The Hockey Show, Canada's only campus-produced radio show that strictly talks hockey, is back with a full house tonight as there isn't a seat in the studio that isn't occupied! As you may have heard, UMFM will be calling games at the 2025 Female World Sport School Challenge from Janaury 30 until February 2 at the Hockey For All Centre, so we welcome some of the hosts who will look to capture the gold medal at the tournament! Our hosts welcome in the leadership group of the Flames prep hockey team who aim to be the last team standing at the tournament as we chat with them about hockey, life, and more tonight on The Hockey Show at 5:30pm CT!
Tonight on the program, Teebz and Jason meet, from left to right, captain Maggie Nicol and alternate captains Joanna Braun, Camryn Falloon, and Hannah Marks-Arnold who make up the leadership group of the Flames team! Our hosts will chat with them about their hockey careers, how their seasons are going, favorite memories, what we should expect at the Female World Sport School Challenge this season, and much more! These four women have done and are doing incredible things, and they all have extremely bright futures no matter what the future holds! We'll hear their stories and experiences 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 new UMFM website's online 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. It's a solid app.
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 meet Maggie Nicol, Joanna Braun, Camryn Falloon, and Hannah Marks-Arnold from the Flames prep hockey team as we get set for the 2025 Female World Sport School Challenge exclusively on 101.5 UMFM and on the UMFM.com web stream!
UPDATE: Camryn and Hannah couldn't make the show. In their place, leading scorer Payton Henwood sat in on the interview, so you'll hear Maggie, Joanna, and Payton on the audio below!
There have been a slate of creative, fantistical names given to recent minor professional hockey teams, and some of these are good while others could use some tweaking. For every Savannah Ghost Pirates franchise, there's a Tahoe Knight Monsters franchise. Of course, we can chat about the Henderson Silver Knights, the Grand Rapids Griffins, and the Coachella Valley Firebirds as being more fantasy than real-life creatures, but today's announcement for the ECHL's 30th franchise might be the first one to involve statues.
Sticking with that theme of fantasy creatures, the new Greensboro, North Carolina franchise announced their team name today, and the Greensboro Gargoyles will break free from their perches atop buildings in the greater Greenboro area to hit the ice in the evenings! I'll be honest in saying that I don't know how many gargoyles are part of the Greensboro skyline, but gargoyles were normally seen on things like castle and cathedrals throughout history as people believed their presence would frighten away evil spirits. Thanks to the Disney cartoon, they have more heroic traits than being monsters, but the idea of the stone creatures coming to life as night falls is a far more recent development in the history of the gargoyle.
Gargoyles were originally designed in 13th-century French architecture as a means of removing water from roofs and flat surfaces before eavestroughs were a thing. The gargoyle was simply the architectural addition to the pipe or spout used for runoff of water, and they were a key addition to the Cathedral de Notre Dame where they not only hid the spouts where water was kept off the sides of the cathedral, but they were seen as creatures who prevented evil spirits from settling in the building. It should be noted that no two gargoyles are designed to be alike, giving each one its own unique look and "personality". Architecture is pretty cool!
Historical aspects aside, tonight's unveiling saw the newest team unveil its new colours as the Greensboro Gargoyles will wear Gargoyle Grape, Greensboro Gold and Midnight. I'm not a fan of naming colours like Victory Green and Gargoyle Grape, so we'll have to see what the Pantone colours turn out to be in the next few days. I like the wordmark seen below despite it feeling very Disney feel, and my hope is that it can be incorporated into the jersey in some way.
The logo, shown above, is cartoonish enough for a good mascot to be created from it, and there are enough elements to make the arena experience fun. I imagine Halloween games will kick things up a notch or two, but the potential for good merchandise and good concessions to be created from the name and logo is certainly there. According to the release, "[t]he logo was created by The Barn Creative" and the name was selected from "community input, including submissions from over 2,000 fans."
A quick reminder that Zawyer Sports & Entertainment own the team and will run the franchise, but it was announced today that the Spittin' Chiclets group - Paul Bissonnette, Ryan Whitney, Mike Grinnell, and Keith Yandle - have bought a portion of the ownership stake in the franchise. I'm not saying that this new part-ownership group will steer decisions made by Zawyer Sports & Entertainment, but expect the Gargoyles to get a lot of chatter on Spittin' Chiclets whenever those four can plug the franchise.
For those interested, the Gargoyles' website is already up, and the team store has limited offerings at this time for merchandise. Deposits for season tickets are already being accepted by the club as they look to fill the 22,000-seat First Horizon Coliseum in October.
I'll admit this name is growing on me after kicking it around for a few hours. I'm not sold on potential cheers suggested on Reddit that can urge the players on, but the imagery and the colours work well for hockey. The franchise now has nine months to get ready before the Gargoyles rise in Greensboro where we'll see if they fly high!
The scene to the left featuring Adam Sandler's line of "Well, there was a crack in the planet..." comes from the 2004 movie, Spanglish. The scene, involving Tea Leoni, is a pivotal moment in the movie where Leoni's character admits to something that fractures Sandler's character's world. That's the feeling I have today, albeit under completely different circumstances than what Sandler's character experienced. The worst part is that I can't really talk about it because I respect the people who are trying to correct this idiocy in some way, but to say the news caught me completely offguard would be entirely accurate. Hours later, I'm still processing it.
I'd like to be more forthcoming, but there are factors that prevent me from doing that. As stated above, there are people who are working to solve this problem, but things are far from assured to be corrected at this point. The outlook seems good, but there are still a lot of ends that need to be tied off for this news to make sense. I respect the group of people involved to a degree that I don't need to be talking about their plans and ideas on how to resolve this problem, but let's just say that whoever is behind this decision has a lot of explaining to do to people who deserve a rational explanation.
As with any organization, leadership will change, and with those changes will come new visions and/or mandates that leadership wants to see. I've been through a few of these changes at the top myself to know that the ripples in the water extend far out when it comes to who is affected, but I know I always believed that a succcessful individual or team would be able to point to their achievements as a way to avoid a lot of shake-up following those changes. Reality, unfortunately, is a cruel mistress who doesn't share those same beliefs, and changes to the most successful parts of an organization often come with little to no warning. Such is the case in this instance, it seems, as success mattered little in this decision.
Just to be clear since I'm being ominous and purposeful with my lack of details, none of this affects me personally. I'm still gainfully employed, the blog and radio show are still rolling along, and everything is good for me and my family when it comes to health and happiness. The entire debacle surrounds a group of people I hold in high regard, though, and I share in their pain, anger, frustration, and confusion over the decision made that affects them so greatly. While I am optimistic about where the path leads from this point, the mess left at this significant fork in the road requires some serious soul-searching by those who forced this decision to stand.
There will be more details I'll publish at some point, but I'd rather let the process work its way through the various parties at this time without making things worse since I, too, am angry, frustrated, and confused over what's happened. In the end, I trust the people who are now managing this situation because they're good people, and that counts for something in my books. For the people who made this wildly short-sighted decision that affected everyone in ways that can't be rationalized, it might be time to ask what purpose you serve.
Things got back to normal this week as eight teams were in action while the MacEwan Griffins got a little time to relax. A couple of home-and-home series were part of the fun this weekend, and we got to see two of the top teams square off despite both of them missing players due to another major tournament happening. Playoff positioning also was up for grabs for a few teams, so there was lots to play for on this first full week of hockey action in Janaury. Let's take a look at the results from those games today on The Rundown!
FRIDAY: We'll get things started in the Alberta capital as the Calgary Dinos headed north on Highway 2 to meet the Pandas. Alberta has seem locked in since the break ended as they are looking for deep playoff run while the Dinos need some points if they want to skate in late February. Taking a few points off the Pandas would be a good way to show everyone they can be a threat, but the Pandas could potentially clinch a playoff spot this weekend with a pair of wins. I'd love to show you the action from this game, but Alberta has used the entire season to do nothing to promote its players so here's the scoring summary.
Pandas goals: Abby Soyko (4), Abby Soyko (5)
Pandas assists: Natalie Kieser (7), Raegan Yewdall (3), Taylor Anker (7), Madison Willan (9)
Pandas netminder: Misty Rey (12/13)
SATURDAY: This weekend series head to the south end of Highway 2 as the back half of the home-and-home was played in Calgary. The Dinos need some scoring punch, but they are missing Sydney Mercier who is playing in Italy (more on that later) so someone needs to step up to break this 2025 winless streak. Alberta was looking to come in and play another controlled game as they looked to clinch a playoff spot, so it was all business. Grace Glover was in net for the visitors while Amelia Awad was back between the pipes for the Dinos.
Both teams looked to establish a lead early in this game, but the netminders and defences were holding strong through the first ten minutes. Things changed in the latter half if the frame when Brooklyn Anderson got slashed while on a breakaway, and she was sent to center ice for a penalty shot. Anderson came in on the left side and snapped a quick shot through the wickets of Glover, and Calgary had a 1-0 lead at the 12:38 mark.
That lead lasted all of 1:52 as Holly Magnus circled off the half-boards to the high slot where she fired a shot on net past traffic in front for the goal, and it was a 1-1 game. Calgary would retake the lead late in the period, though, when Makenna Schafer's pass to Rebecca Clarke across the crease was returned to her, and she potted her first Canada West goal into the open cage at 16:46 for the 2-1 Calgary. That's the score with which we'd go into the break as the Pandas held an 8-6 edge in shots.
The second period saw Calgary find chances, but Alberta capitalized on their chances. Ryann Perrett circled out from behind the net and threw a puck on net that went high on Awad and found room, tying the game at 9:03. The Pandas would take the lead while on a power-play as a goalmouth scramble saw the puck settle on Madison Willan's stick, and she made no mistake in denting twine with 3:51 remaining as Alberta grabbed the 3-2 lead. That score would take us into the second break, but the teams evened things out with 14 shots apiece.
Seven minutes into the third period, an offensive zone faceoff won by the Pandas came to Kallie Clouston as she came off the right wing, and her shot from the slot beat Awad on the glove side for the power-play marker and a 4-2 lead at 7:02. From there, Alberta was all about limiting chances and keeping the puck out of danger zones. With 1:45 remaining, Jadynn Morden iced this game with an empty-net goal as the Alberta Pandas downed the Calgary Dinos by a 5-2 score. Grace Glover picked up her ninth win with a 16-save night while Amelia Awad was on the wrong end of the score in this game.
Again, the Calgary Dinos' athletics team deserves some major kudos as they continue to excel compared to everyone else. Clips on social media, fanastic Dinos-produced segments, and highlight reels like the one below are why the Dinos deserve some major kudos!
FRIDAY: The all-Saskatchewan series kicked off in Saskatoon on Friday as the Huskies were hosting the Regina Cougars. Regina was looking to hold onto their second-place standing with wins this weekend while the Huskies still had a mathematical chance to make the playoffs, but they were going to need a lot of help. They could help themselves with wins over their provincial rivals, but the Cougars wouldn't make it easy. No highlights because the Huskies seem to enjoy playing in anonimity, so here's the scoring summary.
SATURDAY: Just as the Alberta series went, the Saskatchewan series headed south down Highway 11 as the Regina Cougars hosted the back half of the home-and-home series. The Huskies scored a big win one night earlier, and they were looking to build on that win. The Cougars, meanwhile, wanted to find their form once again after dropping the first game they played in 2025. Like their provincial rivals, Regina gies zero effort in promoting its program and players, so here's the scoring summary.
FRIDAY: Normally, this would be a matchup that I'd have circled on the calendar, but with all of Sophia Gaskell, Aliya Jomha, Alex Spence, and Kaitlyn Ross playing in Italy, there were some significant pieces missing from these lineups. That being said, I hoped that we'd still get some incredible games as two of the best teams in Canadian university hockey met in Calgary. The Cougars could catch and pass UBC with a sweep this weekend while the Thunderbirds looked to more space between the two teams. Mount Royal insists on not giving any highlights of their team, though, so we're stuck with the scoring summary for this game.
SATURDAY: It wouold be hard for any team to overcome losing their starting netminder, leading scorer, and one of the best defensive defenders, but Mount Royal needed a bigger effort from those who were on the ice this weekend if they hoped to split with UBC. The Thunderbirds certainly miss Sophia Gaskell's presence, but it seemed UBC was able to overcome her absence on Friday. Would we see a closer game or different results on Saturday? With no highlights, you can imagine what happened from the scoring summary.
FRIDAY: The Manitoba Bisons headed as far west as they could go for their first games of 2025 as the Trinity Western Spartans played host to this series. Manitoba was looking to pass Regina this weekend, so they needed wins. Trinity Western was looking to hold off Calgary while solidifying a playoff spot. Both teams came in with motivation for success, so who would find it? You don't get credit for only doing half the work, Spartans, so here's the scoring summary.
Spartans goals: Charlotte Swanton (4)
Spartans assists: Reilley Kellner (2), Kasey Ditner (8)
Spartans netminder: Kate Fawcett (25/28)
Bisons goals: Louise Fergusson (2), Aimee Patrick (6), Camryn Gillis (3), Julia Bird (4)
Bisons assists: Louise Fergusson (5), Hanna Bailey (2), Brenna Nicol (2), Rachel Gottfried (2)
Bisons netminder: Emily Shippam (23/24)
Result: 4-1 victory for Manitoba over Trinity Western.
SATURDAY: Manitoba has a sweep on their minds while Trinity Western was looking for the split after dropping Friday's contest. If this series is a potential first-round Canada West playoff preview, fans from both sides should be keeping an eye on the key performers this weekend. Manitoba got some good efforts out of players in the first game, and Trinity Western need a pushback in the second game. Again, the Spartans seem to think only their highlights are important, so here's the scoring summary of this game.
Spartans goals: Olivia Leier (3), Kyra McDonald (5)
Spartans assists: Kara Yackel (5), Ella Boon (4), Jordyn Matthews (3)
Spartans shootout scorers: Kara Yackel
Spartans netminders: Mabel Maltais (4/6) in 10:04; Olivia Davidson (31/31) in 54:56
Bisons goals: Aimee Patrick (7), Kylie Lesuk (2)
Bisons assists: Louise Fergusson (6), Julia Bird (4)
Bisons shootout scorers: none
Bisons netminder: Emily Shippam (27/29)
Result: 3-2 shootout victory for Trinity Western over Manitoba.
No, I'm not doing the stupid East and West Divisions on the standings board. One conference, nine teams, let's see who is best.
CANADA WEST WOMEN'S HOCKEY
School
Record
Points
GF
GA
Streak
Next
UBC
15-2-2-1
35
72
27
W6
@ TWU
Alberta
12-3-4-1
33
54
23
W5
@ REG
Mount Royal
11-4-2-3
29
49
36
L2
@ MAC
Manitoba
8-6-2-2
22
41
41
L1
vs SAS
Regina
5-5-4-4
22
32
34
W1
vs ALB
Trinity Western
8-10-2-0
20
39
39
W1
vs UBC
Calgary
5-12-1-2
14
37
54
L8
BYE
Saskatchewan
2-11-1-4
10
22
45
L1
@ MAN
MacEwan
0-13-2-3
7
13
60
L4
vs MRU
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 is known for her solid defensive play than her goal scoring abilities, but Megan Long's three-goal weekend for the Regina Cougars puts her on the Honour Roll!
Megan was always considered a cornerstone of a maturing Regina defence, but she wasn't seen as an offensive dynamo who drove the play from the blue line. This season has been a breakout for Megan as she has recorded the most points in her career since her days with the Edmonton Pandas AAA program, and her five goals are five more than she scored in any of her previous three seasons with the Cougars. Her offensive outburst now has her sitting second in team scoring for the Cougars, and her five goals - three of which came this weekend - have her second in team goal scoring!
While I'm not saying that Megan Long needs to change her game in any way, her offensive outburst this weekend now has her at career-highs for goals and points, and there are still games to be played. Megan's been a key part of the Regina blue line for four seasons, but her offensive side of the game this season has made her a key player for the Cougars. Afte a big weekend where she jumped into the offence, that's how Megan Long adds her name to the list!
First Two In
Alberta's two wins over the Calgary Dinos officially made them the first team in Canada West to clinch a playoff spot, but it also helped UBC clinch a playoff spot as well. While Canada West hasn't bothered to update their standings with this information because apparently math is hard, Alberta's two wins put them 23 points ahead of Saskatchewan with Saskatchewan having ten games remaining for a possible 20 points. Needless to say, the math works out that Saskatchewan can't catch Alberta in any scenario, so Alberta is officially in the Canada West playoffs.
In the other division, Calgary's two losses to Alberta didn't help their chances, but it also means that the Dinos have eight games left for a potential 16 points in the standings. UBC's wins over Mount Royal officially put them 21 points ahead, so Alberta's win over Calgary on Friday night actually clinched a playoff spot for the Thunderbirds.
As we get closer towards the end of the season, teams will see their magic numbers for clinching playoff spots decrease. The next team looking at a potential clinching situation is Mout Royal who can clinch next weekend with a win over MacEwan. If Manitoba can beat Saskatchewan twice next weekend and Regina wins both games against Alberta, those two teams can clinch a playoff spot as well bye virtue of tie-breaker rules.
In short, we could know as many as five playoff-bound teams by next Sunday morning. All that's left after that are seedings.
The Italian Job
The 2025 FISU Games began in Torino, Italy this week, and, as mentioned, all of UBC's Sophia Gaskell, Calgary's Sydney Mercer, and Mount Royal's trio of Aliya Jomha, Alex Spence, and Kaitlyn Ross are playing for Team Canada at the event. The first game for the Canadian women was against Chinese Taipei yesterday, and things seemed to go pretty well for Canada in a 16-0 victory.
Canada led 3-0 through one period and 10-0 after two periods, so they clearly got stronger as the game progressed. Jomha scored a pair of goals - 3:35 into the second period and 11:22 into the third period - while Mercier had an assist as Ross picked up the seven-save shutout. Spence and Gaskell combined for six shots on net, but didn't hit the scoresheet in a game where Canada simply overwhelmed their opponents, outshooting Chinese Taipei by an 84-7 mark.
Other winners at the women's hockey event included a 20-0 win for Slovakia over Great Britain where Slovakia outshot the Brits by a 71-5 margin, and Sunday's early game saw Czechia beat the US by a 6-3 score as Czechia outshot the Americans by a 34-13 mark. In the later Sunday game, Japan met Kazakhstan, and Team Japan held a 4-0 lead over Kazakhstan at the time of publishing.
Canada and Great Britain tangle tomorrow, but I suspect that will be a one-sided game for the Canadians once more. That's not to say that the British women won't give it their all, but the Canadians may be a little more polished than their counterparts. Unfortunately, there is no TV coverage whatsoever for the women's event until they reach the semifinal stage, so I encourage everyone to hit this site for information on how Canada is doing in Torino.
And because I'm not against the Canadian men defending their gold medal either, they opened with an 11-0 win over Korea. Calgary Dinos forward Colson Gengenbach recorded a hat trick in the win as they now get set for a battle Czechia later today. Again, no TV coverage, so stick with the website above for details on Canada's progress!
The Kids Are Alright
Congratulations to Canada's U18 National Team who came away with a gold medal in today's final in Vantaa, Finland! I'm not here to bemoan the lack of U SPORTS commitments because these women are the best of the best we have to offer at the U18 level, and it's clear that they earned the right to be called "the best" with their gold medal victory over the US today!
As it stands, there are two uncommitted players on Canada's roster in goaltender Marilou Grenier and defender Rosalie Breton. If any U SPORTS coaches are looking to add a great player to their rosters, I suggest brushing up on your French as these two Quebec-born players are still looking at options. I'd assume that the RSEQ schools have a shot, but these are two players every coach should covet!
There was a member of one Canada West team who was on the team, though, as Saskatchewan Huskies goaltending coach Sheldon Goertzen was part of the team, so there is a U18 World Championship gold medal coming back to Canada West! And while she's not a "kid", big kudos go out to former Saksatchewan Huskies play-by-play broadcaster and current U SPORTS National Championship broadcaster Daniella Ponticelli for her calls of the Canada and US games throughout this tournament. Alongside Cheryl Pounder, I thought the entire coverage, including in-studio analysts Laura Diakun, Sami Jo Small, and Megan Bozek, was excellent!
Well done, Daniella, on your incredible career, and it always tickles me when I say, "I used to work less than six feet away from her!"
The Last Word
"We just need to elevate our level," Dinos head coach Josh Gosling said following Saturday's game. "At the end of the day right now, we're playing in second gear. We've got to find fourth, and we've got to find it quickly."
With the Dinos on a bye week this week, they need UBC to help them by beating the Trinity Western Spartans. From there, they need to go in and sweep Trinity Western on January 24 and 25 if they want ay chance at playing for a playoff spot. Calgary, as noted, has eight games remaining and they sit six points back of Trinity Western.
I know Josh Gosling said they're in second gear, but they need to start every game after their bye week in fourth gear and leave it all on the ice. Otherwise, these playoff races may be settled before the calendar flips to February, and no one wants to be playing games that don't matter. It's going to take a big effort, but the Dinos need to play playoff hockey for the next eight games as it's as close to "win or go home" as they can get.
In 1976, the city of Tampa added its first professional sports team as the NFL granted an expansion franchise to Hugh Culverhouse, a tax attorney from Jacksonville, after a deal to bring the NFL under Tom McCloskey, a Philadelphia builder, failed. Of course, Tampa Bay now has the NFL, MLB, and the NHL with the arrival of the Lightning, but would it surprise you to know that Tampa Bay was on the NHL's radar as far back as 1975? This won't be a long story as we know that it took a while for the NHL to land in Florida, but there was interest in bringing the NHL to the area nearly 50 years ago!
There are very few reports, it seems, on the internet about former Detroit Red Wings owner Bruce Norris's idea to expand into Florida, but it was reported in the Winnipeg Free Press on February 17, 1975.
If Norris had sold the Red Wings to the group headed by Lindsay and Pavelich, it seems he was seriously looking at either Tampa or Florida as a potential expansion location with the money he'd make off the sale of the Red Wings. I can say that none of this went very far as Norris would eventually sell the Detroit Red Wings franchise to Mike Ilitch in June of 1982 so this mid-1970s expansion chatter was a lot of hot air, but it looks like the NHL was following the NFL's lead in putting a professional team in one of the markets in Florida.
Of course, Norris denied the sale of Red Wings to the Lindsay-Pavelich group which made the expansion plans moot, but Bruce Norris's relationship with Ted Lindsay was all sorts of weird. You may remember that Norris traded Ted Lindsay from the Red Wings to Chicago because of Lindsay's efforts to unionize the players in 1957, yet Norris hired Lindsay to be the Red Wings' general manager in 1977. In 1980, Lindsay was fired by Norris, and Lindsay's response was a $20 million lawsuit for alleged fraud and misrepresentation. Clearly, these two had an interesting work dynamic in their careers.
Again, there's very little about the NHL pushing for expansion in the state of Florida in the 1970s, but we do know the AHL was approached about putting a franchise there and the WHA tried to set up shop in Miami in 1972 with the Screaming Eagles only to move that franchise to Philadelphia as the Blazers before playing a single game. Twenty years later, the Tampa Bay Lightning would finally put a stake in Florida for the NHL, but a Bruce Norris-led expansion team in Florida in the 1970s seems like a lot of malarky.
Based on how he ran the Red Wings, I'm not sure that any Florida-based team would have been successful under his watch. It's pretty telling that the Red Wings began winning Stanley Cups after Norris sold his stake in the team, so one would think that he would have taken the money and retired. Bruce Norris likely wouldn't have seen his expansion team reach the current heights of the two Florida franchises, though, as Norris passed away in 1986 from liver failure.
Hockey in Florida? Seems it was a thing back in 1975.
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