Darren Zary
Saskatoon StarPhoenix
Parker Gavlas and Ty Prefontaine were just small kids — Huskies Prospects, as it were — when their eventual long hockey history, and close friendship, was born.
“I remember it like yesterday — playing at Rutherford (Rink) and practicing every day in the spring and summer,” recalls Gavlas, who, along with defence partner Prefontaine, are in Ottawa this week for the University Cup national men’s hockey championship. Both are fourth-year members of the Canada West-champion University of Saskatchewan Huskies.
“I just remember (Prefontaine) was quite large as a kid and I was a smaller, undersized defenceman. We did play together quite a bit, and we were D partners back then for the Huskie Prospects.”
With Gavlas and Prefontaine together on the blueline, Saskatchewan will take on the Queens Gaels in U Cup quarterfinal action Friday night (5 p.m. Sask. time) at TD Place Arena.
“I have a tough memory sometimes, but I do remember those days,” says Prefontaine, who, like Gavlas, played his minor hockey in Saskatoon before eventually moving on to play junior hockey in the Western Hockey League.
“Me and Parker have really gotten close throughout junior and throughout our U Sports career. Even though he went to Red Deer (College) for a year, we have been D partners, and I think we complement each other well. Definitely seems like other teams don’t like playing against us. It works out that way.”
Prefontaine, who is studying in the combined Kinesiology/Education program, played four seasons for the WHL’s Lethbridge Hurricanes after short stints with the Prince Albert Raiders and Calgary Hitmen. The 6-foot-3, 210-pound D-man was captain of the Hurricanes in his final year.
The 6-foot-1, 200-pound Gavlas, soon to be a College of Education graduate, started his junior career with the Yorkton Terriers before moving on to the WHL’s Regina Pats, Edmonton Oil Kings and Medicine Hat Tigers.
Saskatchewan coach Brandin Cote says the duo’s contribution to the Dogs is “huge.”
“What they’ve done,” says Cote, “is they’ve bought into a role and they’ve done it almost to perfection at times. When they were in junior, they both maybe had a little more offensive opportunity, per se, but here, they’re a great shutdown pair. They play against the other team’s top guys all the time. They’re physical. They kill penalties. They do a lot of stuff that goes thankless a lot of times, from the outside looking in.
“They’re great kids. They work hard. They love the program and we couldn’t be happier to have them.”
The duo complements each other well, Cote adds.
“Ty’s been here from the start and was a partner with Connor Hobbs right from the beginning. When Gav came back, that just seemed to be a pair that fit together with Parker.”
After a year with the Huskies, under then-coach Dave Adolph during the COVID-19 pandemic pause, Gavlas spent one season under interim head coach Mike Babcock. The former NHL coach used Gavlas sparingly, and more as an extra forward than D-man.
The next year, Gavlas transferred to Red Deer College before returning the following season to the U of S where his dad, Brian, once played volleyball and coached the Huskies.
“I really like Parker,” said Cote. “He didn’t get much opportunity as a first-year guy when Mike (Babcock) was here. He went away to Red Deer College for a year and I think that really helped him to get things in order. We had some conversations throughout, and I knew we were looking for a guy like that. To have the experience and ties to Saskatoon, it was a no-brainer for me to get him back here.”
Gavlas, for one, was happy to reunite with Prefontaine, his former Huskie Prospect teammate and long-time training partner at HPC on the U of S campus.
“I think our games work together really well, and we’re both physical out there,” says Gavlas. “His calm demeanour out there helps me, because I’m a little more of a wild player. Us being close in friendships, on the road, we’re always in the room together. We hang out quite a bit away from the rink, so that helps a lot.”
Trust is a big thing, too.
“Oh, 100 per cent,” agrees Gavlas. “He’s one of those guys I can trust no matter what, on the ice, off the ice. He’s one of my best friends, so it’s special to be able to play with someone like that and have him as your partner.”
dzary@postmedia.com
