Huskies will use extra week to ‘rest up’ while they await finals opponents

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. – The Fort St. John Huskies are “resting up” ahead of their Strike Group West Junior Hockey League (NWJHL) league finals series, according to head coach Todd Alexander. 

The Pups won games three and four on the road in the best-of-seven Caliber Energy East/West Division finals over the Dawson Creek Kodiaks on February 28th and March 2nd.

The four-games-to-none series win means the Huskies have won all seven of their playoff contests, as they gun for their fifth league championship in six seasons.

With five regulars out of the lineup, Alexander knows a break gives players the opportunity to see if a return is in the cards at the season’s late juncture. 

“We’re focusing on ourselves right now, ” said Alexander. “[To make] sure we can do the best we can to get as healthy as we can this time of the year.

“[This week] is mostly just a maintenance week for us, then [we have] just got to continue to prepare and do what we do and work on the things we need to work on to make our team successful.”

On Friday, the Huskies overcame a late third-period rally by Dawson Creek to win 4-3 in overtime with a goal by Ryan Ungstad. 

The key to the win was overcoming adversity after Kodiaks tied the game on a goal scored by Nicholas Gladue with seven seconds left in the third period.

It was the second of a two-goal night by Ungstad, who also had a first-period goal to tie the game at one all with an assist by Ashton Underhill. Goaltender Evan Baker had 33 stops in the win.

“Sometimes hockey happens that way,” said Alexander. “Having no power plays in the game,  we got the opportunity for the power play later on [and] we put the dagger in. That’s kind of what we were looking for.”

On Sunday, the Huskies punched their ticket to the NWJHL finals courtesy of a 4-2 win at the Memorial Arena.  Underhill had his third goal of the playoffs and Xavier Burgher had a goal and an assist in the victory.

Alexander adds Underhill and Ungstad have “stepped up huge” in giving the Huskies a crack at another title and the chance to represent the league in Morinville at the 2025 Alberta Junior ‘B’ provincial championships.

Fort St. John now awaits the winner of the Northern Express North/South Division final between the La Crete Lumber Barons and the Beaverlodge Blades.

Defending champion La Crete leads the series three games to two, following a Beaverlodge win on  Sunday with a score of 5-3. Game six will take place on March 8th at 7:00 p.m. 

More information is available at the Huskies’ Facebook or  Instagram pages and website.