Lethbridge at Alberta - Game One
I had said last week that if the Pronghorns could down the Pandas after sending UBC home with a pair of losses that the Pronghorns could be the real deal. While it's hard to imagine Lethbridge going worst to first in the conference, they beat one of the top-three teams from last season last weekend and had the reigning Canada West Champions standing in front of them.The Pandas got off to a good start just seven minutes in when Janelle Froehler found the loose puck sitting in the crease among a pile of skaters after an Erinn Baddock shot, and she shoveled home a shot that slipped between Alicia Anderson's legs at 7:08 for the 1-0 lead. Like they did to UBC last weekend, the Pronghorns used the man-advantage to their advantage to even up the game. Jodi Gentile's point shot was blocked by Lindsey Post, but Kirsten Reeves found some room on the short side to even the game at 1-1 at the 14:07 mark. The two teams would finish the period tied at 1-1, but Alberta held a 16-5 shot advantage through the opening frame.
The only goal in the second period was posted by Lethbridge, but they again capitalized with the extra player on the ice. Lauren Fredrich found herself wide-open in the face-off circle, and she made mo mistake wiring it past Post at 10:28 for the 2-1 lead. Alberta led in shots by a 10-7 margin once more, but Lethbridge started the third period with that 2-1 lead.
Alberta seemed driven to tie this game early in the third period, and they did so at 5:47 when Alison Campbell tapped home a gorgeous feed from Lindsey Cunningham on a two-on-one, and the teams were knotted up at 2-2. However, that lead was short-lived as Lethbridge scored just 44 seconds later. Kirsten Reeves' shot was kicked out by Lindsey Post, but Jenae Culp was in the right spot and her second attempt to bury the rebound was successful to restore Lethbridge's one-goal lead. That would be all the offence that the Pronghorns needed on this night as they skated to the 3-2 victory over the Pandas despite being outshot 40-18 on the night.
FINAL SCORE: Lethbridge continues to roll with the 3-2 win.
Lethbridge at Alberta - Game Two
Lethbridge was looking for the sweep on Saturday afternoon, and they got off to the start they wanted when Lauren Fredrich opened the scoring at 14:27 after a turnover in the Pandas' zone that found some space between Dayna Owen's pads for the 1-0 lead. Alberta controlled the play once more in this period, outshooting the Pronghorns 9-7, but Alicia Anderson is making a play for CIS rookie of the year at this point.There was no scoring in the second period, but the Pronghorns doubled their lead 1:42 into the third period. Aislinn Kooistra appeared to be centering a pass for her teammates from the corner when the puck found Owen's stick and ricocheted between her legs for the unexpected 2-0 lead on some bad luck by the home side's netminder. Tricia Van Vaerenbergh would make it a 3-0 lead when she cleaned up a rebound on the power-play, and things were looking grim for the Pandas. However, Alex Poznikoff would rip a wrist shot home from the slot at 13:14 to cut the deficit to 3-1. The Pandas continued to press, but Anderson would have none of it and the Pronghorns would take Game Two by the 3-1 count.
FINAL SCORE: Lethbridge stays perfect with the 3-1 victory.
Manitoba at Regina - Game One
In what is usually a fight that leaves no one unmarked, the 1-1-0 Bisons and 2-0-0 Cougars met up in Regina on Friday. The two teams played a relatively tight-checking game through the first period that went scoreless, but we'd see the stalemate broken in the second period. Meghan Sherven knocked her own rebound out of the air past a vulnerable Rachel Dyck and Regina has the 1-0 lead 9:19 into the middle frame. Jane Kish would keep the Manitoba side of the scoresheet blank through 40 minutes, so it was off to the third period.Or perhaps we should just call this "Alanna Sharman time". Just 3:47 into the third period, Alana Serhan sent a long pass to the streaking Sharman who drove the net hard, ending up tangled up with Kish. Somehow, the puck found its way inside the cage with the referees ruling there was no foul, so it was a 1-1 game. With 5:19 left in the game, a scrum in the corner saw Sharman emerge with puck and make a move to go behind the net. Kish bit on the move as Sharman reversed to come out in front of the net on the wrap-around and Kish had no chance. Sharman's second of the game made it a 2-1 lead for the Bisons, and Sharman closed out the natural hat trick by burying the puck with 36 seconds to play to secure the 3-1 victory for the Bisons.
FINAL SCORE: Manitoba rallies to win 3-1.
Manitoba at Regina - Game Two
Regina didn't seem satisfied with the outcome the night before, so they came out shooting on the Bisons in the afternoon. The Bisons, for their part, looked to make it two-in-a-row for the first time this season.Just 3:51 in, the Bisons capitalized on the power-play with Krista Metz sitting in the penalty box. Karissa Kirkup one-timed a centering feed from Alanna Sharman behind the net, and the shot could not be stopped by Toni Ross, putting the Bisons up 1-0. However, the Cougars would respond at 6:24 when Kylie Gavelin knocked the puck out of the air off a point shot that netminder Amanda Schubert was attempting to save, and Gavelin slid it under Schubert's pad as she made it 1-1. At 7:43, Cassandra Taylor chipped a puck past a Regina defender to spring herself and Kayleigh Wiens on a 2-on-1. Taylor elected to shoot which Toni Ross stopped, but the rebound found Wiens' stick and she buried it for the 2-1 Bisons lead. Schubert and Ross would trade saves through to the end of the period after that goal.
The Bisons seemingly pinned the Cougars in their own zone for almost the entire first ten minutes of the middle frame, but couldn't add to their lead as Toni Ross stood tall. The Cougars responded as they went down the ice and kept the Bisons hemmed in where they would capitalize. Brooklyn Moskowy chipped the puck from the board out to the high slot where Jaycee Magwood fired a quick shot. Emma Waldenberger was standing in front of the net, and her deflection at 11:49 got past Schubert to make it a 2-2 game which would carry into the third period.
The Bisons and Cougars traded chances, but it was the Bisons with the best chances early on in the third period. Jayden Skoleski hit the goal post, and Ross stonewalled the Bisons with a pair of toe saves. Those would prove fortuitous as the Cougars marched back down the ice and Jaycee Magwood's pass from down low missed Waldenberger but found the pinching Nikki Watters-Matthes who fired it through a mass of humanity that Schubert had no chance of seeing or saving to make it 3-2 with 11:46 to play. Manitoba couldn't capitalize on any of their chances and a late penalty by Alana Serhan gave the Cougars a chance to run out the clock on a 3-2 victory.
FINAL SCORE: Regina records the 3-2 victory.
Calgary at Saskatchewan - Game One
Calgary dropped two against Regina, and they get a shot at the other Saskatchewan-based team in the Huskies. The Huskies downed the Mount Royal Cougars in their two games last weekend, and they'll get a shot at the other Calgary-based team in the Dinos. See how that all works? One team needs wins while the wants to continue winning, so let's see how these games played out.Saskatchewan's Paige Anakaer opened the scoring at 16:54 of the first period when she found a loose puck in front of Sarah Murray's cage while a scramble ensued, and the Huskies captain buried it past the down-and-out Murray for the 1-0 lead. Cassidy Hendricks would be tested seven times by the Dinos, but the score would remain a one-goal game through the intermission.
With Heather Berzins serving two-or-less for bodychecking, the Huskies made it or-less as Julia Flinton went end-to-end and dished to Marley Ervine out front who chipped the puck past Murray for a 2-0 lead at the 5:35 mark. The Dinos would snap Hendricks' shutout with 3:06 to play in the period when Morgan Loroff fired a low shot off a nice spin move that Hendricks kicked out, but Chelsea Court picked up the rebound and fired it high glove-side to make it a 2-1 game.
Hanna McGillivray would convert a Lori Herner pass midway through the third period to restore the two-goal advantage for the Huskies, and it appeared they would skate to the 3-1 victory, but the Dinos made it interesting. Stephanie Zvonkovic's point shot hit a body in front of the net with 1:03 to play, and it was a 3-2 game. The Dinos continued to press, but Hendricks stopped everything thrown at her in the final minute to secure the 3-2 victory.
FINAL SCORE: Saskatchewan goes to 3-0-0-0 with a 3-2 victory.
Calgary at Saskatchewan - Game Two
Will Calgary record a win this month? Can Saskatchewan keep pace with Lethbridge?Iya Gavrilova, who has been uncharacteristically quiet thus far in the season, opened the scoring for the Dinos on the power-play at 6:02. Sasha Vafina's shot on net was stopped by Jerrica Waltz, but Gavrilova scooped up the rebound and fired it over Waltz's shoulder to put the Dinos up 1-0. The two teams would trade chances, but neither would gain any additional traction on the scoreboard.
Paige Anakaer put the Huskies on the board at 10:48 of the second period when she chipped a great pass from Kennedy Harris past Hayley Dowling to tie the game at 1-1. With 2:16 to play in the second period, Kori Herner showed some great hands when she broke in with speed on the right side and wired a shot top corner past Dowling to send the Huskies into the intermission with a 2-1 lead.
Cue the comeback, though, as the Dinos tied the game up at 5:17 when Chelsea Court skated into the Huskies zone and fired a shot high blocker-side past Waltz for the tying goal on a shot I'm sure Waltz wants back. Nevertheless, the Dinos kept coming. With 8:23 to play in regulation, Kelsie Lang's shot was kicked out by Waltz, but the bouncing puck eventually landed on Cheyann Newman's stick after Rylee Smith took a whack at it, and Newman shot dented the twine to give Calgary the 3-2 lead. Hayley Dowling wouldn't allow anything past her in the remaining tie, and Calgary puts their first win on the board with the 3-2 victory.
FINAL SCORE: Calgary hits the win column with the 3-2 victory.
UBC at Mount Royal - Game One
With both teams having lost both games in the opening weekend, UBC and Mount Royal were looking for their first wins. The Cougars made the first error of the game, and UBC made them pay. Off a turnover, Logan Boyd found Cailey Hay who made no mistake by going top-shelf past Jess Ross, putting UBC up 1-0 at the 7:21 mark.The two teams would play the next 30 minutes without a goal light being lit, but UBC would strike late in the second period. With Mount Royal's Jordan Finnie watching from the sin bin, Rebecca Unrau found Cailey Hay who slid the puck to an open Shiayli Toni, and the UBC power-play goal at 17:01 made it a 2-0 lead.
UBC's Samantha Langford wouldn't need any additional help as she kept Mount Royal to a clean scoresheet, and the UBC Thunderbirds captured their first victory of the season.
FINAL SCORE: UBC shuts out Mount Royal 2-0.
UBC at Mount Royal - Game Two
Mount Royal is the only team without a win or point, so they came into Game Two with a determination. However, it was UBC who controlled the play in the opening frame, but Cougars netminder Emma Pincott allowed nothing to get by her. At the other end, Samantha Langford also stopped everything her way, so it was off to the second period in a scoreless tie.Just 1:22 into the second period, Mount Royal struck. Rachel Piitz hit the streaking Sarah Weninger with a pass after having gotten behind the UBC defence, and her deke gave her enough room past Langford for the 1-0 lead. Weninger would double her goal total and the lead 10:14 later when the five-man unit pinned UBC in their own zone, and some puck movement would find Weninger who wired the puck past Langford up high for the 2-0 Mount Royal lead.
UBC, though, would cut into that lead with 5:14 left in the period. While on the power-play, Mikayla Ogrodniczuk fired a shot from the point that glanced off a Cougars defender in front of the net, and the deflection was enough to find space past Pincott as UBC got on the board. That seemed to light a fire under UBC because they really turned it on. Nicole Saxvik and Rebecca Unrau scored goals at 18:19 and 19:42, respectively, and the UBC Thunderbirds were now out in front 3-2 after the Cougars had played so well.
The third period saw one goal scored, but it was a Carley Bertram goal off a rush that tied the game for the Cougars. Bertram came off the wing and wired a wrist shot that Langford couldn't handle, and the puck came to rest behind her for the 3-3 equalizer. Both goalies would keep the opposition off the scoreboard for the remainder of regulation time, so we were off to overtime to find a winner!
At 4:03 of the extra frame, we'd see a winner crowned. A two-on-one saw Logan Boyd find Rebecca Unrau with the pass, and her shot slide past Emma Pincott as the winner for UBC as they take this game in overtime!
FINAL SCORE: UBC wins in overtime 4-3.
Standings
If you had told me at the start of the season that the top-two teams in Canada West would be bottom-half of the conference, I'd have said you were crazy. Yet here we stand. Here are the updated standings. Please note that the records are shown in wins-losses-overtime wins-overtime losses as wins are worth three points, overtime wins are worth two, and overtime losses are worth one point.| School | Record | Points | GF | GA | Streak | Next |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lethbridge | 4-0-0-0 | 12 | 11 | 5 | W4 | vs SAS |
| Saskatchewan | 3-1-0-0 | 9 | 9 | 6 | L1 | @ LET |
| Regina | 2-1-1-0 | 8 | 15 | 8 | W1 | @ ALB |
| Manitoba | 2-2-0-0 | 6 | 7 | 9 | L1 | vs MRU |
| British Columbia | 1-2-1-0 | 5 | 8 | 8 | W2 | @ CGY |
| Calgary | 1-2-0-1 | 4 | 8 | 16 | W1 | vs UBC |
| Alberta | 1-3-0-0 | 3 | 8 | 8 | L2 | vs REG |
| Mount Royal | 0-3-0-1 | 1 | 4 | 10 | L4 | @ MAN |
★★★ Three Stars ★★★
1. Alicia Anderson (LET) - This one should be a no-brainer. She's a rookie who has played all four games for her team, leading them to four-straight wins. She's stopped 123 of 128 shots faced for a 1.25 GAA, a .961 save percentage, and one shutout. If anyone is making a case for CIS Rookie of the Year at this point, Anderson will be a likely challenger to that crown with her play thus far.2. Alanna Sharman (MAN) - After posting one goal in the opening weekend, Sharman jumped up the points standings in her weekend against the Cougars. A natural hat trick in one period plus an assist helped the Bisons split on the road. Nice to see the reigning scoring champ back in fine form as she settles back into her familiar scoring groove.
3. Iya Gavrilova (CGY) - There hasn't been much to speak about regarding the Russian's game yet, but she notched a goal and three assists this weekend in helping Calgary to their first win and a split on the weekend. Calgary will only go as far as Gavrilova will take them, so it's nice to see her getting back on her game.
Ontario Results
Let's run through these results quickly.WINDSOR at WESTERN: This one was ugly, so I'll make this quick. Western jumped out to a 6-0 through the first two periods on goals by Evra Levesque, Stacey Scott, Catherine O'Connor, Tia Kipfer, Emma Pearson, and Katelyn Gosling. Krysten Lawrence would break the shutout, but Brittany Clapham would restore the six-goal lead. Marissa Kozovski took the loss in allowing two goals while Hannah Slater would allow the other five in relief. Kelly Campbell recorded the win for Western in the 7-1 drubbing.
TORONTO at RYERSON: Toronto's Taylor Day opened the scoring midway through the second period. Ryerson's Sarah McGilvray tied it up midway through the third period, but a goal with 2:35 to play by Toronto's Kristi Riseley was the difference in the 2-1 game. Valencia Yordanov picked up the win in stopping 24 of 25 shots while Ryerson's Alex Armstrong took the loss.
YORK at UOIT: York's Teagan Duncan opened the scoring at 9:54 of the first period, but her goal was answered by UOIT's Victoria McKenzie just 40 seconds later for the 1-1 deadlock. UOIT's Kassidy Nauboris has the only marker of the second period to put the Institute of Technology up 2-1. Just 1:47 into the third period, UOIT's Chelsea Ball made it a 3-1 game. York got one back at the 10:38 mark when Stephanie Dovaston found the back of the net, but that's all that York would get on this day as they fell 3-2. Tori Campbell grabbed the win for UOIT while Megan Lee absorbed the loss.
WATERLOO at NIPISSING: Waterloo jumped out to the 4-0 lead through 48:41 on goals two goals each from linemates Marissa Redmond and Paula Lagamba. Brooklyn Irwin would get one back for Nipissing, but all hopes of a comeback were dashed when Waterloo's Siobhan Hewitt-Kenda found the empty net for the 5-1 Waterloo win. Rebecca Bouwhuis picked up the win for Waterloo while Nipissing's Sabrina Picard was tagged with the loss.
LAURIER at LAURENTIAN: Laurier opened the scoring at 16:55 when Jessie Hurrell notched a power-play goal, but Laurentian would tie it up before the break as Julie Hebert tied the game with 48 seconds left in the period. Laurentian's Elissa Bertuzzi would add a power-play goal in the second period to put the Voyageurs up 2-1. Emma Leger would make it a 3-1 lead just 2:35 into the third period, but Laurier would make a game of it late when Dollee Meigs scored with 3:16 to play. Laurier could muster no more, though, as they fall to Laurentian 3-2. Laura Deller picks up the win while Lauren Webber takes the loss.
RYERSON at GUELPH: Ryerson's scoring woes continued against the Gryphons. Guelph's Kelly Gribbons and Averi Nooren put Guelph up 2-0 after 20 minutes. Christine Grant made it 3-0 after 40 minutes. And Nooren added her second of the game in leading the Gryphons to the 4-0 shutout win. Valerie Lamenta recorded the shutout in stopping all 27 shots she faced while Ryerson's Ally Sarna was tagged with the loss.
BROCK at QUEEN'S: There wasn't much scoring in this one, but one team didn't need a lot. Queen's saw Nadia Larocca score with 1:14 left in the game before she added an empty-netter with 16 seconds to play for the 2-0 Queen's win. Caitlyn Lahonen stopped all 21 shots for the shutout and the win while Stephanie Loukes took the loss despite only giving up one goal.
TORONTO at GUELPH: Guelph's Kaitlin Lowy opened the scoring just 3:31 into this game as she put the Gryphons up 1-0. Toronto would respond 3:14 later when Jacqueline Scheffel notched her first of the season to even the game at 1-1. 2:21 after that, Toronto went up 2-0 when Sonja Weidenfelder found the back of the net. In the second period, Toronto would make it a 3-1 game when Julia Szulewska got her name on the scoresheet. From there, it was simple game control as the Varsity Blues skated to the 3-1 victory. Yordanov recorded her second-straight win on this weekend for Toronto while Stephanie Nehring was hit with the loss for Guelph.
WATERLOO at LAURENTIAN: The teams played a scoreless first period before Waterloo's Rebecca Rutherford lit the lamp for the 1-0 lead 5:51 into the middle frame. It would take until 12:35 of third period for Laurentian to respond, but they tied it up on Ellery Veerman's goal. The 1-1 score would stand through the final horn in regulation, so it was off to overtime for these two. That extra period solved nothing, so it was off to double-overtime. And that period solved nothing as well, so this game was decided by a shootout! The only problem? It seems that the OUA doesn't give a hoot about shootouts. According to the recaps, there was no shootout. Luckily, I dug a little deeper, and I found that Laurentian's Brooklyn Davis and Morgan McCann scored on both attempts while Emily Toffoli shut the door on both Waterloo shooters she faced for the 2-1 shootout win! Stephanie Sluys, despite stopping 40 of 41 shots, takes the loss in the shootout for Waterloo.
LAURIER at NIPISSING: The Lakers struggled to score goals once again as Laurier came to town. Robyn Degagne scored in the first period, she added her second of the game on the power-play in the second period, and Jessie Hurrell added an empty-netter as Laurier downed Nipissing 3-0. Lauren Webber picked up the win and the shutout in stopping all 23 shots she faced while Jacqueline Rochefort took the loss on the day.
YORK at QUEEN'S: Queen's opened the scoring at 9:24 in the first period when Megan Farrell found the back of the net. York would get that goal back just 20 seconds into the second period when Stephanie Dovaston found some room past Caitlyn Lahonen, and it was a 1-1 game. Queen's would go up by a goal once more at the 12:12 mark of the second period when Nadia Larocca fired a puck past Megan Lee for the 2-1 lead. From there, it was all Lahonen and Lee as they turned away the opposition. The only problem for York was that they trailed by one when the final horn sounded as Queen's picks up their second win this past weekend with the 2-1 victory. Lahonen grabbed her second win as well while Megan Lee took the loss.
BROCK at UOIT: Things looked good for UOIT when Nicole Gorda opened the scoring just 3:45 into the game, but that lead wouldn't make it to the intermission as Alex Finlayson drew Brock even with her goal at 13:36 to make it 1-1. The second period would be a back-and-forth affair, but a Kimberly Brown power-play marker with 34 seconds left in the period put Brock up 2-1 as the teams moved to the third period. The tight-checking affair would continue, and Brock would be the recipient of a Sophie Herbert empty-netter with 44 seconds to play to ice this game at 3-1. Jensen Murphy, who wears #72, records the win while Cassie Charette absorbs the loss.
Anything Else?
With the RSEQ and AUS kicking off their seasons next weekend, I'll be cutting down some of the recap for Canada West to squeeze in all the scores and notes from the other two CIS Conferences. The ladies will be out in full force as universities across this great nation get their hockey programs underway. Get the kids together, hop in the car, and get down to your local CIS women's game. I guarantee you that you're missing the best hockey that no one talks about.Except me.
Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!
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