heading to a rink that had haunted the Huskies for years.
Sharon and Leo Parker, parents of the Huskies Brett Parker, were in attendance, and not only are very proud parents, also had a good feeling about tonight’s game.
“We’re very proud to be here; we’ve been following our son through SJHL, WHL and we couldn’t be prouder that he is now playing for the Huskies,” said Sharon.
“I thought the Huskies played well enough to win last night but just didn’t get the result they were looking for. If the Huskies do what they did last night they should win the game,” added Leo.
Willie Grieve, an alumnus of the University of Saskatchewan, couldn’t be happier to watch a team he used to go and watch while attending school in Saskatoon, now playing in the Canada West Final in Edmonton. Grieve will admit that wherever he goes, he will always call Saskatchewan home.
“The University of Saskatchewan is a place where you get a great education in a great learning environment. Wherever I go, whether it’s back in Saskatchewan, here in Edmonton, or all over the world I end up finding people from the prairie province; we’re just a good bunch of people.”
Organizing the event was Maureen Fromhart, the Coordinator of University of Saskatchewan Alumni events in Edmonton. It takes a lot effort to get everything in order to plan an event such as the one Saturday night, but Fromhart explains that it’s just a job that has to be done.
“Often we are called eternal optimist; it’s just our nature. Wherever we go our heart is always in Saskatchewan so when we get the opportunity to show it, we come out in full force. We all come back together; in this city of over a million, Edmonton, us Saskatchewan folks just manage to find each other. We’re ambassadors of this province everywhere we go,” said Fromhart.
Perhaps it was the extra effort, and the Green and White splattered throughout Clare Drake Arena Saturday night that gave the Huskies that extra boost they needed in the third overtime period to get the win. You can be sure that the Parkers, Willie Grieve and Organizer Maureen Fromhart will be at the Drake tomorrow night hoping that they can do there part to make sure the Dogs get one more win and make it all the way to Nationals.
Story by: Devin Heroux – Sports Information Student Assistant
GAME INFORMATION
2 Alberta vs. Saskatchewan 3
03/10/2007 :: 7:30 pm
@ Edmonton, AB
Attendance: 3009
Click here for Game Recap / Cliquez ici pour résumé du match
GOALS BY PERIOD
1 2 3 4 5 6 Total
Alberta 0 2 0 0 0 0 2
Saskatchewan 0 1 1 0 0 1 3
SHOTS BY PERIOD
1 2 3 4 5 6 Total
Alberta 10 9 7 3 15 0 44
Saskatchewan 8 17 5 5 8 13 56
SCORING SUMMARY
Period #2
Alberta - Ryan Stempfle (Ian McDonald, Ben Kilgour) - EV 12:39
Saskatchewan - Curtis Austring (Trent Adamus ) - EV 13:20
NO CLIP AVAILABLE
Alberta - Brian Woolger (Kyle Fecho, Dylan Stanley) - PP 19:43
Period #3
Saskatchewan - Curtis Austring (Trent Adamus, Mason Wallin) - EV 16:05
Overtime
Saskatchewan - Curtis Austring (Colin Patterson, Evan Schafer) - EV 09:16
PENALTIES SUMMARY
Period #1
Alberta - Mark Ashton (Tripping) , 2 min , 03:59
Saskatchewan - Matt Girling (Interference) , 2 min , 07:02
Alberta - Chad Klassen (Interference) , 2 min , 11:31
Saskatchewan - Trent Adamus (Tripping) , 2 min , 12:45
Saskatchewan - Evan Schafer (Boarding) , 2 min , 13:50
Saskatchewan - Brent Twordik (Slashing) , 2 min , 15:08
Period #2
Alberta - Mark Ashton (Interference) , 2 min , 04:17
Alberta - Ben Kilgour (Interference) , 2 min , 06:17
Alberta - Tim Krymusa (Charging) , 2 min , 09:09
Alberta - Dylan Stanley (Hooking) , 2 min , 14:23
Saskatchewan - Colin Patterson (10-minute Misconduct) , 10 min , 18:43
Saskatchewan - Colin Patterson (Checking) , 2 min , 18:43
Saskatchewan - Mason Wallin (Cross-checking) , 2 min , 19:57
Period #3
Saskatchewan - Jeff Schmidt (Interference) , 2 min , 03:59
Alberta - Ben Kilgour (Tripping) , 2 min , 07:53
Saskatchewan - Jeff Schmidt (Hooking) , 2 min , 07:53
Saskatchewan - Derek Endicott (Slashing) , 2 min , 13:43
Overtime
Saskatchewan - Curtis Austring (Holding) , 2 min , 17:16
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Alberta Saskatchewan
## Players G A PTS +/- SH PIM
4 Kyle Fecho 0 1 1 0 3 0
6 Ryan Stempfle 1 0 1 1 2 0
7 Richard Kelly 0 0 0 -1 0 0
8 Harlan Anderson 0 0 0 -3 6 0
9 Scott Henkelman 0 0 0 -2 1 0
10 Jesse Gimblett 0 0 0 0 2 0
11 Cody Wasik 0 0 0 1 1 0
12 Brian Woolger 1 0 1 0 2 0
14 Dale Mahovsky 0 0 0 -2 7 0
16 Dylan Stanley 0 1 1 0 3 2
17 Ian Mcdonald 0 1 1 1 7 0
18 Richard Hamula 0 0 0 -3 1 0
19 Ben Kilgour 0 1 1 1 3 4
20 Lee Zalasky 0 0 0 0 0 0
21 Tim Krymusa 0 0 0 0 3 2
24 Mark Ashton 0 0 0 0 0 4
27 Chad Klassen 0 0 0 0 3 2
29 Derek Price 0 0 0 -3 0 0
Totals 2 4 6 -10 44 14
## Players G A PTS +/- SH PIM
0 Cole Simpson 0 0 0 -1 0 0
5 Evan Schafer 0 1 1 2 3 2
6 Brett Dickie 0 0 0 2 2 0
7 Brett Parker 0 0 0 0 4 0
0 Myles Zimmer 0 0 0 1 2 0
9 Keegan Mcavoy 0 0 0 -1 3 0
10 Matt Girling 0 0 0 0 4 2
11 Mason Wallin 0 1 1 2 8 2
12 Brent Twordik 0 0 0 -1 4 2
13 Jason Wagar 0 0 0 0 0 0
14 Trent Adamus 0 2 2 2 4 2
18 Derek Endicott 0 0 0 -1 4 2
19 Brad Erickson 0 0 0 0 3 0
21 Mark Hinz 0 0 0 1 4 0
22 Stephen Mann 0 0 0 1 2 0
23 Jeff Schmidt 0 0 0 -1 0 4
24 Colin Patterson 0 1 1 1 3 12
25 Curtis Austring 3 0 3 3 6 2
Totals 3 5 8 10 56 30
## Goalie(s) GS W-L-T MIN GA SAVES
30 Aaron Sorochan 1 loss 99:16 3 53
## Goalie(s) GS W-L-T MIN GA SAVES
31 Jeff Harvey 1 win 99:16 2 42
