Huskies season ends in heartbreak with double-overtime loss to UBC

The season is over for the women’s hockey team at the University of Saskatchewan.

The team, which finished in third in the Canada West standings, was swept in two straight games this weekend by the University of British Columbia (UBC) Thunderbirds. The Thunderbirds came in as the sixth, and lowest seed, to clinch a playoff spot in the Canada West standings.

Both games needed extra time to finish, with a combined nine periods of action between the two clubs.

After 84 minutes of play on Saturday, UBC’s Hannah Clayton-Carrol scored the lone goal of the game in double overtime, giving the Thunderbirds a 1-0 win to clinch the series.

UBC goaltender Tori Micklash stopped all 38 shots, while Huskies netminder Jessica Vance turned aside 28 of 29 shots she faced.

It was a different match-up in Game 1 on Friday.

UBC broke the deadlock in the final minute of the first overtime. Mathea Fischer scored a controversial goal by batting the puck out of the air. It then deflected off Vance’s outstretched glove and into the Huskies net.

U of S had jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the game, before a late comeback by UBC tied it with just over eight minutes remaining in regulation.

The quarter-final sweep ended the careers for many of the Huskies’ core group of players. Eight will now graduate out of the program as fifth years, with one graduating as a fourth year.

Forwards Courtney Cormack, Shyan Elias, Rachel Lundberg, Elizabeth Salyn, along with captain Brooklyn Haubrich played their final game Saturday.

On defence, Leah Bohlken, Emma Nutter and Morgan Willoughby also aged out as fifth years, with Kayla Kirwan graduating out of her fourth year.