The Rundown - Week 14

As you may have seen earlier this week, my routine of watching hockey and finding stories about everything Canada West was on hold this week. I gave it some thought, though, and decided to start writing as much as I could today so that I could have The Rundown come out on its proper day. Today's recaps will be very brief, though, so don't expect me to hype up goals. That's your school's athletics department who should be producing highlight reels for those goals, but we already know eight out of nine of those departments can't do the basics when it comes to celebrating theit athletes. Either way, I'll talk a little about the Female World Sport School Challenge after we get to the scoring summaries on this week's edition of The Rundown!

WEDNESDAY: Yes, that day is correct as the Crowchild Classic moved these two teams to the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary for the annual battle between the Calgary-based institutions. 10,474 fans came down to the big arena in Cowtown to watch the women play in primetime which is incredible! Would they get a battle on the ice worthy of tales they can tell for years to come? Kaitlyn Ross was in the Mount Royal net while Gabriella Durante took the Calgary crease.

The first two periods were played extremely close as neither team hit double-digits in shots in either period, but there were chances. Both Ross and Durante were sharp in denying everything thrown their ways through 40 minutes, but the teams were insistent. Mount Royal killed off a 5-on-3 situation in the first period before offering up a pair of power-plays in the second period that were killed. Calgary had one lone infraction that didn't hurt them either, so the 0-0 tie stood through two periods with Mount Royal having a 7-3 shot edge after 20 minutes and a 12-9 advantage after 40 minutes.

The third period is where the action picked up in terms of lighting lamps, but the two netminders were proving tougher to beat with every save. However, following a Calgary scoring chance, the Dinos saw Dana Wood put a puck on net that was deflected in front by Courtney Kollman that found room through Ross's five-hole as the Dinos took the 1-0 lead at the 7:14 mark off Kollman's ninth goal of the season. The battle between these two teams would continue late into the period before Elizabeth Lang iced the game with an empty-netter for her tenth goal of the season with five seconds to play, and that gave the Calgary Dinos the 2-0 victory over the Mount Royal Cougars! Gabriella Durante stopped all 21 shots she faced for her ninth win and second shutout of the season while Kaitlyn Ross likely deserved a better fate after stopping 20 of 21 shots she saw.

Take note, Canada West schools who don't wear red and yellow: the Dinos put together a five-minute highlight reel of this game. That's five minutes of shots and saves from both teams as we got to see the key plays in this game. The Dinos' athletic department will always have me singing their praises for this effort, so you're now on notice that this kind of highlight reel should be the norm in this conference.

FRIDAY: The home-and-home saw the Dinos meet the Cougars at the Flames Community Arena as this series wrapped up in Calgary. The Dinos were looking to continue their strong play into this game while the Cougars needed to pounce on the Dinos in getting back into the win column. Amelia Awad stood before the Calgary crease in this one while Kaitlyn Ross was back between the pipes for Mount Royal.

After a scoreless first period where the teams traded unsuccessful power-plays, business picked up over 44 seconds in the second period. Despite there being two power-plays for Calgary and a single advantage for Mount Royal, neither would see goals again. However, Athena Hauck broke the goalless game with her seventh goal at 16:20 before Rebecca Clarke scored 44 seconds later for the Dinos when she popped a rebound past Ross from the slot as her third goal this season made it a 1-1 game. That score would hold into the second break where Mount Royal had recorded a 9-4 shot total in the first period and a 17-13 shot total after 40 minutes.

The third period saw the Dinos fly out of the tunnel and carry that intensity onto the ice. Jess Martens scored her fourth goal of the season just 1:24 into the frame to make it 2-1 before Brooklin Fry made it a 3-1 game at 9:20 with her fifth goal. 1:38 later, Elizabeth Lang picked up her 11th goal of the season to pace the Dinos to a 4-1 lead, and it seemed that's how it would it end as the Dinos defended well. The only problem was Ava Metzger found twine with one second to play as her second goal of the season made it 4-2, but it was too little and too late as the Calgary Dinos skated to the 4-2 victory over the Cougars. Amelia Awad picked up her first win of the season with a 20-save effort while Kaitlyn Ross dropped her second-straight game despite making 29 saves.

Honestly, I don't know if Mount Royal simply doesn't care about having one of the top teams in women's hockey in Canada or if they're simply lazy, but I find it incredible that they can make a Crowchild Classic hype video, but can't make highlight reels showing off their players' skills and talents. Just baffling, but I might as well post the hype video in this space because we're not getting highlights from MRU.

FRIDAY: The Huskies made the trip west to Edmonton where the Pandas waited to host their series, and they already knew they had a shot at pulling even with or passing Mount Royal in the standings this weekend if they could find ways to down the Pandas. For Alberta, they looked to move closer to the idle UBC Thunderbirds as the competition for top playoff seed was still very much alive in Canada West. Both teams had very clear motives for wins this weekend as Camryn Drever got the nod for the Huskies while the Pandas went with Halle Oswald in defending their net.

The Huskies didn't wait long to grab a lead in this game as Kendra Zuchotzki's wrist shot from the point found twine for her third goal of the season at 5:45 to put Saskatchewan up a goal. An Alberta power-play midway through the frame saw nothing change on the scoreboard, but the Pandas would break through late in the frame. Cassidy Maplethorpe scored her sixth goal on a fabulous individual effort at 16:46, and this game would hit the first intermission tied 1-1 with Alberta up 11-3 in shots.

The next 40 minutes saw the two teams kill off penalties well as the Pandas killed off five infractions to Saskatchewan's four misdeeds, but neither team could find a lead. Goaltending was on display as both sides had chances, but Drever and Oswald went save-for-save through regulation time. At the end of 60 minutes, the 1-1 tie held, so we'd need overtime to decide this one after the teams each put nine shots up in the second period followed by Alberta holding a 23-17 advantage after an hour of play.

The five-minute overtime saw Alberta get three shots to Saskatchewan's two, but none of those five pucks would find the back of the net. That would send us to the shootout where Camryn Drever made an incredible glove save on the first shot by Madison Willan, denying the Alberta sniper as she stretched out as far as she could to make the stop with the leather to keep Alberta off the board!
From there, Sara Kendall's slow approach worked well when she went over Oswald's glove and under the bar to put Saskatchewan up 1-0 in the skills competition. Natalie Kieser's shootout attempt was going well until the puck rolled off her stick, allowing Drever to end that threat, and Ava Bergman followed Kendall's lead with a shot over the glove for the top-shelf winner as the Saskatchewan Huskies defeated the Alberta Pandas 2-1 in the shootout! Camryn Drever picked up her 14th win of the season with a 25-save performance plus two more in the skills competition while Halle Oswald was tagged with the shootout loss after her 18 stops in regulation time.

Alberta's effort to do highlights is the same as the number of shootout goals they scored on this evening: zero. Great job.

SATURDAY: After having their ten-game win streak snapped, you knew the Pandas were going to respond in the second game. The Huskies had to be ready for that as they were still seeking wins and points to see if they can make up ground on the Pandas as well. Camryn Drever was back in the net for Saskatchewan while the Pandas opted to have Misty Rey start this game.

The Pandas were clearly on a mission in this game as they skated hard and won battles all over the ice in the first period. Drever was sharp in keeping them off the board, but the Pandas would find a crack in her armour as Madison Willan sniped her sixth goal of the season at 11:27 to give the Pandas the 1-0 lead. Three-straight Alberta power-plays certainly didn't give the Huskies a lot of offensive zone time, and that showed at the horn as the Pandas had the one-goal lead and a 13-6 edge in shots.

The Pandas didn't let up in the second period, and the fourth-straight penalty since the start of the game would hurt the Huskies. Hayleigh Craig beat Drever for her third goal of the season ay 8:15, and the power-play marker made it 2-0 for Alberta. We'd see Alberta whistled for a penalty shortly after, and the teams would trade shortened power-plays late in the period that bled into the third period, but the 2-0 lead was the difference after 40 minutes as Alberta held a 25-14 shot advantage.

The third period saw the Pandas continue to shut down the Huskies at all points, and those two goals scored in the previous two periods were more than enough for victory on this day as the Pandas earned the 2-0 win over the Huskies. Misty Rey picked up her fifth win and second shutout in stopping all 19 shots while Camryn Drever made 30 stops in the setback.

You know how many highlights we have of Misty Rey's five wins and two shutouts this season? None. She's having a fantastic year, and the Pandas have done their best in making sure no one knows.

FRIDAY: Perhaps the biggest series this weekend happened in Winnipeg where the Trinity Western Spartans met the Manitoba Bisons with both teams trying to lock down that sixth and final playoff spot. Manitoba had a two-point lead on the Spartans in the standings, so Trinity Western was looking for a big effort to pull them even with the Bisons. Of course, Manitoba could make it very difficult for the Spartans as a win would prevent Trinity Western from bumping them out of sixth-place. Kate Fawcett was in the net for the Spartans while the Bisons went with Emily Shippam in their crease.

The Spartans saw some jump in their skates to begin this game, but the Bisons were able to weather the early storm. A pair of penalties called on the Spartans midway through the frame didn't hurt them, but one Bisons forward would find twine late in the period. Samantha Sichkaruk would finish off a 3-on-1 opportunity at 18:04, and her second goal of the season put the Herd up 1-0. The Bisons would continue to bring the heat in the final two minutes, but the Spartans would escape the pressure thanks to the horn. After 20 minutes, the Bisons led by a goal and led 9-8 in shots.

The second period saw Manitoba continue with their attack as they peppered Fawcett, but she withstood the barrage through the first ten minutes. That helped her team gain some ground as Michela Naccarato's point shot was stopped, but Kyra McDonald corraled the puck in front and beat Shippam at 9:30 for her fourth goal, and the teams were even at 1-1. The goal didn't seem to faze the Bisons, though, as they kept skating and shooting. Sarah Dennehy forced a turnover, passed to Julia Bird, and she spotted Kate Gregoire who went shelf on Fawcett for her third goal at 16:09, and the Bisons restored the one-goal lead. That's how the middle frame would end as the Bisons led 2-1 and had a 23-12 edge on the shot counter.

The third period saw both teams continue to put pucks on net as each side looked for additional goals. They traded power-plays to no avail, and the goaltenders would make key saves down the stretch. When the final horn sounded, that one-goal difference was the difference in this one as the Manitoba Bisons earned the 2-1 win over the Trinity Western Spartans. Emily Shippam stopped 19 shots for her third win of the season while Kate Fawcett made 33 stops in the setback.

The last video highlight package that the Bisons have for any team is when the men's hockey team played Team Ukraine U25 team on the Hockey Can't Stop Tour one full year ago. How do you figure that teams at the next level of sports leagues will scout players if there are no highlight packages showcasing their skills?

SATURDAY: Trinity Western needed a win today if they hoped to keep pace with Manitoba in their pursuit of a playoff spot, so they came into this one knowing what they had to do. The Bisons just needed to keep winning to see if they could track down the Dinos who occupied fifth-place. Wins mattered to both teams on this day as the rematch was set with Kate Fawcett in the Spartans' net while Emily Shippam earned her second-straight start.

Manitoba came out firing on all cylinders as they peppered the Spartans' net with pucks, and it would pay off at the 4:11 mark when Norah Collins one-timed an Aimee Patrick pass to the back of the net, and the Bisons were off and running with a 1-0 lead. Two Manitoba power-plays in the period didn't help their cause, but it did allow for Manitoba to put a bunch of pucks on net before the horn. Through 20 minutes, the Bisons had a 1-0 lead and a 15-5 edge in shots.

The second period saw no goals scored and no penalties taken, but the Bisons increased their shot advantage to 25-14. The third period saw Trinity Western step up their game as they looked for an equalizer, but Emily Shippam was having none of it on this day. When the final horn sounded, the Bisons still held the 1-0 win as they swept the Trinity Western Spartans. Emily Shippam picked up her fourth win and second shutout with a 27-save afternoon while Kate Fawcett deserved more after stopping 31 shots.

Emily Shippam's fantastic weekend has zero highlights of her backstopping the Bisons. She has the best weekend of her Canada West career to date, and there's zero video of it. Simply incredible.

FRIDAY: MacEwan headed southeast for this weekend as the Griffins visited Regina to meet the Cougars. MacEwan's season was now all about being the spoiler as they simply cannot overcome either Trinity Western or Manitoba's lead over them, so they were looking to derail Regina's plans. The Cougars were looking to stay in the playoff race as they tried to catch the Bisons and pass by the Spartans, so they needed wins. Brianna Sank got the start for the Griffins while Arden Kliewer was in the Regina net for this one.

The first period saw a Regina penalty sandwiched between two MacEwan penalties, but neither team came away with a tally as the teams hit the break tied 0-0 with Regina holding a 9-4 lead in shots.

The second period saw the parade to the penalty box continue, but a four-minute double-minor on the Cougars would allow us to see the first goal. It wasn't a power-play goal, but it was Makena Kushniruk who forced a turnover and turned a backhander into a shorthanded goal at the 8:45 mark as her sixth goal put Regina up 1-0. Despite each side having two power-plays, the shorthanded goal stood as the lone marker through 40 minutes as Regina was up 15-12 in shots.

An early power-play for the Cougars in the third period saw them double their lead when Kaylee Dyer's initial stop was stopped, but she potted her own rebound at 1:57 for her third goal and the 2-0 lead. MacEwan took another penalty later in the frame, and the Cougars went back to work as Makena Kushniruk one-timed a feed from Olivia Leggett home at 9:02, and her seventh goal made it a 3-0 game. MacEwan missed out on a short 5-on-3 advantage to try and close the score, and the final horn would have the Cougars victorious by a 3-0 score over the Griffins. Arden Kliewer picked up her fifth win and second shutout by stopping all 24 shots while Brianna Sank made 25 stops for the Griffins.

The last women's hockey highlight reel that the University of Regina posted was four years ago. Students have graduated without ever being on a highlight reel for the school! That's ridiculous, Regina. Get your act together and give these women some respect!

SATURDAY: Regina was looking for the sweep to stay in the hunt for the final playoff spot on Saturday evening while the Griffins were looking to thwart that effort. They'd need to step up their offensive game from Friday if they looked to make Regina's night less memorable. The netminders were a rematch as Brianna Sank was back between the pipes for the Griffins while the Cougars went back to Arden Kliewer as she aimed for a two-win weekend.

The first period was decidely in Regina's favour when it came to shots and scoring chances, but the Griffins would weather the storm thanks to some solid goaltending from Sank. The teams exchanged 14-second power-plays to no avail, and the game would remain 0-0 after 20 minutes despite Regina holding a 15-1 margin in shots. Not a typo!

An early bench minor penalty to the Cougars was the opening that the Griffins needed as Tess Collier's long shot from the point found its way past the traffic in front and Kliewer in the net for her second goal of the season, and the Griffins went up 1-0 at 2:59. The penalties didn't stop there, though, and the teams went back and forth with the advantages. Neither side would find any additional goals, and the second break saw the Griffins up a goal despite Regina leading 27-8 in shots.

The period was more of a defensive struggle as both sides limited chances. A couple of late penalties to the Cougars cost them a chance at getting Kliewer to the bench for the extra attacker, and MacEwan simply ran out the clock as they claimed the 1-0 victory over Regina. Brianna Sank was spectacular in stopping 32 shots for her third win and second shutout of the season while Arden Kliewer was on the wrong side of a ten-save night.

I get that your team didn't win, Regina, but there were still plays that showed talent. Instead, not even an attempted highlight reel. Brutal.

CANADA WEST WOMEN'S HOCKEY

School	Record	Points	GF	GA	Streak	Next
UBC	19-1-1-3	43	101	29	W9	vs ALB
Alberta	16-2-3-3	41	67	22	W1	@ UBC
Mount Royal	13-6-5-0	36	68	44	L2	@ SAS
Saskatchewan	15-5-2-2	36	54	36	L1	vs MRU
Calgary	9-13-2-2	24	63	69	W2	BYE
Manitoba	9-14-0-1	19	44	74	W3	@ MAC
Regina	5-16-1-2	14	35	71	L1	@ TWU
Trinity Western	6-17-0-1	13	45	71	L12	vs REG
MacEwan	3-21-1-1	9	34	95	W1	vs MAN

The Scenarios

For UBC to clinch first-place and the top seed in the playoffs, they need to sweep the Pandas this week. That would make next weekend's series against Mount Royal moot for the Thunderbirds.

For Alberta to clinch second-place and one of the top-two seeds in the playoffs, any combination of two Pandas wins in regulation OR a Pandas win in regulation plus a Mount Royal loss would guarantee the Pandas at least second-place in the conference. To win the tiebreaker against UBC, Alberta needs to defeat UBC twice this weekend OR win one in regulation and push one game to extra time while outscoring the Thunderbirds this weekend. That would make the final weekend's games meaningful for both teams.

For Mount Royal and Saskatchewan, they have the same path: win both games OR win one in regulation and push one game to extra time while outscoring the opposition to win the tie-breaker between the two teams. Neither team can clinch the third-place spot this weekend, but winning the tiebreaker would go a long way in trying to achieve that. Saskatchewan is one overall win behind Mount Royal, so they need to pull either of the above scenarios to win the tiebreaker as they do have more regulation wins than Mount Royal at this time.

Calgary is on a bye week, but can clinch fifth-place if Manitoba loses both games this weekend. You know they'll be cheering loudly for the Griffins against the Bisons.

For Manitoba to clinch the final playoff spot, any combination of two Bisons wins in regulation OR a Bisons win in regulation plus a Regina loss would guarantee Manitoba at least sixth-place in the conference. Manitoba does hold the tiebreaker over Regina, so any six-point difference on Saturday or four-point difference after this weekend will eliminate the Cougars from the postseason. Manitoba also holds the tiebreaker on Trinity Western, so two points of any kind this weekend will eliminate the Spartans from the postseason.

Both Regina and Trinity Western are going to need some help from MacEwan, but their roads are the same: win both games. If the series is split between the two teams, both teams are eliminated. If Regina loses both games or loses one while Manitoba wins one, they're eliminated. If Trinity Western loses either game or both games in extra time, they're eliminated regardless of what Manitoba does.

MacEwan's weekend is simple: throw a major monkeywrench in Manitoba's postseason aspirations.

An Early Look

If there was one player that I was lucky enough to see a few times this weekend, it was Thompson-Okanagan Lakers forward Holly Magnus who will be heading to the University of Alberta next year. I made the comment a couple of times on the broadcasts, but she already looks like a Panda based on how she plays the game. Pandas fans, you're in for a treat!

Among the other players we got to watch were Hannah Reagh of the Yellowhead Chiefs who looks like she'll be an impact player for the Calgary Dinos, Hallie Franklin of the Westman Wildcats who should be able to push for a roster spot on the Saskatchewan Huskies' blue line, and both Kelsey Huibers and Addison Vines of the Westman Wildcats will make the Bisons a deeper team with their skillsets.

Honestly, there were a pile of players I really think could help a number of Canada West teams moving forward that we saw at the 2024 Female World Sport School Challenge, and I'm shocked that more of players on all the teams hadn't been recruited and signed yet. There's still time, though, so hopefully your team had someone watching the games!

The Last Word

Next weekend's games will likely determine who finishes where in Canada West. There may be a flip-flop in positions for a few teams based on how the final weekend goes for each team, but we should know at least five of the six teams who are in the postseason. We may even see all six berths filled by the time Sunday rolls around, and we'll see if we might be able to figure out who will play each other in that opening round!

If you're not excited for next weekend, folks, check your pulse!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!