The Rundown - Week 8
I'd like to tell you that the Spartans shocked the world, but the reality is that UBC is simply in a different class than where TWU currently is. As a result, there were a ton of goals scored in this one and we're not going to glamourize a blowout. Rylind MacKinnon opened the scoring with her sixth at 2:49 before Neisha Germann scored a shorthanded marker for her third goal at 3:34. Ireland Perrott would close out the period with a power-play goal at 13:32 and an even-strength goal at 14:46 for her fourth and fifth goals, and UBC would go to the break up 3-1.
Just as she did in the first period, Rylind MacKinnon opened the scoring in this frame with her seventh goal with just 51 seconds gone with on the power-play. Mackenzie Kordic notched her fourth goal at 8:22 to make it 5-1, but the Spartans would get one back with 16 seconds to play in the period as Brooklyn Anderson notched her first Canada West goal. After 40 minutes, UBC held the commanding 5-2 lead.
Joella Fiala got in on the early scoring trend as she scored a power-play goal for her third of the season just 1:50 into the third period. Ashley McFadden added her fourth of the season while on the power-play at 11:46 to make it 7-2. Jordyn Matthews notched her second of the season at 14:22, and UBC would round out the scoring with another Anshley McFadden power-play goal for her fifth of the season as the UBC Thunderbirds dismantled the Trinity Western Spartans once again in an 8-3 trouncing. Elise Hugens earned her seventh win of the season on a 13-save night while Kate Fawcett was left in the net for all eight goals as she stopped 35 shots on this night.
The only highlight that the UBC Thunderbirds posted from this game was Ireland Perrott's first goal of the game. The social media accounts of the UBC Thunderbirds are filled with basketball highlights and their YouTube channel is all about swimming, but there are zero highlights about their hockey teams, both of whom are playing some exceptional hockey and are at or near the top of the standings. Again, I'm baffled by this lack of exposure for high-level athletes.
SATURDAY: The Spartans needed to find a way to slow the Thunderbirds down if they hoped to take a win off their provincial rivals. UBC was looking to close out the first half of the season with a win that would potentially vault them into sole possession of second-place in the conference. The final game in 2021 on the west coast saw Jadeyn Kastning in the Trinity Western net while Reese Hiddleston got the nod for the T-Birds in this game.
Trinity Western looked far more focused to start this game as they used an odd-player rush to find the opening goal. Lainie Nichols jumped up into the play, and her shot from the left hit a player in front and ricocheted into the net past Hiddleston for Nichols' first Canada West goal to put TWU up 1-0 just 1:31 into the game! UBC played a physical fist period and it cost them as they had to kill three penalties, but they were successful on all three and used that momentum to find an equalizer. Kenzie Robinson made a couple of great moves to get past Spartans defenders before she fired home her fourth goal of the season with 56 seconds to play, and we'd head to the intermission tied 1-1 with UBC leading 10-9 in shots!
UBC came out of the break with their motors already. Chanreet Bassi would give UBC the lead when she made a couple of nice moves in front of the net and dented twine with her fifth goal of the season at the 1:05 mark for the 2-1 UBC lead! Trinity Western played with fire in this period as they sent UBC to the power-play on three occasions, but the Spartans showed they weren't going to go away in killing off all three infractions. The horn would sound on the period, and UBC would carry that 2-1 lead into the third period.
The third period was delayed somewhat after a Spartans player was injured, and that seemed to take some of the wind out of the Spartans' sails. When the game resumed, Mackenzie Kordic potted her fifth after some nice passing by the T-Birds in the offensive zone as UBC went up 3-1 at the 9:23 mark. Trinity Western responded almost immediately as defender Chelsea Debusschere tapped in her first goal as a Spartan from in front of the net at 10:26, and the UBC lead was down to one. Ireland Perrott restored the two-goal lead with her sixth goal at 12:15, and Shay-Lee McConnell made it a three-goal lead 54 seconds later on the power-play goal for her second of the season. From there, UBC protected their net well over the final six minutes, and the horn would sound on a 5-2 UBC win over Trinity Western. Reese Hiddleston earned her second win of the season in a 17-save effort while Jadeyn Kastning stopped 31 shots in the loss.
Again, there are no highlights. UBC simply doesn't care enough to show the world that the women playing for the school are pretty incredible athletes. As for Trinity Western, that's four games this season against your provincial rivals without a win. The good news that might also be bad news? There's still two more games against the Thunderbirds this season. Make at least one count!
These two teams were all about defending their nets in the first period as shots were few and far between. The frame was fairly even with neither team really finding any cracks in the other's defensive scheme, and the result was no goals being scored with Alberta holding a 5-4 edge in shots as this game entered the intermission.
Both teams came out with a renewed commitment to scoring, but Bender and Oswald had other ideas about that. It wouldn't be until 9:46 mark where we'd finally get a goal as Madison Willan found Natalie Kieser alone in front of Bender, and Kieser buried the puck for her second of the season and the 1-0 Alberta lead. Kieser wasn't content with just one goal, though, as she'd double the Alberta lead when she went shelf after opting to shoot as she led a three-on-one for her third goal of the season at 17:37, and Alberta would take the 2-0 lead into the second break.
Alberta would continue to press in the third period, and it paid off early as Madison Willan skated into the slot and got a shot away that was stopped, but Payton Laumbach was on the doorstep to jam home the rebound for her fifth goal of the season at 5:34 to give Alberta a 3-0 lead. And we'd see our second hat trick of the season ten minutes later when Payton Laumbach chased down and poked loose a puck that it appeared Bender had covered, and the loose puck was swept into the MacEwan cage by Natalie Kieser for her first Canada West hat trick as she recorded her fourth goal of the season at 14:05! Those four goals were more than enough for the Pandas as they downed the MacEwan Griffins by a 4-0 score! Halle Oswald earned her fourth win and first shutout of the season with a ten-save clean sheet while Natalie Bender made 19 stops in the loss.
Alberta has a highlight package for this game!
Things looked good for the Griffins at the midway point when the first crack would emerge in either team's defensive structure. Joie Simon notched her second goal of the season at 9:34 to put MacEwan up 1-0 over their crosstown rivals. That's when the roof caved in for the Griffins as Alberta exploded for goals. Natalie Kieser scored her fifth of the season at 10:02, Alison Reich scored her third at 10:53, Abby Kryzaniak scored her first of the campaign at 17:36 on the power-play, and Megan Wilson scored her second of the season at 18:42 to end Brianna Sank's night far earlier than planned as Natalie Bender replaced Sank in the Griffins' net. At the end of the first period, Alberta held a 4-1 lead.
Again, we're not here to glamourize blowouts, so I'll note that Natalie Kieser scored her second goal of the game and sixth goal of the season at 12:16, and Alberta would add a sixth goal with nine seconds to play in a rather physical frame as Kiara Machray notched her first marker on the power-play to send Alberta into the second break leading 6-1.
The third period was quiet in terms of both goals and penalties, but the damage had already been done in this one as Alberta skated to the 6-1 victory over the MacEwan Griffins. Kirsten Chamberlin picked up her third win of the season in stopping 12 shots while Brianna Sank took the loss after making four stops in 18:42 of work. For the record, Natalie Bender stopped 18 of 20 shots she faced in her 41:18 of relief.
Highlights? No, there are no highlights here. MacEwan doesn't do highlights. Instead, I'll just post this panda steamrolling the grass just like the Alberta Pandas steamrolled the Griffins this weekend.
The opening period felt a bit like a track meet as these two teams played north-south for nearly the entire period. The only passing that seemed to go across the ice was on the power-plays as each team had one, and only Mount Royal made their opportunity count. Emma Bergesen's feed across the point to Tatum Amy saw Amy unleash a high wrist shot that Drever had little chance of stopping thanks to the screen in front, and Amy's shot found the top-left corner for her second goal of the season to give the Cougars the 1-0 lead at 11:12. All we had as the horn sounded was the home side with the one-goal lead despite being outshot 10-7 in the frame.
The second period saw the two teams continue to generate chances, but converting them was a different story altogether as the goalies were sharp at both ends. Despite Saskatchewan having a pair of advantages to Mount Royal's single power-play opportunity, neither team would dent twine in the second period. We'd head to the third period with MRU leading 1-0, but Saskatchewan holding a slight lead in shots at 18-17.
Saskatchewan came out a little too aggressive in the third period as they were flagged for back-to-back infractions, but the Cougars couldn't use the opportunity to add to their lead. The back-and-forth game would see chances at both ends once again. Saskatchewan would get a power-play opportunity midway through the frame, but the Cougars would kill off the penalty. As the clock ticked down, Drever would head to the bench with 1:38 to play for the extra attacker, but the Cougars were able to withstand the Saskatchewan attack as they escaped with the 1-0 victory! Zoe De Beauville earned her seventh win and third shutout of the season by stopping all 28 shots she faced while Camryn Drever likely deserved a better fate after making 24 stops on this night.
As usual, there are no highlights coming out of Mount Royal, so I went ahead and found an image that comes closest to what tonight's 1-0 victory looked like. The Cougars made the Huskies flinch.
SATURDAY: After a low-scoring affair on Friday night, there was hope that Saturday would show all sorts of goals from these two talented teams. Mount Royal could finish the first half no worse than a share of first-place, but a win would move them ahead of all other teams. Saskatchewan needed some points to remain in the thick of things in the standings, so they were hunting for a win. Camryn Drever was tasked to stop the Cougars while Kaitlyn Ross was in the Cougars net for this one.
It was pretty clear that the Cougars came out with a mission as they were the more aggressive team in the first period. There was good hustle at both ends of the ice for the Cougars, but Camryn Drever was exceptional in this period. Despite Saskatchewan having the lone power-play in the period, virtually nothing got to Ross in the period. There were no goals scored, but Mount Royal showed their teeth in holding an 11-1 edge in shots.
Mount Royal continued their assault on the Huskies in the second period, aided by a pair of power-plays in the period. They'd finally break through at 5:29 when a Laura Cook shot off a face-off was blocked, but the puck bounced to Tianna Ko who beat Drever through the wickets for her seventh goal of the season and, more importantly, the 1-0 lead for MRU. It was another big period for the home team, though, as they held that 1-0 score into the break and had a 23-6 lead in shots. That's not a typo.
It appeared that the Huskies knew they needed to turn in a big third period because they came out firing pucks in the third period. They were helped by drawing three penalties, but the three power-plays would go unfulfilled. Despite wave after wave of green jerseys attacking the Cougars' zone, Ross was good on all attempts as the Mount Royal Cougars turned in a second-consecutive 1-0 win over the Saskatchewan Huskies! Kaitlyn Ross stopped all 19 shots she faced for her second win and first shutout of the season while Camryn Drever again deserved a better fate after making 25 stops.
Once more, there are no highlights from the Mount Royal Athletics Department. Instead, here's Top Cat from HBO Max's Jellystone! doing a little "look at me" because the Mount Royal Cougars officially finish the first half atop the standings.
| School | Record | Points | GF | GA | Streak | Next |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Royal | 8-1-1-2 | 20 | 37 | 15 | W2 | JANUARY |
| UBC | 9-3-0-0 | 18 | 49 | 18 | W3 | JANUARY |
| Manitoba | 6-4-2-0 | 16 | 30 | 26 | L1 | JANUARY |
| Alberta | 4-4-3-1 | 15 | 28 | 21 | W3 | JANUARY |
| Saskatchewan | 6-4-0-2 | 14 | 23 | 15 | L3 | JANUARY |
| MacEwan | 5-7-0-0 | 10 | 16 | 32 | L2 | JANUARY |
| Regina | 4-6-0-2 | 10 | 22 | 29 | L1 | JANUARY |
| Calgary | 4-8-0-0 | 8 | 26 | 40 | W1 | JANUARY |
| Trinity Western | 1-10-1-0 | 4 | 13 | 47 | L4 | JANUARY |
The Last Word
With 12 of 20 games in the books for each team in Canada West, there aren't many points left on the table when it comes to jockeying for playoff positions. Assuming that the point totals for playoff teams this year is 18 points, that puts five of the nine teams in good positions to make the playoffs. It also means that Regina, Calgary, and MacEwan will need to figure out who will take that sixth playoff spot, and it leads to Trinity Western nearly being mathematically-eliminated from the race.While those might be the statistical facts, it still means that nothing is written in stone yet. Mount Royal has yet to lose two games in a row, but they sit just two points ahead of UBC. We'll see those teams tangle in the first week back from the break with first-place up for grabs before they find themselves with Regina, Calgary, and MacEwan down the stretch. The key is that Mount Royal plays five of their first six games in the second half on the road.
UBC, as stated, will get to prove themselves against the conference's best team in the first half right out of the gates in January before they finish the season against Calgary, Trinity Western, and Regina. A top-two finish for the Thunderbirds is not out of the question based on their schedule, so they've positioned themselves nicely as the first half closes.
Manitoba watched everyone else play as they had the bye week, and that allowed Mount Royal to pull further head, UBC leap past them, and Alberta close the gap on them. However, Manitoba opens January with games at MacEwan, at home versus Trinity Western, and in Regina as their schedule is extremely favourable in their quest for a top-two finish. That last weekend with the Huskies at home before a season-ending bye week means the Bisons need to take care of business. With a young team, it will be up the coaching staff to keep the players' eyes on the prize of a first-round bye this season.
If Alberta is going to finish in a top-two spot, they'll need to show everyone that their slower start was just them warming up. They'll battle Saskatchewan to open their second half before meeting Trinity Western, MacEwan, and Calgary to close out their schedule. The key in this is that Alberta doesn't go on the road until February 11, so the cozy confines of Clare Drake Arena might be what propels the Pandas back into that top-two conversation.
Saskatchewan, who sit four points out of a second-place spot right now, open with a home-and-home against Regina before visiting Alberta. The Huskies need some help along the way, but they're going to have to play .750 hockey or better if they want a shot at a top-two finish. They're not going to receive any mercy from MacEwan or Manitoba if they need a handful of points in the last two weeks of their season.
MacEwan holds down the last playoff spot based on a tie-breaker right now as they have more regulation wins than Regina, but their second-half schedule is brutal bordering on sadistic. They play Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and Mount Royal. MacEwan has beaten Regina, UBC, Calgary, and Trinity Western this season, so they'll need to play out of their minds in the second half if they're going to lock up a playoff spot.
The Regina Cougars are tied with MacEwan in points, but they need to find a way ahead of the Griffins as they currently miss out on a playoff spot due to the tie-breaker rules. Regina's schedule certainly suggests that they may make the playoffs ahead of MacEwan as five of their first six games in the second half are at home. The only problem is that those games are against Saskatchewan, Mount Royal, and Manitoba. They'll finish the season in Vancouver against UBC, so, like MacEwan, they're going to need a big effort in the second half to lock down a playoff spot.
Trinity Western's second half might be the easiest to forecast as they have Calgary at home, Manitoba on the road, Alberta on the road, and UBC at home. With them being six points out of a playoff spot right now, there's a better chance of them playing spoilers than being playoff contenders, so let's make it clear that the Spartans have just one goal to worry about in their second-half games.
That's the last word on 2021 Canada West women's hockey.
What Now?
The Rundown isn't going away in the next few weeks while the teams are writing exams and enjoying the holidays. Instead, I'll revive something I did in 2019 where I picked the first-half Canada West All-Stars for a fantasy Canada West All-Star Game. The same format will apply as it did in 2019 as the non-Alberta teams will make up Team Surf-and-Turf while the four Alberta teams will make up Team Rockies. We'll have some fun with that, and I'll see if a few friends will submit their own Canada West All-Star teams for the article that day.Expect a statistical analysis of something I truly believe is important to winning games: scoring first. As we know in the Saturday game between Trinity Western and UBC, scoring first doesn't always mean that a team will win, but I'll also look at scoring by period as well. Twelve games is a big enough sample size that we should see trends develop among the nine teams.
I'll also wander you down the professional path as we catch up with a number of former Canada West women's players who have moved on to the professional ranks across the planet. With players suiting up for the PWHPA, in the PHF, in Sweden in the SPHL, and in Russia with the ZhHL, there are good stories about a number of players who once played every weekend in western Canadian university rinks.
Make sure you check back on Sundays as we look at all that in the next few weeks! Thanks for reading, thanks for watching, and, most importantly, thanks for supporting women's hockey in 2021 at the Canadian university level once again! The fans are the most important part of the game when it comes to supporting the women who show their talents off every week, so thanks for being there once again. And if you haven't been there, make a pledge to get down to your local Canada West rink and cheer on the ladies!
Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!
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