SASKATOON — Facing elimination, the University of Saskatchewan Huskies men's hockey team stayed alive, as they took Game 2 of the Canada West quarter-final with a 4-0 win over the Calgary Dinos.
Playing in front of a crowd of 2,136, the Huskies took a two-goal lead late in the first period and from there it was all Saskatchewan, as the home side out shot the visiting Dinos 42-20 in the contest and controlled the game throughout. The green-and-white got goals from four different skaters, while Roddy Ross recorded a 20-save shutout in his first-career playoff start.
With the win, Saskatchewan extends the series — and their season — for another night, as Game 3 will come Sunday night at Merlis Belsher Place.
"Now we got one game to see if we can keep going," said Huskies head coach Mike Babcock. "The best thing about these kinds of things though is this is where the fun is at. That's why you play sport — you want to compete and you want to compete when it matters."
"We don't want to be done right now, I can't even golf yet," joked Huskies defensemen Connor Hobbs, who made his return to the lineup tonight. "We all want to stick around and we want to give people a show."
After their Game 1 win, Calgary had the chance to close out the best-of-three series tonight, but will now also need a Game 3 win to extend their season.
"We didn't play anywhere near the level we had to play up to win a game. They played way tougher, way faster, way harder. We didn't even get our toe in the water here until 10 minutes left," said Dinos head coach Mark Howell. "We have no choice but tomorrow night now."
Carl Stankowski got the start between the pipes for Calgary — his first action of the postseason — but he allowed four goals on 42 shots.
Saskatchewan got a goal from Justin Ball from the second-straight night, while Alec Zawatzky, Vince Loschiavo and Donovan Neuls recorded their first goals of the postseason.
It was Zawatzky who opened the scoring with 5:56 remaining in the first period, as he tucked a backhander past Stankowski.
"(Zawatzky) is such a little energy ball. When he does things like that, it's like blocked shots, it gives us hope and it gives us pace," said Hobbs.
The Huskies added another one just 3:14 later when Loschiavo ripped home a wrister to give the homeside the aforementioned two-goal lead.
Ball made it a three-goal lead in the middle frame, before Saskatchewan added an insurance marker in the final stages of the third period, as a beauty dish from Zane Franklin set up Donovan Neuls to give the Dogs a four-goal cushion — proving to be all the green-and-white needed for the Game 2 win.
Game 3 runs Sunday night at Merlis Belsher Place in Saskatoon, as the Huskies will play in front of another big crowd on home ice.
"It's awesome," said Hobbs, when asked about playing in front of the student section. "I've never experienced anything like that — a student section — a real, team spirit type group of young people that are our age. It's totally new for me and it's really fun."
"It just helps so much when they're here and we know they're there and it drives us to maybe go a little harder. It really makes a big difference for us."
All the action can be watched live on CanadaWest.TV presented by Co-op.
