The Rundown - Week 6

For some teams in Canada West, this weekend would see them play the first third of their schedule. A couple of teams were closer to the halfway point as they had yet to check in on a bye week, but every team would hit ten games played except for the idle Manitoba Bisons. If you're looking for trends, one-third of a season is a good chunk of games to find them while the races for playoff spots and seedings are certainly in effect. With points up for grabs as eight teams began play on Friday, let's find out who did what this week on The Rundown!

FRIDAY: The East Division-leading Regina Cougars rolled into Calgary on Friday looking to stay atop the division while potentially tying their point total from last season. The Calgary Dinos were coming off a bye week, so they had extra rest and practice time to prepare for the Cougars. The Dinos were also looking over their shoulders at the surging Trinity Western Spartans while the Cougars were trying to put space between themselves and both the Pandas and Bisons. Clearly, this weekend's games had meaning for both as Arden Kliewer was in the visitors' net while Amelia Awad took to the Calgary crease!

Both teams started this game with good pace as the puck was up and down the ice quickly, and we'd get the first goal off a bit of a broken play in the Calgary zone when a goalmouth scramble wasn't successful for the Cougars, but the puck popped out to Jules Stokes at the top of the slot and she hammered it through traffic and past Awad at 10:15 for her first Canada West goal and, more importantly, a 1-0 Regina lead! 1:13 later off an offensive zone face-off, Paige Hubbard sent the puck back to Megan Long who teed it up, and there may have been enough distraction in front of Awad because Long's goal dented twine behind Award for the 2-0 lead!

Calgary wasn't going to just roll over, though, and Rebecca Clarke put the team on her shoulders. First, she won a puck battle that allowed her to pick up the loose puck inside the Regina blue line before wiring a wrist shot from the right face-off dot past Kliewer at 11:37 to make it a 2-1 game. On her next shift, April Klarenbach and Clarke worked some nice passing to where Klarenbach's backhander was redirected by Clarke past Kliewer at 14:42, tying the game at 2-2!

However, 31 seconds after Clarke had tied the game, Regina jumped ahead once more when Raea Gilroy stepping into the zone and unleashed a wrist shot from the top of the right circle that Awad could not corral as the Cougars went up 3-2! That's how an entertaining first period would end as the Cougars took the one-goal lead into the break with both teams putting eleven shots on net.

The defences showed up again in the second period for both teams as the shot totals dropped for this frame and the total number of goals was less than what was seen in the first period. Regina had the only penalty that wouldn't factor into the scoring, but Calgary would find another equalizer late in the frame. Hannah Reagh, in just her second game, took up her position in front of the net where she was able to get a stick on Miri Licis' shot from the point, and the redirection found room past Kliewer for her first Canada West goal while tying the game at 3-3 at the 15:22 mark! That's how we'd close the middle frame with Regina up 19-18 in shots.

The third period saw some great chances, but none found the back of the net. Regina killed off an early, extended power-play for the Dinos while the Dinos were successful on their kill as well, and the goaltenders were solid through the final period. With shots sitting at 26-26, we'd jump to overtime, and we'd only need seven seconds. Off the opening face-off, Paige Hubbard picked the puck up and skated in on the left side before wiring a wrist shot high past Awad's left ear for the game-winning goal as the Regina Cougars claimed the 4-3 overtime win! Arden Kliewer made 26 stops for her third win of the season while Amelia Awad stopped 23 shots in the overtime loss.

Highlights of this game are below! Again, well done, Dinos staff!


SATURDAY: After a spirited battle the night before, the Cougars were looking for the sweep in Calgary with a second win while the Dinos were aiming to disrupt Regina's plans. I don't think Calgary felt all that great about the seven-second overtime goal from the night before, so there likely would be a good pushback today. Would Regina be ready for it? Natalie Williamson was in the Cougars' crease while Amelia Awad got the call for the Dinos again.

The first period was an incredible display of speed and skill from both teams, but the goaltenders were equal to the task as they kept the teams off the scoreboard early. The Dinos killed an early penalty in this game as they looked to build momentum, but their break wouldn't come until late in the period when they were on the power-play. Sydney Mercier skated out of the left corner, circled the zone up top as she looked for a pass, and turned back toward the right face-off dot where she decided to go high on the glove side to beat Williamson on an incredible individual effort to put the Dinos up 1-0 at 16:03! That would be the only marker of the period as Calgary took the 1-0 lead to the rooms with the teams tied 7-7 in shots.

The second period was more of the same action as both teams were showing off their skills on this day. An early penalty to Regina was erased by a Calgary double-minor, but the Dinos killed that off. Midway through the frame, the Dinos were forced to kill off another penalty and did so successfully. Regina had their looks in this frame, but the Calgary defence and Amelia Awad was solid as the period ended with Calgary still up 1-0 despite Regina leading 20-14 in shots.

The third period saw Regina really push hard to find an equalizer as they turned the puck up ice whenever they could. Despite getting a pile of pucks to the net, none found the back of it as Calgary stood tall. The Dinos would ice the game late when Brooklyn Anderson hit the empty net with a shot while shorthanded, and the Calgary Dinos wrapped up a 2-0 win over the Regina Cougars! Amelia Awad stopped 32 shots for her fifth win and first shutout of the season while Natalie Williamson stopped 16 shots on this night.

Highlights of this game are below! Thank you, Calgary Dinos!

FRIDAY: The battle of Edmonton resumed in downtown Edmonton as MacEwan hosted Alberta. The home-and-home series always brings out the best in both teams, but you won't see it because the Griffins haven't discovered sports highlights yet. One day maybe?

Griffins goals: Letta Mattheos (1)
Griffins assists: Sydney Olsen (1), Jennifer Andrash (3)
Griffins netminder: Lindsey Johnson (36/39)

Pandas goals: Maia Ehmann (4), Natalie Kieser (2), Sarah Kazeil (2), Raegan Yewdall (2)
Pandas assists: Payton Laumbach (2), Taylor Anker (2), Raegan Yewdall (1), Madison Willan (2), Brooklyn Tews (2), Madison Willan (3), Madison Willan (4), Natalie Kieser (2)
Pandas netminder: Misty Rey (12/13)

Result: 4-1 victory for Alberta over MacEwan.

SATURDAY: The series shifted back to Clare Drake Arena where the Pandas have posted 25 wins of their 43-0 record against the Griffins. Needless to say, the odds seemed stacked against MacEwan as they crossed the North Saskatchewan River, but anything can happen on any given day in Canada West. Would Saturday be one of those days? Scoring summary is below because the Pandas dislike highlights.

Griffins goals: none
Griffins assists: none
Griffins netminder: Brianna Sank (36/37) in 64:59

Pandas goals: Taylor Anker (1)
Pandas assists: Allison Reich (3), Payton Laumbach (3)
Pandas netminder: Mackenzie Dojahn (16/16) in 64:59

Result: 1-0 overtime victory for Alberta over MacEwan.

FRIDAY: The Spartans returned home to host the Huskies on a bit of a heater after defeating Regina twice. They were looking for the provincial sweep as they welcomed Saskatchewan to Langley once again. The Huskies, meanwhile, were still searching for their first win of the season, but they had battled hard all season and were looking to take another step forward this week. As you know, Trinity Western only makes highlights of their own goals, so zero credit given for only doing half the work. The scoring summary is below.

Spartans goals: Ashley Breitkreuz (1), Jace Scott (3), Jordyn Matthews (2)
Spartans assists: Olivia Leier (3), Ella Boon (1), Kelsey Ledoux (1), Olivia Leier (4), Kyra McDonald (1), Ashley Breitkreuz (2)
Spartans netminder: Kate Fawcett (27/28)

Huskies goals: Kaylee Hill (2)
Huskies assists: Avery Gottselig (2), Bronwyn Boucher (2)
Huskies netminder: Colby Wilson (28/31)

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

SATURDAY: The Spartans were hunting for a second-straight sweep over a Saskatchewan-based team, and the team from Saskatoon was still aiming to smash one of the goose eggs under the win columns. The Huskies have to find a way to get multiple points on weekends if they want to climb back into a playoff race while the Spartans were looking to continue their winning ways to stay in the race they're currently in! Trinity Western's goals are here, and the scoring summary is below!

Spartans goals: Charlotte Swanton (2), Kyra Anderson (2), Ashley Breitkreuz (2), Kyra Anderson (3)
Spartans assists: Kara Yackel (3), Jace Scott (1), Kasey Ditner (3), Ella Boon (2), Olivia Leier (5), Jace Scott (2)
Spartans netminder: Mabel Maltais (23/24)

Huskies goals: Paris Oleksyn (1)
Huskies assists: none
Huskies netminder: Colby Wilson (25/28)

Result: 4-1 victory for Trinity Western over Saskatchewan.

FRIDAY: Perhaps the biggest series of the weekend was seen out in Vancouver as the top two teams in the West Division met for their second series of the season. The Mount Royal Cougars delivered a sweep of the Thunderbirds earlier this season in Vancouver, and they were looking to replicate that effort this weekend. UBC, meanwhile, had righted the ship after that early setback by winning their last six games, and they were looking to extend that streak with wins over MRU this weekend. UBC does have highlights against Mount Royal this week, but those highlights are for men's soccer. I guess we'll just have to stick to scoring summaries.

Thunderbirds goals: Karine Sandilands (5), Vanessa Schaefer (3), Grace Elliott (7)
Thunderbirds assists: Mia Bierd (1), Chanreet Bassi (6), Makenzie McCallum (6), Kasundra Betinol (3), Kailee Peppler (4)
Thunderbirds netminder: Mya Lucifora (16/17)

Cougars goals: Jerzey Watteyne (4)
Cougars assists: Jordyn Hutt (2), Kiana McNinch (3)
Cougars netminder: Scout Anderson (24/26)

Result: 3-1 victory for UBC over Mount Royal.

SATURDAY: UBC was looking to return the sweep favour to Mount Royal on Saturday while the Cougars were aiming for the split. With both teams competing for the top spot in the West Division, winning the season series could prove vital in helping one of these two capture first-place. Chapter Four of that battle went on Saturday, so here's the scoring summary.

Thunderbirds goals: Ashton Thorpe (3), Vanessa Schaefer (4)
Thunderbirds assists: Mackenzie Kordic (6), Kasundra Betinol (4), Makenzie McCallum (7), Kasundra Betinol (5)
Thunderbirds shootout scorer: Grace Elliott Thunderbirds netminder: Elise Hugens (17/19) in 65:00 plus 3/3 in shootout

Cougars goals: Jori Hansen-Young (2), Lyvia Butz (2)
Cougars assists: Julia Duke (2), Lyndsey Janes (2), Jerzey Watteyne (1), Kiana McNinch (4)
Cougars netminder: Kaitlyn Ross (26/28) in 65:00 plus 2/3 in shootout
Cougars shootout scorers: none

Result: 3-2 shootout victory for UBC over Mount Royal.

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	8-2-2-0	20	38	19	W8	@ CAL
Mount Royal	6-2-1-1	15	24	14	L2	vs MAN
Alberta	7-3-0-0	14	21	14	W2	vs REG
Regina	2-2-4-2	14	16	17	L1	@ ALB
Calgary	5-3-0-2	12	25	22	W1	vs UBC
Manitoba	4-2-1-1	11	19	10	W4	@ MRU
Trinity Western	4-5-1-0	10	25	22	W4	@ MAC
MacEwan	1-7-0-2	4	8	33	L6	vs TWU
Saskatchewan	0-8-0-4	4	11	28	L12	BYE

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 another collective group as the Mount Royal Cougars' penalty-killing units get the honour!

Mount Royal is tied for the most shorthanded situations this season after giving up their 54th power-play this weekend. Normally, you don't want your team taking a pile of penalties, but Mount Royal has weathered the storm quite well in only giving up two power-play goals this season - one on Saturday to UBC's Ashton Thorpe and the other to UBC's Grace Elliott back on October 12. They've only faced four teams in the ten games they've played, but they're clicking at a 96.3% penalty-killing efficiency including playing UBC four times while holding them to a 2-for-23 scoring rate while the other three teams have gone oh-fer-31. That's impressive.

They'll get a bigger test next weekend as Canada West's best power-play visits with Manitoba being on their schedule, but the Mount Royal four-women units are doing an incredible job in keeping teams off the scoreboard while on the power-play. That takes some grit, determination, a willingness to sacrifice and block shots, and a big effort, and that's how the Mount Royal Cougars' penalty-killers added their collective name to the Honour Roll!

Shameless (Self)Promotion

We're back this week with another interview from The Hockey Show featuring a specific Canada West athlete. As stated, 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. On The Hockey Show, we talk about all this cool stuff going on in players' lives, so let's introduce you to another great person and athlete!

Today, I'm posting the interview that we did with former Saskatchewan Huskies forward Sophie Lalor after it was announced at the end of October that Lalor had left her Swiss League lower-division team Brandis to sign with the ZSC Lions in the top-tier Swiss League! Sophie was an incredible player for the Huskies during her time in Saskatoon, and it appears that her talents are being recognized in Switzerland as well! She has played two games for Zurich so far, recording no points, but she's working to improve the Lions from sixth-place. We know how well she scored while playing for the Huskies, so enjoy this interview with Sophie where we learn all about her life as she starts a new hockey and life chapter in Zurich!

Wrong Side of History

I don't recall any team starting a season with twelve-straight losses like the Saskatchewan Huskies have, but there have been some long winless streaks in Canada West. Lethbridge finished off the 2017-18 campaign with an 0-11-3 record while Trinity Western went 0-12-0 to finish their 2021-22 season. The key with both of those teams, though, was that they had won a game within the first few weeks of the season. They just didn't finish the season well.

Because Canada West doesn't publish a record book anywhere (why would anyone want that?), there's no official records of who may have had a rough start to the season. I'm not saying that I want to see the Huskies set some new winless mark, but it's hard to find a comparative with no records available to research. With the Huskies on a bye next week, I'd imagine there will be a pile of work done on all facets of their game, but one hopes the zeroes under the win columns are gone soon for them.

Leaders After Ten(ish) Games

Goals: Grace Elliott (UBC) and Brooklyn Anderson (CAL) - 7
Assists: Grace Elliott (UBC) - 9
Points: Grace Elliott (UBC) - 16
PP Goals: Grace Elliott (UBC) - 4
SH goals: Brooklyn Anderson (CAL) - 2
GW goals: Aliya Jomha (MRU) - 4

Defender Goals: J. Morris (UBC), J. Scott (TWU), A. Thorpe (UBC) - 3
Defender Assists: Six players - 4
Defender Points: Jaylyn Morris (UBC) and Sara Kazeil (ALB) - 6
Defender PP Goals: Jace Scott (TWU) and Ashton Thorpe (UBC)- 2
Defender SH Goals: no goals scored yet
Defender GW Goals: Five players - 1

Wins: Elise Hugens (UBC) - 8
Goals-Against Average: Natalie Williamson (REG) - 0.99
Save percentage: Natalie Williamson (REG) - .961
Shutouts: Four goalies - 4

The Last Word

With one-third of the season in the books already, it's a good time for teams to reflect on successes because the season is long and everyone could use a positive word or comment about their play. I likely shouldn't be the one to do this, but I feel like there have been some impressive efforts across the board despite some teams needing to look down to find their names. That shouldn't discourage you because there's still time to turn things around.

The one thing that stands out to me, though, is goal-scoring... or, rather, a lack thereof for all squads. Every single weekend so far, there have been a minimum of two shutouts seen over the two days of play which means that the goaltending and defences of Canada West are good at adapting and shutting down the offences of their opponents. It also mean, though, that teams who struggle to score goals won't find many opportunities to break that trend. I know Canada West coaches are never in favour of sacrificing defensive play for offensive chances, but we may have to see some give there.

You can spew all the rhetotic you want - "defence wins championships", "good defence leads to good offence", whatever - I've heard them all. What I'm saying is that we're six weeks and ten games into the season for a number of teams, and seven of nine teams are averaging less than 2.5 goals per game. That means that there's a heavy reliance on defence when it comes to winning games when a decent offence would take a lot of pressure off the defensive zone.

By no means am I suggesting that teams just play firewagon hockey, but we've seen how valuable goal-scoring is at Nationals when it comes to winning the Golden Path Trophy where everyone plays good defence. Mount Royal, when they won in 2023, averaged 2.71 goals per game in Canada West play. Manitoba, when they won in 2018, averaged 2.36 goals per game. When more than half the conference in 2024 is scoring below Manitoba's 2018 rate of scoring, we may want to find new ways to fill the net rather than keeping the puck out it.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!