Best goalie in nation leads Huskies towards nationals

The University of Saskatchewan Huskies Women’s Hockey team is hosting the USPORTS National Championship this March, and their veteran goaltender’s impressive stats this season have nobody on the team surprised.

With just two weekends left in the regular season, the charge toward the Canada West Women’s Hockey playoffs is on.

“It honestly feels like it was just August last month when we came to training camp,” said third-year Huskie Mallory Dyer.

“The season has gone really fast, especially after Christmas. It feels like everything kind of sped up, and it’s taken off for sure.”

One thing that’s guaranteed, the Huskies have booked their spot in the national championship as hosts, extending the careers of the players in their final year of eligibility.

For veterans like Captain Kennedy Brown, she’s trying to enjoy every minute of hockey left in her Huskies career.

“Having been here for six years, I’m just trying to soak everything in and I’m really excited,” said Brown.

“Of course, there’s some nerves going into playoffs, but its excitement more than anything, especially knowing what’s at the end of that run for us, waiting to host nationals.”

Also in her final year, goaltender Camryn Drever has put up career-best numbers this season with 13 wins and five shutouts. But her save percentage of .957 is the highest in all three conferences in Canada.

“It feels pretty good,” said Drever.

“I try not to look too much at my stats and just focus on what I can control in games. But it’s pretty cool to know I’m the top goalie in the country right now, and I think that definitely helps the team bode well for the playoffs and the rest of the year.”

Teammates who see Drever’s work ethic every day aren’t surprised by those numbers though.

“Honestly with Cam, I’m not even surprised,” said Dyer. “She’s the hardest working person I know. She’s the most driven and dedicated, so I’m not surprised at all. Her performance has been unreal.”

“We can’t say enough praise for Cam and the goalie she’s been for us,” said Brown. “She’s rock solid for us and handles the pressure of everything so well.”

For Drever and the Huskies, staying focused on improving every day is key down the final stretch.

“Our coaches always talk about getting one per cent better every single day,” said Drever.

“And I think that’s what we’ve done here is we come in, show up, do the work and we get one per cent better every day.”

The Huskies host third-place Mount Royal University this weekend at Merlis Belsher Place. The USPORTS National Championship runs March 14th to 17th in Saskatoon.