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This season they went 8-3-3, advanced to the Canada West Select Six in Langley, B.C., and won two of three games, which was good for a third-place finish. With three teams advancing out of the conference and into nationals this season, the Saskatchewan Huskies finally had their ticket.

“A lot of us didn’t know three teams would go to nationals until we were in the airport in B.C.,” fifth-year veteran Erica Hindmarsh said this week. “Once we realized our chances were a little better, some of the girls started to weigh out what history we’d make if we won which game. Going into that third game, there was a lot of excitement about making the next move.”

But it doesn’t stop here, says Barandica-Hamilton. There’s the whole idea of making this national-championship chase a viable year-to-year pursuit, for example.

“The most important thing is setting a culture, setting an expectation, that this is doable — that we expect, going forward, to be on this stage every year,” said Barandica-Hamilton, a former Huskie men’s soccer standout who is 31-8-7 in conference and post-season play since taking head-coaching duties in 2014.

“Having said that, we also want to enjoy this experience; enjoy the moment of being one of the top eight teams in the country, and going for it. We’re three games away from making more history.

“We’re very proud of what we’ve accomplished, but not satisfied yet.”

The Huskies are seeded seventh out of eight teams heading into the national tourney. Their first opponent, Laval, carries the second seed after a 13-0-1 regular season and 2-0 playoff run.