Huskies sports team face big games this weekend
It’s crunch time at the Physical Activity Complex on the University of Saskatchewan campus.
The U of S men’s and women’s volleyball teams are both knocking on the Canada West conference playoff door with their final home matches of the regular season this weekend.
The Huskies will play host to the University of British Columbia-Okanagan Heat in matches Friday and Saturday. The women play at 6 p.m. each night, followed by the men at 8 p.m.
On the women’s side, Saskatchewan sits in a fifth-place tie with the Alberta Pandas and Regina Cougars, each with a 9-9 record. UBC-Okanagan is currently fourth in the conference with a 12-4 record. The top eight teams qualify for playoffs.
On the men’s side, Saskatchewan is tied for seventh with the Manitoba Bisons and Thompson Rivers WolfPack at 7-11. Again, the top eight teams move on to Canada West playoffs.
UBC- Okanagan is nipping at the heels of the Huskies with a 5-11 record and two matches in hand.
The Huskies are coming off a pair of losses to Thompson Rivers last weekend in Kelowna.
“This past weekend kind of hurt us a little bit because Thompson Rivers is probably one team we’ll be fighting with for that seventh or eighth playoff spot,” offered U of S head coach Brian Gavlas. “UBC-O is another team in a similar situation. We definitely have to look ahead to the Friday night match and do what we can to get a win and then look at the same thing (Saturday).
“We talked to the guys after the first half and said we put ourselves in a hole, but if we can take a playoff mentality and philosophy to each and every one of our matches, we can put ourselves in a position to get ourselves in the playoffs. That’s basically how we have to play out here.”
HOCKEY
At Rutherford Rink, the U of S women’s hockey team is playing host to the first-place UBC Thunderbirds.
Game time is 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Saskatchewan is 14-7-0-1 and fourth overall with 43 points. (In women’s hockey, three points are awarded for a win in regulation, two points for a win in overtime or shootout and one point for an OT or OT shootout loss.) UBC is 13-4-3-2 with 47 points, tied for first with Manitoba.
In Canada West men’s hockey, first-place Saskatchewan 18-3-1) heads to Vancouver to play UBC (12-9-1) this weekend.
The Thunderbirds are currently fourth in the conference, one point back of third-place Manitoba.