The Rundown - Week 5

It's a lighter schedule this week with three teams on bye weeks, but the intensity was still dialed up with teams needing wins, teams needing points, and teams looking to extend streaks as we begin November. Depending on results this week, playoff races could get far more interesting as more teams get in on the action. Of course, things could get worse for some teams depending on results as well, but that's why the games are played. After this weekend, there are four weeks left in the first half of the season before the December break, so some teams may be feeling a little heat. Let's see who may be in warmer water this week on The Rundown!

FRIDAY: You'd think that the Regina Cougars, who lead the Canada West East Division, would want to show off their improved play this season with highlight reels of their players making great plays, right? I guess not. Here's the scoring summary for this game.

Cougars goals: Jordyn Blais (2), Shaylee Scraba (2)
Cougars assists: Paige Hubbard (1), Shaylee Scraba (1), Trinity Grove (2), Jules Stokes (2)
Cougars netminder: Arden Kliewer (22/25) in 60:55

Spartans goals: Charlotte Swanton (1), Olivia Leier (1), Kasey Ditner (1)
Spartans assists: Reilley Kellner (1), Kyra Anderson (2), Presleigh Giesbrecht (2), Chloe Reid (2), Presleigh Giesbrecht (3)
Spartans netminder: Kate Fawcett (23/25) in 60:55

Result: 3-2 overtime victory for Trinity Western over Regina.

SATURDAY: Regina was looking to bounce back on home ice after another extra-time loss on Friday, but Trinity Western was looking for a win streak. A win would put the Spartans back in the hunt for a playoff spot while Regina was looking to build on their lead in the division. No highlights because why would anyone want to see those, so here's the scoring summary once more.

Cougars goals: none
Cougars assists: none
Cougars netminder: Natalie Williamson (24/27)

Spartans goals: Reilley Kellner (1), Jace Scott (2), Olivia Leier (2)
Spartans assists: Charlotte Swanton (1), Presleigh Giesbrecht (4), Jordyn Matthews (1), Kasey Ditner (2)
Spartans netminder: Mabel Maltais (17/17)

Result: 3-0 victory for Trinity Western over Regina.

FRIDAY: The three-time defending Canada West champions don't make highlight reels despite being one of the best teams in U SPORTS for the past three seasons, so don't bother looking for MacEwan or UBC goals here. The scoring summary is below.

Thunderbirds goals: Grace Elliott (5), Makenzie McCallum (3), Grace Elliott (6), Chanreet Bassi (2), Mia Bierd (2), Ashton Thorpe (2)
Thunderbirds assists: Karine Sandilands (2), Kailee Peppler (3), Kasundra Betinol (1), Sophia Gaskell (2), Jacquelyn Fleming (3), Grace Elliott (6), Jacquelyn Fleming (4), Sierra LaPlante (3), Makenzie McCallum (6), Grace Elliott (7), Meadow Carman (3)
Thunderbirds netminder: Elise Hugens (14/16)

Griffins goals: Sydney Olsen (1), Tess Collier (2)
Griffins assists: Jennifer Andrash (2), Kori Paterson (2), Rian Santos (2), Sydney Jack (1)
Griffins netminder: Lindsey Johnson (27/32)

Result: 6-2 victory for UBC over MacEwan.

SATURDAY: The champs looked a lot like their old selves on Friday night, and they were looking to cap off the sweep. MacEwan needs wins and goals as I've stated before, and one of those will certainly lead to the other. Would we see another lopsided score on this night? No highlights again, but the scoring summary is queued up.

Thunderbirds goals: Karine Sandilands (3), Jacquelyn Fleming (2), Mackenzie Kordic (3), Chanreet Bassi (3), Karine Sandilands (4), Sophia Gaskell (2)
Thunderbirds assists: Chanreet Bassi (4), Sophia Gaskell (3), Grace Elliott (8), Chanreet Bassi (5), Karine Sandilands (3), Grace Elliott (9), Jacquelyn Fleming (5), Kasundra Betinol (2), Mackenzie Kordic (5), Madisyn Wiebe (2)
Thunderbirds netminder: Mya Lucifora (10/11)

Griffins goals: Jennifer Andrash (1)
Griffins assists: Rian Santos (3), Kori Paterson (3)
Griffins netminder: Lindsey Johnson (38/44)

Result: 6-1 victory for UBC over MacEwan.

FRIDAY: Saskatchewan was looking to erase the goose egg in the regulation win column by hosting Manitoba this weekend, but the Bisons were in it to win it themselves as they looked to improve their standing in the East Division. The Huskies don't do highlights either, so this will be another highlight-free weekend. You do get the scoring summary, though. I guess that will have to suffice.

Huskies goals: Kendra Zuchotzki (1), Sara Kendall (3)
Huskies assists: Jasper Desmarais (2), Sara Kendall (1), Kendra Zuchotzki (4), Taylor Wilkinson (3)
Huskies netminder: Emma Backman (34/37) in 63:10

Bisons goals: Julia Bird (2), Hanna Bailey (1), Norah Collins (4)
Bisons assists: Louise Fergusson (2), Kylie Lesuk (1), Kylie Lesuk (2), Dana Goertzen (2)
Bisons netminder: Emily Shippam (22/24) in 63:10

Result: 3-2 overtime victory for Manitoba over Saskatchewan.

SATURDAY: The Huskies picked up another point in a one-goal decision, but they really need a two-point win. Manitoba had a chance to overtake the idle Alberta Pandas with a win, so they were aiming for the sweep. No highlights as usual, so enjoy the scoring summary.

Huskies goals: none
Huskies assists: none
Huskies netminder: Colby Wilson (24/28)

Bisons goals: Norah Collins (5), Sophia Anderson (1), Seanna Price (1), Sadie Keller (2)
Bisons assists: Camryn Gillis (3), Sadie Keller (2), Camille Enns (2), Sadie Keller (3)
Bisons netminder: Paige Fischer (17/17)

Result: 4-0 victory for Manitoba over Saskatchewan.

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
UBC	7-2-1-0	16	33	16	W6	vs MRU
Mount Royal	7-1-0-0	14	21	9	W3	@ UBC
Regina	4-1-1-2	12	12	12	L2	@ CAL
Manitoba	4-2-1-1	11	19	10	W4	BYE
Alberta	5-3-0-0	10	16	13	L2	@ MAC
Calgary	4-3-0-1	9	20	18	W1	vs REG
Trinity Western	2-5-1-0	6	12	17	W2	vs SAS
Saskatchewan	0-6-0-4	4	11	28	L10	@ TWU
MacEwan	1-6-0-1	3	7	28	L4	vs ALB

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 someone who helped her team to a sweep as Trinity Western's Olivia Leier is this week's honouree!

You might be wondering why I chose Leier, but she's starting to look like the player she was last season over the last two weeks. She has a four-game scoring streak going that saw Trinity Western win three of four games, she's looking far more confident with and without the puck, and the fourth-year player will be a key player in determining how far Trinity Western goes this season. Yes, she's the Spartans' leading scorer with four points, but the Regina-born forward looked right at home this weekend.

Two goals in two wins over one of the top teams in Canada West? Olivia Leier can boast that she did that, and that effort put Trinity Western three points back of the Dinos. Since I called out TWU in Week 3 for needing scoring threats, the three players named in that section - Leier, Kara Yackel, and Chloe Reid - have responded with four goals and four assists over their last four games. That kind of effort makes a difference, and Leier has half of those goals and points. That's how Olivia Leier added her name to the Honour Roll!

Not-So-Good Byes

We'll have to see how the three teams who were on bye weeks this week fare in their games next week, but the three teams who have had bye weeks so far - Manitoba, MacEwan, and Regina - are a combined 2-3-1 in the games that follow the bye week, and not one of those three teams recorded a sweep. That's not a great record for teams that are supposed to be practicing and resting, but that's what we have so far this season.

Mount Royal, Alberta, and Calgary will look to change those fortunes as they're back in action, but maybe the bye week isn't as beneficial as we may believe it to be. I'll keep an eye on this as we press on.

A New Sponsor

Because you likely spend enough money watching a Canada West TV package, you probably should know that Canada West acquired a new "presenting sponsor" of Canada West TV. No, this won't make watching the webstreams any cheaper. No, you won't see massive investments into the webstream format or broadcasts. And no, you likely will not experience anything to make your experience better. Why do they have sponsors then?

Anyway, BioSteel, the "official Hydration Sponsor of Canada West", will now be peddled on all broadcasts. Yes, that's the same BioSteel that was headed towards bankruptcy and was pulled out of bankruptcy by Dan Crosby. While this infusion of cash for Canada West TV seems like it would be good to market the athletes more, it seems that Canada West TV will be used to market BioSteel more.

I maintain that any sponsors acquired by Canada West should mean that the costs to watch Canada West sports should be reduced, but that's not how university business works, I guess. Enjoy the new mentions of BioSteel on broadcasts now, folks.

It Seems Inevitable

I missed this accolade last week so it's being mentioned this week, but MacEwan netminder Brianna Sank will likely break a record this season after reaching 4000 regular-season minutes played in the Griffins' crease! Up to this point, she has logged 4,043:18 in the blue paintfor the Griffins, making her just the second player in the 25 years of Griffins' history to hit the 4000-minute mark!

It seems like she'll break Sandy Heim's record of 4,184:11 this season, so we'll have to keep a watch on her total. It should be noted that 3331 of those minutes have come in Canada West, so she's logged a lot of minutes against some of the best players in the country. Sank had the weekend off as didn't play against UBC - I'd say she earned that break! - but she could break Heim's record next Saturday at home against the Alberta Pandas. That would be a great time to honour her efforts and contributions to the Griffins program, and I'm hoping she gets a proper ceremony for establishing a new record.

Brianna Sank certainly deserves a tip of the cap for everything she's done for the Griffins, and this writer knows how important she's been over the last few seasons. Congratulations on what looks like a new school record, Brianna, and here's hoping it leads to bigger and better things down the road!

An Hour Back

Sunday marked the day where clocks were changed for Daylight Savings Time in every province except Saskatchewan. I say that because Saskatchewan Time now moves back to being the same as Central Time, so games out west become one hour later for anyone tuning into them. Frankly, this whole time shift thing doesn't make sense any longer and I don't know why we just don't eliminate it altogether, but I have absolutely zero say on that.

Anyway, check the schedule for next week's game times as we get used to new start times again.

Shameless (Self)Promotion

You know how I whine about no one making highlights and no one giving their athletes a bigger stage on which they can be seen?

Well, I'm going to start posting the interviews we do and have done on The Hockey Show with Canada West athletes here. In talking with a couple of people, I realize that Canada West hockey is more than just hockey. It's joining a new school, finding new friends, discovering one's passions, and playing a little puck. We talk about all this cool stuff going in players' lives, yet there are still people who say "I didn't know that" when I mention something from past player interviews.

Let's start this new feature with the most recent interview we did as Mount Royal Cougars captain Lyndsey Janes joined us this past week to talk about her life, growing up in Fort McMurray, playing at Notre Dame, how she got to Mount Royal University, and so much more! Give that a listen if you missed the chat this week, and get to know the amazing Lyndsey Janes a little more!

The Last Word

The 2024 U18 Women's National Championship runs from November 3-9 in Quispamsis, New Brunswick, and there likely will be a lot of Canada West coaches watching the action and checking their scouting information when it comes to recruiting for the 2025-26 season and beyond. Ontario Red is the defending champion of this event while Quebec finished second and BC took home the bronze medal.

If you don't think this tournament is where players are "discovered", Saskatchewan's Clara Juca and Alberta's Holly Magnus played with Team BC last season and brought home the bronze medal. Calgary's April Klarenbach skated with Team Alberta who finished in fourth-place while Saskatchewan's Avery Gottselig, Trinity Western's Ashley Breitkreuz, and Manitoba's Evangeline Hill all were part of Team Saskatchewan. Mount Royal's Breanne Comte, Saskatchewan's Haley Braun, and Manitoba's Kelsey Huibers skated for Manitoba.

All of these first-year players will have an impact on their programs down the line if they aren't making that impact already. Undoubtedly, there will be NCAA and ACHA coaches watching this tournament as well since they pull players for their programs from Canada all the time, but we need to start boosting the Canadian university system as being a high-quality, excellent place to play, learn, and grow for these athletes. Some of the stars at the tournament will inevitably go south, but the options up north are not only plentiful, but roster spots are available on each and every team for any player who wants to earn one while the schooling is just as good.

The big catch? The cost to watch these games online is absolutely insane. A tournament pass will cost you $99 which is more expensive than the $79 tournament pass to watch all the games in person in Quispamsis, New Brunswick. I guess the option to download the games is the reason for the $20 boost in costs, but there's no way that I'm paying that kind of money to watch a few games.

Hockey Canada just released a document that admits they need to break down barriers to make women's hockey more accessible in this country. That $100 price tag on the streaming of a national championship? That seems like a very easy barrier to take down for a Hockey Canada tournament.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

The Ice Lions Are In

The 84th nation to join the IIHF was admitted on Halloween, making Kenya the newest nation member of the International Ice Hockey Federation. The Ice Lions have certainly been through a lot - meeting Sidney Crosby, skating in Canada, and raising the profile of hockey at home - but interest in the sport has been growing in the African nation as the Ice Lions become more popular. For a country with one rink and less than 50 registered players, Kenya's one of those nations who won't shock the world at a World Championship, but they will win you over with their passion, dedication, and love of the game!

"This is a historic moment for the sport in Kenya," chairman Robert Ouko Opiyo said on Thursday. "We are grateful for the support and opportunity we have received from members of the hockey community across the world to help us achieve this dream. It is the first step towards making the sport more accessible to the diverse groups across Kenya."

That growth is the first step in strengthening the sport inside Kenya's borders as they boast just 24 men and 12 women who play the sport. The key, though, is that more than 50 players participate in the junior program, and that kind of growth should have everyone excited. The nation boasts just one rink in Nairobi, and the Panari ice rink isn't even a full-sized rink as it measures in at 32x12m (105x39-feet). In short, there's a lot of room for growth in both registrations and facilities, but the seeds have definitely been planted!

While it sounds like hockey would be a luxury in Nairobi, the reality is that demand often is higher than the ice time that the Panari rink can provide. Kenya's also making a serious push to grow its women's game by attracting more girls and additional senior women, so that ice time will only get more rare if the programs continue to grow. As such, efforts are already underway to add a second rink in Kenya in collaboration with government and community support.

Clearly, being part of the IIHF has benefits for Kenya as they are part of a community whose 83 other nations are experiencing the same hurdles in trying to gorw their programs, have experienced moderate growth and can pass on that knowledge, or who are part of hockey nations that can share their vast knowledge and experience with Kenya. It won't happen overnight and it certainly will require years, even decades, of time, but Kenya may one day be considered the premiere African Member National Association team ahead of Algeria, Morocco, South Africa, and Tunisia.

It starts with baby steps, though, and a second rink combined with growing the game in all facets is a good start for Kenya. For a country whose ice hockey legacy started in 2006, there's no reason to rush anything when it comes to building their programs and implementing the infrastructure and support for those programs. The Ice Lions are part of the IIHF now, so their growth and evolution will be something to watch over the next few years as Kenya catches hockey fever!

If things go well, we may be talking about a IIHF World Championship appearance at some point for the Ice Lions. How cool would that be for one of the hottest nations on the planet?

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Mirror, Mirror On The Wall

I fully admit that I'm not a lawyer or sports agent nor have I ever played one on television. Therefore, my legal knowledge is very limited at best and my expertise in the area of sports law is probably even more limited. What I do know, however, is that if a hockey player has been accused of committing a crime, it's likely his employment by any team in the NHL drops to virtually zero. NHL teams want nothing to do with players who may miss team, so finding contracts for players accused of serious crimes will be a challenge for any agent. One such player who is accused of a serious crime and isn't skating in North America is Alex Formenton, but it seems the 25-year-old views his situation differently than most of the planet does.

According to a lawsuit filed in Ontario Superior Court in Toronto last week, the aforementioned Alex Formenton has filed a lawsuit against his former representative in agent Wade Arnott and former player agency Newport Sports Management Inc. that alleges negligence, breach of contract, and breach of fiduciary duty.

Somehow, Formenton feels that the agent and player agency cost the player some $20 million in income and $500,000 in damages from the 2022-23 and 2023-24 NHL seasons plus future income he could have earned in the NHL due to the misconduct by Arnott and Newport Sports Management Inc. in those two entities not "exercising their duties as agent to Alex and did not meet the required standard of care expected of a professional agent".

As per Formenton's lawsuit, he alleges "the Senators presented Formenton with a one-year, $787,500 US qualifying offer in July 2022, which was rejected, after his entry-level deal expired". When he contacted Arnott for advice on how to proceed, Formenton alleges that "Arnott failed to advise Formenton that by accepting the qualifying offer the player could negotiate a third contract in January 2023 for the following season" and that "Arnott and Newport did not advise Formenton the offer could be extended past July 15, 2022, if the Senators agreed," while adding that "Arnott and Newport didn't request the team's offer be extended".

Formenton's lawsuit continues by stating,

"For the remainder of July to December 2022, Wade continued to represent and hold out to Alex that he would yet be offered a new contract," Formenton's lawsuit reads. "Wade advised that even without an accepted offer or extended qualifying offer his dealings with the Ottawa Senators on behalf of Alex was 'business as usual' and that Alex should rely on Wade and Newport Sports to secure a favourable offer.

"Wade's advice was wrong. The Ottawa Senators did not propose or agree to a new contract with Alex prior to Dec. 1, 2022, and accordingly, Alex was ineligible to play in the NHL for the remainder of the 2022-23 season."

There's a few things to work through here. While Formenton is correct in that he could have accepted the qualifying offer in order to negotiate another contract down the road, the qualifying offer made by Senators allowed them to retain his playing rights. With Formenton rejecting the qualifying offer on his agent's advice, he could have signed with another team where the Senators could either match the offer or decline it and take the RFA compensation based on the AAV value of the deal. In no way was Formenton guaranteed negotiations for "a third contract in January 2023 for the following season" nor is there any guarantee that the Senators would have agreed to extend the offer.

If Arnott and Newport Agency were seeking a significant contract increase from the Senators for their client, why would they tell Formenton to accept the qualifying offer so that he's being underpaid? As his agent and/or player agency, it's their job to get him the best contact possible. They aren't going to tell the Senators that Formenton accepts their offer if they believe they can get him a better contract. Yes, it's a gamble to reject the qualifying offer, but, if Formenton wanted to sign, he could have ignored his agent's advice. It's not like that hasn't happened before.

Normally, this case would gain a lot of attention from the NHLPA if an agent and/or agency had acted inappropriately, but Alex Formenton seems to be forgetting one major detail that overshadows this case: HE'S ACCUSED OF SEXUAL ASSAULT.

It seems odd that Formenton may have forgotten that he's one of five men charged with sexual assault in the Hockey Canada scandal that happened in London, Ontario that has resulted in all five accused men not being employed or being excused by their respective NHL teams while the investigation and trial plays out. In Formenton's case, he was a restricted free agent in the summer of 2022 while rumours of his involvement swirled.

Regarding the contractual statuses of the five men accused, Carter Hart did not receive a qualifying offer from the Flyers on June 30, making him a free agent; both Michael McLeod can Cal Foote did not receive qualifying offers from the Devils on June 30, making both players free agents; Dillon Dube did not receive a qualifying offer Calgary Flames on June 30, making him a free agent; and, Alex Formenton failed to come to an agreement with the Senators who retain his NHL rights, but allowing him to sign with any other team if he chose. In short, all five men were "released" by their NHL teams.

I'm not saying that Formenton may have disagreed with the advice he got, but there are some extenuating circumstances that make it easier to see why Formenton wasn't signed, including:

• On July 1, 2022, the Senators' qualifying offer was far too low for a player who scored 18 goals, and Formenton was likely advised by his agent to not accept the qualifying offer. He chose to accept this advice, and he did not sign the contract.
• After failing to negotiate a contract worth more money, the negotiating window closed on December 1, 2023 with the Senators and Formenton still no closer on signing a deal. As such, he was ineligible to play in the NHL in 2022-23 by CBA rules. That's the gamble he chose to take in not signing the original deal offered.
• Formenton signed a $125,000 deal with Ambri-Piotta on December 14, 2022 to play the remainder of the season in Switzerland while his agent and the Senators worked on a new agreement. Ambri-Piotta officials released a statement on Formenton's signing, acknowledging that he was part of ongoing Hockey Canada scandal investigation and reserving the right to cancel the contract pending further developments.
• On October 12, 2023, it was reported that Alex Formenton has re-signed with Ambri-Piotta through Christmas with the option to leave if he were to sign with an NHL team.
• On January 24, 2024, Formenton was granted a leave of absence from Ambri-Piotta as he returned to Canada to face the changes levied against him by the London Police.
• On February 5, 2024, the London, Ontario Police Service formally charged Formenton, along with four other players, with sexual assault as part of the investigation into the 2018 Hockey Canada scandal.

At no point anywhere in this process does it seem like Alex Formenton directed his agent or agency to sign a deal with Ottawa or any other team for less than $1 million, and it's hard to imagine that any team was going to offer sheet Formenton when Ottawa could easily match it. If he truly wanted to play in the NHL, he could have gone back to Ottawa and signed for the league minimum, but it seems that was an option that the client didn't want. While an agent may recommend against this option, if Formenton truly wanted a shot at an NHL roster spot, he had to sign a contract for any value.

The value of the lawsuit is absolute madness, but it's quite arbitrary if one considers that the value of the contract he declined - whether good advice or bad - is less than 1/20th of the value of the lawsuit. As we know, NHL teams award contracts to players based upon production and play, and Formenton's one season where he played 79 games and scored 18 goals may have been a one-off. There's no guarantee that Formenton would be able to replicate that season's output, and there's no guarantee he's going to be in the NHL ever again with the pending trial he's facing. Asking for $20 million in lost income is pure lunacy.

The only person to blame for Formenton's lost future wages is Alex Formenton. Yes, he may have gotten some bad advice from an agent who was trying to get him a better deal, but that's the risk one takes in a negotiation. To claim that he lost $20 million in future NHL contracts is wildly insane, especially when he may be facing a long prison sentence for his supposed role in the Hockey Canada scandal. He can be unhappy that he didn't sign the qualifying contract that Ottawa offered, but that's a lesson learned.

Mirror, mirror on the wall... who filed the dumbest lawsuit of all?

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!