SASKATOON – For the second-time in program history, the University of Saskatchewan Huskies women's hockey team are national medallists, as they defeated the UNB Reds 2-0 in the bronze medal game at the 2022 U SPORTS National Championship.
"This is just so surreal and so special to actually come home with some hardware," said Huskies captain Bailee Bourassa. "The team really put it all on the line, not only just in this game, but the whole journey to get here. We played until the very last game that we could possibly play and I could not have asked more for my team."
The game served as the final game of Bourassa's career, as the Weyburn product put a bow on her fifth-and-final year of eligibility with U SPORTS bronze.
"For her to come come back and play her sixth year of eligibility and forgo moving on with her career and all those sacrifices — then leave and lead a team like this to a bronze medal in a situation like this, I'm just so happy for her," said Kook.
"Honestly, I can say that I have absolutely zero regrets with this year, coming back with the girls, especially this group, there was just something so special about this group. There was no way we weren't going to win something this year. So I'm honestly super happy and I'll never forget this year," said Bourassa.
It was Kendra Zuchotzki who opened the scoring for Saskatchewan at the 7:51 mark of the first period with a blast from the point for her first-career U SPORTS postseason goal. Jasper Desmarais added an insurance marker on a shelfed wrister on a Huskies three-on-one near the halfway point of the second-period, as the pair of first years combined to give the Huskies all the scoring it needed on the afternoon.
If there was a fitting way for this season to come to end, it was a Camryn Drever shutout. The third-year net-minder recorded what was her fourth shutout in nine postseason games.
The bronze medal win is the second in program history and first medal since the 2013-2014.
The Huskies were defeated by the Concordia Stingers in the bronze medal game of the 2017-18 national championship — with today serving as revenge for Abby Shirley and Bourassa, who are the team's lone remaining players from the squad.
"We were on that blue line watching the other team get the medal four years ago and it was real heartbreaking because you know, we thought we deserved a better medal," said Kook.
The win put a wraps on what was a historic season for the program. After finishing in fifth-place in the Canada West with a 11-7-0 record in the regular-season, the Huskies caught fire when it mattered the most.
Saskatchewan went on to win four-straight postseason games, sweeping the Manitoba Bisons and Mount Royal Cougars — who were the Canada West's No. 1 seed and the No. 2-ranked team in the nation — in the Canada West quarter-final and semifinal.
The pair of series wins ultimately punched the program's ticket to the national championship, where they finished as the conference's top team and made sure it was a season that will be forever enshrined the history books.
Coach and teacher Darren Abel from the Weyburn Comprehensive School said in a tweet, “Congrats to the @baileebourassa on an outstanding @USPORTSca career! As a former @skhuskies football player, I love to see current @HuskieAthletics student athletes excel, particularly when they come from your hometown!”
