Inductees
2002 Men's Hockey Huskies
Inducted in 2019
Category: Team
2001-02 Huskies Men's Hockey Team
Category: Team
Inducted: 2019
"It completed my 5-year program"... That's the way Saint Mary's University men's hockey head coach Trevor Stienburg described the success of the 2001-02 AUS Championship winning team. It had been a bumpy ride since Stienburg took over at Saint Mary's in 1997 but that season it all came together for a tight group of players that were as tough as leather.
The Huskies finished regular season play with a 14-6-2-2 record and finished in second place in the AUS standings, two points behind Dalhousie. In the semi-final SMU eliminated Moncton and then took on the Tigers in a never to be forgotten best-of-five series. Saint Mary's took the opener but Dal needed a second overtime period to even the series. Game three would need triple-overtime for the Huskies to take a 2-1 series lead. The Tigers would even the series, forcing an all or nothing Game Five. The Huskies' fourth line of Jason Cannon, Clarke Udle and Alex Halat (nicknamed "White Lightning" after the white practice jerseys they wore). Lightning struck at the right time in Game Five, as Halat pulled the trigger on the goal that gave the Huskies their first AUS title since the Boucher Era 25 years before.
At the CIS Nationals in Kitchener, the emotionally drained Huskies, who had been ranked nationally most of the season, would defeat Saskatchewan in the opening game, but lose to UQTR in the second game, bringing an end to their storybook season.
Individual honours were not far behind. Steve Gallace, first team All-Canadian, was presented with the CIS Dr. Randy Gregg Award for student-athlete community service, academic excellence, and hockey achievement. Captain Jim Midgley and Jason Maleyko were named Second Team CIS All-Canadians, with Jason also being named to the CIS All-Rookie Team.
This was a team that could beat you anyway you wanted to play. Low maintenance. Played with an edge, a big edge. There was a brawl in the warmups in the playoffs. It was a team that played with passion and intensity and with a number of ex-pros in the lineup resuming their education. They were professional in everything that they did, and that included taking the AUS trophy to the home of the man who provided so much of the inspiration, Athletic Director, Larry Uteck,
Winning hockey was back at Saint Mary's. The 'Stienburg Era" was just beginning.
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