The 2015-16 season was a memorable one for the Saskatchewan Huskies men鈥檚 hockey program, as they won their 15th Canada West conference championship and their first title in four years.
However, after they lost in the University Cup semifinal to the St. Francis Xavier X-Men in triple overtime, the goal for returning players Cameron Blair and Jordan Fransoo is a simple one.
鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 matter if you鈥檙e a returning player like us or one of the new guys on the team,鈥� Blair said. 鈥淥ur goal is to win our last game of the year this season, especially since we didn鈥檛 reach our end goal at the University Cup in Halifax back in March.鈥�
鈥淭he expectations for our team has changed a lot in the last year,鈥� Fransoo added. 鈥淲e鈥檙e viewed as a top contender nationally and there鈥檚 a winning attitude that鈥檚 here now, which is something I鈥檝e noticed right away with our entire team.鈥�
The Huskies, who are currently ranked third nationally, have a 3-1 record heading into a pair of games this weekend against the Lethbridge Pronghorns in Saskatoon.
鈥淲e swept the opening series at home against UBC a couple of weeks ago and it鈥檚 always huge when you go into Edmonton and squeak out a win against Alberta,鈥� Blair said. 鈥淭hat was the first time that anyone on this team has beaten Alberta in their rink, so I expect that to be a huge building block for us as the year goes along.鈥�
Blair, who is from Drake and is in his junior season with the Huskies after finishing up his junior hockey career with the Battlefords North Stars in 2014, has a pair of assists in two games this season.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been a little bit of a different year for me so far,鈥� Blair said. 鈥淎fter playing in every game last year, I haven鈥檛 been in the lineup every night and my linemates are all over the map.
鈥淭hat makes things tough at times, but my plans are to stay focused and keep getting better. That鈥檚 what鈥檚 worked for me in my entire career.鈥�
Fransoo, meanwhile, is paired up with Connor Cox on defence for the third year in a row.
The North Battleford product and former WHL blueliner has a pair of goals and an assist so far this season.
鈥淭he hardest thing about playing at this level is getting back into a routine of keeping up with the pace of the game and being smart out on the ice,鈥� Fransoo said. 鈥淚鈥檝e been able to do that at the start of this season and I鈥檓 really happy about that.
鈥淗aving Connor with me once again helps. We鈥檝e built up a really good chemistry over the last couple of years and we really compliment each other out there.鈥�
While both players are focused on helping the Huskies win their second national title, and their first since 1983, they are also excited about the future of the program.
Last Thursday, the University of Saskathewan received a $12.25 million contribution from commerce and law graduate Merlis Belsher to help fund a new twin-ice facility on campus.
While the construction timeline and opening date has yet to be determined for the Huskies new home, the Merlis Belsher Place will replace the Rutherford Rink, which was opened in 1929.
鈥淚t鈥檚 going to be really exciting for everyone involved with the program,鈥� Blair said. 鈥淥ur current rink is pretty small, so to have the team go into a bigger rink will be huge for our fans.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 something that鈥檚 long overdue for our school and it will help to promote the hockey side of Huskies athletics even more,鈥� Fransoo added. 鈥淚t鈥檚 also huge for minor hockey in Saskatoon as it will be a nice facility for everyone to use.鈥�
