The Rundown - National Quarterfinals

Eight teams arrived in Elmira, Ontario with one thought on their minds: win three games to capture the 2026 U SPORTS National Women's Hockey Championship. Single-elimination games leave little room for mistakes, so teams need to be ready to play the moment the puck is dropped on their first game right through to the final whistle in the gold medal game. Would we see upsets? Would the favorites find their way into the final? The first step is winning a quarterfinal game, so let's see who did what on The Rundown!

THURSDAY: The seventh-ranked Manitoba Bisons met the second-ranked Concordia Stingers in the opening game of the tournament on Thursday. Manitoba was looking to continue to play solid hockey after their run up to and through the playoffs while Concordia was looking to continue its winning ways after capturing the RSEQ championship. Historically, Manitoba was 2-0 against Concordia at this tournament, so would we see them push that to 3-0 or would the Stingers prevail?



Bisons goals: Brenna Nicol (1)
Bisons assists: Sadie Keller (1), Norah Collins (1)
Bisons netminder: Emily Shippam (18/21)

Stingers goals: Audrey Clavette (1), Jessymaude Drapeau (1), Jessymaude Drapeau (2)
Stingers assists: Juliette Leroux (1), Kate Furlong (1), Emilie Lussier (1), Zoe Thibault (1), Emilie Lussier (2), Emilie Lavoie (1)
Stingers netminder: Jordyn Verbeek (23/24)

Result: 3-1 victory for Concordia over Manitoba.

THURSDAY: The sixth-seeded Waterloo Warriors were looking for revenge against the third-seeded Guelph Gryphons after the Gryphons eliminated the Warriors from the OUA playoffs. These two teams were meeting for the sixth time this season with Guelph holding a 3-2 edge in the series. Guelph was looking to win a fourth game while Waterloo looked to eliminate their Ontario rival from the medals.



Warriors goals: none
Warriors assists: none
Warriors netminder: Kara Mark (29/30)

Gryphons goals: Katherine Heard (1), Katy McKenna (1)
Gryphons assists: Jadyn Calder (1), Maeve Sutherland-Case (1)
Gryphons netminder: Martina Fedel (26/26)

Result: 2-0 victory for Guelph over Waterloo.

FRIDAY: The eighth-ranked Montreal Carabins met the top-ranked UBC Thunderbirds on Friday afternoon. Historically, UBC has struggled against RSEQ teams with a 1-3 record, so they were looking to erase any memory of 2024's loss to the Carabins with a win today. Montreal was looking to keep their winning ways against the Thunderbirds going, but they'd need to play well to defeat the country's top team.



Carabins goals: Chloe Duchesneau (1), Janelle Mentor (1), Juliette Rolland (1)
Carabins assists: Laurie-Anne Ethier (1), Audrey Gervais (1), Jade Picard (1), Catherine Proulx (1)
Carabins shootout scorers: Audrey-Anne Veillette, Jade Picard
Carabins netminder: Maude Desroches (31/34) in 70:00 plus 2/3 in the shootout

Thunderbirds goals: Grace Elliott (1), Jaylyn Morris (1), Karine Sandilands (1)
Thunderbirds assists: Jaylyn Morris (1), Ashton Thorpe
Thunderbirds shootout scorers: Karine Sandilands
Thunderbirds netminder: Elise Hugens (19/22) in 70:00 plus 1/3 in the shootout

Result: 4-3 shootout victory for Montreal over UBC.

FRIDAY: The fifth-ranked Ottawa Gee-Gees met the fourth-ranked UNB Reds for the first time in these teams' histories, and both teams were looking to continue their strong play. Ottawa fell just short of an OUA championship so they were aiming to get back in the win column while UNB had been playing excellent hockey in capturing the AUS championship. More importantly, UNB was looking to snap an eight-game losing streak at Nationals while Ottawa was 1-8 at National Championships since winning a silver medal in 2004.



Gee-Gees goals: Alex Ferguson (1)
Gee-Gees assists: Maelle Laplante (1), Gillian Warren (1)
Gee-Gees shootout scorers: Alex Ferguson
Gee-Gees netminder: Clara Genier (43/44) in 70:00 plus 3/5 in the shootout

Reds goals: Lauren Carter (1)
Reds assists: none
Reds shootout scorers: Katelyn Scott, Payton Hargreaves
Reds netminder: Cassie McCallum (28/29) in 70:00 plus 4/5 in the shootout

Result: 2-1 shootout victory for UNB over Ottawa.

There are no standings to worry about, but the tournament bracket has been updated to reflect the championship side of the bracket!

Saturday will still see all eight teams in action as the consolation semifinals will be played as well. That starts early on Saturday morning, but two teams will be eliminated from the tournament with a second loss. No one wants to be those teams, so wins still matter!

• Consolation semifinal @ 10am: Manitoba at Waterloo
• Consolation semifinal @ 1pm: Ottawa at UBC
• Championship semifinal @ 4pm: Guelph at Concordia
• Championship semifinal @ 7pm: Montreal at UNB

All the times above are for the Eastern Time Zone, so adjust your clocks accordingly, and make sure you tune in on CBC Gem!

Another Tough Loss

I'm not here to throw salt in the wound, but it's hard to understand just how dominant UBC can be over the course of a season in Canada West only to lose a key game at Nationals once again. This talented group of women should have more than just a bronze medal to show for their efforts over the last five seasons, but they'll head home to Vancouver empty-handed once again after a shootout loss today.

Having watched these Thunderbirds grow and mature together to become a well-oiled machine in Canada West play has been nothing short of remarkable when it came to their trajectory. They established a standard and style of play that few teams could match, and the wins and Canada West banners began piling up. Make no mistake that this Thunderbirds team are a special group of people.

I can't imagine the heartbreak these women are going through tonight, but hockey can be cruel sometimes. These women should be proud of all they've accomplished despite the shortfalls at Nationals because I don't know if we'll see an era of hockey like theirs in Canada West again. They can still finish their season with a win if they play well over their next two games, and that would be a fine way to cap off this era of dominance by the Thunderbirds.

3-In-5?

Concordia's win over Manitoba put them into the semifinals, so we know they'll play for a medal. What colour will be determined by the next two games, but the Stingers have a shot at four medals in five years and three gold medals in five years. I think it's safe that we can put the Concordia Stingers next to some other legendary teams, but they're not quite at the level of success two teams have had.

The Alberta Pandas captured eight medals in nine years from 1999 until 2007, and they did nine medals in twelve years. The McGill Martlets medalled 15 times in 21 years from 1999 until 2019. The Wilfred Laurier Golden Hawks captured six medals in nine years, so the Stingers still have a little bit of work to do in trying to catch these legendary teams for successive years with medals.

However, a gold medal at this year's tournament would give them three gold medals in five seasons which is only bettered by McGill's three-in-four-years run from 2008-11, and Alberta's five-in-six-years from 2002-07 and six-in-eight-years from 2000-07. Since Nationals switched to the eight-team format in 2015, only Concordia has more than one gold medal. That's some pretty impressive history.

They still have work to do, but they're two wins away from success!

The Last Word

This will be the last word for the day, but The Rundown will be back all weekend as Nationals play out. Four games tomorrow plus three more on Sunday will determine how these eight teams finish their seasons in Ontario. Only three teams will close out the weekend with victories, so there's still lots to be determined in two days.

Waterloo's loss means that the defending silver medallist cannot earn a medal, so this year's podium will feature three teams who did not medal in 2025. Both Concordia and Montreal medalled in 2024 while Concordia is the only team who medalled in 2023 and 2022. With the Stingers as the top seed still on the championship side, they'll attempt to not repeat last year's finish with two-straight losses.

The first two days of action have been awesome, so I can't wait for the next two days of hockey as the 2026 U SPORTS National Championship moves into the semifinal round! Enjoy the games!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

The Hockey Show - Episode 704

The Hockey Show, Canada's only campus-produced radio show that strictly talks hockey, is back tonight with one of our favourite people talking about one of our favourite topics! Our guest is well-versed in the game of hockey, and her experiences with both the ECHL's Fort Wayne Komets and ACHA's Indiana Tech Warriors has led to her going to school to get even more knowledge on the game. Tonight, it's excited to welcome back Fiona Quinn who will give us some insight on ECHL news, Komets news, Warriors news, and more stories from her spot in the pressbox tonight on The Hockey Show at 5:30pm CT!

Tonight, Teebz and Jason are proud to have the always-fantastic woman to the left on the show as Fiona Quinn will give us all the details on the roster moves being made with the Komets, the playoff race the Komets are currently in as they challenge for first-place, some of the players who helped them achieve that lofty standing, the promotions they run, the Iowa Heartlanders' news, ECHL expansion and relocation, Indiana Tech women's hockey's "rebuilding" season and how they almost shocked everyone, the CBA pause in the ECHL, some of the bigger hockey stories, and much more! And yes, we ask about the sweater she's wearing in the photo as well because, frankly, that's AWESOME! Make sure you've got your radio on internet-connected device set as we get down to business with Fiona Quinn tonight on The Hockey Show at 5:30pm CT on one of 101.5 FM, Channel 718 on MTS TV, or via UMFM.com!

If you live outside Winnipeg and want to listen, we have options! The UMFM website's streaming player works well if you want to listen online. We also recommend Radio Garden if you need an easy-to-use online stream. If you're more of an app person, we recommend you use the TuneIn app found on the App Store or Google Play Store.

If you have questions, you can email all show queries and comments to hockeyshow@umfm.com! Tweet me anytime with questions you may have by hitting me up at @TeebzHBIC on Twitter! I'm here to listen to you, so make your voice heard! And because both Teebz and Jason are on the butterfly app where things are less noisy, you can find Teebz here and Jason here on Bluesky!

Tonight, Teebz and Jason chat with our ECHL MVP in Fiona Quinn about the Komets' roster, the playoff race, promotional nights, the CBA, losing a team, gaining teams, moving teams, ACHA hockey, her sweater, and much more exclusively on 101.5 UMFM and on the UMFM.com web stream!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

He Lost More Than A Tooth

I don't think the man to the left needs an introduction as you probably recognize New Jersey Devils forward Jack Hughes thanks to his work done in Italy. You may remember him scoring the gold medal-winning goal against Canada in overtime to give the Americans their first finish atop the men's hockey podium since 1980 in Lake Placid. Obviously, that's a massive moment in international and US hockey history, and all of the important pieces from that game went to the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. However, Jack Hughes' comments today make me think that the Canadian stick that knocked his tooth out in that gold medal game may have done more damage than just affecting his smile.

According to an article by ESPN's Greg Wyshynski, "Jack Hughes wants the Hockey Hall of Fame to give him the puck from his gold-medal-winning overtime goal for Team USA in the Milan Cortina Olympics."

"I'm trying to get it. Like, that's bulls--- that the Hockey Hall of Fame has it, in my opinion. Why would they have that puck?" Hughes told ESPN in an exclusive interview on Tuesday. He also told Wyshynski, "I don't see why Megan Keller or I shouldn't have those pucks."

I don't even know where to start with this one, but let's give it a shot.

First and foremost, leave Megan Keller out of this. The US women already went through all the trouble of trying to rationalize the misogyny shown by the US men's team once, and Keller certainly doesn't need to be a part of this baffling stupidity. Keller hasn't made one mention of the puck with which she scored her overtime winner because she clearly understands the process by which the puck goes to the Hockey Hall of Fame while she gets the gold medal for scoring. Keller's not complaining, so don't wrap her up in this gem of idiocy.

The second point should be easiest to understand because anytime something historical happens in hockey, the Hockey Hall of Fame is involved with collecting as much paraphernalia as possible for their exhibits. That includes gold medal-winning, overtime goals like the one that Sidney Crosby scored in 2010, like the one that Marie-Philip Poulin scored in 2022, like the one that Megan Keller scored this year, and like the one that Jack Hughes scored this year. This isn't new, it shouldn't be a surprise, and it definitely has happened before.

You might be wondering why Hughes wants the puck so badly, and he revealed that to Wyshynski as well in the exclusive interview.

"I wouldn't even want it for myself. I'd want it for my dad. I know he'd just love, love having it," said Hughes, whose father Jim Hughes has hockey collections from Jack's, Quinn's and Luke's careers. "When I look back in time in my career, I don't collect too many things for myself, but my dad's a monster collector for the three of us. I know he would have a special place for it."

You mean a special place like the Hockey Hall of Fame alongside all of the other historical artifacts and moments from hockey's rich and colourful history where the story of Jack Hughes' goal in Italy could be mentioned in the same breath as the Summit Series and the Miracle On Ice? If that place isn't special enough for the puck, perhaps Papa Hughes should have taught his eldest son a few more lessons in selflessness because it seems that was never learned.

They gave Jack Hughes a gold medal for earning, with his teammates, Olympic hockey's highest honour. That medal represents more than a puck ever will, but it seems that lesson was also lost somewhere on the flight home. The kicker is that Hughes didn't even think of the puck until he was asked about it during "an interview on TNT on" Feburary 26 - four days after he scored the goal! You'd think a kid who was so concerned about getting his dad a puck would have been all over it during the hysteria following the goal he scored, right?

But I guess that thought didn't even cross his mind. Isn't that peculiar?

Ths demand that Jack Hughes made in the ESPN interview is so outrageously absurd that I hope the hockey gods ensure that never wins anything ever again until he issues an apology for his selfishness. What Hughes did in Italy was both significant and historical, and the Hockey Hall of Fame is the right place for that puck to be given the magntiude of that goal. Yes, it's the biggest goal of Hughes' career to date, but it's also the biggest goal that Team USA's men's program has scored in the last 46 years. Everyone should share in that.

Jack Hughes lost a tooth against Canada, but it seems he's clearly lost his mind with the demand he made today. I don't know if the two are related, but I know that I've lost all respect for Jack Hughes. As the old saying goes, "Million-dollar talent, but a ten-cent head."

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

A Schedule Change

With the U SPORTS National Men's and Women's Hockey Championship being played this weekend, I figured I would be spending a lot of my time in front of my laptop and TV watching games. Everything appeared to be heading towards that fate until I received an email today that changed my schedule and could add a lot of fun to the upcoming weekend. I'll still be watching games, but I'll also be attending a game and chatting with players thanks to receiving some media credentials today!

I applied a long time ago to the PWHL to see if we could bring The Hockey Show down to the practices that the Montreal Victoire and the Ottawa Charge would hold here in Winnipeg as part of the PWHL's Takeover Tour. I had followed up emails that went unanswered, and I figured that our application had likely been rejected with a number of media outlets potentially competing for radio broadcast rights.

UMFM wasn't looking for that nor does the station possess the financial backing to bid on those rights, but Jason and I figured that The Hockey Show could bring its unique interview style to the PWHL if we were granted access. After all, we had a blast talking to Savannah Harmon when she skated with Ottawa, we had too many laughs with Logan Angers after she was drafted, and we had a great chat with author and CBC reporter Karissa Donkin about lots of PWHL news and topics. Surely, there had to be room for The Hockey Show at the Winnipeg stop of the PWHL's Takeover Tour, right?

Consider me surprised this afternoon when an email landed in my inbox stating that The Hockey Show would be involved as Jason and I received media credentials for all of the weekend's activities hosted by the PWHL! That's not to say we fit in at all the activities, but we're going to work on getting at least one interview with a player!

Friday night will also see me attend a workshop held by the Ottawa Charge where interested parties can interact with a panel of people from the Charge regarding meaningful career paths in sports, insider knowledge, and forging real connections with professionals working in the PWHL. I have lots of questions for the panel that reportedly includes Charge GM Mike Hirshfeld and Charge Hockey Operations Director Olivia Giardetti, so hopefully there will be a good discussion!

That doesn't mean that I won't still have my phone or laptop nearby so I can keep tabs on what's happening in Elmira and Halifax, but it's pretty exciting to be included in one of the bigger hockey events to visit Winnipeg in the last number of years. At no point did I think Winnipeg would be a landing spot for the PWHL despite the strong women's hockey market in the city, but clearly I thought wrong.

Considering that we've had the privilege of calling the Female World Sport School Challenge thanks to Balmoral Hall School, the Cross Border Classic thanks to Sledge Hockey Manitoba and Team Manitoba parahockey, and now we get to chat with PWHL players and sit in the pressbox for their game, I'd say The Hockey Show is feeling very humbled and extremely grateful for these opportunities.

I'll do my best this weekend to keep the blog updated with U SPORTS women's hockey information, but things may be posted a little later than usual depending on where I am during the day or evening thanks to this media access we've been granted. Both Jason and I are excited to forge a few friendships with PWHL players where possible, and we'll look to have some exclusive coverage on The Hockey Show in the coming weeks! It'll be a busy weekend, but it will be worth it!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

The Rundown - Nationals Preview

Eight teams have officially puched their tickets to Elmira, Ontario for the 2026 U SPORTS National Women's Hockey Championship that will kick off on Thursday. The Waterloo Warriors are the host team for the second-straight year as they look to improve on their silver medal earned last year. Three more teams will play for a second-straight year in Elmira, and four will look to make their marks on this year's tournament in their returns. Let's look at the eight teams who will determine Canada's best university hockey team on The Rundown!

Before we even get into this, I'm not going to half-ass this National Championship preview like some other publications do. You'll be given reasons why each team could win and why they may not. There may be some disagreement with my assessments, but how many people predicted a Bishop's win last season? There are many variables that could come into play, but we'll look at this as objectively as possible.

I'll break this down by the U SPORTS rankings for each team.

Record: 29-2-1; CW Champions
Team Offence: 83GF; 2.59 gpg
Team Defence: 26GA; 0.81 gapg

WHY THEY'LL WIN: The UBC Thunderbirds come in with, arguably, its best roster in any of the five consecutive years that they have been to Nationals. Grace Elliott's outstanding play was highlighted by good secondary scoring in the playoffs as newly-joined Russian star Ilona Markova seemed to find her groove in the Canada West playoffs. Goaltender Elise Hugens was outstanding throughout the entire season, UBC does a great job in limiting shots by its opposition, they score on the power-play, and they have a physical edge to their game when needed. UBC will arrive in Elmira as the favorite based on how complete their game is as proven with their Canada West dominance.

WHY THEY WON'T: UBC lost to a lower-seeded team in each of 2022, 2023, and 2024 and were bumped to the consolation side by Bishop's, playing in their first-ever Nationals, last season. In each of those games, the "underdog" got an outstanding goaltending performance while playing a smothering defensive system that slowed UBC down. UBC has to find a way to get leads early and dictate the pace of play as there is no tomorrow at Nationals. They also need to find a way past the RSEQ teams who have eliminated the Thunderbirds in three consecutive seasons. They're not invincible despite their swagger.

APPERANCES (MOST RECENT): Seven (2025).
BEST FINISH: Silver medal in 2016.
TOTAL MEDALS: One silver, two bronze.

Record: 26-2-0; RSEQ Champions
Team Offence: 101GF; 3.61 gpg
Team Defence: 38GA; 1.36 gapg

WHY THEY'LL WIN: The Concordia Stingers are easily the most successful team at Nationals in the last four years with a pair of gold medals and a silver medal to show for their efforts, so they'll be leaning on their "been there before" experiences. They were dominant through the entire RSEQ season, and they were led by Jessymaude Drapeau and Emilie Lussier who have skated at Nationals in their careers. Jordyn Verbeek's efforts between the pipes hasn't gone unnoticed, but she plays behind a very skilled and mobile defence that makes things easier. Concordia's special teams are good, and the Stingers won't be pushed around nor intimidated by anyone.

WHY THEY WON'T: Concordia hasn't been pushed in any real manner all season long, so they'll need to find an extra gear if they want to win three more games. Removing Drapeau's and Lussier's combined 40 goals this season, no other Stingers player had more than six. Secondary scoring becomes that much more important at this tournament, so Concordia will need players like Courtney Rice, Zoé Thibault, and Emilie Lavoie to dent twine. Concordia was held to two goals in their final two games last season, so a good defensive effort from the Stingers' opposition could be a problem for Concordia.

APPERANCES (MOST RECENT): Twelve (2025).
BEST FINISH: Gold medals in 2024, 2022, 1999, and 1998.
TOTAL MEDALS: Four gold, one silver, one bronze.

Record: 24-5-3; OUA Champions
Team Offence: 90GF; 2.81 gpg
Team Defence: 42GA; 1.31 gapg

WHY THEY'LL WIN: The Guelph Gryphons play a very structured defensive system that is highlighted by by their outstanding goaltending tandem of Olympian Martina Fedel and Sophie Helfenstein. With Fedel returning from Italy, she's looked extremely sharp in resuming her role in the crease. Guelph will score if given the chance, but they aren't loaded with offensive weapons. Katherine Heard was sixth in OUA scoring at 24 points while Maeve Sutherland-Case was fourth in goals with 13. Deija Houston had nine goals, but the goal-scoring falls off quickly. Guelph will use that solid defensive game to cause turnovers and force mistakes, and that's been a winning formula for them this season. They'll need it to continue!

WHY THEY WON'T: Did I mention they don't score a lot of goals? Guelph was tied for fourth-most goals in the OUA during the regular season, and they posted a goal differential of just +2 in the playoffs despite going 5-1 in those games. If Guelph needs a goal late, they don't push the pace very well, and they only have a few players who might dent twine with any shot. Guelph's power-play was a pedestrian eighth in the OUA at 14.5% with that lack of scoring punch, and the Gryphons' dependence on their goaltending and defence may cost them if they need to a score a goal or two quickly.

APPERANCES (MOST RECENT): Six (2019).
BEST FINISH: Gold medal in 2019.
TOTAL MEDALS: One gold.

Record: 25-8-2; AUS Champions
Team Offence: 89GF; 2.54 gpg
Team Defence: 53GA; 1.51 gapg

WHY THEY'LL WIN: The UNB Reds have no problems filling nets on the east coast. They had the top-three scorers in the AUS this season in Katelyn Scott, Olivia Eustace, and Payton Hargreaves with Scott leading the AUS in helpers and Hargreaves finishing second in goal-scoring. Cassie McCallum was solid between the pipes as she finished with a 1.65 GAA and a .930 save percentage. UNB had the top AUS power-play at a 21.7% success rate, and they killed off penalties with an 88.9% efficiency. UNB used all of these impressive statistics in combination through the playoffs to win the AUS championship.

WHY THEY WON'T: Playing at Nationals seems to be UNB's kryptonite as they enter this year's tournament with a 1-8 record all-time at the tournament. Their only win came in 2022 against McGill, and they haven't played a third game at Nationals in three-straight years, going 0-8 since that win against McGill. Making matters worse is that they've scored just eight goals all-time at National Championships, so the odds are certainly stacked against them going into this year's tournament. Forget winning the tournament; how about just a game?

APPERANCES (MOST RECENT): Four (2025).
BEST FINISH: Fourth-place in 2022.
TOTAL MEDALS: No medals won yet.

Record: 19-11-3; OUA Finalist
Team Offence: 86GF; 2.61 gpg
Team Defence: 64GA; 1.94 gapg

WHY THEY'LL WIN: The Ottawa Gee-Gees come in as the unknown team. They haven't played at Nationals since 2009 despite having a pile of talent go through their program, so this year's squad is virtually unknown to non-OUA teams. Scouting will be vital for their opponents, and that's where Ottawa can capitalize by working in some new plays and modifying their current systems. Gillian Warren finished second in OUA scoring, and goaltender Clara Genier has proven she can win big games. Ottawa was the most penalized team in the OUA playoffs, but they had the second-best penalty-killing efficiency at 88.9%. Combine that with their second-best power-play rate, and Ottawa has the tools to be successful this year.

WHY THEY WON'T: There's a fine line between being the unknown and being naive. One can make a team dangerous while the other usually has disastrous results. Ottawa needs to find scondary scoring as the drop-off after Warren's 16 goals is noticeable. Rebecca Morissette had nine tallies while Alex Ferguson had eight, but Ottawa's top-three scorers behind Warren combined for 12 goals. Defender Reece Mepham has to remained disciplined as opposition power-plays will feast if she's in the sin bin, but, overall, secondary scoring has to be a priority for the Gee-Gees if they want to medal.

APPERANCES (MOST RECENT): Four (2009).
BEST FINISH: Silver medal in 2004.
TOTAL MEDALS: One silver medal.

Record: 18-10-1; host team
Team Offence: 89GF; 3.07 gpg
Team Defence: 60GA; 2.07 gapg

WHY THEY'LL WIN: The Waterloo Warriors come in as the defending silver medallists, so they know what it takes to make the final. Waterloo ran into a solid Guelph team in the OUA playoffs, resulting in an early exit, but the Warriors had three players hit double-digits in goals as Carly Orth had 10, Tatum James had 13, and Keiara Raitt notched 11 goals. They have a good supporting cast, and Kara Mark provides solid goaltending. They need to work hard against solid defensive teams, but the Warriors have the firepower to carry them to victory if their defence can hold the fort long enough.

WHY THEY WON'T: The Warriors take a lot of penalties, and their penalty-killing efficiency was dead-last in the OUA. That has to change or the Warriors will be fishing a lot of pucks out of their net. Defensively, they could tighten the screws as well as Mark was good in her crease, but Bishop's showed last season that a strong forecheck will force Waterloo into errors which ended up behind Mark. The Warriors don't get a lot of offence from their blue line, so Waterloo will need to find ways to push the play from the back end.

APPERANCES (MOST RECENT): Three (2025).
BEST FINISH: Silver medal in 2025.
TOTAL MEDALS: One silver medal.

Record: 17-13-6; CW Finalist
Team Offence: 95GF; 2.64 gpg
Team Defence: 83GA; 2.31 gapg

WHY THEY'LL WIN: The Manitoba Bisons are the team that should scare everyone because they don't know who is showing up. It took Manitoba eight weeks to record their first regulation win before they went on a crazy run that saw them knock off Alberta and Mount Royal before UBC slowed them up. Manitoba has three double-digit goal scorers in Julia Bird, Aimee Patrick, and Norah Collins. They have good secondary scoring from players like Brenna Nicol and Sadie Keller. They had the second-best power-play efficiency in Canada West, and they were the least penalized team in the conference. No one expected them to be in Elmira, and now they have a chance to prove everyone wrong about their comeback season this year.

WHY THEY WON'T: The other side of the coin is that Manitoba's defence and goaltending has to be elite like it was for the majority of the playoffs. Goaltender Emily Shippam wasn't bad with a 2.29 GAA, but her .891 save percentage was the lowest of all Canada West playoff starters. It got better in the playoffs as Manitoba showed an improved commitment to defence, but this is a one-game elimination from the medal round. Mistakes have to be limited, saves have to be made, and defensive play has to remain high. Manitoba's penalty-killing units also allowed six goals on 20 shorthanded situations, so staying out of the penalty box would be helpful as well.

APPERANCES (MOST RECENT): Eight (2019).
BEST FINISH: Gold medal in 2018.
TOTAL MEDALS: One gold medal, three bronze medals.

Record: 15-12-2; FSEQ Finalists
Team Offence: 71GF; 2.45 gpg
Team Defence: 65GA; 2.24 gapg

WHY THEY'LL WIN: The Montreal Carabins play like a team of grizzled veterans in that they all come to play. They don't score a lot as leading scorer Catherine Proulx had just 16 points, but they have players who can find the back of the net all over their lineup. The addition of Audrey-Anne Veillette saw her score seven goals in 11 games, and Lea Salem had seven goals this season as well. They don't mind a little physicality in the corners or in front of the net, and goaltender Maude Desroches can steal Montreal a game if she's on.

WHY THEY WON'T: Montreal is going to need everything to come together for three-straight games against arguably better opponents than they faced this season. Montreal defeated UBC 4-2 as the seventh-seeded team in 2023 so it's possible that we could see an upset, but Montreal will need outstanding goaltending, stout defence, and timely scoring - key pieces that were missing at times in their RSEQ series against Concordia. It's an uphill climb that we saw Mount Royal make in 2023, but Montreal's going to need every facet to be better than what was seen all season. That's a tough ask.

APPERANCES (MOST RECENT): Eleven (2024).
BEST FINISH: Gold medals in 2016 and 2013.
TOTAL MEDALS: Two golds, two silvers, and three bronze medals.

There are no standings to worry about, but the bracket has been posted. Play starts on Thursday afternoon in Elmira, Ontario!

The schedule for the games in Elmira are as follows:

• Thursday, March 19 @ 3pm: Manitoba at Concordia
• Thursday, March 19 @ 7pm: Guelph at Waterloo
• Friday, March 20 @ 3pm: Montreal at UBC
• Friday, March 20 @ 7pm: Ottawa at UNB

All the times above are for the Eastern Time Zone, so adjust your clocks accordingly, and make sure you tune in on CBC Gem!

I have some concerns over the rankings above, so read on for my analysis of why U SPORTS once again has no clue what it's doing when ranking teams. If you're a fan of two teams in particular, you should be furious while two others deserve more respect from U SPORTS.

When Winning Means Nothing

The top-four seeds in the tournament have always been the four conference champions and there may be some debate about who got seeded where, but U SPORTS messing that up would take real skill. Instead, we're going to look at the bottom-four seeds because one team didn't even win a playoff series and has an easier path than two teams who did. What's the point of winning in the playoffs then?

The Waterloo Warriors won 17 games in the regular season against OUA competition, and those 17 wins were more than any of the other three teams on the bottom of the rankings. However, when the playoffs started and games counted for more, Waterloo went ahead and won one game - the least of the four teams at the bottom of the rankings. Guelph knocked Waterloo out of the playoffs in the OUA quarterfinals, and somehow they're ranked higher than the Canada West finalist in Manitoba and the RSEQ finalist in Montreal.

How does that make any sense? Nationals has never been about how many wins any team has in the regular season. It's about competing against other teams across the nation, and Waterloo couldn't even reach the final in their own province. Somehow, though, they're ranked ahead of Manitoba and Montreal who defeated teams to make it to Nationals. Can anyone explain how U SPORTS arrived at this?

Waterloo's seeding only doubles-down on how stupid it is for U SPORTS to have three OUA teams in the National Championship, and it reeks of favoritism towards the OUA's teams when it comes to medalling. If I were involved in operations for Manitoba and Montreal, I'd be demanding answers from U SPORTS over this clear lack of respect for winning in the playoffs. This is completely ridiculous.

The regular-season rankings mean nothing as I've gone over time and time again, but it takes real guts to tell teams that winning your conference doesn't matter. Welcome to U SPORTS women's hockey.

Didn't We Just Play Them?

If you're a fan of the Guelph Gryphons or the Waterloo Warriors, there will be a sense of familiarity when those teams meet on Thursday night. That's because they played one another twice during the regular season with each team winning a game. They then met in the OUA quarterfinals where the Gryphons won in three games. And now they meet in a single-elimination game at the National Championship. Again, I ask how U SPORTS thinks this is a good idea.

OUA teams have met six times at Nationals, and Wilfred Laurier was involved in every single game. Wilfred Laurier hasn't played at Nationals since 2014, the year before the format changed to eight teams, so it's been a long time since any conference foes met in an opening-round game thanks to the tournament's rules where champions and finalists were on the opposite sides of the bracket.

Imagine being the Guelph Gryphons who eliminated the Waterloo Warriors from OUA playoff contention only to arrive at Nationals knowing that Waterloo could end their quest for a National Championship. What's worse is that all U SPORTS had to do was flip-flop Manitoba and Waterloo, and every single game would feature non-conference opponents in the opening round. What may have been even better is if Montreal and Waterloo were switched so that the finalists were ranked ahead of the opening-round OUA burnout.

Further to this, Guelph should NOT be the visitors in their game against Waterloo under any circumstance. I get that Waterloo is hosting this tournament, but they did not earn the right to be the home team at any point in this tournament. You don't get to flame out in the first round of the OUA playoffs only to have home-ice advantage against the team that eliminated you. That's bonkers!

I have a hard time believing that any of this was unintentional which means that U SPORTS has abandoned what made Nationals so good: teams that never play each other would always meet through the opening two rounds of Nationals. With this year's brackets, it's clear that U SPORTS no longer cares about making this sport better.

Does the "U" in U SPORTS stand for "useless at managing"?

Getting A Shot

The PWHL's Ottawa Charge are the first team to boast two former U SPORTS netminders on their roster after they signed Kaitlyn Ross to a 10-day Standard Player Agreement while Sanni Ahola recovers from an illness back in Ottawa! After adding Kendra Woodland in November, the Charge now feature a former UNB Reds netminder and a former Mount Royal Cougars netminder on their roster!

There's no guarantee that Ross will play, but the Redcliff, Alberta native seems to be the insurance policy while Ottawa travels across western Canada and into the American midwest. The Charge are battling for a playoff spot, so their upcoming games against the Frost in Minnesota and against Montreal in Winnipeg called for a third goalie to be available in case there were any goalie injuries.

Ross may only be with Ottawa util they get through Winnipeg, but my hope is that this is the opportunity she needs to impress the Charge brass. She's a helluva goalie, and I hope this leads to more!

Bringing Home Hardware

Saturday saw two former Calgary Dinos players and one former Mount Royal Cougars player earn gold medals in professional hockey play. Annaliese Meier and Courtney Kollman were part of the CG Puigcerdà squad that swept through the playoffs en route to winning that club's first national championship in Spain's Liga Iberdrola de Hockey Hielo!

Kollman and Meier were key additions to CG Puigcerdà as both players had significant impacts for the team, but CG Puigcerdà saw a number of Spanish-born players elevate their games in preparation for the upcoming IIHF Division-1B Women's World Championship that Puigcerdà will host from April 12-19. CG Puigcerdà joined the LIHH in 2006, so this was a truly historic win for the city and the club!

Congratulations to Annaliese and Courtney on their championship!

Sweden's Canada West Battle

The SDHL is rolling through their playoffs right now, and we got to see one of the relegation series feature a few key Canada West players. Rogle BK met Linköping HC in their best-of-three series with Linköping looking to stay in the SDHL while Rogle was attempting to take Linköping's spot in the SDHL. Linköping won 2-0, but it was who took part in the series that caught my attention as there was a Canada West wrinkle in the games thanks to who played!

Linköping HC was supposed to have former UBC Thunderbirds forward Chanreet Bassi on the ice, but I never saw her once if she played. According to what I can find, her last point came on January 16 in a 5-4 shootout win against MoDo. She actually had two assists in that game, but I didn't see any other mention of her in the lineup or on the scoresheet after that game. Did she play? I can't confirm because the SDHL website is hot garbage. Who designs these websites?

What I can confirm is that Rogle BK featured former Alberta Pandas forward Cassidy Maplethorpe and former UBC Thunderbirds defender Kennesha Miswaggon on their roster, and both played in the series! It's always cool to tune into a game and discover two players you watched are now playing at the professional level!

Officially, Rogle BK will return to the Nationella Damhockeyligan (NDHL) next season while Linköping HC will remain in the SDHL. We'll have to see if these three Canada West alumna re-sign this summer!

Backs Against The Wall

Luleå is still alive in the SDHL playoffs as they're in the championship final against Brynäs IF. The only problem is that Brynäs IF won the opening two games of the best-of-five series by 2-1 and 3-2 scores, putting Luleå on the brink of elimination. That means all of former Manitoba Bisons defender Erica Rieder, former Regina Cougars forward Jaycee Magwood, and former StFX X-Women forward Sarah Bujold are on the precipice of being bridesmaids in the SDHL!

None of those three players have scored in the final yet, but Magwood did have three goals and a helper in the three-game semifinal series win over Djurgarden. Erica Rieder also added an assist while Bujold was held off the scoresheet, but Luleå is going to need all three at their best for the next three games if Luleå wants to win the SDHL! It won't be easy, but it's still very possible!

The Last Word

I had every intention on getting into the history of the teams playing against one another, but this edition of The Rundown is already long enough. Besides, I need something to generate some chatter on the CBC YouTube chat where I'll be spending my time watching the games. Honestly, CBC deserves a ton of credit for covering every game for all of U SPORTS' championships, but it seems like no one wants to give CBC any credit so I will because they earned it.

You can watch every second of action from both the men's and women's hockey national championships this weekend on CBC Gem and the CBC Sports website. The gold medal games from both tournaments will be on CBC's network television feed as well, so you can ask for it to be broadcast on any big screen at your favorite sports establishment no matter where in the country you are.

From their work with their Olympic and Paralympic coverage to their commitment to U SPORTS to their dedication in bring amateur athletics to Canadian viewers, CBC is invaluable to this country. I cannot say enough good things about CBC's efforts to make lesser-watched sports more prominent, and I'll give them credit anytime I can. I appreciate their work, and this year's U SPORTS National Hockey Championships should look good on all the CBC options!

Everything starts on Thursday. Settle in for an amazing weekend of hockey and catch every second on CBC's viewing options!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

¡Campeonas!

As you're likely aware if you've passed elementary school social studies, Spain is not part of Canada in any way, shape, or form, but we got to see two former U SPORTS players crowned as champions today in the Liga Iberdrola de Hockey Hielo! I have been following the progress made by Club Gel Puigcerdà as the scheduled rolled forward thanks to former Calgary Dinos forward Annalise Meier and former Dinos and Mount Royal Cougars forward Courtney Kollman playing for them. As you can see by the image above, the season ended today with CG Puigcerdà standing at center ice with the championship trophy hoisted, so it appears that Meier and Kollman helped CG Puigcerdà conquer Spain this year!

CG Puigcerdà finished the season in second-place in the LIHH with a record of 15-3-0-0 for 45 points. They were six points back of league-leading SH Majadahonda, but they did score the most goals, have the best goal differential, and were the second-most penalized team as Puigcerdà employed a speed game that saw the team close out on defenders quickly whenever possible. As a result, they surrendered the second-fewest goals as they wrapped up the 18-game schedule on February 1 with a 2-0 win over Kosner Huarte as playoffs loomed.

For her part, Courtney Kollman dominated the league with 41 goals and 76 points in just 22 games total. She finished three goals ahead of CHH Txuri Urdin's Eva Aizpurua, and a whopping 20 points ahead of Aizpurua in the overall scoring. Kollman also led the LIHH at +70 which shouldn't be surprising considering her point total.

Annalise Meier had a fantastic season as well after starting the campaign rather slowly. She picked it up in the second-half of the season, finishing with 15 goals and 32 points in 21 games to land in seventh-overall in scoring. Meier chipped in at both ends of the ice as well as she patrolled the blue line as a defender, but Meier became another important player for CG Puigcerdà down the stretch.

The top-four teams in the LIHH qualified for the LIHH championship meaning that CG Puigcerdà would square off against third-place CH Jaca who finished with a 10-7-0-0 record. February 21 saw Puigcerdà record a 3-1 win with Kollman scoring off a Meier pass, and the best-of-three series ended one week later with Puigcerdà downing Jaca by a 2-0 score with Meier scoring off a feed from Kollman.

Majadahonda only needed two games to eliminate Txuri Urdin by 4-0 and 3-1 scores, so the LIHH Final would feature the top-two teams in the league as they met in the best-of-five series for all the marbles!

Game One on March 7 went Puigcerdà's way as they scored a 2-0 win with neither Kollman nor Meier scoring, but Paula Gimenez had a goal and an assist for the victors. Game Two on March saw both teams ratchet up the offence as Judith Pareja capped off the hat trick at 6:15 of overtime to give Puigcerdà a 6-5 overtime win! Kollman had two goals and a helper in this one while Meier picked up two assists to help Puigcerdà take a 2-0 series lead, but the series would move to the northwest corner of Madrid for the next three games.

Coming into the game, Majadahonda was 9-0 at home including two wins over Puigcerdà on November 15 and 16, but their backs were against the walls in Game Three. Perhaps Puigcerdà smelled the blood in the water or perhaps Majadahonda didn't prepare enough, but the game today saw the ice tilted early. 1:03 into the game, Paula Gimenez gave Puigcerdà a lead and it was 2-0 at the 8:28 mark when Carla Iglesias found the back of the net with Meier getting a secondary assist. Gimenez struck again at 15:54, and the rout was on.

Gimenez would record the hat trick at 12:01 of the second period to make it a 4-0 game, and Kiera O'Hare would cap off the scoring at 2:40 of the third period as CG Puigcerdà combined that strong offence with solid defence to win Game Three and the championship with a 5-0 victory! CG Puigcerdà are your 2025-26 LIHH champions!

"The girls played a spectacular game," CG Puigcerdà head coach Jaime de Bonilla said after the game. "They have worked very hard all season and today they showed what a great team they are. They played with a sixth gear throughout the game!"

The coach was also quick to recognize the support of the Puigcerdà, thanking them by saying, "This title is also for the fans, who have always supported us. Their support has been key to getting here".

The team will be honoured tomorrow in Puigcerdà with a procession beginning at 12:30pm that will make its way through the village of Puigcerdà, ending at the City Hall where the celebration will continue. Considering that the CG Puigcerdà women's team only began playing in 2006, their rise to the top of the LIHH in capturing their first LIHH title is very impressive and the work done to improve Spanish hockey cannot be overlooked as they get set for more fun!

From April 12-18, Puigcerdà will host and the Spanish national team will take part in the IIHF Division-1B Women's World Hockey Championship! Spain will play host to Great Britain, Kazakhstan, Netherlands, Latvia, and South Korea as these countries seek promotion to the Division-1A championship next season by winning this tournament. With incredible players such as Eva Aizpurua, Paula Gimenez, Maria Serna, and goaltender Ainhoa Salillas playing in the LIHH, Spain's chances of winning are as good as any country!

For now, though, Puigcerdà will celebrate its local heroes as CG Puigcerdà are the 2025-26 LIHH champions for the first time in their history! Congratulations on winning the championship, ladies, and I'm hoping we can talk Courtney and Annalise this summer on The Hockey Show and hear about this amazing Spanish adventure! ¡Buen trabajo!

Until next time, mantén tus palos sobre el hielo!

Two U SPORTS Netminders!

The PWHL's Ottawa Charge went off the board today as they searched for another netminder among the free agent ranks. They already have former UNB Reds netminder Kendra Woodland on their roster, and they doubled the number of former U SPORTS netminders under their watch as they signed former Mount Royal Cougars stopper Kaitlyn Ross to a 10-day Standard Player Agreement! I won't try to deceive anyone here by saying that I had a little fun Photoshopping Kaitlyn into action with the Charge, but she'll travel to Vancouver to meet the team this weekend before practicing and potentially dressing for games over the next ten days. Head coach Carla MacLeod is already familiar with Ross's body of work, so this looks like a good fit for both the goaltender and the PWHL team!

Woodland was signed by the Charge back in November to be the team's third-string goaltender behind Gwyneth Phillips and Sanni Ahola who are both Olympians. Woodland could easily push those two to be better because the former UNB Reds goaltender was one of the best in Canadian university hockey during her time in Fredericton.

"I'm just so proud of her," UNB head coach Sarah Hilworth told CBC's Sam Farley in November. "I know how tirelessly she's worked for this opportunity, and to earn a spot with Ottawa is such a proud moment for her... Ottawa's got a good one, that's for sure."

Woodland has yet to log a second in the Charge crease, but she's keeping Phillips and Ahola on their toes in practice. She has dressed as the backup netminder on a handful of occasions, wearing her recognizable #70 on her jersey. The one thing that Woodland didn't do was give up, and her training and patience paid off this season with a roster spot with Ottawa over other talented stoppers.

"It's been quite the journey in the last year and a half," Woodland said. "It hasn’t been easy, but it's definitely paid off up to this point."

Woodland will now have another player who has put in a lot of hard work joining her for the next week-and-a-half as former Mount Royal Cougars netminder Kaitlyn Ross signed with Ottawa today. Ross, as we know, helped Mount Royal to a 2023 U SPORTS National Championship where she was nearly unbeatable, and Charge head coach Carla MacLeod got to watch a lot of her during Carla's time as the Calgary Dinos' head coach. Adding Ross only makes Ottawa's crease better.

With Sanni Ahola on LTIR with an illness that has been affecting her since before the Olympics, the Charge have been filling the third netminding role with goalies such as Sarah Coe and, now, Kaitlyn Ross. Ahola's timetable is undetermined as to when she'll return, so it's conceivable that Ross could be signed through to the end of the season after this ten-game spell. Time will only tell, of course, but it would be pretty cool to see Woodland and Ross on playoff roster!

We'll have to watch and see what happens after the Charge commented on Ross's signing by saying that she "will help solidify depth in goal while rookie Sanni Ahola remains home in Ottawa for rest and maintenance." If Ross is just being signed to accommodate the Charge through the western portion of their road trip that includes a stop in Minneapolis against the Frost and a stop in Winnipeg for the Takeover Tour against Montreal, I'd hope the Charge keep Ross's number handy in case there's a goaltending need beyond this ten-game contract. After all, she's a big-game goalie.

As one of the lone people who pays any attention to U SPORTS women's hockey across this continent, seeing Ottawa sign two U SPORTS goalies tells me that Carla MacLeod believes in U SPORTS hockey. It's exciting to see Kaitlyn get this opportunity, and my hope is that she can turn it into something longer term than just ten days.

Congratulations to Kendra Woodland and Kaitlyn Ross, two amazing U SPORTS competitors and goalies, on landing with the Ottawa Charge!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

The Hockey Show - Episode 703

The Hockey Show, Canada's only campus-produced radio show that strictly talks hockey, hits the UMFM airwaves tonight once again as we settle in for some more hockey talk. With the weekend we just had and the Paralympics coming to an end this weekend, it's been an outstanding week of sledge hockey from all over the globe, and our hosts will chat about some of that tonight among the many topics they'll cover. Want in on the chat? Get your radios and internet-connected devices ready tonight for The Hockey Show at 5:30pm CT!

Tonight, Teebz and Jason offer their thanks to Sledge Hockey Manitoba and Team Manitoba for allowing them to be part of the Cross Border Classic last weekend that was an incredible exhibition of hockey! From there, the two hosts discuss the Paralympics and Canada's chances at a para ice hockey gold medal, Matthew Tkachuk being the dumbest hockey player alive, the PWHL's struggles in Ottawa, the Ottawa Senators earning a draft pick back, the DEL with great numbers, players going pro, and more! It's another busy show with a lot to go over from all variations of hockey being played across the globe, so make sure you tune in tonight for The Hockey Show at 5:30pm CT on one of 101.5 FM, Channel 718 on MTS TV, or via UMFM.com!

If you live outside Winnipeg and want to listen, we have options! The UMFM website's streaming player works well if you want to listen online. We also recommend Radio Garden if you need an easy-to-use online stream. If you're more of an app person, we recommend you use the TuneIn app found on the App Store or Google Play Store.

If you have questions, you can email all show queries and comments to hockeyshow@umfm.com! Tweet me anytime with questions you may have by hitting me up at @TeebzHBIC on Twitter! I'm here to listen to you, so make your voice heard! And because both Teebz and Jason are on the butterfly app where things are less noisy, you can find Teebz here and Jason here on Bluesky!

Tonight, Teebz and Jason express their gratitude before chatting about medal chances, stupid comments, moving arenas, playing politics, full rinks, big opportunities, and much more exclusively on 101.5 UMFM and on the UMFM.com web stream!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

A Huge Win By Any Measure

Having heard about some of the experiences that Team Manitoba's parahockey players have endured in trying to practice and play here in Manitoba, I have a better understanding about why accessibility matters. Manitoba's sledge hockey players are begging for resources and ice time so they can play more often, but those pleas often finds silence when it comes time to hitting the ice. I can't imagine what it was like for the two para athletes above when it came to mastering their chosen sport as Polina Rozkova and Agris Lasmans did something that no other Latvian has ever done: win a medal at the Paralympic Games!

That's not to say that Rozkova and Lasmans aren't great curlers. They won a 2023 World Paracurling Championship gold medal and have participated in every World Championship that has taken place since the last Paralympic Games in Beijing. They're recognized as one of the best mixed doubles curling pairs on the planet, and they brought that skill and tenacity to Milano-Cortina where they captured the bronze medal over the USA duo of Steve Emt and Laura Dwyer with an 11-10 score in an extra end. As stated, the Latvians are good!

This win should be celebrated back in Latvia as if it were the biggest victory in the country's history in any activity. I say that because Latvia, in 2013, had just a single curling rink in the entire country, and that number has grown to two rinks in the last 13 years. Imagine wanting to curl in Latvia as an able-bodied person only to find out one has to travel to Riga or Ventspils to do so. Now add in those who have a disability who want to curl, and you can see why this bronze medal is the most significant medal ever won in Latvia's history.

The commitment shown by Rozkova and Lasmans to improve in their sport will never be questioned as they've overcome some significant hurdles to earn a bronze medal against the best paracurlers in the world, but consider that USA has 185 curling clubs, China has built some 500 ice rinks in the last four years, and Canada has nearly 1000 curling clubs. Having just two rinks in a country of 1.86 million people already puts them at a disadvantage, so seeing Rozkova and Lasmans on the podium is nothing short of incredible!

Rozkova and Lasmans will likely return to their homes in Latvia following the Paralympics, but they should be greeted with all the fanfare that celebrities get. They have a significant chance to be leaders not only for paracurling, but for all para athletes across Latvia thanks to to their win. Winning a medal despite Latvia's lack of rinks should put Rozkova and Lasmans alongside the likes of ballet dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov and NBA star Kristaps Porziņģis.

I don't know enough about Latvian culture to know if their Paralympians are held in high regard, but Rozkova and Lasmans have a chance to change that perception if that's how it is. Making history for one's country should always keep someone in regard, and Polina Rozkova and Agris Lasmans have proven they are among the best paracurlers on the planet, and they have the hardware to show for it.

Perhaps them being recognized by the country will lead to more opportunities at curling rinks for disabled folks who want to try the sport. Perhaps them being recognized by the country will lead to more fully-accessible curling rinks being built in Latvia. Perhaps them being celebrated will lead to better opportunities for all disabled people in Latvia. That's why this medal is a huge win: it could change a lot when it comes to accessibility for people of all abilities.

Congratulations to Polina Rozkova and Agris Lasmans, Latvia's first-ever medallists at any Paralympic Games, and let's hope this is the catalyst for seeing Latvia be a bigger player on the parasports world!

Jumping To The Big Leagues

With a number of players seeing their seasons end in Canadian university hockey, a few players have made the jump to the professional level to see if they can make an impact before the seasons at the higher levels finish. Every year, there are a pile of players who look to breathe new life into the hockey dream by signing a contract in one of the lower professional leagues, and we saw four Canada West players do that over the last few days. All four were solid players for their teams while skating at the university level, and they'll look to contribute to what could be long playoff runs by the teams that wanted them. Let's find out who signed contracts this week!

With UBC's shocking exit from the Canada West playoffs two weekends ago, it didn't take the Canada West Goaltender of the Year long to find gainful employment as UBC Thunderbirds netminder Brett Mirwald signed with the ECHL's Allen Americans! That contract was made official on Sunday - one week after Saskatchewan eliminated UBC - as Mirwald will head to Texas to join the Americans. Mirwald was 11-1-2 with UBC this year, posting a 2.27 GAA, a .907 save percentage, and two shutouts in his second season with the T-Birds.

The Saskatoon-born Mirwald played 19 games with Moose Jaw before landing with the Vancouver Giants where he was 38-31-8 in his two seasons with the Giants, posting a 3.13 GAA and a .912 save percentage. Mirwald showed solid improvement this season behind a very veteran Thunderbirds team, and it appears he'll be given a shot at claiming the backup netminder spot behind Americans starter Marco Costantini. Mirwald will need to play well to do that, but we saw him put in some incredible work in the UBC net this year.

Calgary's playoff run ended the same week as UBC's did, but it appears that loss will hurt them a little more as the Canada West winner of the UBC Hockey Alumni Trophy for Sportsmanship and Ability is on the move. Dinos forward Adam Kydd signed a contract with the ECHL's Cincinnati Cyclones on Sunday, and he'll look to help the Cyclones in their push to claim the third- or fourth-place spot in the ECHL's Central Division. Kydd, who led Canada West in assists, should arrive in Ohio this week where he'll look to crack the lineup.

Kydd had an outstanding season this year with the Calgary Dinos, notching eight goals and adding 33 helpers to finish second in Canada West scoring. He was, by far, the best offensive player that the Dinos had this year statistically, but winning the award for Sportsmanship and Ability shows that he's talented and has great character. Those are the kinds of players that ECHL teams need in their communities, and Adam Kydd should help the Cyclones on and off the ice.

Saturday saw the Manitoba Bisons lose a promising player as forward Blake Swetlikoff made the jump to the ECHL with the Greensboro Gargoyles. Swetlikoff has six goals and eight assists for the Bisons this season, finishing seventh in team scoring. He had a couple of power-play points as the rookie skated with the advantage, but his lone minor penalty all season was proof that Swetlikoff plays at a high level without costing his team goals. Swetlikoff landed with the Bisons after playing 32 games with the Idaho Steelheads last season.

Swetlikoff split five seasons in the WHL with Spokane, Lethbridge, and Kamloops with his best WHL season coming in 2021-22 where he scored eleven goals and 18 assists in Spokane. Swetlikoff signed with the Idaho Steelheads in September 2024, and got the opportunity to attend training camp with the AHL's Texas Stars. He would be returned to Idaho where he recorded seven assists in 32 games with the Steelheads before making the move to the University of Manitoba in the fall to reunite with head coach Gord Burnett who coached Swetlikoff when he was younger as the two remain friends.

The final player in the foursome above took a bigger step than the previous three as UBC Thunderbirds captain Chris Douglas signed an amateur tryout contract with the AHL's Rochester Americans for the remainder of the season! The winger is coming off a solid campaign where he scored 16 goals, 19 assists, and 35 points to finish tied for sixth-place in Canada West scoring which were all career-high totals for Douglas. He also played 124 games for the Thunderbirds, showing his versatility, endurance, and fitness as he skated in 26-or-more games in each of his last three seasons with the Thunderbirds.

The Richmond, BC native had a solid WHL career with the Red Deer Rebels as he increased his point total in every season except his final year where he was limited to just 23 games. However, 43 goals and 98 points in 250 WHL games was something that UBC head coach Sven Butenschon couldn't pass up, and Douglas joined the Thunderbirds in 2021-22 where he scored 12 goals and 15 points in 20 games as a rookie. Four seasons later, he finished his career with 57 goals and 120 points, catching the eyes of the AHL's Rochester Americans.

No one will fault these four men for signing contracts that keep the hockey dream alive. That's exactly why they're still playing, and they can always return to school to finish their degrees if and when they decide that they accomplished as much as they could in the game. The one thing that can't be stressed enough is that these four men were offered the chance to play professional hockey here and now, and all four chose to answer the door when opportunity knocked.

As we saw with Blake Swetlikoff who left Idaho for Manitoba, maybe this opportunity won't be right when everything is measured. What should be clear is that Swetlikoff took another opportunity despite the first one not working out to his liking. For Swelikoff, Kydd, and Mirwald, the door to return to their university teams might still be open if they want to return. For Douglas, he's getting the biggest shot of the four after he graduated out of the Thunderbirds' program.

Where these oppotunities lead next will be determined by the effort and hard work these four men put into following those dreams. Knowing they all had that drive and dedication to both their educations and the sport could mean that one or more of these players beats the odds. And that would be awesome to see!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

A Lack Of Heart Next Season

After a busy weekend of sledge hockey, the last thing I thought I'd be writing about today is the suspension of a professional hockey franchise. With all three top North American leagues pushing to get to 32 teams so that each NHL team had its own AHL and ECHL affiliates, one of those pillars crumbled today with the news that the Iowa Heartlanders had informed the ECHL that they were suspending operations for the 2026-27 season after a difficult campaign on the ice and at the box office this year. For a league that has rapidly been expanding to meet that 32-team goal, the Minnesota Wild and Iowa Wild will be without an ECHL affiliate next season, so is Iowa the first chip to fall?

The news of the team's suspension was posted on the ECHL website today with the release stating that "the League's Board of Governors has approved the request of the Iowa Heartlanders' Membership for a Voluntary Suspension for the 2026-27 Season". The team will review its position in the community with respect to building a stronger fanbase and a deeper sponsorship roster, and they haven't ruled out other investors who can help keep the team in Coralville, Iowa.

Through 28 games this season, the Heartlanders have drawn the fewest fans at 42,457 - an average of just 1516 fans per game. That's nearly 650 less fans per game than Trois-Rivières averages, and they're not even close to the most recent ECHL expansion teams in Bloomington, Tahoe, and Greensboro. The Utah Grizzlies, who are moving their franchise to Trenton, New Jersey after this season, are averaging 4504 fans, so it's pretty clear that the Heartlanders have a ton of work to do to make Xtream Arena a fun place to be.

Of course, having a 19-30-3 record this season while sitting as the 28th team in a 30-team ECHL doesn't point to a lot of fun despite some unique promotional nights. In five seasons, they made the playoffs just once, and that happened for the first time last season after winning 36 games, eventually falling in the opening round to the Fort Wayne Komets. Iowa looked to build on that success, but they've struggled since the puck was dropped this season.

"This was an incredibly difficult decision that followed months of careful evaluation," majority owner Michael Devlin said in a written statement. "Despite significant efforts to stabilize and strengthen the organization, we concluded that stepping back for a season is the most responsible course while we review long-term solutions."

Iowa won't be the first team to have voluntarily suspended their operations as all of the Columbus Chill (1999), Pee Dee Pride (2005), Augusta Lynx (2008), Columbia Inferno (2008), Fresno Falcons (2009), and the Las Vegas Wranglers (2014) suspended their operations, and all of the franchises ended up relinquishing their ECHL memberships within a year of doing so. I'm not saying that the Heartlanders are headed for the same fate as those six teams, but coming back from taking a year off is like starting up as an expansion team again.

It would be interesting to see what the ECHL brass thinks of Coralville, Iowa. For those who don't know the city, its population was 22,318 people in 2020, making it the 23rd most populous city in Iowa. To fill the 5100-seat Xtream Arena, the Heartlanders would need more than 20% of their total population to attend games regularly. If the Heartlanders are going to be successful, attracting more people from Cedar Rapids would be extremely helpful with that city's population sitting near 138,000 people just 30 minutes away.

Being that I don't own any part of the Heartlanders, the easiest way to get people to come to Coralville's Xtream Arena would be to ice a winning team. Ownership would need to spend wisely with the ECHL salary cap, but putting a winning team on the ice would be something that Heartlanders fans have only seen once in their five seasons of existence. Icing a winning team wouldn't solve all their problems, but fans are more willing to travel for winning squads. That should be a priority if or when the Heartlanders plan to return to the ECHL.

As it stands, the ECHL will jump back up to 30 teams next season with the New Mexico Goatheads joining the circuit, and we already know the Utah Grizzlies are heading to the east coast to become the Trenton Ironhawks. 2027-28 will see another team put down stakes in Augusta, Georgia, pushing the number of teams in the ECHL to 31. With the Heartlanders on the sidelines and the NHL holding onto the dream of 32 affiliated pro hockey franchises, there will need to be some tough decisions made about their viability moving forward.

When it comes to the 2026-27 ECHL season, it seems there will be a distinct lack of Heart(landers) in it compared to this season.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

The Rundown - Canada West Final

There was no guessing nor any surprises to be found as the final games of the Canada West season played out this weekend. Both the UBC Thunderbirds and the Manitoba Bisons were headed to the U SPORTS National Championship in Elmira, Ontario where they'll be looking to bring home the conference's first gold medal since 2023. The only paperwork needed to be done is which team would go as the champion of Canada West, earning a Canada West championship banner in the process. Let's see who gets the higher seeding for Nationals between UBC and Manitoba this week on The Rundown!

FRIDAY: It had been a while since these two teams met in any fashion, but this meeting carried more weight as the Canada West championship hung in the balance. UBC was 11-1-0 against Manitoba at home in the previous five seasons so things didn't look good for the Bisons as they arrived in Vancouver, but there's a reason why they play these games. Could the Bisons keep the magic going against the Thunderbirds or would the top-ranked team in the nation end the fairytale run by the Herd?



Bisons goals: Dana Goertzen (3)
Bisons assists: Sophia Anderson (2), Kelsey Huibers (2)
Bisons netminder: Emily Shippam (20/24)

Thunderbirds goals: Grace Elliott (1), Ashton Thorpe (1), Ilona Markova (3), Mia Bierd (2), Mia Bierd (3)
Thunderbirds assists: Vanessa Schaefer (1), Vanessa Schaefer (2), Meadow Carman (1), Presley Zinger (2), Karine Sandilands (1), Ilona Markova (1), Presley Zinger (3), Hanna Perrier (3), Madisyn Wiebe (1)
Thunderbirds netminder: Elise Hugens (12/13)

Result: 5-1 victory for UBC over Manitoba.

SATURDAY: UBC handled Manitoba's attack in Game One, but we saw the Bisons drop the first game against Mount Royal before bouncing back in Game Two. Manitoba would need to make adjustments in the same fashion if they hoped to play on a third-straight Sunday while UBC looked to close out the series and capture their fourth banner in five seasons with a win!

No highlights yet? I'll mark this spot as "Coming Soon".

Bisons goals: none
Bisons assists: none
Bisons netminder: Emily Shippam (20/21)

Thunderbirds goals: Cassidy Rhodes (3)
Thunderbirds assists: Karine Sandilands (2), Ilona Markova (2)
Thunderbirds netminder: Elise Hugens (17/17)

Result: 1-0 victory for UBC over Manitoba.

There are no standings to worry about per se, but there is one image that needs to be posted when it comes to how the west was won.

Outside of the poor framing for the photo, UBC will hang another banner in their arena next season. With fourteen players graduating or moving on from the program, this veteran team made it clear that they were the team to beat all season long, and only two teams can claim they've done this this season: Alberta and Mount Royal. Neither of those teams will be going to Ontario as UBC sits three games away from something that has eluded them for the past four seasons: National Championship gold. Will this finally be their golden year?

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. She didn't Canada West Goaltender of the Year honours this season, but it's hard to argue with results when you consider that she's lost just 11 games in regulation time and 17 times total in her entire five-year career. She's been a big part of every UBC banner in the last five years including this year, and that's how UBC Thunderbirds netminder Elise Hugens added her name to The Honour Roll this week!

There's a case to be made that Hugens should be considered to be one of the best netminders to ever suit up in Canada West, but this season was proof that she's one of the greatest. Her 0.87 GAA is among the lowest in Canada West in a single season, her .943 save percentage was only down .003 from last season's career-high, and her six shutouts ties a season-high. However, her work in the playoffs was even better as she allowed two goals in four games as she stopped 68 of 70 shots she faced. Hugens is a big reason that UBC is both the top-ranked team and the Canada West champions in 2026.

The Thunderbirds will need Hugens at her best as they head to Ontario, and she's certainly been that this season and in the Canada West playoffs. She's a combined 20-0-0 this season with her four wins in the playoffs, and she hasn't allowed more than two goals in any of those 20 games. That's the kind of elite goaltending that wins championships as Hugens proved with her efforts this weekend, and that's how UBC Thunderbirds goaltender Elise Hugens made the list!

Ontario's Teams

It took until today, but we're down to the finalists for the McCaw Cup in Ontario as we know which two teams will represent Ontario at Nationals. Ontario Tech squared off against Guelph in one semifinal while Ottawa and Wilfred Laurier battled in the second semifinal.

The Guelph Gryphons may have sent a message to teams heading to Elmira that they're coming to win. Guelph defeated Ontario tech 3-0 in Game One of their series before following that up with a 2-0 win in Game Two as Martina Fedel, fresh off her Olympic run with Italy, stopped all 36 shots she saw in the two games to help Guelph down Ontario Tech. Guelph will play the winner of Ottawa and Laurier.

That Ottawa-Laurier series needed three games to decide a winner with Game Three being decided earlier today. Ottawa won 4-1 over Laurier on home ice in Game One before the series shifted to Laurier for Games Two and Three. Game Two saw Laurier bounce back with a 3-2 win, setting up Game Three today. Thanks to an Angélique Proulx overtime goal, the Ottawa Gee-Gees will play in the McCaw Cup Final as Ottawa downed Laurier by a 3-2 score in the extra time.

Ottawa and Guelph will now meet in the one-game McCaw Cup Final on March 14 with Ottawa travelling to Guelph for the game as Guelph is the higher-seeded team. Both teams will be in Elmira, Ontario for the U SPORTS National Championship, and we'll see which of the teams gets the higher seed as the OUA champion on March 14!

Quebec's Teams

We already knew that Concordia and Montreal were heading to Elmira for Nationals, but we needed to see which team would have the higher ranking from the RSEQ teams. It should come as no surprise that the Concordia Stingers will likely be the second-seeded team when Nationals open as they downed Montreal 5-3 on Thursday before closing out the three-game series with a 2-1 win yesterday to capture the RSEQ championship. If Concordia is the second-seeded team, expect Montreal to be the fifth-seeded team at Nationals.

Atlantic's Teams

As we know, the AUS has one berth at the 2026 U SPORTS National Championship, and last week saw four teams still in contention for that opportunity. We found our finalists this week as two teams were eliminated from the postseason this past week, so let's see which two teams will battle for the AUS championship and the right to go to Ontario for Nationals as one of the top-four teams in Canada.

When we last checked in on UNB and St. Thomas, the Reds held a 2-1 series lead over the Tommies and were looking to close out the series last Monday with a win. Despite a furious push in the third period from St. Thomas, the UNB Reds would hold on to the lead in Game Four, locking down a 4-3 win to take the series 3-1 over Tommies. UNB will play the winner of the UPEI-StFX series on Monday.

The StFX X-Women held a 2-1 series lead over the UPEI Panthers as they met on Monday night, and the Panthers would use their home-ice advantage to score a 3-1 win over the X-Women to force Game Five. That game went on Thursday night in Antogonish, and the X-Women would close out the series with a solid 3-0 win over the Panthers to return to the AUS Final as the defending champions.

The best-of-three AUS championship sees StFX holding home-ice advantage with Game One scheduled for Monday, Game Two in Fredericton on Wednesday, and Game Three, if necessary, back in Antigonish. Again, the winner of this series will move on to the U SPORTS National Championship. The silver medallist goes home.

Famous Last Words?

"This group is going to go down in history," Thunderbirds head coach Graham Thomas said following the Game Two 1-0 win over Manitoba, and he unfortunately might be right for all the wrong reasons.

This Thunderbirds group will have gone to Nationals in five-straight seasons, and all they have to show for their efforts is a bronze medal won in 2023, the same year that Mount Royal brought home the gold medal. They have been one of the top-four seeds in three of four years, and look like they'll be the top-ranked team going into Nationals this season. In each of the three seasons where they didn't medal at Nationals, they finished the tournament in fifth-place.

UBC is 2-3 against RSEQ teams in the last five seasons, defeating McGill in 2022 and Montreal in 2023. They've lost to Concordia, Montreal, and Bishop's, so they've had their struggles against the Quebec conference as the RSEQ has ended their gold-medal run in each of the last three seasons. The only non-RSEQ team to defeat them was Nipissing in 2022 and they claimed the silver medal.

Here's why UBC's run has been historic for all the wrong reasons: in all four seasons, they've been defeated by a team that medalled. In three of the seasons, they've been defeated by a finalist. In none of the seasons has UBC been a finalist. Will the trends continue? If it does and UNB doesn't win the AUS, UBC could be the first team to go to Nationals in five consecutive seasons and not play in the final.

Only three teams have gone to four-straight National Championships and not played in the gold medal final: StFX (1999-2002), UNB (2022-26), and UBC (2022-26). UBC could make history this season.

The Last Word

The eight teams are nearly set as we know that all of UBC, Manitoba, Ottawa, Guelph, Concordia, and Montreal have qualified through their respective conference playoffs. Waterloo will go as the host team and may have the pleasure of playing UBC first based on how their season ended. Of course, we'll wait to see which of UNB and StFX will join the seven teams already named, but we've very close to having a full field for the 2026 U SPORTS National Championship!

Ottawa will make their first appearance at a tournament since 2009 where they finished in sixth-place, and it will be their first appearance since the field increased to eight teams in 2015. Their best finish came in 2004 where they lost to Alberta 2-0 in the gold medal game, earning their only medal at the National Championship.

Guelph's last appearance was in 2019 where they won the gold medal in Charlottetown after downing Manitoba, Montreal, and McGill in their games. This will be the Gryphons' seventh appearance at the U SPORTS National Championship, and that 2019 gold medal is the only medal they have won in their previous six tournaments.

I'll look at more of the teams coming up in the U SPORTS National Championship preview that will come out next week, but it's nice to see a handful of new teams at Nationals this season with Manitoba, Guelph, and Ottawa finding their ways back. There aren't any first-timers like Bishop's last season, but a little diversity among the teams should make for a fun and interesting tournament!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!