FREDERICTON (U SPORTS) – The  No.6 Saskatchewan Huskies shut out the No. 2 StFX X-Men 8-0 in the second semifinal game of the 2017 U SPORTS Cavendish Farms University Cup to advance to the national final on Sunday. Seven different players scored for the Huskies, who avenged last year’s 2-1 triple overtime loss in the semif to StFX.   

The Huskies opened the scoring just under four and a half minutes in on a goal by Jesse Forsberg (Waldheim, Sask.). 

The onslaught began  in the second with a goal by Levi Cable (Hudson Bay, Sask.) at 1:54. Carson Stadnyk (Saskatoon, Sask.) would add to the lead at 4:29 , followed by Logan McVeigh (Kenaston, Sask.) at 10:17. Parker Thomas (Winnipeg, Man.) added another at 12:32, forcing the X-Men to pull starting goalie Chase Marchand (Halifax, N.S.), for Brandon Hope (Canton, Mich.).  

Still in the second, the Huskies addeda sixth tally , when Wyatt Johnson (Saskatoon, Sask.) scored at 18:38, before  Connor Cox’s (Lethbridge, Alta.)  buzzer-beater with just three seconds left.  

McVeigh would add  his second of the game and eighth for the Huskies at 4:50 of the third. 

Shots were 30-26 in favour of the Huskies.  

Huskies goalie Jordon Cooke (Leduc, Alta.) recorded his second straight shutout after blanking the York Lions 1-0 in overtime in the quarter-finals on Friday night.   

“When you have guys laying down, blocking shots, that makes my job so much easier,” said Cooke, who was named the U SPORTS Goaltender of the Year at a ceremony Wednesday night.  

X-Men head coach Brad Peddle was succinct in his explanation of the outcome. 

“Bizarre,” he said. “It’s a tough one to explain. First period, we are pretty even. In the second period, they capitalized on every chance we gave them. They brought tight checking and everything they threw at the net seemed to go in.”  

Saskatchewan coach Dave Adolph said he did not expect such a dominant performance.  

“We matched their intensity in the first, but did a lot of the right things in the second, like getting guys in the right spot, to make things click for us,” he said.  

StFX was 0 for 5 on the power play, while Saskatchewan went 2 for 6. 

The Huskies will now play  the host UNB Varsity Reds for gold  at 1:00 p.m. AT Sunday,  while StFX plays Acadia at 9:30 a.m. AT for bronze.   

Adolph, named  U SPORTS Coach of the Year, said it’s fitting that the teams that occupied  the top two spots in the U SPORTS rankings most of the year will now meet for all the marbles.

SCORING SUMMARY 

First Period 

SSK Jesse Forsberg (1) (Connor Gay, Wyatt Johnson) 04:29 

Penalties 

Lawrence (SSK) cross-checking 08:31 

MacDonald (STFX) tripping 12:04 

Second Period 

SSK Levi Cable (2) (Kohl Bauml) 01:54 

SSK Carson Stadnyk (1) (Jordan Fransoo, Levi Cable) 04:29 

SSK Logan McVeigh (1) (Colby Harmsworth, Parker Thomas) 10:17 

SSK Parker Thomas (1) (Andrew Johnson, John Lawrence) 18:38 

SSK Connor Cox (1) (Carson Stadnyk) 19:57 PP

Penalties 

Stadnyk (SSK) roughing 08:05 

Iafrate (STFX) roughing 08:05 

Lawrence (SSK) high sticking 12:35 

Needham (STFX) holding 15:11 

Cook (STFX) roughing after whistle 19:16 

Forsberg (SSK) roughing after whistle 19:16 

Kontos (STFX) roughing after whistle 19:16 

Yakubowski (SSK) roughing after whistle 19:16 

MacDonald (STFX) roughing after whistle 19:16 

Third Period 

SSK Logan McVeigh (2) (Kendall McFaull, Michael Sofillas) 04:50 PP

Penalties 

McFaull (SSK) holding 00:41 

Studnicka (STFX) tripping 03:43 

Spears (STFX) roughing 10:15 

Iafrate (STFX) elbowing major, game misconduct 11:19 

Hoyles (STFX) interference 17:50 

Lishchynsky (SSK) holding 18:01 

Fransoo (SSK) tripping 18:49 

McVeigh (SSK) high sticking 18:49 

Locke (STFX) high sticking 18:49 

McFaull (SSK) high sticking 19:22 

GOALS (by period) 

SSK 1-6-1: 8

STFX: 0-0-0: 0

SHOTS ON GOAL (by period) 

SSK 8-12-10: 30 

STFX 7-9-10: 26 

POWER PLAY:

SSK 2-6

STFX 0-5

GOALTENDERS 

SSK – Jordon Cooke (W, 2-0, 26 shots, 26 saves, 0 GA, 60:00) 

STFX – Chase Marchand (L, 1-1, 16 shots, 11 saves, 5 GA, 32:32) 

Brandon Hope (-, 0-0, 14 shots, 11 saves, 3 GA, 27:28) 

ATTENDANCE: 2,774 

Start: 4:13 pm 

End: 6:45 pm 

Length: 2:32 

SCHEDULE & RESULTS (All Times AT)

Thursday, March 16, 2017

1:00pm Quarter-final 1: No. 1 Alberta 1, No. 8 Acadia 4 (USPORTS.LIVE)

8:00pm Quarter-final 2: No. 4 Queen’s 1 vs. No. 5 UNB 5 (USPORTS.LIVE)

Friday, March 17, 2017

1:00pm Quarter-final 3: No. 3 York 0, No. 6 SSKkatchewan 1 (OT) (USPORTS.LIVE)

7:00pm Quarter-final 4: No. 2 StFX vs. No. 7 McGill (USPORTS.LIVE)

Saturday, March 18, 2017

12:00PM Semi-final 1: Acadia 0, UNB 3 (Sportsnet 360 / SN NOW)

4:00PM Semi-final 2: STFX 0, Saskatchewan 8 (Sportsnet 360 / SN NOW)

Sunday, March 19, 2017

9:30AM Bronze: STFX vs. Acadia (USPORTS.LIVE)

1:00PM Gold: UNB vs. Saskatchewan (Sportsnet 360 / SN NOW)