The first period saw these two teams get reacquainted with one another as a fairly even period was played. Saskatchewan took a couple of minor penalties to UBC's lone infraction, but none of the advantages resulted in goals on the scoreboard. Through the first 20 minutes, we'd find ourselves locked at 0-0 with the Huskies leading 10-9 in shots.
Things changed in the second period in a big way. Sophia Gaskell found the back of the net for her third goal of the season just 81 seconds in the frame. Isabella Pozzi scored her first Canada West goal with a blast from the point at 6:32 to make it 1-1. Kennedy Brown made the T-Birds pay for taking penalties as she notched her third goal of the season on a 5-on-3 advantage as her deflection found room past Hugens to make it 2-1 for the Huskies at 12:29. Mackenzie Kordic would respond for the Thunderbirds on a power-play of their own when her shot found room past Drever for her third goal to even the game at 2-2 at 14:35, but a Jordyn Holmes goal from a bad angle on the goal line found room through Hugens on the stick side at 16:29, and the Huskies would go into the break with that 3-2 lead.
The third period would see Saskatchewan double their lead on the power-play when Abby Shirley scored her fourth goal of the season on the power-play at 5:54 as they went up 4-2. From there, it was standard Saskatchewan hockey as they locked down the defensive zone and kept UBC's chances to a minimum. The clock would tick down to zeroes, and the result at that time would see the Huskies prevail over the Thunderbirds by that 4-2 score! Camryn Drever picked up her fifth win of the season in stopping 29 shots while Elise Hugens suffered her first loss at the Canada West level despite making 27 saves.
Highlights? The Huskies played at home, and they didn't even post Twitter highlights this week. I get Huskies football is doing something special, but there were at least half a dozen other sports happening at the University of Saskatchewan this weekend. Zero highlights.
SATURDAY: The Huskies' win on Friday meant that they sat two points ahead of UBC in the standings as dawn broke on Saturday. Another win by Saskatchewan would put UBC in some trouble in their quest for a playoff bye, and we already know that UBC was looking for a win to even things up with the Huskies once again. Just as they were on Friday, Elise Hugens was in UBC's crease while Camryn Drever took her spot in the Saskatchewan net.
UBC came out of the gates flying, but Sakatchewan matched them in their intensity. A penalty midway through the period was the catalyst UBC needed to find the scoreboard, and Ashley McFadden converted on the power-play for her third goal of the season to put UBC up 1-0 at the 9:28 mark. Hannah Koroll would add a late goal at 19:12 for her second of the season to move UBC to a 2-0, and we'd go into the intermission with UBC holding the two-goal lead.
The second period saw UBC take control thanks in part to two power-play opportunities that they earned, but they were excellent in their own zone in preventing shots and clearing the ones that made it through to Hugens. When there were rebounds, most were smothered quickly by the UBC netminder, but the 15-6 edge in shots in this frame in favour of UBC showed the ice tilted in one direction. We'd head to the third period with that 2-0 lead holidng, though, as UBC couldn't add to their lead.
The third period was a close-out period for UBC as they shifted to a defensive mode for most of the frame. Even with a couple of power-plays, the Huskies couldn't solve Hugens on this night as UBC earned the 2-0 win over the Huskies! Elise Hugens was excellent in picking up her sixth win and fourth shutout with a 24-save night while Camryn Drever was on the losing end of a 31-save effort.
Highlights of this game are done by imagination only this weekend.
It felt like a normal Alberta-Manitoba game as this one got underway with Alberta forechecking like demons while Manitoba tried to solve the forecheck. This would continue throughout the first period until the unexpected happened. With a delayed penalty call in effect, Manitoba opted for the extra attacker. As they set up with six players on the ice, an errant pass back to the defence went to no one and ended up in the vacant net as Alberta took a 1-0 lead as Payton Laumbach was credited with the goal. That was the only score, and the "own goal" by the Bisons had them down by one heading to the second period.
The second period saw the tide turn somewhat as the Bisons appeared to have used the intermission to overcome the forecheck of the Pandas, putting them back on their heels slightly. Drawing a penalty just before the seven-minute mark, the Bisons went to work as Halle Edwards found a puck in tight on Oswald and slipped it past Oswald's outstretched leg on the backhand! Edwards' fifth goal of the season tied the game at 1-1 at 7:16 as the chess match between these two teams would resume. Alberta had a couple of power-plays that resulted in no additional goals, and we'd move to the third period with the game knotted up at 1-1.
The third period saw the Bisons really apply some solid pressure from the opening face-off. They would be rewarded for the effort at the seven-minute mark when Vanessa Klimpke picked the pocket of an Alberta defender. Her shooting lane disappeared as an Alberta defende got in the way, but she slipped the puck to Molly Kunnas who ripped a shot past Oswald! Kunnas' third goal of the season at 7:05 put the Bisons ahead 2-1! Alberta would turn up the heat in the dying minutes of the game, but Erin Fargey made a couple of key saves as the Bisons stood tall in preventing any additional damage. At the final horn, the Bisons had defeated the Pandas by a 2-1 score! Erin Fargey earned her fifth win of the season in a game where she stopped all 17 shots she faced, but wasn't credited with a shutout thanks to that own goal. Halle Oswald suffered the loss despite making 25 saves.
The only highlights I could rip from social media were of the Bisons' goals. Sorry, Pandas fans, as I don't have video of the own goal credited to Laumbach.
SATURDAY: Manitoba entered Saturday knowing the game would be the last one of 2021, so there was hope they'd finish the first half of the season strong. Alberta needed to find the win column again if they wanted a shot at making a run in the second half of the season. Kirsten Chamberlin was sent to the Alberta crease while Kimmy Davidson got the call for the Bisons!
There was a little "deja vu" as this game got underway as the Pandas once again applied a fierce forecheck that seemed to hem the Bisons in their own zone for periods of time. There wouldn't be any own goals, thankfully, but the Bisons were outplayed in the opening frame for the second-straight night as the Pandas closed the period with a 12-5 advantage in shots.
The second period felt like more of the same as the Bisons appeared confused by the same system that Alberta had used one night earlier. Two Alberta penalties made the shots more even, but Alberta's last shot of the period was the one that counted. Jadynn Morden made a great move to get around a defender, and she roofed a shot inside the far post 1at 19:59 for her second goal of the season to send the teams to the dressing rooms with Alberta leading 1-0 on the scoreboard and 21-12 in shots!
There was no change to how both teams played in the third period as Alberta was clearly the better team on this day. They'd add a little insurance when Payton Laumbach fired home a rebound into a yawning cage for her fourth goal of the season at 9:29, and the Pandas were up a pair of goals. They shifted into a more defensive scheme which only made it harder for the Bisons to score, and the final horn would sound on a solid 60-minute effort from the Pandas as they downed the Bisons 2-0! Kirsten Chamberlin made 17 stops for her second win and first shutout of the season while Kimmy Davidson stoped 26 shots in her first loss of her career.
Apparently, the Bisons aren't making highlight reels for the Pandas since there was nothing to show off from a Manitoba standpoint in this game. Sorry, Pandas fans.
Regina looked like the more aggressive team in th first period as they certainly got more pucks to the net, but Durante was strong in her net as she denied a handful of shots early. A penalty just past the midway point was the break that Regina needed, though, as Paige Hubbard corraled a loose puck at the side of the Calgary net during a scramble, and she chipped it over Durante into the net for her second goal of the season as the power-play marker put Regina up 1-0 at 12:23! There was just goal seen in the opening period, though, as Regina went into the break leading 1-0 and up 17-9 in shots!
The Dinos flipped the script in the second period as they got more pucks on Kliewer through some more aggressive play, but the Regina netminder was equal to the task. A couple of power-plays for the Cougars resulted in nothing being added to the score for them, so we'd move to the third period with Regina holding a 21-17 edge in shots, but still clinging to the 1-0 lead.
Calgary continued their assault on the Regina net in the third period as they looked for the equalizer, but all they found was a wall named Arden Kliewer. Kliewer denied all chances once again in this period, and the final horn was the curtain call on a magnificent performance as the Regina Cougars downed the Calgary Dinos by that 1-0 score! Arden Kliewer was perfect on 27 shots she faced for her third win of the season and first Canada West shutout in her career while Gabriella Durante likely deserved a better fate than a loss after stopping 27 shots at her end of the ice.
Highlights? Calgary's doing it right! Well done, Dinos!
SATURDAY: With the victory one night earlier, the Regina Cougars were moving in the right direction when it comes to solidifying a playoff spot in the second half. Calgary, despite showing some solid offensive play on Friday, just couldn't solve the Regina goaltender. Both teams were looking for wins as Arden Kliewer was back in the net for the Cougars while Gabriella Durante got the start for the Dinos in a rematch from one night earlier!
We've seen a few players flirt with hat tricks over the course of a game this season, but Elizabeth Lang decided to put this game on her shoulders in the first period. Lang scored at 2:53, 8:17, and on the power-play at 8:48 to start this game off with a natural hat trick as she scored her fourth through sixth goals of the season in that 5:55 span of time! Kliewer got a piece of her first, but not enough as it trickled across the line. Her second goal was a rebound off an Alli Borrow shot while the third was also a rebound off a Rachel Paul shot. Needless to say, Elizabeth Lang had a 3-0 lead over the Cougars at that point. Adela Juzkova would get one of the Lang goals back when she scored her first of the season at 11:13, but the damage had been done by Lang in the opening period as Calgary took the 3-1 lead into the break.
The second period saw things settle down as both teams began to play more defensively sound. There were still chances, but the goaltending and defences were up to the challenge if limiting those opportunities. In a period where shots were 9-9, there were no goals scored, so we'd hop to the third period with Calgary still leading 3-1.
Alli Borrow would dent the twine behind Kliewer on a great individual effort just 1:36 into the period for her fifth goal, and Calgary was content to sit on the three-goal lead as they went into a defensive shell for the remaining 18 minutes. Regina's six shots weren't good enough to beat Durante, and the final horn sounded on Calgary's 4-1 win over the Regina Cougars! Gabriella Durante made 31 stops for her fourth win of the season while Arden Kliewer took the loss on a night where she stopped 31 shots as well.
Highlights of this game are below!
MacEwan started the game off as the aggressors, forcing TWU into an early penalty, but nothing would come of that chance. However, the Griffins would find the scoreboard when Kyrelle Skoye's point shot was tipped in front by Rylee Gluska past Maltais for her second goal of the season at 6:56, and MacEwan was up 1-0 before the game was seven minutes old. Trinity Western was whistled for two more penalties in the first and never really got their momentum going, so we'd head to the second period with MacEwan up 1-0 and leading 13-3 in shots.
It appeared that the Spartans tied the game early in the middle frame on the power-play when Neisha Germann's shot beat Bender, but went off both posts rather than finding twine. That momentum built by the Spartans off that chance held the Griffins at bay, but it would only last for so long. Mackenzie Dachuk's wraparound goal at 18:41 was her first Canada West goal of her career, and it took the wind out of the Spartans' sails as the Griffins jumped to a 2-0 lead. The teams would head into the intermission with the Griffins up a pair of goals.
The third period saw the Griffins shift into a more defensive effort as they worked to limit chances for the Spartans. Trinity Western would outshoot the MacEwan in the period, but nothing got by Bender as she backstopped the MacEwan Griffins to the 2-0 win over the Trinity Western Spartans! Natalie Bender stopped all 19 shots she faced in the game for her third win and first Canada West shutout this season, but she also recorded her 12th regular-season shutout in a Griffins uniform to break the record she school shared with Sandy Heim! Mabel Maltais suffered the loss despite making 28 stops.
Highlights are weird thing, it seems. The Trinty Western Spartans posted higlights of the men's team despite them playing in Edmonton, yet they have nothing to show for women's hockey highlights. In fact, the last women's hockey highlights came from three weeks ago. What gives, TWU? Why does every other sport have a highlight package, including teams who played on the road, yet women's hockey doesn't?
SATURDAY: Points were still needed by both teams on this weekend, and MacEwan was halfway there with their win one night earlier. That put added pressure on Trinity Western on Saturday as they needed to keep pace with everyone in the conference! Brianna Sank was in the MacEwan net for this game while Jadeyn Kastning was between the pipes for the Spartans!
The second game of the set felt far more defensively-minded as this one got underway despite the fact that Trinity Western was shorthanded just 17 seconds into the game. That being said, they killed off that penalty, but the second penalty in the frame cost them. Mila Verbicky found a loose puck in a goalmouth scramble, and she popped it past Kastning for her first of the season at 8:50, and, more importantly, her first goal as a Griffin after transferring in from Lethbridge! Another penalty was killed by the Spartans in the period, but there would be no further goals as MacEwan held the 1-0 lead and a 9-6 edge in shots!
The parade to the penalty box continued in the second period as TWU was whistled 86 seconds in before MacEwan was handed two penalties followed by coincidental minors midway through the frame. Needless to say, there wasn't a lot of offensive momentum built either way as the chess game continued on the ice. By the time the horn sounded, MacEwan's one-goal lead still held strong while the Griffins led in shots 17-11.
The third period had the home team in the sin bin once again, but they pressed the Griffins throughout the period as they looked for the equalizer. It wasn't to be on this night, though, as Sank was just as solid in the third period as she was in the first period. When the horn sounded, the MacEwan Griffins skated away with the 1-0 win over the Trinity Western Spartans! Brianna Sank earned her second win of the season and first shutout of her Canada West career with a 21-save night while Jadeyn Kastning deserved a better fate after stopping 20 shots.
It would be nice to show the efforts of both teams, but we already know Trinity Western is running some sort of women's hockey highlight strike. Get it together, TWU.
| School | Record | Points | GF | GA | Streak | Next |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Royal | 6-1-1-2 | 16 | 35 | 15 | L1 | vs SAS |
| Manitoba | 6-4-2-0 | 16 | 30 | 26 | L1 | BYE |
| UBC | 7-3-0-0 | 14 | 36 | 13 | W1 | vs TWU |
| Saskatchewan | 6-2-0-2 | 14 | 23 | 13 | L1 | @ MRU |
| Alberta | 2-4-3-1 | 11 | 18 | 21 | W1 | vs MAC |
| MacEwan | 5-5-0-0 | 10 | 15 | 22 | W3 | @ ALB |
| Regina | 4-6-0-2 | 10 | 22 | 29 | L1 | BYE |
| Calgary | 4-8-0-0 | 8 | 26 | 40 | W1 | BYE |
| Trinity Western | 1-8-1-0 | 4 | 8 | 34 | L2 | @ UBC |
The Last Word
Three teams get bye weeks next week as Regina, Calgary, and Manitoba are done for the first half of the season. With Alberta and MacEwan playing one another, there's a chance that one or both teams could open a chasm that both Calgary and Regina may not be able to close in the second half. Of course, if one team wins both of those games, the battle for the final playoff spot could be a three-horse race down the stretch this season.Saskatchewan going into Mount Royal will be a good test for the Huskies as they look to bounce back from a split with UBC. Mount Royal is coming off a bye, so we'll see how that plays out since teams are a combined 7-1 on the weekend after the bye. If the Huskies can take a game or two off Mount Royal, perhaps we'll see the fourth different Canada West team on the farcical U SPORTS Top Ten rankings.
UBC will get a chance to renew their interprovincial rivalry against Trinity Western team that is better defensively, but is still struggling with an offence that seems destined to play for a 0-0 result through 60 minutes. UBC had a chance to leap idle Manitoba into sole possession of second-place if they can earn three or more points, so UBC will be hunting for wins. TWU, of course, needs to win just to get back into the conversation for the playoffs. Two more losses might be the beginning of the end of the playoff dream in Season One of the TWU story.
There's one week left in the first half of the season, and there are all sorts of storylines currently be written. We'll add another chapter to those stories next week right here on The Rundown!
Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!
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