Goalie Vance leads way with 10 shutouts in 20 games
Vance’s 10-shutout season helps U of S earn shot at conference championship
I think Jess is in everybody’s head . ... The way she’s playing, it gives us confidence.
When it comes to head games in the playoffs, the University of Saskatchewan believes it has a head start with Jessica Vance in goal.
“I think Jess is in everybody’s head,” U of S head coach Steve Kook says of the Prince Albert product, who was named women’s hockey player of the year in the Canada West conference on Wednesday.
“I think Jess is in her own head. The way she’s playing, it gives us confidence. She doesn’t talk about it; she just does what she does. Jess is in our heads and, frankly, our players are playing with a lot of confidence in front of her.”
Vance is a big reason why the Huskies are in the Canada West final for the first time since they captured their one and only conference title in 2014.
Vance led the Dogs to a two-game sweep of the reigning Canada West champion University of British Columbia Thunderbirds. The series included her 10th shutout of the season, which is tied for the secondmost shutouts in a single Canada West season with Alberta Panda Lindsey Post’s total in 2014-15.
Overall, Vance recorded six straight wins over UBC this season.
“She’s been playing unreal,” says Huskies forward Brooklyn Haubrich. “She’s hot. Nobody can seem to beat her. I have a tough time beating her in practice. She’s sending a message not just to Canada West and not just to UBC, but the nation.”
During the regular season, Vance posted a 14-3-0-1 record, 0.77 goals-against average, .964 save percentage and nine shutouts.
“Instead of playing a little bit uptight, we know that Jess is a brick wall back there and we can play a little loose and we can afford to make mistakes and Jess will have our back,” says Haubrich. “It’s good for team morale. Everybody’s just happy that she’s been playing so well.”
While Vance’s 10 shutouts in 20 games this season is one of the most dominant statistical stretches in Huskies history, she is quick to steer away the praise.
“We’re just playing as a team right now and it’s the right time to do that,” says the 20-year-old Vance, who has allowed multiple goals in just three games and only one goal during seven games.
“My success definitely is from the team and the defence and everything like that.”
Vance had big skates to fill after all-star goalie Cassidy Hendricks graduated from the U of S.
“I got a chance to watch her (Vance) for a whole year in practice (when she was a red shirt),” says Kook. “You don’t ever know until you get in a game situation, but I watched Jess’s demeanour, how she practised and carried herself and I kind of thought, ‘This girl has her (stuff ) together.’ She just plays a whole lot like Cass, to tell you the truth. I was hopeful.
“She keeps things to herself and she keeps pretty even-keel. I don’t how big of a weekend it is for her other than it’s the Can West final for her and everybody else.”
BACK FROM ACL TEAR
Vance played five seasons for the Prince Albert Bears after playing on boys teams up until bantam. She started playing goal at a young age even though she’s not sure why.
“It’s something different than the skaters. I don’t really know (why). I was just good at it, I guess. I was really young.”
Originally recruited to play for the University of Manitoba Bisons, Vance tore her ACL while playing softball as a shortstop.
She spent one and a half seasons with the Bisons before transferring to the U of S.
This weekend, she’ll go up against her former team.
“It’ll be good,” she says. “I try not to think too much about it. It’s just like any other team. We want to win as a team.”
Vance is the first Huskie to earn the conference’s top award since Julie Paetsch claimed the honour in 2012 and the third overall winner from Saskatchewan. Breanne George won it in 2010.
“I didn’t really have many expectations for myself because I was coming off two years without playing,” says Vance. “This would be my goal, obviously, to be the starter and the team goal of going to the final. It’s been good.”
The Huskies meet the Bisons in a best-of-three Canada West final Friday, Saturday and, if necessary, Sunday in Winnipeg. Both teams are guaranteed spots in the U Sports national championship at London, Ont.
“She’s had a long route to this award and she is very deserving of the honour,” Kook says of Vance.