Whitehorse Daily Star

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Photo by Marcel Vander Wier

DOMINATING PERFORMANCE – Huskies players Mike Arnold, left, and Chuck Hombert, right, chase down Yeti player Kole Norris during senior hockey action Saturday night.

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Photo by Marcel Vander Wier

AND THEY'RE OFF – Huskies centre Clayton Thomas wins the opening face-off from Yeti captain Ryan Carter Friday night. Large crowds took to Takhini Arena Friday and Saturday as senior hockey returned to Whitehorse.

Huskies rout Yeti 14-7 to sweep hockey series

With more than 1,000 fans jammed into Takhini Arena Saturday night, the Whitehorse Huskies did not disappoint.

By Marcel Vander Wier on January 12, 2015

With more than 1,000 fans jammed into Takhini Arena Saturday night, the Whitehorse Huskies did not disappoint.

Three players tallied hat tricks as the Yukon senior AA hockey team steamrolled the Fort Nelson Yeti 14-7 to sweep their two-game weekend series.

Evan Campbell, Adam Henderson and Derek Klassen each completed the trick, with Henderson’s third goal – the Huskies’ 14th of the game – finally chasing Yeti goalie Curtis McGregor in favour of Yukoner Josh Tetlichi.

Klassen was named player of the game for the hosts.

Other Huskies scorers included Kane Dawe, Drew Pettitt, Clayton Thomas, Mike Arnold and Ryan Gleason, while captain Jared Tuton added four assists.

Yeti standouts Mike Lalonde and Mike Fiddler each put two goals past Huskies goalie Brian Power, with Ryan Carter, Kole Norris and Kevin Radford adding singles in the loss.

The wins push the Huskies’ record to 4-0 this season, with each victory coming at the hands of the Yeti.

The Huskies knew they had a good team on paper, but burying 14 goals? That surprised even them, Henderson told the Star.

“I think it was beyond even what we thought,” said the 25-year-old centre who led the way with five goals and seven assists in the two games.

“All of the lines were going. The depth you have on a team like this ... it wasn’t just one line producing, it was all three and the back end too. It was just one of those nights where it seemed like everything clicked.”

The line of Campbell, Henderson and Dawe led the Huskies to the series sweep, combining for 30 points in the two games. Campbell and Dawe recorded nine points each.

The three are teammates with the high-flying Air North Jets team that has dominated rec hockey in the Yukon capital for the past few years.

For two straight nights, the Huskies were the biggest show in town, reportedly drawing crowds of 700 (600 paid tickets) Friday and 1,000 (900 paid) Saturday.

Both games included plenty of thunderous bodychecks and post-whistle scrums after the goals started to pile up in the Huskies’ favour.

Head coach Mike Tuton said the fan response was outstanding.

“I was in the grocery store (Saturday) and the conversation beside me – two people were talking about the hockey game. I thought: ‘That’s exactly what we were after.’ All week coming in, the buzz just kept rolling.”

On the ice, coach Tuton also liked what he saw from his group.

“It was good,” he said. “I don’t know how else to describe it. The players, they’re pros. They knew what the job was to be done.”

The depth of talent in the Yukon hockey circles was on full display, Tuton said.

“I had three lines of guys that I could put out in any different situation. It’s a lot of fun to be behind the bench and have so many different guys that you can go to in any situation.”

Huskies goalie Rob Young started the first game, while Wells, Gibson Pearson and Jon Rudolph also dressed for game one before sitting Saturday’s contest out.

Arnold, Gleason and Burton Stephens drew in for the Huskies for Saturday’s rematch.

“This being an exhibition series, the guys who were in and out were pre-planned,” Tuton explained. “We really have to have a look and see how those different line combinations work. I tell you what, it didn’t make the decisions for the next weekend any easier.”

The Huskies will next be in action Jan. 30 and 31 when they host the Powell River Regals for the final two of their six sanctioned games.

Meanwhile, despite the two lopsided losses, the Yeti aren’t panicking. The team is the host of the Coy Cup tournament March 24 to 28.

“We haven’t played together all that much and it kind of showed out there,” said Lalonde, 34, named Yeti player of the game Saturday following his four-point performance.

“The chemistry is still building and we definitely don’t have all the players that we’re supposed to have.”

Henderson, who captained the University of Alaska Nanooks in his senior year, said playing in front of the home fans carried with it some nostalgia.

“I was never fortunate enough to play in Whitehorse as a kid,” he said. “This was my first back in front of fans, other than house league. It was nice to play in front of some family and friends.”

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