I may have mentioned that this weekend's games are a bit of a playoff preview last week as there were some great games scheduled for this weekend, and the only team who could sit back and watch were the Regina Cougars who were on the bye week. For a lot of the teams, this weekend also represented the last week of games before the December break, so everyone was looking to pick up wins heading into the month-long pause. Hitting the halfway point was the big story this week as eight teams looked for points on
The Rundown!
FRIDAY: The rivalry between the Mount Royal Cougars and the Alberta Pandas has only ramped up over the years as the Cougars have improved, and both teams can now be considered as potential favorites to win the conference. That means these games this weekend may reveal more than just who won this weekend as weaknesses can be exploited. Would we see any when these two teams clashed? The short answer is no because there are no highlight reels being produced, so let's just jump into the scoring summary.
Pandas goals: Madison Willan (4)
Pandas assists: Payton Laumbach (5), Abby Soyko (3)
Pandas shootout scorers: none
Pandas netminder: Grace Glover (19/20) in 65:00 plus 1/2 in the shootout
Cougars goals: Kiana McNinch (1)
Cougars assists: Jerzey Watteyne (2), Breanne Comte (3)
Cougars shootout scorers: Aliya Jomha
Cougars netminder: Kaitlyn Ross (34/35) in 65:00 plus 3/3 in the shootout
Result: 2-1 shootout victory for Mount Royal over Alberta.
SATURDAY: The home-and-home series would move south after Mount Royal won the skills competition over Alberta on Friday, so you knew the Pandas wouldn't be a content bunch with that result. As stated above, this rivalry has become one of the best in all of hockey, not just Canada West, so we were being treated to a great game to close out November. I'd like to show you, but highlights are rarer than actual pandas in Canada. Instead, here's the scoring summary.
Cougars goals: Kiana McNinch (2), Abigail Borbandy (1)
Cougars assists: Summer Fomradas (2), Alexandria Spence (5), Kiana McNinch (6), Sydney Benko (6)
Cougars netminder: Kaitlyn Ross (24/27)
Pandas goals: Payton Laumbach (1), Allison Reich (1), Natalie Kieser
Pandas assists: Taylor Anker (5), Abby Soyko (3)
Pandas netminder: Misty Rey (21/23)
Result: 3-2 overtime victory for Alberta over Mount Royal.
FRIDAY: UBC flew east to Winnipeg where Manitoba waited in what could be a preview for the playoff crossover. The Bisons had a chance to leap past the idle Regina Cougars for second-place in the Canada West East Division while the Thunderbirds were looking to solidify their hold on top spot in the West Division. There's no option to show you what happened because the Bisons won't do highlight reels, so here are the scorers from this game.
Bisons goals: Evangeline Hill (1)
Bisons assists: Louise Fergusson (4)
Bisons netminder: Emily Shippam (18/21)
Thunderbirds goals: Meadow Carman (1), Grace Elliott (10), Makenzie McCallum (4)
Thunderbirds assists: Kailee Peppler (6), Chanreet Bassi (9), Ashton Thorpe (4), Chanreet Bassi (10), Mackenzie Kordic (7), Karine Sandilands (5)
Thunderbirds netminder: Elise Hugens (19/20)
Result: 3-1 victory for UBC over Manitoba.
SATURDAY: Manitoba's effort was solid on Friday, specifically in the final forty minutes where they outshot the Thunderbirds by a 17-13 count. That doesn't happen often to UBC, so I'm sure the Thunderbirds would be ready for Saturday's game. Manitoba needed to bring that effort again on the back-half of this series, but there are no highlights to show you those efforts. Here's the summary.
Bisons goals: Kylie Lesuk (1), Norah Collins (9)
Bisons assists: Hannah Bailey (1), Dana Goertzen (4), Ashley Keller (5), Seanna Price (2)
Bisons netminders: Emily Shippam (13/18) in 30:15; Paige Fischer (13/18) in 29:45
Thunderbirds goals: Karine Sandilands (6), Mackenzie Kordic (4), Jacquelyn Fleming (4), Chanreet Bassi (3), Mia Bierd (3), Chanreet Bassi (4), Mackenzie Kordic (5), Karine Sandilands (7), Mackenzie Kordic (6), Chanreet Bassi (5)
Thunderbirds assists: Kennesha Miswaggon (2), Mackenzie Kordic (8), Grace Elliott (12), Grace Elliott (13), Meadow Carman (3), Ashton Thorpe (5), Grace Elliott (14), Jacquelyn Fleming (5), Jaylyn Morris (6), Sophia Gaskell (4), Kasundra Betinol (7), Madisyn Wiebe (3), Meadow Carman (4)
Thunderbirds netminder: Mya Lucifora (17/19)
Result: 10-2 victory for UBC over Manitoba.
FRIDAY: The Calgary Dinos headed west to Langley for a weekend series against the Trinity Western Spartans with both teams sitting at 14 points in the West Division. Trinity Western held the tie-breaker as they had one more regulation win, but both teams were looking at that third-place spot in the standings as their spot based on results this weekend. Trinity Western will show their goals, but not Calgary's goals, so
here's the link for that half-effort. The summary is below.
Spartans goals: Kara Yackel (4), Kailey Ledoux (1), Chloe Reid (1)
Spartans assists: Kyra Anderson (3), Olivia Leier (7), Kyra Anderson (4)
Spartans netminder: Kate Fawcett (21/22)
Dinos goals: April Klarenbach (3)
Dinos assists: Emma Tait (4), Miri Licis (3)
Dinos netminder: Amelia Awad (20/22)
Result: 3-1 victory for Trinity Western over Calgary.
SATURDAY: The Spartans took a step forward to claiming a playoff spot with a big win over the Dinos, but a sweep would give them a little wiggle room in case they falter. The Dinos were looking to pull even in points again with a win on Saturday, and they were looking to end the first half on a winning note. You can
catch Trinity Western's goals here, but the summary is below.
Spartans goals: Kyra McDonald (3), Kyra Anderson (4), Kyra McDonald (4)
Spartans assists: none
Spartans netminder: Kate Fawcett (25/26)
Dinos goals: Brooklin Fry (3)
Dinos assists: Caitlyn Perlinger (3), Solana Cooper (2)
Dinos netminder: Amelia Awad (36/39)
Result: 3-1 victory for Trinity Western over Calgary.
FRIDAY: One could make the case that this weekend series between the visiting Saskatchewan Huskies and the host MacEwan Griffins was a "build for the future" series as both teams sat more than ten points back of third-place Manitoba. Mathematically, both can still get into the playoffs, but, realistically, it will take a minor miracle to do so. Wins this weekend would be the start of that potentially miraculous run, but there are no highights to show you. Instead, here's the summary.
Griffins goals: none
Griffins assists: none
Griffins netminder: Brianna Sank (35/36) in 64:25
Huskies goals: Jayde Cadieux (2)
Huskies assists: Kendra Zuchotzki (5)
Huskies netminder: Colby Wilson (27/27) in 64:25
Result: 1-0 overtime victory for Saskatchewan over MacEwan.
SATURDAY: The Huskies snapped their 14-game winless streak with the overtime winner last night, and they were looking to double the number of wins they had on the season on Saturday. MacEwan gained a point and stayed ahead of Saskatchewan in the standings, and they were looking to make it a three-point spread between the two teams. No highlights once more, but the summary is below.
Griffins goals: none
Griffins assists: none
Griffins netminder: Brianna Sank (25/28)
Huskies goals: Brooklyn Stevely (1), Paris Oleksyn (2), Jayde Cadieux (3)
Huskies assists: McKenna Bolger (2), Bronwyn Boucher (4), McKenna Bolger (3), Jayde Cadieux (4)
Huskies netminder: Colby Wilson (23/23)
Result: 3-0 victory for Saskatchewan over MacEwan.
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 | 11-2-2-1 | 27 | 56 | 25 | W2 | @ TWU |
| Mount Royal | 9-2-2-3 | 25 | 41 | 24 | L1 | JANUARY |
| Alberta | 8-3-4-1 | 25 | 37 | 19 | W1 | JANUARY |
| Trinity Western | 8-7-1-0 | 18 | 35 | 27 | W2 | vs UBC |
| Regina | 3-3-4-4 | 18 | 23 | 27 | L1 | vs MAN |
| Manitoba | 6-5-2-1 | 17 | 32 | 34 | L2 | @ REG |
| Calgary | 5-8-1-2 | 14 | 32 | 40 | L4 | JANUARY |
| Saskatchewan | 1-10-1-4 | 8 | 18 | 40 | W2 | JANUARY |
| MacEwan | 0-11-2-3 | 7 | 12 | 50 | L2 | JANUARY |
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 a player who likely won't be at the top of any scoring lists, but she's constantly proving that she has the talent and work ethic to be an effective player in Canada West as Jayde Cadieux adds her name to the list!
The Cold Lake, Alberta native played with both the Lloydminster Steelers and St. Albert Slash in the AFHL, so she certainly had a ton of success in her pre-university days. She joined Lakeland College in the Alberta Female Junior Hockey League where she recorded 32 points in 24 games before jumping into Canada West with the Huskies. In 53 games, she's recorded five goals and eight assists in her career, but she's found her stride this season where she has three goals and four assists already in 16 games for the Huskies.
Putting up half her points in one season is one thing, but Cadieux had a game-winning overtime goal this week followed by a two-point night on Saturday as she now has six points - three goals and three assists - against MacEwan in her career. Moreover, Cadieux has scored all three goals and two assists of those six points in Edmonton! Maybe it's the home cooking, but Jayde always seems to have big games when the Huskies visit the Griffins! She added another chapter in the two victories this weekend, and that's how Jayde Cadieux added her 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 personality. 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 athletes' lives, but we're going to introduce you to another great person as this woman is responsible for keeping the peace!
Often called upon by Hockey Canada to work major international tournaments and by the PWHL to work their games, referee Amy Martin has a unique perspective on the game! She's worked hundreds of Canada West games in her career in Manitoba where she's always mentioned among the province's best officials, she's been invited to work games at the U SPORTS National Women's Hockey Championship, and we were honoured to have her as a guest
on The Hockey Show on May 9, 2019 to speak about her experiences as an official! We chat with Amy about her officiating career, how she got started, some of the abuse she deals with, and a number of her accomplishments up to that point, and we certainly need to have her back to discuss all the new opportunities she's taken in her illustrious career! For anyone thinking about donning the stripes, Amy's interview will give great perspective about the job!
The Top Panda
There's no question that Howie Draper has amassed a pile of wins in his long career coaching the Alberta Pandas, but Sunday's win over the Mount Royal Cougars bumped Draper into top spot at the University of Alberta! You may be wondering what record Howie hasn't broken already, but he set the new mark for conference wins with 441 in his career! Congratulations, Coach Draper!
When you consider that the Canada West season has routinely been 30-or-less games for the better part of his career, that shows the longevity and the dedication he's had to the Pandas program. Add in the success he's had in recruiting, teaching his players, and winning championships, and Howie Draper should already be a lock for a number of Hall of Fames including the Hockey Hall of Fame. There's nothing that's not remarkable about 441 wins in conference play, and Alberta should be pretty proud of Draper's accomplishments.
Congratulations once more to Alberta head coach Howie Draper for hitting that 441-win total, and I'm sure there will be many more before he even considers the word "retirement"!
Missed Honours
The Mount Royal Cougars had a couple of players hit important program milestones last week as goaltending and goal-scoring took centerstage. I'm always one to appreciate the hard work and dedication it takes to get to some of these numbers, and these two women certainly have been keys not only to their team's success, but have shown a dedication to being the best in their careers.
The first woman who earned some distinction is goaltender Kaitlyn Ross as she hit the 50-win mark with her Friday night win last week over Trinity Western. That accomplishment is already impressive, but Ross earned those 50 wins in just 70 games with Mount Royal which would make her the fastest goaltender to hit 50 wins in the least number of games! How impressive is that? Hint:
VERY.
On top of that, Ross also set the Mount Royal mark for shutouts in her Week 7 shutout of the Manitoba Bisons on Friday two weeks ago! Ross picked up her 16th Canada West regular-season shutout which is tops for all MRU goalies, and she still has half a season to improve on that mark! Two impressive program and conference records were set by Ross, and she deserves a pile of congratulations for those new marks!
The other woman who is doing great things in Cougars colours is Aliya Jomha, and she set the program record for all-time goals by a Mount Royal Cougars women's hockey player with 28 when she scored against Trinity Western last Friday! Jomha, who has already been named as an Honour Roll honouree this year, has shown an incredible offensive touch this season with seven goals and eight assists, and it appears she's well on her way to setting new personal bests. She did score ten goals and 26 points in 2022-23, so Jomha will need to be a key player down the stretch for the Cougars this season!
When you consider some of the great goal-scoring talent the Cougars have had over the years in Purschke, Amy, Kollman, Weninger, Ko, and Harrison, Jomha stands atop the mountain when it comes to lighting the lamp. She may want to continue denting twine as often as she can because players like Athena Hauck, Jerzey Watteyne, and Kiana McNinch may all try to take a run at the new mark set by Jomha. She's hardly done scoring goals, though, and she absolutely deserves congratulations for setting the new program mark!
Scouting Ontario
On Sunday last week, I spent some time in a rink watching the OUA's York Lions host the Waterloo Warriors. Normally, I'm not overly concerned about either of these teams, but Waterloo is hosting the National Championship this year so it was a chance to scout at least one of the eight teams who will compete for the Golden Path Trophy. With them losing in the bronze medal game last season, I wanted to see if they looked as dangerous as they did in Saskatoon.
I can say that Waterloo does look fast compared to York, and they certainly moved the puck well at times. York, though, figured out to how to break the forechecking pressure of the Warriors by the second period which allowed them to escape their zone fairly easily at times. It should be stressed that Waterloo still has a very quick forecheck that they use and with which they will force turnovers against careless breakouts. They did force Yrk to commit a few turnovers which saw Emma Wedgewood make key saves to keep the score low, but Waterloo's forecheck is one of their strengths.
Defensively, they are not as polished as they were one year ago, and that may be their downfall as York hemmed them in their own zone at times. If the Lions had any sort of finishers on their roster there may have been goals scored against Waterloo, but the Lions simply couldn't get a puck past third-year netminder Kara Mark. The Warriors have enough good players to relieve pressure at most points, but they were vulnerable when they were running around in their own zone.
The final score in this game was 2-0 for Waterloo over York with Kassidy McCarthy and Nikki McDonald scoring the goals for Waterloo. McCarthy's goal came off a rush where she crossed to her right before letting a shot go that Wedgewood got a piece of, but not all of, as it went into the net. McDonald's goal came late where she deked around Wedgewood and slid a puck home as Wedgewood was down. While there were chances for the Warriors to add more, good goaltending thwarted chances on this day.
Overall, I'd say Waterloo has the potential to be dangerous, but they'll need to play better defensively if this game was a true showing of how they'll look in March.
The Last Word
Four teams will play next weekend while five will prepare for exams, holidays, and the hockey schedule to resume in January. The light schedule will give me some time to start looking at some fun things - all-star game selections, weird stats, etc. - but I do want to say that the hockey in the first half of the season has been incredible from all nine times. Yes, wins and losses will matter at the end of the season, but there have been some incredible efforts and plays made in the first half of the Canada West season.
For players at Mount Royal, Alberta, Calgary, Saskatchewan, and MacEwan, I know there will be charitable work done over December. That's where you can convince people to come and watch games, so take a pile of tickets with you and hand them out as freebies to get people through the door. The best thing about having that access to people is that you can use it to sell your programs! if nothing else, though, you're helping people who need a hand up, not a hand out, so please don't take that work for granted. Doing good should be easy, and free tickets put a smile on people's faces!
For UBC, Trinty Western, Regina, and Manitoba,
The Rundown will cover your scores next week, so be prepared for one more week of work. The battle of BC is always a feisty affair while the Cougars and Bisons are one point apart in the standings. If we're finishing off the first half of the season with your games, send Canada West into 2025 with a bang with your best efforts!
If you're reading this and you still haven't been to a game, what are you waiting for? Make it a priority to see these women play. If not next week, go in January 2025. Whatever the case may be, you're missing some of the best hockey in Canada about which seemingly only I'm talking. Let's get some more voices talking about these amazing women and this great hockey!
Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!
Posts
