The USask Huskies attempt to put Canada West’s women’s hockey postseason lady in perspective. 

The University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s soccer training is coming off their first trip of enjoy for the 2025-26 Canada West time, and sound and optimism are great. Not surprising given the plain slate the Huskies have as they’ve started a new year together. We’re looking very strong so far, according to Huskies commander Sara Kendall, “in truth.” ” The work ethic is it, the communication is it, and the associations are being made. The Huskies are putting the best of last year behind them, a season that put the team’s resilience to the test and saw a unique freefall in the Canada West status for the program that is typically constant out of Saskatoon. The Huskies saw a significant portion of their 2023-24 squad leave the organization, starting a rookie-heavy lineup for the 2024-25 promotion. Having just hosted the U Sports National Women’s Hockey Championship. Before the Huskies finally won their first game against the MacEwan Griffins on November 29, the Huskies suffered 14 straight costs to begin the time. After coming so far in the winter and never having a second win, or anything else going our means that time, it was difficult for us to discover the joy in it, Kendall said. ” We’re trying to bring the feelings this year… We’re trying to connect the team.” The Huskies may just win five of their 28 regular-season game, leaving Canada West finals for the first time in almost 20 years, with a disappointing 5-17-6 record to end second-last in the event. Head coach Steve Kook spent the off-season looking for solutions to how to stop the script from repeating itself this fall. It was a season that put the entire program on the test. Let’s be honest, it was a big wake-up call, Kook said. We had a chance to sort of evaluate everything we do, according to “for]players] and the coaching staff.” We looked at the items and said,” Are we doing these things because that’s what we do?” Or are we doing these things because they work? The selection process for a young Huskies roster involved a lot of soul-searching, according to the coach. A number of players had only recently been introduced to Canada West competition. 2: 09
In order for the champion USask Huskies to win the Canada West men’s hockey title, Kook wanted to instill in his players in 2025-26 the distinction between U18 and U Sports, with his locker room taking the note seriously. ” Hockey day in and day out means something here,” Kook remarked. It’s a little different than where they came from, they say. There are jobs on the table, money on the table, and a reputation for universities. The Huskies struggled in their opener last Friday, falling 3-1, which Kook said could have been much worse if not for a 30-save performance out of starting goaltender Colby Wilson. They made sure we got to take care of business here, and they did it with a little bit of an awakening. The Huskies faced Mount Royal on a different night, winning 1-0 thanks to a 23-save shutout night from backup goalie Clara Juca and veteran Bronwyn Boucher scoring the game-winning goal midway through the second period. We’re already on time from the previous year, Boucher said. We have a win in the offing before December, and I believe we have the momentum to move forward in the first half as a result. There is a lot to work on, but I’m very excited about this.” For Boucher, breaking the deadlock was a key goal, as well as a milestone for the Sturgeon County, Alberta, product scoring in her 100th career Canada West game. According to Wilson, splitting their first series of matches against Mount Royal marked a step in the right direction, with the goal of putting together victories much more consistently than last year. Everyone is in the lineup, according to Wilson, who is a relatively young team. It’s really awesome to get people used to thinking,” Oh, I can do this,” and getting them to do it. The Huskies ‘ ability to change the standings they’re anticipating this winter will depend on it, according to Wilson, who aims to return to the playoffs in her final Canada West campaign. It makes no difference whether you’re a first- or fifth-year player, Wilson said. ” We all have a role to play on this team, and I believe that’s where we are right now. The Huskies (1-1 ) are going on a bye week after their season-opening loss to Mount Royal because we know what we’re trying to achieve. They will play their home opener against the Trinity Western Spartans (2-0-0 ) on October 17th. They will be back in action again.