SASKATOON – It took 81 minutes and 17 seconds of play, but Carson's Stadnyk's double-overtime marker was the difference as the University of Saskatchewan Huskies defeated the Calgary Dinos 5-4 in Game 2 of the Canada West semifinal to record the series win on Saturday at Merlis Belsher Place.
The Huskies got out to a 4-1 lead, but the visiting Dinos clawed their way back into the contest, tying the game up at four-goals apiece to force overtime.
The win clinches the Huskies a trip to the CW Championship Series and University Cup, meanwhile the loss ends the Dinos season, who went toe-to-toe with the No. 2 ranked Huskies, aftert their comeback attempt in Game 2 fell just short.
Along with Stadnyk: Jeff Faith, Donovan Neuls, Collin Shirley and Jared Dmytriw all found twine in the Saskatchewan victory.
Kaden Elder,
Dane Gibson,
Tim Vanstone and
Ryan Gagnon were the goal scorers for Calgary.
Huskies goaltender Taran Kozun made 29 saves of 33 shots to record win, while at the opposite end of the ice, Matthew Greenfield recorded 26 saves on 31 shots between the Dinos pipes.
As was the case in Game 1 of the series, the Huskies struck first. Faith took advantage of a Dinos turnover behind their own net, with the puck caroming off the end boards to the stick of the rookie forward in front of the cage where he banged it home past an unexpecting Greenfield for his first career playoff tally to make it 1-0 for Saskatchewan.
But after a Logan McVeigh double-minor for high-sticking followed by a Sam Ruopp roughing penalty, Calgary responded on the five-on-three man-advantage. Gordon circled the Huskies zone before spotting Elder on the doorstep, who deflected the feed home, as the Saskatoon native found twine in his hometown, tying the contest up at one goal apiece.
But unlike Game 1, when Saskatchewan was able to strike in the late going of the opening frame, the two clubs entered the first intermission, all locked up at 1-1.
However, the home team wasted little time in taking the lead back in the second, as the Huskies went to work on a four-minute powerplay of their own after a Calgary spear. Bauml's shot from the side of the cage was stopped but he slid it back to Neuls, who rifled home the go-ahead goal to make it 2-1 in favour of Saskatchewan.
The Huskies kept it coming minutes later. Jordan Tkatch's presence on the forecheck forced a Dinos turnover inside their own zone, which resulted in Shirley knocking down a puck and sweeping it past Greenfield to give the home side a two-goal advantage.
But the Dogs weren't done. Just moments later, Shirley entered the zone along with Dmytriw, and the pair worked the give-and-go with Shirley connecting with the first-year on the doorstep who was able to beat Greenfield to make it 4-1.
However, with their season on the line, the Dinos weren't going to go into extinction with ease.
Ryan Graham, who scored the lone goal for Calgary in Game 1, dropped the puck for Gibson, who let a wrister go from the circle beating a screened Kozun to bring the visitors back within two.
The Dinos trimmed the lead to one just 2:16 later, after
Jake Kearley's fake clapper from the point allowed the blueliner to spot Vanstone on the doorstep who beat Kozun to make it 4-3.
Saskatchewan entered the third with the one-goal lead, but Calgary was quick to erase the deficit in the final frame. A
Logan Fisher centring pass found Gagnon in the slot, but after his first shot was stopped, he tucked the rebound past Kozun to knot the tie game up at 4-4, sending the game to overtime.
After the first overtime stanza solved nothing, the teams took to a second frame to decide a winner. It took just 1:17 of double overtime for the Huskies to end the contest, as Stadnyk's goal sent Merlis Belsher Place into pandemonium.
The game brought an end to the varsity careers of Dinos graduating seniors
Graham Black,
Mitch Cook,
Robbie Fisher,
Dane Gibson, and
Coda Gordon.
