Sunday, 11 November 2018

The Rundown - Week 5

We're back at it this week as hockey resumes in Canada West. Manitoba, after Concordia got off to a slow start, found itself as the top-ranked team in the nation once again despite not playing last week, but the Alberta Pandas and Montreal Carabins remain in the hunt with their strong play. Of course, the Canada West standings could be all messed up if a couple of teams pulled off upsets this week, so let's get into the action as four weeks remain prior to the December break. With 24 points up for grabs for each team before the exam break, who will grab the reins and lead the conference into the break? All of this will be answered on The Rundown!

ALBERTA at REGINA: If there was ever a time to be talking about an unstoppable force, the work that Alex Poznikoff and Autumn MacDougall are doing for the Alberta Pandas might be a perfect definition. These two talented forwards are 1-2 in scoring again this season, and they decided to run wild all over the Cougars on Friday night. The game started off with Alberta pressing and making life difficult for the Cougars while being stingy on the defensive side. Regina tried to keep up, but a late power-play was awarded to Alberta after Kaitlyn Crowe was whistled for tripping. On the ensuing power-play, Alex Poznikoff's initial shot was stopped by Jane Kish, but the rebound fell to Danielle Hardy who buried the puck behind Kish at 16:53 to give Alberta the first-period lead.

MacDougall and Poznikoff decided to put on a bit a passing display with linemate Kennedy Ganser in the second period, resulting in the Pandas' second goal of the game. Ganser was on the receiving end of the setup as she slid a puck past Kish to make it 2-0 at the 6:22 mark. Without stating the obvious, Alberta seemingly was in control through the first two periods in terms of possession time and offensive zone time, and that translated into a 16-5 advantage in shots and a 2-0 lead after 40 minutes.

A turnover near the start of the period saw Poznikoff break in alone on Kish and dent twine behind her at 3:48 to make it 3-0, and MacDougall fired a wrist shot home off a Poznikoff feed at 5:34 to make it 4-0 for Alberta. While Regina brought everything they could to the ice in the third period in terms of shots, rebounds were smothered or cleared away in front of Dayna Owen as she held the fort in a 4-0 Pandas victory on a night where Poznkioff collected four points while MacDougall had three. Owen stopped all 15 shots for her third win and second shutout of the season while Kish stopped 20 shots in the loss.

ALBERTA at REGINA: After Alberta stymied all of Regina's attack one night earlier, could the Cougars bounce back and give the Pandas fits? In a much more even first period, the Cougars went step-for-step with the Pandas. Chances were had by both sides, but Alberta's Halle Oswald and Regina's Morgan Baker were perfect through 20 minutes with Regina holding a 6-4 edge in shots.

And then the wheels fell off. With Shaelyn Vallotton still sitting in the penalty box from a late tripping call in the first period, Alberta's Autumn MacDougall fired home a shot that caromed off a body to her in the right circle just 39 seconds into the middle frame for the 1-0 lead. Eight minutes later, Alex Poznikoff got back in on the scoring as she picked up a loose puck off a dump-in by the Pandas and fired a backhander at the net. Baker kicked the backhander aside, but the rebound went to Kennedy Ganser and she buried it past Baker at 8:25 to make it a 2-0 Pandas lead. Late in the period, that Poznikoff-MacDougall duo went in on a two-on-one with Poznikoff feeding MacDougall a gorgeous pass that she converted easily at 16:53, and the Pandas took a 3-0 lead to the second intermission.

The third period went much the same way the second period did. Cayle Dillon's point shot took a funny hop to get over Baker's pad and into the net at 7:56 while Kiara Machry hit an empty net at 18:31 to give Alberta the 5-0 victory. Halle Oswald recorded her second win and second shutout of the season in stopping all 14 shots she faced while Morgan Baker suffered the loss in this one.

LETHBRIDGE at MANITOBA: This one started off seemingly fine before the bottom fell out for one team. Sheridan Oswald tipped an Erica Rieder shot past Alicia Anderson at 4:45 to put the home side up early, but the tides began to turn as the period progressed with Manitoba carrying more of possession play and outshooting Lethbridge 8-3 in the frame.

And then things just went south for Lethbridge in the final 30 minutes of this game. Erin Kucheravy scored at 10:29 before Alison Sexton put on a bit of a clinic in splitting a pair of forwards to set up a three-on-two where she kept while skating towards the left face-off dot before zipping a wrist shot inside the far post on a great individual effort to make it 3-0 at 16:29. Sexton wasn't done, though, as she converted a rebound kicked into the slot by Anderson off a perfectly-placed shot by Karissa Kirkup to force the rebound, and Manitoba had a 4-0 lead through two periods.

The third period was the Jordy Zacharias show as she set the conference record for the fastest hat trick! She scored on a shorthanded breakaway at 2:44, added a second goal as she finished off a Sheridan Oswald pass on a two-on-one at 8:37 that ended Anderson's evening in the blue paint, and then chipped in the hat-trick goal past Jessica Lohues at 9:22 to make it 7-0 for Manitoba! Sheridan Oswald added an eighth Manitoba goal at 13:04 to put the cap on the scoring as the Bisons skated past the Pronghorns by an 8-0 margin. Lauren Taraschuk was tested a few times, but denied all 12 shots she faced for her sixth win and first shutout of the season. Alicia Anderson suffered the loss in making 18 stops on 24 attempts. Jessica Lohues made three stops on five shots in her 11:23 of relief work.

As a note, the Zacharias hat trick in 6:38 broke the record held by Saskatchewan's Shelby Davey of 9:17. Shelby set her mark against UBC back on February 11, 2012 in a 9-2 rout of the Thunderbirds, but there's a new mark for players to aim for as Jordy Zacharias adds her name to the record books! Congratulations, Jordy!

LETHBRIDGE at MANITOBA: It was expected that Lethbridge would respond in a big way on Saturday following the hammering they took at the hands of the Bisons one night earlier. Would it be hard to believe that the Pronghorns would open the scoring? That's exactly what happened as Kyra Greig's shot went to the left of Devan Johnson, but it hit Alli Borrow's skate and ended up at the top of the crease where Brett Campbell was standing. Moments later, the puck as in the Manitoba net, Campbell was celebrating, and the Pronghorns led this game 1-0 on her power-play at 9:33 of the first period. Minutes later on a power-play of their own, it appeared that Natasha Kostenko's wrap-around attempt flipped up and over Jessica Lohues' left pad and ended up in the net, but the official scorers somehow awarded this goal to Jenai Buchanan. You be the judge.
Regardless of who scored, Manitoba had tied the game 1-1, and the two teams would still knotted up at that score through the rest of the period.

The first period was a physical one with many hits and five minor penalties handed out, and the fun continued in the second period as the physicality remained high. Four minor penalties would be called, but neither team was successful on their power-play attempts in this period, so we'd move to the third period to find a resolution to this 1-1 game.

Both teams settled in to play a little hockey in the third period with chances at either end, but it would be Manitoba who broke the stalemate late. Émilie Massé chipped a puck in deep, and Madison Cole recovered it and centered a pass that was corraled by Erin Kucheravy who went high on the far side on Lohues.
Kucheravy's second of the weekend at 15:15 put Manitoba up 2-1, and Lethbridge had to press if they wanted any chance at points this weekend. However, that would be all for naught as the most dangerous Bison versus the Pronghorns in the last two seasons struck once again for the Bisons.
Jordy Zacharias struck again on the backhand after dangling a defender out of her skates, and the Bisons led 3-1 at 16:15. Lohues would head to the bench a short time later, and Manitoba's Lauryn keen would ice it with an empty-netter at 17:46 as the Manitoba Bisons earn a 4-1 victory over the Lethbridge Pronghorns! Devan Johnson picked up her first U SPORTS win in her first U SPORTS start in stopping 11 of 12 shots while Jessica Lohues took the loss despite making 36 saves on this night.

UBC at SASKATCHEWAN: Two of the favorites to win Canada West met in Saskatoon on Friday as the Thunderbirds visited the Huskies. In a surprise, Saskatchewan started rookie Camryn Drever over Jessica Vance while UBC went with Amelia Boughn. Would this decision come back to haunt them?

UBC had some excellent chances in the first period, but between Drever and the posts there were no goals scored by the Thunderbirds. At the other end, the chances weren't as glorious, but the Huskies put together a solid period of pressure thanks to a pair of power-play opportunities. The score would remain 0-0, though, as both Boughn and Drever did their parts despite UBC holding a 9-8 edge in shots.

The second period started with an Amelia Boughn save off a Chloe Smith breakaway, and that seemed to energize the Thunderbirds as they opened the scoring off the strength of that save. UBC came back down the ice, and Brie Bellerive's wrist shot found room past a screen and Camryn Drever to put the T-Birds up 1-0 at 4:58! That score seemed to spark the Huskies because they came back two minutes later when Shyan Elias fed Bailee Bourassa in front of Boughn, and she snapped a shot past Boughn at 7:13 to square the game at 1-1! The Thunderbirds would reclaim the lead late, though, as Hannah Clayton-Carroll found Emily Costales with a pass, and Costales drop-passed the puck to Mathea Fischer who went high glove-side on Drever at 18:08 to send the T-Birds to the intermission with the 2-1 lead!

Chloe Smith turned on the skill and speed as she went end-to-end on a rush during an early power-play, and she zipped a shot past Boughn at 5:09 to make it a 2-2 game! The two teams traded chances throughout the period with both netminders coming up big, but it would be UBC who would jump ahead with five minutes to play. Ashley McFadden sent Emily Costales in alone on Drever, and she went bar-down on the netminder to make it 3-2 at the 15:38 mark! But Saskatchewan was far from done as Abby Shirley scooped up a loose puck and found Shyan Elias with the pass, and Elias' shot while shorthanded got past Boughn to make it 3-3 at 18:21! The final horn would sound with no winner, so we were off to extra time!

The first overtime period was exciting, but nothing happened with regards to the score so it was off to the six-player overtime period. It would be here where Kayla Kirwan found some room as she broke into the UBC zone and slipped the puck past Boughn at 2:20 of the fifth period for the 4-3 Saskatchewan double-overtime victory! Camryn Drever made 32 stops for her second victory of her career while Amelia Boughn made 20 stops in the overtime loss.

Yes, I will always post a Saskatchewan goal scorer on these recaps because I love that Saskatchewan did this.

UBC at SASKATCHEWAN: The rematch went Saturday with UBC needing a regulation win to keep pace with the Huskies. Saskatchewan was looking to extend their winning streak, so it was no surprise that UBC went with Tory Micklash while Saskatchewan responded with Jessica Vance.

It would Saskatchewan who struck first in this one as Kayla Kirwan kept her strong weekend going with a blast from the point while on an early power-play that found the twine behind Micklash to put the Huskies up 1-0 just 7:00 in. However, the T-Birds roared right back as Hannah Koroll found the puck in a scramble in front of Vance and went upstairs with a wrist shot on the netminder at 9:38 to even the score at 1-1. The teams would trade chances in the latter half of the period, but we'd go to the intermission knotted up at a goal apiece.

And we'd stay that way through the second and third periods as the two netminders went save for save as they stared down shooters. You know what that means - more overtime! Both teams had chances and it seemed like we might be headed for more three-on-three, but the T-Birds would end this game with less than ten seconds to play in the first overtime period. Hannah Clayton-Carroll found the puck in a mad scramble in front of Vance as she was down on the ice, and she poked the puck across the goal line from her knees at 4:53 as she celebrated victory in helping UBC win this game by a 2-1 overtime score! Tory Micklash stopped 28 shots for her fourth win of the season while Jessica Vance suffered a rare loss despite making 30 saves on the night.

She didn't score the winner, but Shyan Elias has a solid GIF game.

MOUNT ROYAL at CALGARY: The battle of Calgary took place this weekend with a home-and-home series between the two Calgary-based clubs as part of the Crowchild Classic. The first game was hosted by the Dinos as they welcomed the Cougars to Father David Bauer Arena. And the home side hit the scoreboard first as Paige Michalenko snapped the scoreless drought by the Dinos with her long shot from the point.
That scoreless drought for Calgary lasted some 272:18 of play for the Dinos with their last goal coming off the stick of Sara Craven at 14:19 of the second period against Saskatchewan way back on October 13. Calling that a "big goal" may not even scratch the surface on how big it was. It nearly held as the only goal of the period if it weren't for a late power-play for Mount Royal. The Cougars would even the score before the end of the period when Breanne Trotter fired a laser wrist shot high on Kelsey Roberts while on the power-play at 17:57, and the teams would go into the intermission tied 1-1.

The power-play would benefit the Cougars in the second period as well. Midway through the frame, Nicolette Seper set up the give-and-go with Daria O'Neill, allowing Seper to zip a wrist shot past Roberts at 10:31 to put Mount Royal out in front by a 2-1 score. The Dinos would respond, though, as Delaney Frey does the work and Rachel Paul gets the benefit as she beats Zoe De Beauville.
That goal at 16:43 tied the game at 2-2, and we'd head to the third period with that score intact.

In the third period, the teams were a little more cautious than they had previously played, but it would Calgary who jumped ahead midway through the period. Rachel Paul walked out of the corner with the puck and put an innocent backhand shot on net, and it somehow eluded De Beauville.
I'm not sure how that puck got by De Beauville, but the Calgary Dinos took the lead on Paul's second of the game at 10:59. The Cougars, needing a goal, mounted some furious offensive sequences in the final nine minutes, but Kelsey Roberts stood tall in the Dinos' net to preserve the victory as Calgary wins their first game of the season by a 3-2 score! Roberts earned the victory with a 37-save effort while Zoe De Beauville took the loss on a night where she made 24 stops.

CALGARY at MOUNT ROYAL: The second half of this Crowchild Classic weekend went at Flames Community Arena as the Cougars hosted the Dinos on Saturday. The ice seemed tilted against the home side with three penalties called on the Cougars in the first period, but Mount Royal held tough and kept the Dinos at bay. Calgary held a significant 10-4 edge in shots, but the 0-0 score held firm as both Mount Royal's Zoe De Beauville and Calgary's Kelsey Roberts squared off for the second consecutive night.

It would be on Mount Royal's third power-play where we'd see our first goal as the Cougars added another power-play goal to their season's total. Breanne Trotter potted her second goal of the weekend in beating Roberts at 13:02, putting Mount Royal up 1-0. The Dinos weren't content to go into the third period down a goal, so they turned to their fantastic rookie in Elizabeth Lang whose shot eluded De Beauville at 19:08 as the Dinos made it a 1-1 game through 40 minutes of play.

The third period saw both teams throw caution to the wind as there were all sorts of scrambles and battles in front of the nets and goaltenders, but no goals were found until late in the period. Tatum Amy swept a puck past Kelsey Roberts at the 14:33 mark, and the home side was up 2-1! The push for goals from both sides continued, and Calgary added some extra heat as Roberts went to the bench for the extra attacker with 1:14 to play, but neither side could find another marker as the Cougars took the second game by the 2-1 score! De Beauville picked up her third win of the season after making 27 stops while Roberts made 17 stops in the loss.

CWUAA WOMEN'S HOCKEY
School Record Points GF GA Streak Next
Alberta
7-2-1-0
 23 28 7
W4
 vs LET
Manitoba
7-2-1-0
 23 32 12
W6
 @ UBC
Saskatchewan
4-2-3-1
 19 16 12
L1
 vs MRU
British Columbia
4-2-2-2
 18 23 15
W1
 vs MAN
Regina
4-5-0-1
 13 18 27
L3
 @ CAL
Lethbridge
3-6-0-1
 10 13 24
L2
 @ ALB
Mount Royal
3-6-0-1
 10 14 27
W1
 @ SAS
Calgary
1-8-0-1
 4 8 28
L1
 vs REG

The Last Word

There's something to be said for the Calgary Dinos when it comes to not scoring goals.

Look, I like the Dinos. I think they have the talent to be a team that competes for a playoff spot, and I'm not sure why they seem to be the team that annually treats their fans to weeks or months at a time without scoring a goal.

Last season, the Dinos went 410:25 without scoring a goal, and they put up another 272:18 this season without denting twine. That's 11 games and a period in the last 38 games where they've failed to score despite having some solid talent. I don't have any explanation for this phenomenon, but when the Dinos, as a team, have only scored 30 goals in 38 games over the last two seasons, something has to give when it comes to their anemic offence.

In comparison, the Bisons have already scored 32 goals this season in 10 games. Lethbridge, who finished in last-place last season, scored ten more goals than the Dinos all season long. The Dinos, in their own right, scored 42 goals in 2016-17, so it's not like they've been this impotent in the offensive zone for a long time. There just seems to be something not right when it comes to how the offence is rolling over the last 38 games.

I do know that Elizabeth Lang might be the scorer that Calgary has been searching for as her four goals accounts for half the team's offensive output right now. Lang had a strong series against Manitoba in the opening weekend, and I was very impressed with her play. If the Dinos can get a few more players stepping up - Chelsea Court, Annaliese Meier, Delaney Frey - they can be a dangerous team. All three of those players have the ability to score a lot of goals, but they just don't. Why? I'm not sure.

Maybe it's a coaching issue or a systemic issue or a combination of the two, but no one has this much bad "puck luck" when it comes to the lack of scoring that the Dinos possess. We saw them score four goals this weekend against Mount Royal - statistically, the worst defensive team next to Calgary - and maybe that's the panacea that they need to get off this lack of goal-scoring. They'll play a Regina team who has given up as many goals as Mount Royal this season - one less than Calgary - so there might be a pile of goals on the horizon yet.

Whatever the case may be, we need a stronger Dinos team in Canada West to really make playoff races interesting. If the same six teams continually make the playoffs, it's not as much fun when all eight teams are in the hunt right through until February. Let's go, Dinos!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!
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