The Queen's Gaels battled to the very end but came up short in their U SPORTS quarterfinal matchup, falling 4-2 to the second-seeded Saskatchewan Huskies at TD Place Arena. The loss marks the end of a strong season for Queen's, which fought through a tough OUA playoff run to earn a spot at nationals.

Despite outshooting Saskatchewan by a wide margin, the Gaels were unable to solve goaltender Roddy Ross, who stood tall for the Huskies.

"I thought both teams played their style of play," said Queen's Head Coach Brett Gibson postgame. "We were on them all night long—40-plus shots on net to their 20. And you know, Roddy Ross is a second-team all-star for a reason. He made a lot of saves."

Queen's came out with energy, dictating the pace early in the game. A strong forecheck led by Jack Duff (Biology) and Owen Lalonde (Geography/French) kept the Huskies pinned in their zone, generating early offensive pressure.

Goaltender Christian Purboo (Arts & Science) was tested early, turning aside a sharp-angle shot before making a sprawling paddle save to keep the game scoreless.

The Gaels struck first on the power play when Duff fired a shot from the point that was deflected in front by Liam Tanner (Kinesiology & Health Studies), redirecting past the goaltender to give Queen's a 1-0 lead early in the frame.

Saskatchewan responded quickly, capitalizing on a net-front scramble to tie the game at one. However, Queen's retook the lead on another power play opportunity. Nolan Hutcheson (Health Studies) reacted quickly to bury a rebound off a Cameron Tolnai (Business) shot, which was set up by a cross-ice feed from Holden Katzalay (Computing).

The first period ended with Queen's holding a 2-1 advantage, with Purboo standing tall to turn away a Huskies 2-on-1 opportunity in the closing seconds.

Saskatchewan came out strong in the middle frame, upping the physicality and pressuring the Gaels in the neutral zone. A big hit on Ethan Larmand (Arts & Science) in the neutral zone set the tone, and moments later, the Huskies capitalized on a redirected shot in front of the net to even the game at 2-2.

Queen's struggled to generate the same sustained pressure as in the first period and found themselves shorthanded after a minor penalty midway through the frame. The Gaels' penalty kill, which had been the second-best in the country this season, gave up two goals—an uncharacteristic breakdown that Gibson acknowledged postgame.

"We gave up two goals on the penalty kill, which is uncharacteristic of us," said Gibson. "But full credit to Saskatchewan—they're Canada West champions. I think we gave them everything they could handle and then some."

The Huskies took their first lead of the night late in the second period, jamming home a loose puck in the crease to go up 3-2 heading into the intermission.

Knowing their season was on the line, the Gaels came out flying in the third, throwing pucks on net and keeping the Huskies pinned in their zone for stretches of play.

Purboo made another highlight-reel save early in the frame, swallowing up a slap shot after a bad change left Queen's exposed on an odd-man rush. The Gaels then drew a power play but were unable to capitalize, with Saskatchewan's penalty kill blocking multiple shots.

As the clock wound down, Queen's continued to press. With five minutes remaining, Lucas Peric (Arts & Science) delivered a huge neutral zone hit to regain possession, leading to a net-front scramble where Katzalay had a golden opportunity, but the Saskatchewan goaltender managed to keep it out.

Queen's pulled Purboo for the extra attacker in the final minute, but Saskatchewan sealed the game with an empty-net goal, securing a 4-2 win and ending the Gaels' season.
Postgame, Gibson spoke highly of the senior leadership group that helped guide the Gaels to one of the best seasons in program history.

"Unbelievable group," Gibson said. "Jack Duff, Nolan Hutcheson—I call them generational players. When you look back at their careers, they're going to be hard to beat."

Duff captained the Gaels to a program-record 22 wins this season, and Gibson acknowledged that while some players will be graduating, many key contributors are expected to return next year.

"A lot of them are coming back, which no one really knows about," he added. "So we're going to be back, ready to go again next year."

With the loss, Queen's concludes the 2024-25 season after a hard-fought playoff battle. The Gaels showcased resilience throughout the year, finishing second in the OUA East and earning their way to nationals with a bronze medal performance.

The team will now shift focus to the offseason, looking to build on this year's success and return to championship contention next season.

Three Stars of the Game
1st Star – Christian Purboo (Arts & Science): The Gaels' netminder kept the team in the game, making multiple highlight-reel saves to give Queen's a chance.
2nd Star – Nolan Hutcheson (Health Studies): Scored on the power play and continued to be a key offensive driver for Queen's.
3rd Star – Liam Tanner (Kinesiology & Health Studies): Opened the scoring with a crucial deflection goal and provided strong two-way play.

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