by Corey Atkinson
the Carillon

Another year, another dismal showing at the Huskie Classic for the men's hockey team.

The Cougars were blown out twice by two of last year's top five teams, and tied Brandon Sunday in the annual preseason tournament.

Friday night saw the Cougars fall behind to the U of S Huskies 5-1 after the first period. The Huskies would go on to win the game 10-2. Jason Issel scored a hat trick for the Huskies, and Jeremy Stasiuk added two. Too many other players also scored for the Huskies. Harley McEwen and Shane Lanigan scored for the Cougars.

The next day saw the U of Alberta Golden Bears, who are never a walk in the park. The Cougars managed to keep it close for the first little while, allowing only one goal int he first period.

They did, however, outshoot the Cougars 23-4 in the opening frame. The Bears rolled on to score five goals in the second stanza, and ended up winning the game 7-0. Kris Knoblauch scored two for the Bears, who outshot Regina 53-14.

Sunday it was Brandon's turn to try to beat Regina, but, despite leading 2-0 and 3-1, the Cougars went on to tie the game with a Myron Hleck goal at 15:39 of the third. The game ended in a 3-3 tie.

The U of Lethbridge Pronghorns won the tournament, going 3-0. Manitoba finished second with a 2-1 record, and Alberta finished third. The Cougars ended up in last place, sporting an 0-2-1 record. They finish up their preseason with a home and home with Brandon, and the follwing weekend with a tournament at UBC.