Sunday, 4 February 2018

The Rundown - Week 14

Four games remain with two being struck from the calendar this weekend. Twelve points are up for grabs among the eight Canada West women's hockey teams, and the final two playoff spots have yet to be decided. Positions are still up for grabs among all eight teams, but there are some mathematical situations that loom on the horizon when it comes to positioning in the standings. Let's get rolling with some of those mathematics here on The Rundown!

MANITOBA at LETHBRIDGE: Basically, any loss by Lethbridge this weekend against the juggernaut that is Manitoba would spell the end of their playoff chances since they hold no tie-breaker situations. Manitoba was looking to move closer to securing the first-overall seed in Canada West, so this Friday game was important to both teams. The only problem? Only one team put goals on the board in this Friday night game.

Manitoba's Rachel Dyck and Lethbridge's Alicia Anderson didn't allow a goal through opening twenty minutes. Anderson stopped all 12 shots she saw while Rachel made three saves. The scoring would start in the second frame, however, and it would be a couple of career-firsts that got everything going.

On a beautiful tic-tac-toe passing play, Jordyn Zacharias fed Alanna Sharman who found Emilie Massé, and the winger potted her first Canada West goal in beating Anderson at 14:01! We weren't done with the firsts, though, as three minutes later, we'd see another career-first! Jenai Buchanan, often known for her tenacious defence on the blue line, took a pass from Caitlyn Fyten and found room on the blocker side past Anderson for her first Canada West goal as well! Buchanan's goal came at 17:25, and the Bisons had a two-goal cushion through two periods!

The Bisons would play some stifling defence in the third period as they limited Lethbridge to just five shots in thwarting a comeback. The Bisons were rewarded with a goal late in the period when Nicole Carswell potted an Alanna Sharman feed at 17:57 to prevent any chance of Lethbridge tying the game as the Bisons skated to the 3-0 victory. Rachel Dyck posted her fourth shutout of the season in stopping all 19 shots she faced while Alicia Anderson was superb in the loss as she made 37 stops.

The unfortunate reality sunk in after the game, however, as this loss to the Bisons spelled the end of any chance of the Pronghorns making the Canada West playoffs.

MANITOBA at LETHBRIDGE: With the Pronghorns in spoiler mode for Saturday's game, the pressure was on the Bisons to try and take all six points from Lethbridge. With no pressure felt by the Pronghorns, could they pull off the upset and try to derail Manitoba's run at first-place?

The visitors would find the scoreboard first in this game. Jordyn Zacharias was sent in on Anderson on a partial breakaway off a great pass by Emilie Massé, and Zacharias made a great deke to fake out Anderson as she fired the puck into the wide-open right side of the net at 8:13 and the 1-0 Manitoba lead! The Pronghorns, however, would tie this game up late in the period on the power-play when Kirana Stocker's shot was stopped by Rachel Dyck, but Madison Toppe would jam home the rebound under the netminder at 18:49 to make this a 1-1 game through one period!

The second period featured no scoring, so we'll jump to the third period of this deadlocked game. Tricia Van Vaerenbergh's shot low on the blocker side on the power-play found enough room past Dyck to dent twine at 2;47, and the Pronghorns had the early 2-1 lead in the third period! The Bisons, sensing disaster, upped the tempo and were finally rewarded late in the period. Makaela Fisher and Sheridan Oswald broke in on Anderson on a 2-on-1, and Oswald fed Fisher who went high glove-side on Anderson for the equalizer at 15:21 to make it 2-2! The final horn would sound with the game still tied, so it was off to overtime!

The four-on-four overtime period solved nothing despite Manitoba being whistled for a penalty late in the period, but the second overtime period would see a winner. With Kyra Greig sitting in the sin bin for tripping, Erica Rieder's blast was stopped, but Nastasha Kostenko would find the loose puck and chip it over Anderson for the winner at 2:26 to help Manitoba to the 3-2 double-overtime victory! Dyck was solid with 24 saves on 26 shots while Anderson deserved a better fate after stopping 34 shots on this day.

REGINA at CALGARY: A win by either team combined with a loss by Lethbridge would eliminate the Pronghorns on this night, and both Calgary and Regina were needing that win to pull ahead of the other in the standings! Regina, as a secondary note, needed to win both in regulation but a combined three goals or more if they wanted to win the tie-breaker with Calgary in case they remained tied in the standings. In knowing this, Regina was the far more aggressive team in the opening frame, but they couldn't solve Calgary's Kelsey Roberts on 15 attempts! At the other end, Morgan Baker was perfect on all five shots she faced, and we'd go scoreless through the first period.

The game's opening goal would be found just 2:13 in to the second period when Delaney Frey tapped home a rebound past Baker.
Frey's marker would put Calgary ahead 1-0, but that lead would only last for about seven-and-a-half minutes. Kylee Kupper's individual effort that saw her circle the Dinos zone before firing a shot towards Roberts that somehow eluded the netminder at 8:53 would tie the game at 1-1. Both teams would press for more, but the game would remain knotted up at 1-1 through 40 minutes.

The third period started with another early Calgary goal as Diane Hitchings scored her first Canada West marker at 2:08 off a crazy deflection that saw Ireland South's clearing attempt go in off Hitching's stick!
For all the effort put forth by the Cougars, it seemed as though Kelsey Roberts would be unbeatable again in the third period. A late penalty to Calgary's Holly Reuther for corss-checking gave Regina a 6-on-4 advantage late, and it would pay off. Tamara McVannel's shot was stopped by Roberts, but Emma Waldenberger had position on her check and she potted the rebound with two seconds left in the game to make it 2-2, sending this game to overtime!

The four-on-four overtime would prove fruitful for Calgary senior Kate Lumley! With 18 seconds to play in the first overtime period, Lumley came over the bench and called for the pass in the slot where Paige Michalenko spotted her.
Lumley's goal at 4:48 secured the 3-2 overtime win for the Dinos, and moved them into sixth-spot ahead of the Regina Cougars by a single point! Roberts was outstanding in the win as she made 38 stops to give Calgary a chance while Baker stopped 17 shots in the overtime loss.

REGINA at CALGARY: With Regina unable to win the tie-breaker situation now, they needed a regulation win on Saturday. Calgary also needed the win to stay ahead of Regina with a tough series against Manitoba on the horizon, but it would be the visitors who struck first in this one. Kylee Cupper and Lilla Carpenter-Boesch found themselves on a two-on-one just after the opening face-off, and Kupper would feed Carpenter-Boesch whose shot found the five-hole on Kelsey Roberts just 21 seconds into this game for the 1-0 Regina lead! The teams settled down after that early offensive burst. While chances were seen at both ends, the 1-0 lead would hold through the intermission.

A scoreless second period saw numerous chances at both ends again as the Cougars and Dinos went toe-to-toe in the middle frame, but no pucks would find the net. With no goals there, it was off to the third period, and we'd see the home side tie it up early. After a Cougars penalty expired, Georgina Williams' slap shot from the point avoided the traffic in front and avoided Morgan Baker to bulge the netting behind Baker for her first Canada West goal at 1:59 to make it a 1-1 game!
The two teams would traded chances over the next fifteen minutes before the Regina Cougars finally solved Roberts once more. Kylee Kupper's shot would be stopped by Roberts, but Carpenter-Boesch went to the net and poked home a rebound past Roberts at 15:56 to make it 2-1 Regina! Calgary would push at the end over the final 90 seconds with the extra attacker, but the final horn would sound with Regina still leading, giving them the 2-1 victory! Morgan Baker bounced back from the overtime loss with an 18-save performance in the win on Saturday while Roberts made 20 saves in the loss.

MOUNT ROYAL at UBC: Both teams needed points as Mount Royal looked to solidify their fifth-place position while UBC needed to find a way to get back to second-place. What I don't think either team expected is that there would be no scoring in this game through 70 minutes and 44 shots!

The Thunderbirds dominated the game over the sixty minutes of regulation time, outshooting the Cougars by a 22-10 advantage. Zoe DeBeauville was stellar in denying all the shots she faced while Tory Micklash very calmly turned aside the ten shots she faced in the UBC net. There was a crossbar hit, a couple of goal posts hit, and some timely saves, but it was 0-0 when the horn at the end of the third period sounded.

The overtime periods saw the chances continue. Cassandra Vilgrain was stonewalled on a breakaway while the Cougars' two-on-one later in the period was once again stopped by Micklash. Nothing would be decided in the extra ten minutes, so we went to the skills competition for a winner. In the second round, Kathleen Cahoon made a gorgeous move before sliding the puck between DeBeauville's legs to put UBC up 1-0 in the shootout. Rachel Pittz needed to score to keep this game going, but Micklash denied her chance as UBC takes this game by a 1-0 score! Micklash was outstanding in her third clean sheet of the season with 11 saves while Debeauville takes the shootout loss despite recording the 32-save shutout for her sixth blanking of the season.

MOUNT ROYAL at UBC: Mount Royal's single point the night before helped, but they needed more. UBC also needed more points to try and leap past both Saskatchewan and Alberta, so it was another big game on Saturday on the left coast! The home side, though, seemed ready as they struck early and often as Madison Patrick at 3:25 and Emily Costales at 8:19 had the T-Birds up by a pair over the Cougars. While the T-Birds controlled possession, Mount Royal did get their chances as the period would close in a tie at 7-7 for shots, but the two that eluded Zoe DeBeauville had UBC out in front 2-0.

The control by the Thunderbirds continued in the second period, but that control was interrupted by an Emily Costales high-sticking penalty. Mount Royal would strike on the power-play while Costales sat. Tatum Amy ripped a shot past Amelia Boughn after she took a pass from Rachel Piitz at 12:11, and Mount Royal trailed 2-1. Another power-play moments later proved fruitless for the Cougars, and they'd trail by one goal going into the third period.

The third period was literally all UBC as they absolutely peppered DeBeauville with seventeen shots! None would find the back of the net, though, as DeBeauville was lights-out, but the Cougars only managed one shot on Boughn and it was turned aside. Without any additional offence, the Thunderbirds would emerge as the victors on Saturday with a 2-1 victory! Boughn made 11 stops for the win while DeBeauville did all she could with 29 saves in the loss.

ALBERTA at SASKATCHEWAN: In what was the marquee match-up of the weekend, the Pandas traveled to Saskatoon for a date with the Huskies. Both teams had a shot at second-place with six points this weekend, but neither team was willing to give up any points without a fight. It would be Alberta who was the more aggressive team early on, testing Jessica Vance with several shots in the opening frame, but they would find no results. Kirsten Chamberlin saw fewer shots, but she made a couple of key saves to keep pace with Vance. After one period, Alberta led 1-5 in shots, but the game was still a 0-0 draw.

Saskatchewan came out more aggressive in the second period as the home side pushed for the lead. They would get that lead off the stick of their most accomplished player. Kaitlin Willoughby grabbed a loose puck in the neutral zone, turned on the jets to get by the Pandas defenders, and she went bar-down on Chamberlin at 5:27 for her 50th goal in Canada West play to put Saskatchewan up 1-0! Alberta would rally back with some pressure, but the Huskies continued to use their speed to keep the Pandas off balance. At the end of the period, the Huskies held the slim 1-0 lead.

Midway through the third period, the Pandas found an equalizer on the power-play when Kennedy Ganser banged home a rebound off a Hannah Olenyk shot past Vance at 11:11 to tie the game at 1-1 in a period that saw both teams trying to end this game in regulation time. Instead, the two teams would go to overtime as the score remained deadlocked at 1-1.

The two overtime periods saw no winner emerge, so it was off to the shootout. This skills competition was highlighted by eight rounds of no goals. In the ninth round, though, Ganser made her mark. On her second shootout attempt of the night, Ganser went over the right shoulder of Vance to put the Pandas up 1-0 in the shootout. That left Chloe Smith needing to score, but Chamberlin added another brick to the wall in denying Smith as the Pandas escaped with the 2-1 shootout victory! Chamberlin stopped 28 shots in the win while Vance suffered the shootout loss while making 27 saves.

ALBERTA at SASKATCHEWAN: Saturday's game brought these two battle-tested teams together again with another three points on the line. After the Pandas took two of three points on Friday, one had to expect the Huskies to make a big push on Saturday. The home squad jumped out in front early as Kori Herner beat Dayna Owen from in close after being setup from behind the net by Brooklyn Haubrich at 3:18 for the 1-0 lead! The early goal seemed to spark the Pandas, but they were unable to beat Jessica Vance through the opening period. Alberta led in shots 11-8, but the Huskies had the all-important 1-0 lead.

Herner would quickly make it a 2-0 game early in the second period when she broke in on Owen on a partial breakaway and went five-hole at the 46-second mark to put Saskatchewan up 2-0! In similar fashion to Friday's game, Saskatchewan was the more aggressive team in the second period, and they gave Alberta very few chances on Vance to try and pull even. After two periods, Saskatchewan led in shots 17-16 and had the 2-0 lead on the scoreboard!

It was pretty clear with how Alberta played the third period that they didn't want to go home with nothing to show in this game. They came out shooting and didn't let up. Alberta got its first goal off a bit of a miscue, though, as Morgan Willoughby hauled down Alex Poznikoff in front of Vance as she was going to the net, and Poznikoff collided with Vance which allowed the puck to get across the goal line before Vance could cover it. The officials conferred, and it was ruled a goal at 5:03 to make it a 2-1 game!

The Pandas kept the pressure on, and they would find the equalizer late. The Pandas forced a turnover in the neutral while Saskatchewan was trying to make a change, and Deanna Morin rushed the puck back and snapped a shot through the five-hole of Vance at 17:51 to tie the game at 2-2!

20 seconds later, though, the Huskies struck back. The Pandas turned the puck over in their own zone, and Kaitlin Willoughby picked up the loose puck. She fed her sister, Morgan, and the younger Willoughby fired a shot glove-side that Owen couldn't snag, putting Saskatchewan back up by a goal! This time, they wouldn't relinquish the lead as they held on for the 3-2 victory! Vance was under siege in the final period, stopping 19 shots alone in the period to come away with the 35-save win while Owen absorbed the loss in a 19-save performance.

CANADA WEST WOMEN'S HOCKEY
School Record Points GF GA Streak Next
Manitoba
17-5-3-1
 58 59 39
W7
 vs CAL
British Columbia
14-5-4-3
 53 56 37
W2
 @ ALB
Alberta
13-5-5-3
 52 63 39
L1
 vs UBC
Saskatchewan
16-7-1-2
 52 45 31
W1
 @ MRU
Mount Royal
7-15-3-1
 28 35 46
L2
 vs SAS
Regina
7-14-1-4
 27 37 59
W1
 vs LET
Calgary
7-16-1-2
 25 22 44
L1
 @ MAN
Lethbridge
3-17-2-4
 17 27 49
L12
 @ REG
Teams in yellow have clinched a playoff spot.

The Final Word

With this weekly piece focusing on Canadian university women's hockey, it might be time for an advanced math class. We have some figuring out of these playoff spots, so let's get calculating.

Manitoba needs two points out of the available six points against Calgary to clinch first-overall in Canada West women's hockey for the first time in the program's history. The only tie-break Manitoba owns is over Alberta, so they'll drop to the lower seed if tied with UBC or Saskatchewan.

UBC needs five points to catch Manitoba to capture first-place by a tie-break if Manitoba loses both games to Calgary in regulation time. UBC can also capture first-place by claiming all six points versus Alberta AND having Manitoba earn one or less points versus Calgary. UBC can claim second-place with a split against Alberta AND have Saskatchewan earn three points or less versus Mount Royal. UBC does not own the tie-break over Saskatchewan, so they'll need to remain ahead of Saskatchewan.

Alberta cannot overtake Manitoba for first-place as Manitoba owns the tie-break over Alberta. Alberta can move into second-place by taking four of six points off UBC AND keep pace with Saskatchewan as Alberta owns the tie-break over the Huskies.

Saskatchewan can capture first-place by earning all six points in their series against Mount Royal AND by having Manitoba lose both games in regulation to Calgary as Saskatchewan owns the tie-break over Manitoba. Saskatchewan can move into second-place by:
  1. Earning four points over Mount Royal AND have UBC and Alberta split in regulation time as Saskatchewan owns the tie-break over UBC.
  2. Earning five points over Mount Royal AND have UBC take four of six points against Alberta as Saskatchewan owns the tie-break over UBC OR have Alberta take four points or less against UBC.
  3. Earning all six points over Mount Royal AND have UBC take five of six points against Alberta as Saskatchewan owns the tie-break over UBC OR have Alberta take five points or less against UBC.
For Mount Royal to claim fifth-place, they need to earn the same amount of points in their series against Saskatchewan as Regina does in their series versus Lethbridge to remain one point up on Regina as Regina holds the tie-break over Mount Royal. They also need to remain two points up on Calgary through this weekend as Calgary holds the tie-break over Mount Royal as well.

For Regina to claim fifth-place, they need to:
  1. Earn one point against Lethbridge AND have Mount Royal lose both games in regulation time against Saskatchewan AND have Calgary earn two points or less against Manitoba as Calgary holds the tie-break over both Mount Royal and Regina while Regina holds the tie-break over Mount Royal.
  2. Earn two points against Lethbridge AND have Mount Royal earn one point or less against Saskatchewan AND have Calgary earn three points or less against Manitoba as Calgary holds the tie-break over both Mount Royal and Regina while Regina holds the tie-break over Mount Royal.
  3. Earn three points against Lethbridge AND have Mount Royal earn two points or less against Saskatchewan AND have Calgary earn four points or less against Manitoba as Calgary holds the tie-break over both Mount Royal and Regina while Regina holds the tie-break over Mount Royal.
  4. Earn four points against Lethbridge AND have Mount Royal earn three points or less against Saskatchewan AND have Calgary earn five points or less against Manitoba as Calgary holds the tie-break over both Mount Royal and Regina while Regina holds the tie-break over Mount Royal.
  5. Earn five points against Lethbridge AND have Mount Royal earn four points or less against Saskatchewan AND have Calgary earn six points or less against Manitoba as Calgary holds the tie-break over both Mount Royal and Regina while Regina holds the tie-break over Mount Royal.
  6. Earn all six points against Lethbridge AND have Mount Royal earn five points or less against Saskatchewan.
For Calgary to claim fifth-place, they need to:
  1. Earn three points against Manitoba AND have Mount Royal lose both game in regulation time to Saskatchewan AND have Regina earn one point or less against Lethbridge as Calgary owns the tie-break over both teams.
  2. Earn four points against Manitoba AND have Mount Royal earn one point or less against Saskatchewan AND have Regina earn two points or less against Lethbridge as Calgary owns the tie-break over both teams.
  3. Earn five points against Manitoba AND have Mount Royal earn two points or less against Saskatchewan AND have Regina earn three points or less against Lethbridge as Calgary owns the tie-break over both teams.
  4. Earn all six points against Manitoba AND have Mount Royal earn three points or less against Saskatchewan AND have Regina earn four points or less against Lethbridge as Calgary owns the tie-break over both teams.
Got all that? Yes, it was a lot of advanced algebra, some quantitative algorithms, and some calculus to put together all the scenarios, so here's a better thought: tune in Friday to see who does what because a vast number of these variables will be crossed out as the teams figure out things on the ice. It's going to be a big weekend, so find a local arena and enjoy the action!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!
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