The Rundown - Week 4

We're four weeks into the season, and it seems like five teams may already have solid grips on playoff spots. For the four teams who are on the outside looking in right now, there's still time to find their way back into the playoff mix, but things need to change now. Wins and points will matter every week as we get into November next week, so falling further behind this week doesn't help anyone's cause. There were key matchups this week when it comes to those playoff spots, so let's get into the action this week on The Rundown!

FRIDAY: We'll kick things off in Langley where the Calgary Dinos were visiting the Trinity Western Spartans. The Spartans were the only team who had yet to record a point this season, and they were looking up at the Dinos who sat seven points ahead of them for the final playoff spot in the West Division. Needless to say, the Spartans needed to take points off the Dinos to help their cause while the Dinos were looking to expand that gap in the standings.

The only thing I'll note here is that Trinity Western is getting top billing for making a highlight reel and posting it to YouTube. However, since the highlight reel is of only the goals they scored, they will not get a recap. Only doing half the work is still a failure in my books.

Spartans goals: Kara Yackel (1), Kyra McDonald (1), Jace Scott (1)
Spartans assists: Chloe Reid (1), Olivia Leier (1)
Spartans netminder: Kate Fawcett (37/38)

Dinos goals: April Klarenbach (1)
Dinos assists: Jess Martens (1), Jaecia Joyce (1)
Dinos netminder: Amelia Awad (21/24)

Result: 3-1 victory for Trinity Western over Calgary.

SATURDAY: A big victory for the Spartans on Friday had them thinking sweep at home over the Dinos. The Dinos were looking for the split to keep pace with the teams ahead of them in the standings while putting the Spartans back in the same hole they started in on Friday night. Again, I'm not crediting the Spartans for only posting their goals, so get it together, TWU. Both teams' goals will get you recaps.

Spartans goals: Kyra Anderson (1), Kara Yackel (2)
Spartans assists: Presleigh Giesbrecht (1), Olivia Leier (2), Kyra Anderson (2)
Spartans netminder: Kate Fawcett (23/26)

Dinos goals: Sophia Zuck (2), April Klarenbach (2), Rebecca Clarke (1)
Dinos assists: Kyla Mitenko (5), Brette Kerley (3), Brooklyn Fry (2), Josie McLeod (1), Josie McLeod (2), April Klarenbach (1)
Dinos netminder: Amelia Awad (25/27)

Result: 3-2 victory for Calgary over Trinity Western.

FRIDAY: The Huskies entered the weekend without a win this season, and they'd be in tough against division-leading Mount Royal. The Huskies needed to find a way to pick up points against some of the better teams to allow them to leapfrog some of the teams they were trailing in the standings while Mount Royal was looking to continue their solid play. The Cougars still aren't doing highlights, so let's get to the scoring summary.

Cougars goals: Jerzey Watteyne (3), Aliya Jomha (4)
Cougars assists: Kiana McNinch (2), Jori Hansen-Young (2), Athena Hauck (3), Summer Fomradas (3)
Cougars netminder: Kaitlyn Ross (19/20) in 64:13

Huskies goals: Kahlen Wisener (2)
Huskies assists: Kaysah Nurani (1), Jaiyana Nurani (2)
Huskies netminder: Colby Wilson (35/37) in 64:13

Result: 2-1 overtime victory for Mount Royal over Saskatchewan.

SATURDAY: As it seems to be for the Huskies this season, a couple of mistakes resulted in pucks being fished out of their net on Friday, so they were looking to limit mistakes on Saturday to pick up their first win. The Cougars were looking for the sweep as they looked to stay atop the standings. No highlights, so here's the summary.

Cougars goals: Lyndsey Janes (3), Aliya Jomha (5), Summer Fomradas (1), Jori Hansen-Young (1)
Cougars assists: Athena Hauck (4), Julia Duke (1), Sydney Benko (4), Athena Hauck (5), Sydney Benko (5), Athena Hauck (6), Allee Gerrard (2), Jordyn Hutt (1)
Cougars netminder: Katherine Holan (21/22)

Huskies goals: Bronwyn Boucher (3)
Huskies assists: Avery Gottselig (1), Paris Oleksyn (2)
Huskies netminder: Clara Juca (24/28)

Result: 4-1 victory for Mount Royal over Saskatchewan.

FRIDAY: Manitoba and MacEwan entered the weekend tied in the standings with similar 1-2-0-1 records, so this weekend had big implications in the standings when it came to finding out which team wanted that third-place position more. With the Griffins coming off their bye, Manitoba needed to be ready for a rested team while MacEwan was looking to put what they did in practice to good use against the Bisons. Manitoba doesn't do highlights, so we're not even going to bother with the request.

Bisons goals: Julia Bird (1), Rachel Gottfried (1), Norah Collins (3), Sadie Keller (1)
Bisons assists: Julia Bilous (1), Ali Staples (2), Ashley Keller (2), Camryn Gillis (2), Ashley Keller (3), Aimee Patrick (2)
Bisons netminder: Emily Shippam (16/17)

Griffins goals: Kori Paterson (1)
Griffins assists: Robyn Short (1), Ali Macauley (2)
Griffins netminder: Lindsey Johnson (23/27)

Result: 4-1 victory for Manitoba over MacEwan.

SATURDAY: After surrendering an early goal on Friday, Manitoba imposed their will on MacEwan. Things would need to change for the Griffins if they wanted to keep pace with the Bisons in the standings while the Bisons were thinking sweep on Saturday. Again, no highlights, so here's the scoring summary.

Bisons goals: Louise Fergusson (1), Aimee Patrick (2)
Bisons assists: Aimee Patrick (3), Louise Fergusson (1), Dana Goertzen (1)
Bisons netminder: Paige Fischer (17/17)

Griffins goals: none
Griffins assists: none
Griffins netminder: Brianna Sank (41/43)

Result: 2-0 victory for Manitoba over MacEwan.

FRIDAY: In a potential Canada West Final matchup, the UBC Thunderbirds were in Edmonton to face the Alberta Pandas. Last year's finalists battled through three games before UBC claimed victory, so this weekend was a chance for Alberta to prove to everyone, including themselves, that they can skate with the Canada West champions. UBC, meanwhile, was looking to keep their winning ways going after a sweep last weekend. Alberta doesn't do highlights either, so here's your Friday scoring summary.

Pandas goals: none
Pandas assists: none
Pandas netminder: Grace Glover (25/28)

Thunderbirds goals: Jacquelyn Fleming (1), Annalise Wong (1), Grace Elliott (3)
Thunderbirds assists: Grace Elliott (4), Kailee Peppler (2), Meadow Carman (1), Sophia Gaskell (1), Annalise Wong (4)
Thunderbirds netminder: Elise Hugens (28/28)

Result: 3-0 victory for UBC over Alberta.

SATURDAY: The Thunderbirds played a solid game on Friday, and looked to continue that effort on Saturday as they aimed for the sweep. Alberta was looking to split the weekend on home ice as they looked to leap ahead of Regina in the Canada West East Division. No highlights once again because why would anyone want to watch two of the top teams in Canada West compete?

Pandas goals: Raegan Yewdall (1)
Pandas assists: Taylor Anker (1), Allison Reich (2)
Pandas netminder: Misty Rey (18/20)

Thunderbirds goals: Ashton Thorpe (1), Makenzie McCallum (2)
Thunderbirds assists: Mackenzie Kordic (4), Makenzie McCallum (5), Grace Elliott (5), Meadow Carman (2)
Thunderbirds netminder: Elise Hugens (34/35)

Result: 2-1 victory for UBC over Alberta.

No, I'm not doing the stupid East and West Divisions on the standings board. One conference, nine teams, let's see who is best.

CANADA WEST WOMEN'S HOCKEY

School	Record	Points	GF	GA	Streak	Next
Mount Royal	7-1-0-0	14	21	9	W3	BYE
UBC	5-2-1-0	12	21	13	W4	vs MAC
Regina	4-0-1-1	11	10	6	W2	vs TWU
Alberta	5-3-0-0	10	16	13	L2	BYE
Calgary	4-3-0-1	9	20	18	W1	BYE
Manitoba	3-2-0-1	7	12	8	W2	@ SAS
MacEwan	1-4-0-1	3	4	16	L2	@ UBC
Saskatchewan	0-5-0-3	3	9	21	L8	vs MAN
Trinity Western	1-5-0-0	2	6	15	L1	@ REG

Honour Roll

Each week on The Rundown, I highlight the best performances from the weekend's games. It won't always be the top scorer or the best goalie, but I'll have a reason for who gets picked each week. This week's Honour Roll candidate is actually a group of players because the UBC Thunderbirds' penalty killers are this week's honourees!

UBC went into the Pandas' den this weekend and absolutely won the special teams' battle. UBC's penalty killers were 14/14 this weekend in killing off penalties against Canada West's best power-play team. Alberta came into the weekend with a 7-for-19 streak going on the power-play, but they're now third in the conference after going oh-fer this weekend. That's a huge effort by the UBC penalty killers as they were 6/6 on Friday and 8/8 on Saturday.

UBC's penalty killing efficiency went from 75.0% (18-for-24) to 84.2% (32-for-38) in one weekend thanks to their collective efforts this weekend, and that was a big reason why UBC swept Alberta in Edmonton. That kind of effort gets you noticed here, that's how the UBC penalty killers added their collective name to the Honour Roll!

My Kingdom For A Goal - Part 1

The Saskatchewan Huskies have played eight games this season, and five of them have been decided by one goal. In four of those games, the Huskies have scored one goal or less. Needless to say, they need to find a sniper quickly on their roster or this may be a tough season when it comes to lighting the lamp.

To make matters worse, in three of the five games, the Huskies have scored the first goal only to give up the lead later in the game. They did rally from a three-goal deficit against the Alberta Pandas only to fall in the shootout, but the Huskies are a younger team and they're going to have to learn how to protect a lead.

They do have three points and play Manitoba next weekend who are ahead of them by four points. If the Huskies can find some scoring, they could find themselves tied for third-place if they sweep Manitoba on home ice. Right now, it seems like a tough ask considering they've only scored more than one goal in a game once this season in eight games, but anything can happen in Canada West.

My Kingdom For A Goal - Part 2

The MacEwan Griffins have six games under their belts this season, and have just four goals to show for that effort. 360 minutes of hockey should yield more than four goals, but it seems MacEwan is still looking for an answer for their offensive woes that have carried forward from last season. Making matters worse is that half of the four goals they've scored this weekend came in one game - a 3-2 shootout win over Regina.

Two goals have come in the first period while two more have been scored in third period. I don't know if the long change in the second period is causing issues for the Griffins, but they've also surrendered seven goals in that frame as well - the most of any period this season. The fact that they have three five-on-five goals is a worry, but it's a bigger worry when you know that they have the same number of shootout goals as five-on-five goals this season.

For a team that scored 40 goals in 28 games last season, they have to find a way to generate more offence. They haven't recorded more than 17 shots in any game this season, and they're being outshot 176-87 in their six games. A shooting percentage of 4.6% needs to be better, but asking a team to score 3-4 goals per night when averaging 14.5 shots per game with a shooting percentage of 4.6% simply isn't realistic in Canada West. Something needs to change in Griff Nation in a big way if MacEwan is going to push for a playoff spot.

The Defensive Conference

With a couple more shutouts this weekend, 11 shutouts have been recorded in October this season by eight different goalies on six teams. Three goalies have two shutouts already - Alberta's Grace Glover, Mount Royal's Kaitlyn Ross, and UBC's Elise Hugens - and the 11 eleven total shutouts match the same amount as last season through the first month of play. Comparatively, 2019-20 had 12 shutouts through the first four weeks of play while 2018-19 had 16 shutouts in the first four weeks of play.

It shouldn't surprise anyone that Canada West may be the best defensive conference in U SPORTS Women's Hockey once again, but nothing is decided in October. As we saw in 2023 with Mount Royal's run to the National Championship, scoring goals is just as important as preventing them, but winning games does get a lot easier, though, when your defence is posting doughnuts regularly.

The Italian Job

Gabriella Durante has landed and had her photo taken in her new uniform, and it looks like her red-clad gear from her days with the Calgary Dinos will fit nicely with Real Torino! There isn't an update for Durante yet statistically as Real Torino hasn't played a game with her on the roster, but they'll get a shot today as they play Trentino. In their only game of the season back on October 5, Real Torino was on the wrong side of a 6-3 decision against HC 3 Zinnen Dolomites Women, so they're sitting with an 0-1-0 record. Trentino comes into the game having won their first four games, so this will be a test. If there's a goaltender on Real Torino who can steal a win, Gabriella Durante may be that goalie! I'll keep an eye on her progress this season!

The Last Word

If you read the report published by Hockey Canada this week, you likely know the shortfalls that U SPORTS experiences every year when it comes to finding opportunities at the professional and international levels. One of the passages reads as follows:

"At the university level last season, 35 teams competed in U SPORTS women's hockey, rostering more than 800 combined student-athletes, the vast majority of whom were Canadian and stayed in Canada to keep playing hockey.

"However, in the NCAA, nearly 33% of the more than 1,100 Division I women's hockey players were Canadian, meaning that almost 400 student-athletes left Canada to play university hockey in the American system.

"All players on Canada’s National Women's Team and Canada's National Women's Development Team in 2023-24 played their university careers in the NCAA."

What the report doesn't say is that Hockey Canada sends representatives each and every year to the National Championship, and these representatives watch for players they believe may have a chance to play hockey beyond their university years. The reality of the situation is that Hockey Canada identifies maybe 3-4 players per year with this potential while everyone else at the National Championship is forgotten.

One of the questions asked in the report is "Can U SPORTS women's hockey evolve to be a product that is seen as a leader around the world and a legitimate path to a professional career and further national team participation?" to which I already know can be answered with a solid "yes" thanks to the success of players playing in European leagues that I try to promote. Whether it be Sweden, Switzerland, or another European country, U SPORTS players are doing great hockey things in countries not found in North America.

Hockey Canada asked if U SPORTS hockey can evolve, but the only way it changes is if it can compete with the NCAA directly. That's simply not possible unless there's a infusion of millions of dollars annually which is entirely unrealistic. What would be more realistic and achievable, though, is the regular promotion of athletes and the airing of games for free so that more people can watch. If more people are watching, more players would get noticed and the potential for sponsorship dollars grows.

This doesn't seem like a hard concept to grasp, but check out all the highlight reels on this page showing off the amazing plays made by the women in Canada West. If you want to see U SPORTS evolve to lead to more professional hockey career options and national team participation, the easiest thing to do is to allow those teams to see your players. After all, "if you can see it, you can be it".

Why can a blogger see the first step in the path to making U SPORTS better when both Hockey Canada and U SPORTS seem baffled on how the university hockey system can be better? Sometimes, I wonder if the powers who govern this game actually know anything about it.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!