By  Peter Watts /

What started last season as a way of paying tribute to her mother has blossomed into a department-wide fundraising effort to fight the war against cancer at the University of Saskatchewan.

Kristin Bews, a third-year defender on the women’s hockey team, lost her mother to the disease while Kristin was in high school.

She and teammate Robyn Ullrich came up with the idea of selling off their practice jerseys as a fundraiser last season.

The idea caught on and the women have expanded it to selling pink jerseys and doing other fundraising initiatives this season. And the rest of the athletic department has joined in on the dollar generating exercise.

“We had one weekend of games dedicated to the cause, “ Bews said. “It’s a neat way to give something back to the community that supports our team. And I’m really happy that the other athletes on campus have chosen to support this effort.”

In its debut last season, the idea generated about $19,000. But it has taken off in the second year. One corporate supporter put $25,000 into the program and the department has raised more than $50,000 in total.
All of the Huskies sports teams are involved in one form or another.

Steve DaSilva of the men’s hockey team has a sponsor who contributes $100 for each point the sophomore forward scores. That one project has generated $900 – and counting – for the fight this season.

On the ice, the women’s hockey team has had its best-ever season: 16-5-3 – good for 35 points (one point back of Manitoba) and third place in the Canada West conference.

The results mean a roadtrip to Winnipeg this weekend for the best-of-three first-round playoffs. Alberta, which went 23-1, is hosting Regina in the other semifinal.

Last weekend, Breanne George collected her 28th goal of the season, which ties the Canada West women’s record.

“We’ve had a good second half to the schedule,” coach Steve Cook said. “It helped to get a couple of Saskatchewan girls who had been playing in Calgary to come home and help our program.

“Defender Megan Frohaug and forward Shelby Davey have made our program stronger. In fact, I really only have one first-year player this season, so the stability and maturity within our program is one of the reasons why we’ve had a good season so far.”

Bews said her squad is looking for a little revenge.

“The last two seasons, Manitoba has beaten us in the first round of the playoffs each time,” Bews said. “But I think this can be our year even though we have to go to Winnipeg for the first round.”

Meanwhile, the men’s team needs one point out of its final two games with Lethbridge to clinch second place in Canada West.

It will be the 17th straight season that the Huskies have hosted a playoff round. There is still the little matter of beating the Alberta Golden Bears at some point if the team wants to go to nationals.

“We’re 0-6 against them this season,” head coach Dave Adolph said. “Two pre-season losses and three overtime losses are part of the record and we’re playing with 18 first- and second-year players.

“We started out slow but have been getting better as the season has gone along. So if we can get at least a point against Lethbridge, we’ll likely open the playoffs against Manitoba. It won’t be easy though.

“Lethbridge has only lost one home game since Christmas, so we know we’re in for a battle. But that’s the way the conference has been this season.  Alberta has more third and fourth year players which sets them apart.  But everybody is recruiting out of the Western Hockey League now so it has made for a very competitive league.”