Tian Rask played a total of 30 regular season and playoff games with Melfort in 2019/2020 and was set to be a rookie with the UBC Thunderbirds. (Facebook/Broad Leaf Media)

By Mat Barrett

Canada West Cancellation

Former Mustang talks Canada West cancellations, next steps

Oct 15, 2020 | 3:12 PM

Some tough news for university sports in Canada.

Canada West, a conference of USports, announced on Thursday they would not be holding conference regular season, playoff, or championship events for the 2020/2021 winter season. USports also announced that they would not be holding national championships for winter sports either. The sports included are hockey, basketball, volleyball, wrestling, and women’s rugby sevens.

Former Melfort Mustang and Saskatoon native, Tian Rask was set to play his rookie season with the University of British Columbia (UBC) Thunderbirds hockey team. He told northeastNOW the news wasn’t unexpected, and it kept being pushed back as to a possible start to the season. Rask and his teammates were already at the school and practicing.

“Couldn’t get our hopes up too high,” he said. “Obviously didn’t want to be crushed having this news come in, but we were preparing like we were going to play here.”

MFD recruiting

Melfort Fire Department holding recruitment drive

15h ago

BUSTED

RCMP seize 50 kg of cocaine during traffic stop near Maidstone

20h ago

Nasty weather continues

Snowfall to continue through Tuesday across northeast Sask.

21h ago

Rask committed to UBC in May after a full Junior A career that included finishing his 20-year-old season with the Melfort Mustangs. He said heading into university hockey, the next step was an exciting thought.

“Size wise, skill wise, everything’s more mature,” Rask said. “So, my game was going to be taken to another level here, for sure.”

He added that being able to go to school at UBC was something to look forward to.

Canada West did say schools and teams could follow their provincial cohort guidelines for regional play, but for the UBC Thunderbirds, that gets a bit complicated as Trinity Western University is the only other USports hockey team in the province. Rask said there are still a lot of questions to be answered when it comes to playing some sort of hockey this season.

He said that he might try to head south of the border and try and play pro hockey, possibly in the East Coast Hockey League. Rask said it could be looked at as almost a blessing in disguise for his development if he does get the opportunity to play pro hockey.

“Even if I’m not playing every game, or in the lineup, it’s a good place to develop and be a rookie and know what pro hockey is like,” he said. “And I think coming back to [USports] after that, would help out a ton too.”

Rask added he’s already taking five classes for his schooling this year, so some extra classes probably won’t be an option. He said in a time like this, it’s important to see the positives.

“I’m always going to be coming back to UBC, it’ll always be here,” Rask said. “So, hoping maybe play somewhere else this year, and if not, at least I can still live out in B.C., I’m not complaining out here at all.”

Rask played a total of 30 games for the Melfort Mustangs in the 2019/2020 season, tallying 30 points.

–

mat.barrett@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @matbarrett6