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Huskies seek redemption

The Saint Mary’s Huskies made the national headlines earlier this year, bringing former NHLer Mike Danton on board to help their struggling team.
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St. Mary's Huskies' Justin Munden. (Leith Dunick, tbnewswatch.com)
The Saint Mary’s Huskies made the national headlines earlier this year, bringing former NHLer Mike Danton on board to help their struggling team.

Danton spent five years in prison for conspiracy to commit murder – though his intended target is still unclear. The Brampton, Ont. native, who played for New Jersey and St. Louis, claims it was his father, though it’s believed by many that it was his agent, David Frost.

Danton scored twice in the Atlantic University Sport championship game against St. Francis Xavier, and had three goals in seven regular season contests.

But while the 29-year-old is bringing plenty of national-level attention with his visit to Thunder Bay with the No. 3 seed Huskies, the Halifax-based team isn’t paying attention to any of it. No, they’re looking for redemption, after an embarrassing finish against Western at last year’s nationals cost them a shot at a University Cup title.

The Mustangs scored five unanswered goals in the final period en route to a shocking 7-2 that put them in the final against eventual champion New Brunswick.

It’s a lesson 39-point scorer Cam Fergus won’t soon forget.

"Yeah, we definitely took a lot away from last year’s experience," the Brantford, Ont. native said. "We realized how important each game and even each period is. There’s no room for error in such a short tournament. We didn’t really know what to expect, but I think the experience we gained by being there last year and seeing how quickly a good season can come to an end will definitely help in our preparation."

The Huskies arrive in Thunder Bay on a hot streak. They swept giant-killer (read UNB) St. FX in the AUS final, breezing through the postseason by winning eight of nine contests over three rounds.

It won’t be quite so easy with the competition whittled down to the top six teams in Canada. The Huskies boast the fifth-ranked offensive and defensive records of the six teams, but leading goal scorer Cody Thornton said the slate has been wiped clean.

"Those stats mean absolutely nothing to us," he said. "We had an inconsistent regular season, but that’s behind us. We’re in playoff mode and our playoff stats speak for themselves. As far as we’re concerned, the past is the past and we’re biting at the chop to get the tournament going."

Fergus added that concentrating on keeping pucks out of the net should help at the other end of the rink.

"There’s so much talent at this tournament, we’re going to have to play solid defensively and hope that it contributes to our offensive game. We take pride in our battles on the ice and our work ethic," Fergus said. "As a team we need to continue to do the little things, chip pucks in, chip pucks out. That’s what got us here and hopefully will bring success in Thunder Bay."

Junior forward Justin Munden said the key is knowing what to expect this time around.

"We have a lot of veterans from last year and a good rookie core. We learned last year that with this type of tournament play there is not much room for error. You must bring your best and play your best every game to be successful," said Munden.

Saint Mary’s will open the tournament on Friday against the loser of Thursday’s McGill/Manitoba match.


Leith Dunick

About the Author: Leith Dunick

A proud Nova Scotian who has called Thunder Bay home since 2002, Leith is Dougall Media's director of news, but still likes to tell your stories too. Wants his Expos back and to see Neil Young at least one more time. Twitter: @LeithDunick
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