Game Information
 
Date: Friday, Oct. 18 & Saturday, Oct. 19
Time: 7:00 p.m. & 4:00 p.m.
Location: Saskatoon, Sask.
Venue: Merlis Belsher Place
 
SASKATOON – The University of Saskatchewan men's hockey team will be looking to get in the win column for the first time this season when they welcome the visiting Lethbridge Pronghorns to Merlis Belsher Place for a two-game series this weekend.
 
The Huskies enter the weekend sitting at 0-3-1 and are in unfamiliar territory through four games. Saskatchewan, who went 25-3-0 last season, was swept on opening weekend at the hands of the Mount Royal Cougars and then fell twice this past weekend in Edmonton at the hands of the Alberta Golden Bears.
 
While the Huskies were able to pick up a single-point in a 3-2 overtime defeat in the series finale, the program has not started a season with four losses since the 1977-78 season, three seasons before Huskies head coach Dave Adolph's playing days with the team began.
 
Meanwhile, Lethbridge also finds themselves in a unique position, as the program is off and running with a tremendous start to their 2019 campaign. Their 3-1-0 record ties their best start to a Canada West season since 2002-03, where they also began the season with a 3-1-0 record.
 
Saskatchewan will be searching for a four-point weekend and appear to be on the right side of history against a Lethbridge side who they have a 14-2 record against over the past five seasons. Following their two-game road trip, the Huskies are returning to the friendly confines of Merlis Belsher Place, where they went 13-1-0 in last season, a mark that includes 5-0 and 4-0 victories over the Pronghorns.

5 Things
 
1: Dating back to the 2014-15 regular season, the Huskies are 7-1 against the Pronghorns in their last eight regular-season matchups on home ice.
 
2: After the game Saturday afternoon, all young fans are invited to join the Huskies on the ice for a post-game skate and autograph session. All people, including parents, heading out on the ice will be required to wear a helmet.
 
3: The Pronghorn's proficiency on the penalty kill has been vital in their solid start to their season. Lethbridge leads the Canada West with an 88.9 percent penalty kill, keeping their opponents off the scoreboard on all but two of 18 shorthanded opportunities.
 
4: On the opposite end of the spectrum, Saskatchewan has been unable to find the back of the net with the powerplay. They have scored three times on 17 chances with the man-advantage, placing their powerplay in a tie for sixth in the conference.
 
5: The Huskies only have three skaters with a positive plus/minus rating, as Levi Cable is plus-two, while Kendall Fransoo and Layne Young are each plus-one.

By the Numbers
 
3 – Lethbridge skaters Dallas Valentine, Brooks Maxwell, Landon Gross and Russell Maxwell each enter the weekend riding three-game point streaks.
 
+6 – Valentine is tied atop the Canada West in plus/minus, with a +6 rating through four games. The defenseman was +3 in each of the team's games against Regina this past weekend, where he padded back-to-back two-point outings.
 
8 – Despite their 0-3-1 record, the Huskies scoring depth has been on display, with eight different forwards scoring at least one goal this season.

Scouting the Pronghorns
 
It was an unfortunate ending to the 2018-19 season for Lethbridge last season, who fell in both the Canada West and University Cup quarterfinals. The Pronghorns, who hosted the University Cup, lost out in their opening game of the national championship by falling 7-1 to the eventual finalist Alberta Golden Bears.
 
However, Lethbridge is off to a red-hot start this season, after recording a series split on the road against the Manitoba Bisons and a sweep in Lethbridge over the Regina Cougars, with the team looking to return to their second-consecutive postseason.
 
The Pronghorns have received production from up-and-down their lineup, with Valentine, a third-year blueliner, leading the team in points so far this season. The Lousana, Alta. native has one goal and five assists totalling six points this season, which is tied for first among Canada West defenseman. Valentine, who had a quiet 2018-19 campaign in which he registered four points in 27 games, appears to be back in the form of the player he was in his rookie season back in 2017-18 with the program. In his first year with the Pronghorns, Valentine scored four goals and added 13 assists in 28 games.
 
Meanwhile, rookie forward Kyle Gordon is tied for tenth in conference scoring with two goals and three assists through four games.
 
Fellow rookie Michael Clarke, who played for the Humboldt Broncos last season, is off to a quick start in his Pronghorns career. The first-year forward has four points in four games this season.