February 23, 2008 by maureen.ulrich.

I’ve been putting off writing this blog for nearly a week.

Sigh.

After a six-game winning streak, the Huskies were swept by the University of Manitoba Bisons last weekend.

The Huskies looked absolutely intimidated and shell-shocked in the first game – losing 3-1.

They played much better in Game 2. After killing a 5 on 3 in the second period, the Huskies began outworking the Bisons along the boards. They played an outstanding third period, dominated the first five minutes of overtime, then lost to Manitoba 2-1. A crushing blow for the girls, their coaches, and their fans.

We had such high hopes for our girls, but – with a third place finish in CanWest and a CIS Top Ten ranking, their future looks very bright.  

The Huskies will have a full-time coach next year. Also the girls now know just how hard they have to work to “play with the big dogs.” Watch out Pandas and Bisons!

Despite their elimination from playoffs – and the opportunity to go on to the national tournament in Ottawa — what a marvelous season it has been. Randy and I weren’t really looking forward to it – having lost some of our good friends along the way. As girls graduate or move on to other programs, their parents go too. We really missed Mike McKay and Janice and Ross Collins at the beginning of the season – and then we met the new crop of parents. What super people.

For Robin, this has been the best year of CIS hockey. And that’s saying a lot. She loved  her first year.

And there was some icing on the cake for the Huskies this week.

Steve Kook  and Wayne Grund have received CanWest Coach of the Year honours for leading the Huskies to a 12-9-3 season.

And Robin was named to the First Team CanWest Allstars. Goaltender Vanessa Friedrick was named to the Second Team. Robin  is also CanWest’s nominee for the Marion Hilliard Award, an award given out at the CIS national championship to a CIS female hockey player for community involvement. As near as we can figure there will be three other nominees, one from Ontario, one from Quebec, and one from the Martimes.

Needless to say, we are very proud of Robin.

And next season – Robin’s last season with the Huskies – is only six months away.

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February 15, 2008 by maureen.ulrich.

Randy and I went to see Tom Cochrane and Red Rider AND John Cougar Mellencamp on Tuesday night at Credit Union Center in Saskatoon.

Awesome show.

We were very disappointed in the sound quality for Cochrane’s performance, but it was crystal clear for Mellencamp’s.

Watching Cochrane brought back many memories of my early days as a teacher in Lampman, dating a farmboy and hanging out with a Big Six hockey team.

How closely have you listened to the lyrics of “Big League”? It’s not just a song about a father’s dreams for his son – the talented hockey player. It’s a Saskatchewan tragedy about a crushed spine – and crushed hopes. Like Cochrane says, “You never know what might come down.”

And what can I say about Mellencamp?

Mellencamp truly is the American poet of rockstars.  Just take his song “Human Wheels” for instance. What does Avril Lavigne have that could possibly compete against these lyrics?

This land today, shall draw its last breath

And take into its ancient depths

This frail reminder of its giant, dreaming self

While I, with human-hindered eyes

Unequal to the sweeping curve of life

Stand on this single print of time.

But in all fairness to Lavigne, she doesn’t have a half century of life experience. And she wasn’t a teenager in the USA during the 1960’s.

In its review of the concert, the Star Phoenix commented that – if there was to be something such as SaskAid — Mellencamp would be the perfect headliner. His leftist views find a sympathetic ear in the home province of Tommy Douglas. And what red-blooded Saskatchewan farmer isn’t moved by “Small Town” and “Rain on the Scarecrow”?

It was a great night watching two ploughboys from both sides of the border.

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February 11, 2008 by maureen.ulrich.

It seems wrong to think . . . to say it. It could be very upsetting to the Gods of Hockey.

But surely the Gods of Hockey will allow Huskie fans just one week rife with dreams of possibility.

The University of Saskatchewan Huskies are indeed just two wins away from attending their first national tournament in four years. Only one girl on the team has a memory of that experience.

The Huskies have sewn up third place in league play, finishing up the season with a 12 – 9 – 3 record.  They are currently ranked 8^th in the nation by the CIS.

The Huskies will play the University of Manitoba Bisons next weekend in a best of three game series. Two wins will take them to the Western Final and to Ottawa in early March.

The Huskies are on a six game winning streak – having swept Lethbridge, UBC, and Regina the past three weekends. Their record against Manitoba is far less auspicious, being 0 – 5 – 1 this year. However, the Huskies have played well against Manitoba in spurts – and the girls are hungry for the opportunity to attend a national tournament.

Best case scenario (with apologies to the Gods of Hockey): U of S discovers the secret to playing against “the Trap” and beats the Bisons next weekend. The University of Regina beats the U of A Pandas. The Battle of Saskatchewan (Round 2) is played in Saskatoon on the weekend of  February 22. U of S wins the battle. Both U of R and U of S advance to Nationals in Ottawa and set Canada West – and the entire CIS for that matter – on their collective ears.

 When you dream, you gotta dream big. 

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February 1, 2008 by maureen.ulrich.

Randy and I are off to Regina later today to watch the Huskies take on the University of Regina Cougars in a double-header. Game Two will be played on Saturday night. The Huskies managed to sweep the UBC Thunderbirds last weekend — 4-3 and 4-1. The first game was a nail-biter! The Huskies scored in overtime to eliminate the Thunderbirds from play-offs and assure themselves of at least a fourth place finish in league play. Tonight the Huskies are aiming their sights on a third place finish. If we can manage to sweep Regina, they will have to sweep Manitoba next week in order to finish ahead of the Huskies. That’s a lot of if’s. And in CIS women’s hockey — anything can happen! 

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