The Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team is looking to move two games above .500 as they hit the road to take on the University of Manitoba Bisons.
One player making a name for herself this season is second-year forward Sophie Lalor.
She had four points in her rookie campaign that was cut short by injury. This year, she already has 10 points, tied for second on the team in scoring.
Head coach Steve Kook said he likes what he’s seeing so far this season from Lalor.
“Last year, she had more success as the season went on. This year, she picked it up fairly early,” Kook said.
He said Lalor is a talented player who just needs to better understand her time and space.
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“We want her to shoot a little bit more. We’re hoping she does that this weekend,” Kook said.
“She’s gotten away from that a little bit as of late.”
Lalor agrees.
“Shooting more, probably something I should do,” she said, adding the university game is a very different style then what she is used to, being more team-focused.
“For me, just finding the confidence from where I was in midget with carrying the puck and finding out how much time I have is like the biggest thing for me,” Lalor said.
“I’ve started to hold on to the puck more and make plays like I used to, and I think that’s been working really well for me.”
Last year, Lalor’s season came to an end midway through January when she tore her MCL during practice.
After successful knee surgery, she wanted to hit the ground running when camp opened this year. Instead of returning home to Penticton, B.C., in the summer, she stayed in Saskatoon, taking summer classes and working with the Huskies staff to solidify a full recovery.
“The whole offseason, even just being away from the game for those months when I was injured and watching, I definitely took that and used it to build off of what I did last season and learn what I need to do next season,” Lalor said.
“And definitely in the offseason. I probably worked harder than I’ve ever worked before.”
The Huskies face the Bison’s Friday and Saturday night in Winnipeg.
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