Your 2020-21 Mount Royal Cougars

I featured one-half of the Canada West representatives in the not-finished 2019 U SPORTS National Women's Hockey Championship on Wednesday, so it's time to feature the second half of those two teams with the Mount Royal Cougars getting the spotlight today. The Cougars had an interesting season as they began really building towards the playoffs in the second-half of the season before shocking the Calgary Dinos in their crosstown playoff series. From there, a win over the University of Toronto in Charlottetown had everyone excited for a Mount Royal medal celebration, but that was cut short following Hockey Canada's decision to pull its officials over COVID-19 safety. Will 2021-22 be their year of reckoning in Canada West and across Canada?

Some more disclaimer is needed here, so I'll remind everyone that the lineup you see above is in no way accurate or correct. Head coach Scott Rivett has coached in more games that I have at any level, and he's entirely better at the job than I ever would be. When it comes to his team, take his word over mine at all points, but we can use the video-game version of the Cougars to get a sense of who is skating for the team!

You might be looking at that roster and wondering how Mount Royal will get 18 forwards into games this season like I did. It should be noted that Nicolette Seper, Tianna Ko, and Anna Purschke are all senior players, and it remains to be seen if any of them will return in 2021-22 to finish their fifth year of eligibility. Zoe de Beauville is also a senior player despite seeing Cassie Shokar and Kaitlin Ross carry the load of work last season, so goaltending won't be an issue for the Cougars come September. With no players graduating from the blue line, this team remains intact from the crease out, so they should be solid again. If transfer-in Taylor Sawka and recruit Kaia Borbandy come as advertised, the Cougars squad shouldn't see a drop-off in scoring. At the end of the day, the Cougars could be very good in 2021-22 if everything falls into place!

Here are the 28 players who would be pulling on the Mount Royal Cougars jerseys this season in hockey card form. As mentioned, there are a lot of forwards, but keep your eyes peeled for the Trotter sister act below as Sydney, Breanne, and Cassidy will all be eligible to play for the Cougars in 2021-22! I know Alexandria Spence and Athena Hauck played hockey at some point, but it seems there are no images of them to find. Camryn Amundson has a picture, but she seems to be shy in her time as a Cougar. I know cougars are elusive in the wild, but a couple of pictures shouldn't be this hard to find!

2020-21 Mount Royal Cougars Women's Hockey Team

What could have been in 2019-20 should drive the Cougars to new heights in 2021-22 after they didn't get to write the end to their magical season. If senior players return, this team looks dangerous from top to bottom, but, if a few decide to follow their career paths, there are enough good players remaining on the roster that the Cougars shouldn't be too affected. Does this mean their first Canada West banner? There are no guarantees in life or in hockey, but it should mean that the Cougars will battle to the very end in 2021-22!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!