Men’s hockey in Canada West is one of those sports where teams have different levels depending on how aggressively they recruit, their own expectations for their season and the people running the programs. We’ve seen the Alberta Golden Bears set a standard that few teams could meet, but the recent emergence of the Saskatchewan Huskies, the Calgary Dinos and the Mount Royal Cougars has brought a little more parity to the conference. But tonight the Huskies reminded everyone why they are a level above the Trinity Western Spartans, and no, that image above is not a mistake.
The Huskies literally threw everything they could at the Spartans tonight as they launched 73 shots on net off Spartans’ netminder Raphael Audet, which is just an incredible number of shots. You might be wondering if that’s a record, and it checks that box in a few different ways. It’s a regular-season school record for the University of Saskatchewan men’s hockey program, but it’s not the most in school history. That happened on February 26, 2016 during a playoff game between the Huskies and Calgary Dinos, where the Huskies scored a whopping 81 shots in a 4-3 double overtime win.
And that’s only third all-time in Canada West history!
According to the Canada West record books, the most shots ever for one team in a single game came on November 27, 1971, when the Alberta Golden Bears visited the Victoria Vikes and launched 91 shots on net in a 9-0 road victory. I searched the digital newspaper archives to see if any evidence of this game was available, and it appears that the Golden Bears’ 91-shot performance can be confirmed!
As you may have read above, Murray Ridley was the unlucky Victoria goalie who had the 91 shots fired at him, and there are no records of whether he stayed in hockey after his time at the University of Victoria. Alberta’s Jack Gibson, who scored six goals in the two games against Victoria, actually continued to play hockey, eventually scoring 38 goals and 60 points for the WHA’s Toronto Toros in two seasons from 1972-94. This came after three seasons skating for the Golden Bears, before a 15-game, 25-point audition with the Clinton Comets in the EHL. How cool is that piece of history?
The second-most shots in Canada West history also belong to the Alberta Golden Bears, and they reportedly put 84 pucks on net in a Jan. 18, 1957 game against the Saskatchewan Huskies in a 16-2 home win. I searched all the newspaper archives, but I couldn’t find a single mention of this game in the newspapers, so we’ll have to take Canada West’s word for this game. Frankly, I have no doubt that they must have some sort of document that totally confirms this. It’s just incredible to think that 84 photos were taken!
Officially, tonight’s shot total marks the Huskies’ regular-season record as the fifth-highest all-time in Canada West, tying them with the 2000-2001 Lethbridge Pronghorns who made 73 shots against the Brandon Bobcats on February 3, 2001. That trails the two Golden Bears totals, the Huskies’ 2016 playoff performance and from 1969-70. Manitoba Bisons who also hit the 80 shot when they put 80 shots on net against the Victoria Vikes on January 17, 1970.
For those wondering, tonight’s 73 shots didn’t reflect the final score either, as the Huskies needed overtime to beat the Spartans 5-4. Trinity Western’s Matteo Lamoureux scored late with Raphael Audet on the bench to force overtime, but Saskatchewan’s Connor Roulette sent everyone home at 2:06 of overtime when he found the back of the net. The final score, as shown in the lede image, was 73-26 in favor of the Huskies.
Just for fun, the 73 shots Audet saw tonight is one fewer than UBC’s Brett Mirwald has seen in three games this season. It’s rare to see such a high shot total, but it happened tonight at George Preston Arena in Langley, BC, when the Huskies crossed the net!
Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!
#Holy #shooting #gallery #Batman