Winning has become a regular occurrence for graduating fifth-year Saskatchewan Huskies Levi Cable, Logan McVeigh, Kohl Bauml and Andrew Johnson.
During their tenure with the men’s hockey team, they have played in both the Canada West championship and the national playoffs in every single season.
“They’ve had five special years,” said head coach Dave Adolph.
“These kids have gone to the Canada West final all five years that they’ve played, and they’ve had dynamic roles.”
Cable jumped right into his familiar dynamic role in the biggest game of the team’s season thus far, scoring a pair of goals, one of which stood up as the game — and series — winner.
“Going into this year, that’s all we wanted, this was our goal,” Cable said. “We’ve got another one coming up, but, this one was a stop on the way.”
The Huskies have achieved the first of two major goals the team set out to accomplish this season — win the G.W. Hardy Trophy and the Canada West banner that comes with it.
The quest for the second goal — a national championship — starts March 12 in Halifax.
By succeeding with the first goal, the group of senior players have carved their names into the Huskies history books, becoming the only players in program history to win the conference at both their old home, Rutherford Arena, and their new one, Merlis Belsher Place.
“I hadn’t thought about that, but, that’s a pretty cool feat,” Bauml said.
“You know, you look around at the banners that are currently hung around here and think of some of those guys who won those banners, and to win the last one at Rutherford, and hang the first one here at Merlis Belsher, to do that for Merlis Belsher after everything he’s done for us, he deserves it more than anybody after building this amazing facility for us.”
“Wow, I’d never thought of it like that,” McVeigh added. “It was so long ago that we won in the Rutherford. But, it’s awesome to get here to Melis with all of the crowd, you know, with so many people here, you know, it was awesome.”
The successes enjoyed by the four graduating players has come as no surprise to their coach, who has helped them grow as collegiate athletes over their last five years.
“That’s just the character of those kids… they’ve been good since they’ve been here in everything,” Adolph said.
“They’re outstanding students, they’re what Huskies should be, really, they are. You live and die with your seniors, I don’t care what sport it is… and ours have been good.”