The Rundown - Week 10
Officially, it's the last weekend of action in Canada West women's hockey when it comes to 2024, and we had a very light schedule with four teams in action while five were already preparing for 2025. The fun part about this weekend's games is that all four teams are in playoff positions right now, and all four are looking to solidify their playoff chances with wins. We close out the first half of the schedule today with the December break looming on the horizon, so let's see who did what to improve their chances this week on The Rundown!
FRIDAY: We'll start in the head and make our way out west as the Manitoba Bisons headed in that direction to meet the Regina Cougars in the southern Saskatchewan city. Regina started the season en fuego and has slowed a little while Manitoba has been looking better every week, and just one point separated the two prairie squads. Both teams clearly want to go into the break with wins and in second-place, so there was definitely something to play for this weekend as the two teams met. Who would finish 2024 holding a home playoff spot? Zero highlights from the Cougars because they don't believe their team deserves that kind of coverage, so here's the summary.
Cougars goals: none
Cougars assists: none
Cougars netminder: Arden Kliewer (26/27)
Bisons goals: Kelsey Huibers (2), Camille Enns (1)
Bisons assists: Sophia Anderson (2), Julia Bird (3)
Bisons netminder: Emily Shippam (18/18)
Result: 2-0 victory for Manitoba over Regina.
SATURDAY: For the first time this season, the Bisons found themselves in second-place in the division while Regina found itself in third-place. It seems like the race for second-place is a real thing in Canada West's East Division as the final game of the first half of the season could put Manitoba ahead by a few points or could see Regina move back into second-place. Either way, there was something to play for on Saturday despite there being no highlights of this game. Here's the summary once more.
Cougars goals: Trinity Grove (1), Makena Kushniruk (2), Paige Hubbard (6), Kaylee Dyer (3)
Cougars assists: Pippy Pritchard (3), Jordyn Blais (2), Trinity Grove (3), Meg Farmer (2), Megan Long (3), Megan Long (4)
Cougars netminder: Natalie Williamson (30/31)
Bisons goals: Sadie Keller (3)
Bisons assists: Aimee Patrick (6), Brenna Nicol (1)
Bisons netminder: Paige Fischer (28/31)
Result: 4-1 victory for Regina over Manitoba.
FRIDAY: The first half of the season comes to an end for UBC and Trinity Western with a home-and-home series, and it's been remarkable to see what Trinity Western has done after starting the season 1-5-0-0. They've gone 7-2-1-0 in their last ten game to climb into third-place in Canada West's West Division, and they'll face their biggest test in their provincial rivals to close out the first half. UBC sits comfortably atop the West Divison, and they're looking to put some big space between themselves and everyone else. No highlights for this game because Trinity Western doesn't do highlights if they don't score, so here's the summary.
Spartans goals: none
Spartans assists: none
Spartans netminder: Mabel Maltais (30/32)
Thunderbirds goals: Jaylyn Morris (5), Kasundra Betinol (1), Grace Elliott (11)
Thunderbirds assists: Chanreet Bassi (11), Annalise Wong (7), Mackenzie Kordic (9), Makenzie McCallum (7), Mia Bierd (2), Kasundra Betinol (8)
Thunderbirds netminder: Elise Hugens (18/18)
Result: 3-0 victory for UBC over Trinity Western.
SATURDAY: Neither team had a chance to move past any other team, so this game was all about improving one's standing with a win while setting the stage for 2025 by closing out 2024 with a win. After struggling to find the net one night earlier, the Spartans needed a bigger effort on this day while UBC was looking to limit chances and damage once again. I'd like to show you highlights, but the Thunderbirds don't like showing off their players either. Let's go to the scoring summary for the final time in 2024.
Thunderbirds goals: Makenzie McCallum (5), Kasundra Betinol (2), Grace Elliott (12)
Thunderbirds assists: Grace Elliott (15), Annalise Wong (8), Kaylee Peppler (7)
Thunderbirds netminder: Kayla MacDougall (11/12)
Spartans goals: Jordyn Matthews (5)
Spartans assists: Chloe Reid (3), Emily Karpan (2)
Spartans netminder: Kate Fawcett (33/36)
Result: 3-1 victory for UBC over Trinity Western.
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.
In 43 Canada West game thus far, Collins has scored 12 goals with nine of them coming this season in 16 games. The key in this is that Manitoba is 6-1 when she scores a goal this season and the team is 5-0 when she records four-or-more shots in a game. While she was held off the scoresheet this weekend by Regina, the Bisons won on Friday when she recorded five shots in that game, but they fell in the Saturday game where she had just one shot. As players are told, put the puck on net and good things will happen - in Manitoba's case, they're winning when Collins does exactly that.
When your team's leading goal scorer is having herself a night at the office, your team is probably doing well. Norah Collins is certainly proving that to be true as her offensive outbursts have helped her and her teammates move within two points of their total points recorded last season. Collins is getting help as well, but her nine goals and Manitoba's record when she's been at her best is how Manitoba's Norah Collins adds her name to the list!
I was lucky enough to be in Saskatoon for the U SPORTS National Women's Hockey Championship last season where the hockey was fantastic. Concordia captured the championship, Waterloo won their first-ever game at Nationals, and I was privileged enough to sit down with Huskies assistant coach Robin Ulrich for a conversation about her humble beginnings in small-town Saskatchewan, being recruited before the days of internet and social media, some of the schools who wanted her to play for them, her days as a Huskies player, her days as a Huskies assistant coach, her extensive coaching career, Nationals in Saskatoon, and more! Robin is extremely proud of her days both as a Huskies player and coach, and she should be an inspiration not only for players who may be wondering what's next after a playing career, but for future players who have university hockey goals! Enjoy this interview from March 14, 2024!
UNB is atop the standings despite having played the most games, so their two-point lead on StFX may evaporate. Nevertheless, UNB boasts the best offence and the best defence in terms of goals, forward Katelyn Scott is tied for the scoring lead, and Cassie McCallum is has the best GAA for all goalies who have played eight-or-more games. They have the second-ranked power-play, but they're struggling while down a player as they rank sixth out of eight teams. UNB is good as long as they have five players on the ice.
StFX is on a major tear right now as they're 9-1-0 in their last ten games and have won six games in a row. As a result, they sit two points back of UNB with a game in-hand, but they won't get a chance to improve that mark until January. They have the second best goals-for record, the third-best goals-against record, and their power-play sits third-overall, but their penalty-killing has been crazy allowing only two goals on 59 shorthanded situations (96.6%). They have a balanced scoring attack as five players have nine-or-more points, and Bianca Zak has grabbed the starter's role in the crease with a 6-0-0 record, a 1.54 GAA, and a .928 save percentage. StFX looks scary.
Dalhousie sits six points back as they've had an up-and-down season, beating StFX twice and UNB once, but falling to lowly Mount Allison 1-0 in overtime on November 8. Leah MacSween and Abby Larkin lead the way offensively, but Grace Beer might be the unsung hero with a 9-4-0 record, a 1.68 GAA, and a .956 save percentage. Dalhousie's power-play is in the middle of the pack, but they have second-ranked penalty-killing efficiency, so the Tigers definitely have a shot.
Moncton is the fourth team with more than 20 points in the AUS, and they too have been up-and-down. They've beaten UNB and StFX once this season, but they've lost to Dalhousie twice already. They're one of three teams tied at 38 goals-for - third-best in the AUS - so they can score. Erica Plourde is proof of this as she's tied for the lead in conference scoring while Shani Rossignol and Valerie Hache have supported her. Annick Boudreau is 8-5-0 on the season, but her record doesn't show her 1.76 GAA or .933 save percentage. If Moncton can improve their seventh-ranked power-play and penalty-killing efficiences, they too could have a shot.
Both St. Thomas and Saint Mary's are less than ten points back of UNB, but they've been inconsistent through the first-half of the season. Katie Sweeney has ten starts for St. Thomas, but is 4-6-0 in those games while Ridleigh Hansen has 12 starts for Saint Mary's, but is 2-9-0 in those games. Both teams need better goaltending for their starters if things are to change. St. Thomas has the AUS's best power-play efficiency and third-best penalty-killing efficiency so they do well on special teams, but they have to be better at five-on-five. Saint Mary's is the opposite - they're sixth-best on the power-play and fifth-best on the penalty-kill, so they need to play in more five-on-five situations. SMU will need to buckle down in the second half.
We'll look at Quebec and Ontario next week as those schedules are still ongoing through this weekend, but there's a quick look at the AUS where it seems that it's still anyone's conference to win!
As an example, I watched HC Davos visiting ZSC Lions today from the SWHL, and I was treated to seeing former Dinos forward Elizabeth Lang sporting the "Top Scorer" jersey they give to the top scorer in the SWHL as she has 19 goals and 18 assists in 18 games after she had an assist in today's 3-2 win. That assist came on former Thunderbirds forward Joelle Fiala's goal just 31 seconds into the game, and it was followed by former Mount Royal Cougars and Dinos forward Courtney Kollman scoring at 2:02 to put Davos up 2-0.
For those wondering, Fiala is tied for second in SWHL scoring with 12 goals and 19 assists while Kollman is tied for third in scoring with 8 goals and 22 assists. With their win over Zurich today, Davos is now tied for first-place in the SWHL! Congratulations, ladies!
Everyone made it to the December break after an entertaining first half of hockey, and there have been some solid performances once more. In the "Not Surprised" section of the schedule, UBC, Alberta, and Mount Royal are the top-three teams in Canada West once again, and it seems there's a pretty good chance that two of those three will be heading to Kitchener-Waterloo for Nationals this season.
Of course, all of Regina, Manitoba, and Trinity Western will give these three a run for their money as those three teams hold the remaining three playoff spots, and Calgary could make things very interesting with a solid second half of the season. Unless something dramatic happens, one of Trinity Western or Calgary will likely end up travelling to Regina or Winnipeg for the opening round of the playoffs, so we'll keep an eye on those two races down the stretch in January and February.
While it's been a rougher time in Saskatoon and Edmonton, respectively, for the Huskies and Griffins, it should be noted that these two teams can do all sorts of damage to the other seven teams' playoffs hopes and dreams in the second half. Saskatchewan sees Manitoba twice and Regina once while MacEwan has dates with Manitoba, Calgary, and Regina. Good teams always remind themselves that they have beat the teams below them, but this could be a boost for the Huskies and Griffins if they can derail a team's playoff plans.
However, before anyone can worry about that, every single player in Canada West needs to buckle down, cram as much knowledge into their heads as they can, and write their exams so they remain academically eligible to play in the second half. For as hard as everyone worked on the ice, the work in the classroom has to equal that or be better because education will carry one farther than hockey will in every situation regardless of talent on the ice.
In saying that, study hard, write those exams, get great marks, and we'll reset for the second half after the calendar flips to 2025. Thank you to all the players, staff, coaches, and officials for an incredible first half-season of hockey, and I'm hopeful the second half will bring just as many memories, smiles, and wins as the first half did!
Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!
FRIDAY: We'll start in the head and make our way out west as the Manitoba Bisons headed in that direction to meet the Regina Cougars in the southern Saskatchewan city. Regina started the season en fuego and has slowed a little while Manitoba has been looking better every week, and just one point separated the two prairie squads. Both teams clearly want to go into the break with wins and in second-place, so there was definitely something to play for this weekend as the two teams met. Who would finish 2024 holding a home playoff spot? Zero highlights from the Cougars because they don't believe their team deserves that kind of coverage, so here's the summary.
Cougars goals: none
Cougars assists: none
Cougars netminder: Arden Kliewer (26/27)
Bisons goals: Kelsey Huibers (2), Camille Enns (1)
Bisons assists: Sophia Anderson (2), Julia Bird (3)
Bisons netminder: Emily Shippam (18/18)
Result: 2-0 victory for Manitoba over Regina.
SATURDAY: For the first time this season, the Bisons found themselves in second-place in the division while Regina found itself in third-place. It seems like the race for second-place is a real thing in Canada West's East Division as the final game of the first half of the season could put Manitoba ahead by a few points or could see Regina move back into second-place. Either way, there was something to play for on Saturday despite there being no highlights of this game. Here's the summary once more.
Cougars goals: Trinity Grove (1), Makena Kushniruk (2), Paige Hubbard (6), Kaylee Dyer (3)
Cougars assists: Pippy Pritchard (3), Jordyn Blais (2), Trinity Grove (3), Meg Farmer (2), Megan Long (3), Megan Long (4)
Cougars netminder: Natalie Williamson (30/31)
Bisons goals: Sadie Keller (3)
Bisons assists: Aimee Patrick (6), Brenna Nicol (1)
Bisons netminder: Paige Fischer (28/31)
Result: 4-1 victory for Regina over Manitoba.
FRIDAY: The first half of the season comes to an end for UBC and Trinity Western with a home-and-home series, and it's been remarkable to see what Trinity Western has done after starting the season 1-5-0-0. They've gone 7-2-1-0 in their last ten game to climb into third-place in Canada West's West Division, and they'll face their biggest test in their provincial rivals to close out the first half. UBC sits comfortably atop the West Divison, and they're looking to put some big space between themselves and everyone else. No highlights for this game because Trinity Western doesn't do highlights if they don't score, so here's the summary.
Spartans goals: none
Spartans assists: none
Spartans netminder: Mabel Maltais (30/32)
Thunderbirds goals: Jaylyn Morris (5), Kasundra Betinol (1), Grace Elliott (11)
Thunderbirds assists: Chanreet Bassi (11), Annalise Wong (7), Mackenzie Kordic (9), Makenzie McCallum (7), Mia Bierd (2), Kasundra Betinol (8)
Thunderbirds netminder: Elise Hugens (18/18)
Result: 3-0 victory for UBC over Trinity Western.
SATURDAY: Neither team had a chance to move past any other team, so this game was all about improving one's standing with a win while setting the stage for 2025 by closing out 2024 with a win. After struggling to find the net one night earlier, the Spartans needed a bigger effort on this day while UBC was looking to limit chances and damage once again. I'd like to show you highlights, but the Thunderbirds don't like showing off their players either. Let's go to the scoring summary for the final time in 2024.
Thunderbirds goals: Makenzie McCallum (5), Kasundra Betinol (2), Grace Elliott (12)
Thunderbirds assists: Grace Elliott (15), Annalise Wong (8), Kaylee Peppler (7)
Thunderbirds netminder: Kayla MacDougall (11/12)
Spartans goals: Jordyn Matthews (5)
Spartans assists: Chloe Reid (3), Emily Karpan (2)
Spartans netminder: Kate Fawcett (33/36)
Result: 3-1 victory for UBC over Trinity Western.
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.
School | Record | Points | GF | GA | Streak | Next |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
UBC | 13-2-2-1 | 31 | 62 | 26 | W4 | JANUARY |
Mount Royal | 9-2-2-3 | 25 | 41 | 24 | L1 | JANUARY |
Alberta | 8-3-4-1 | 25 | 37 | 19 | W1 | JANUARY |
Regina | 4-4-4-4 | 20 | 27 | 30 | W1 | JANUARY |
Manitoba | 7-6-2-1 | 19 | 35 | 38 | L1 | JANUARY |
Trinity Western | 8-9-1-0 | 18 | 36 | 33 | L2 | JANUARY |
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 may not always be on the scoresheet, but she seemingly drives a good portion of the offence for her team as the Manitoba Bisons leading goal scorer in Norah Collins adds her name to the Honour Roll!In 43 Canada West game thus far, Collins has scored 12 goals with nine of them coming this season in 16 games. The key in this is that Manitoba is 6-1 when she scores a goal this season and the team is 5-0 when she records four-or-more shots in a game. While she was held off the scoresheet this weekend by Regina, the Bisons won on Friday when she recorded five shots in that game, but they fell in the Saturday game where she had just one shot. As players are told, put the puck on net and good things will happen - in Manitoba's case, they're winning when Collins does exactly that.
When your team's leading goal scorer is having herself a night at the office, your team is probably doing well. Norah Collins is certainly proving that to be true as her offensive outbursts have helped her and her teammates move within two points of their total points recorded last season. Collins is getting help as well, but her nine goals and Manitoba's record when she's been at her best is how Manitoba's Norah Collins adds her name to the list!
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 has been there, done that, and is helping other athletes get there as well!I was lucky enough to be in Saskatoon for the U SPORTS National Women's Hockey Championship last season where the hockey was fantastic. Concordia captured the championship, Waterloo won their first-ever game at Nationals, and I was privileged enough to sit down with Huskies assistant coach Robin Ulrich for a conversation about her humble beginnings in small-town Saskatchewan, being recruited before the days of internet and social media, some of the schools who wanted her to play for them, her days as a Huskies player, her days as a Huskies assistant coach, her extensive coaching career, Nationals in Saskatoon, and more! Robin is extremely proud of her days both as a Huskies player and coach, and she should be an inspiration not only for players who may be wondering what's next after a playing career, but for future players who have university hockey goals! Enjoy this interview from March 14, 2024!
A Maritimes Brief
While there will be some fun stuff on The Rundown over the next few weeks with no hockey being played, we can't walk away without looking across Canada and figuring out who might be the favorites to head to Kitchener-Waterloo for Nationals this season. We'll start on the east coast where as many as five, maybe even six, teams have a shot at winning the AUS.UNB is atop the standings despite having played the most games, so their two-point lead on StFX may evaporate. Nevertheless, UNB boasts the best offence and the best defence in terms of goals, forward Katelyn Scott is tied for the scoring lead, and Cassie McCallum is has the best GAA for all goalies who have played eight-or-more games. They have the second-ranked power-play, but they're struggling while down a player as they rank sixth out of eight teams. UNB is good as long as they have five players on the ice.
StFX is on a major tear right now as they're 9-1-0 in their last ten games and have won six games in a row. As a result, they sit two points back of UNB with a game in-hand, but they won't get a chance to improve that mark until January. They have the second best goals-for record, the third-best goals-against record, and their power-play sits third-overall, but their penalty-killing has been crazy allowing only two goals on 59 shorthanded situations (96.6%). They have a balanced scoring attack as five players have nine-or-more points, and Bianca Zak has grabbed the starter's role in the crease with a 6-0-0 record, a 1.54 GAA, and a .928 save percentage. StFX looks scary.
Dalhousie sits six points back as they've had an up-and-down season, beating StFX twice and UNB once, but falling to lowly Mount Allison 1-0 in overtime on November 8. Leah MacSween and Abby Larkin lead the way offensively, but Grace Beer might be the unsung hero with a 9-4-0 record, a 1.68 GAA, and a .956 save percentage. Dalhousie's power-play is in the middle of the pack, but they have second-ranked penalty-killing efficiency, so the Tigers definitely have a shot.
Moncton is the fourth team with more than 20 points in the AUS, and they too have been up-and-down. They've beaten UNB and StFX once this season, but they've lost to Dalhousie twice already. They're one of three teams tied at 38 goals-for - third-best in the AUS - so they can score. Erica Plourde is proof of this as she's tied for the lead in conference scoring while Shani Rossignol and Valerie Hache have supported her. Annick Boudreau is 8-5-0 on the season, but her record doesn't show her 1.76 GAA or .933 save percentage. If Moncton can improve their seventh-ranked power-play and penalty-killing efficiences, they too could have a shot.
Both St. Thomas and Saint Mary's are less than ten points back of UNB, but they've been inconsistent through the first-half of the season. Katie Sweeney has ten starts for St. Thomas, but is 4-6-0 in those games while Ridleigh Hansen has 12 starts for Saint Mary's, but is 2-9-0 in those games. Both teams need better goaltending for their starters if things are to change. St. Thomas has the AUS's best power-play efficiency and third-best penalty-killing efficiency so they do well on special teams, but they have to be better at five-on-five. Saint Mary's is the opposite - they're sixth-best on the power-play and fifth-best on the penalty-kill, so they need to play in more five-on-five situations. SMU will need to buckle down in the second half.
We'll look at Quebec and Ontario next week as those schedules are still ongoing through this weekend, but there's a quick look at the AUS where it seems that it's still anyone's conference to win!
What's Up For December?
Well, we're already a week into the month, but the next few weeks is where I start looking at other stats, have a little fun with rosters, update everyone on the players who went off to play professionally, and more. In other words, I'm going to do a pile of work so that you have all the info you need on all the players you may know once they're done in Canada West and U SPORTS!As an example, I watched HC Davos visiting ZSC Lions today from the SWHL, and I was treated to seeing former Dinos forward Elizabeth Lang sporting the "Top Scorer" jersey they give to the top scorer in the SWHL as she has 19 goals and 18 assists in 18 games after she had an assist in today's 3-2 win. That assist came on former Thunderbirds forward Joelle Fiala's goal just 31 seconds into the game, and it was followed by former Mount Royal Cougars and Dinos forward Courtney Kollman scoring at 2:02 to put Davos up 2-0.
For those wondering, Fiala is tied for second in SWHL scoring with 12 goals and 19 assists while Kollman is tied for third in scoring with 8 goals and 22 assists. With their win over Zurich today, Davos is now tied for first-place in the SWHL! Congratulations, ladies!
The Last Word
Deep breath. Exhale. Repeat.Everyone made it to the December break after an entertaining first half of hockey, and there have been some solid performances once more. In the "Not Surprised" section of the schedule, UBC, Alberta, and Mount Royal are the top-three teams in Canada West once again, and it seems there's a pretty good chance that two of those three will be heading to Kitchener-Waterloo for Nationals this season.
Of course, all of Regina, Manitoba, and Trinity Western will give these three a run for their money as those three teams hold the remaining three playoff spots, and Calgary could make things very interesting with a solid second half of the season. Unless something dramatic happens, one of Trinity Western or Calgary will likely end up travelling to Regina or Winnipeg for the opening round of the playoffs, so we'll keep an eye on those two races down the stretch in January and February.
While it's been a rougher time in Saskatoon and Edmonton, respectively, for the Huskies and Griffins, it should be noted that these two teams can do all sorts of damage to the other seven teams' playoffs hopes and dreams in the second half. Saskatchewan sees Manitoba twice and Regina once while MacEwan has dates with Manitoba, Calgary, and Regina. Good teams always remind themselves that they have beat the teams below them, but this could be a boost for the Huskies and Griffins if they can derail a team's playoff plans.
However, before anyone can worry about that, every single player in Canada West needs to buckle down, cram as much knowledge into their heads as they can, and write their exams so they remain academically eligible to play in the second half. For as hard as everyone worked on the ice, the work in the classroom has to equal that or be better because education will carry one farther than hockey will in every situation regardless of talent on the ice.
In saying that, study hard, write those exams, get great marks, and we'll reset for the second half after the calendar flips to 2025. Thank you to all the players, staff, coaches, and officials for an incredible first half-season of hockey, and I'm hopeful the second half will bring just as many memories, smiles, and wins as the first half did!
Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!
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