The Rundown - Week 8

The eighth week of the Canada West season was more like a tale of two halves of the conference as the top-four teams squared off while four of the five teams below them played against one another. With only the Regina Cougars sitting idly through their bye week, there was a chance for significant movement in the conference thanks to the schedule, and the potential for some teams to fall entirely out of the playoff race was certainly a possibility as well. Half the season would be complete for eight teams following this weekend's games, so let's see who did what on this episode of The Rundown!

FRIDAY: The last time these two teams met, there was a berth in both the Canada West Final and the U SPORTS National Championship on the line. The stakes were a little lower this time, but the Cougars headed northeast to Saskatoon for a weekend with the Huskies. One could hope for a few more goals than what we saw in the semifinal last season, but let's not got ahead of ourselves. Kaitlyn Ross was in the blue paint for Mount Royal while Saskatchewan started Camryn Drever for this battle.

The opening frame was played fairly evenly with both sides getting looks, but neither finding the back of the net early. A couple of power-plays for the Huskies went unsuccessful in lighting the lamp, but an odd-player rush would change that fate. Sara Kendall fed Sophie Lalor on a 2-on-1, and Lalor made a nice move in close to deke Ross forehand-backhand and find the twine with 40 seconds left in the frame for the 1-0 Saskatchewan lead! That one-goal lead would stand through the break with the Huskies leading 9-8 in shots.

Saskatchewan killed off a power-play that carried into the second period before the Cougars killed a penalty of their own to keep things at a one-goal margin. A penalty in the latter portion of the period to the Huskies also saw Saskatchewan's penalty-killing units remain perfect on the night as we hit the second intermission with the 1-0 score intact for the Huskies despite being outshot 23-15.

The third period was all about defending a lead for the Huskies, but things were made a little easier on that front after Mount Royal was whistled for two penalties before the midway point of the frame. Saskatchewan wouldn't score on either opportunity, but time started to become Mount Royal's main enemy. Despite a push at the end, the Cougars couldn't get anything past the Huskies on this night as the 1-0 score was the final! Camryn Drever picked up her second shutout and fifth win of the season in stopping all 31 pucks sent her way while Kaitlyn Ross stopped 23 shots in the loss.

Since no one is doing highlights any longer, I'm just gonna start filling these spots with random GIFs and videos. If schools don't care about showing off the efforts of their athletes, neither do I. I can't understand this stance that Canada West schools have taken, but so be it. Don't blame me for not making highlight reels. I do the recaps.

SATURDAY: After what felt like a playoff game on Friday, the Cougars and Huskies met once again at Merlis Belsher Place to finish off the two-game set. If this is what playoff hockey is going to feel like in February, inject it into my veins immediately! Kaitlyn Ross was looking for revenge in the Cougars' net while Camryn Drever was looking to win her fourth-straight game over the Cougars.

This game started out like the previous night's game as the back-and-forth contest got underway. A power-play for the Huskies midway through the frame went unfulfilled while a power-play for the Cougars garnered no goals with five minutes to play in the stanza. After one period, we were still tied at 0-0 with Saskatchewan holding a 12-7 edge in shots.

Mount Royal was down a player twice before the second period was ten minutes old, but the Huskies were once again turned aside by the Cougars' penalty killers. Mount Royal did a very good job in locking down the defensive zone in this period, but they still could not find a crack in the wall that the Huskies had put up through five periods of hockey. After 40 minutes, this game remained tied at 0-0 with the teams registering 16 shots apiece.

Once again, Mount Royal tempted fate by taking two separate penalties in the opening half of the period, but their penalty killers were on their game. Saskatchewan erased the latter few seconds of the second power-play with the penalty of their own, but Mount Royal could not convert on that opportunity. Late in the third period, though, Kiana McNinch came through in a big way for the Cougars as the rookie notched her first Canada West goal with 2:58 to play, and it would stand as the game-winner as the Mount Royal Cougars returned the 1-0 favour on the Saskatchewan Huskies! Kaitlyn Ross stopped 24 shots for her second shutout and ninth win while Camryn Drever did everything she could except win on a 24-save night.

I'll have more about these two teams below the standings board, but let me preview that section by saying the following image is perfect for the topic of dogs, cats, their battles, and clean sheets. Get it?

FRIDAY: The other rematch from last year's semifinal series went this weekend in Vancouver as the Alberta Pandas landed on the left coast to play the UBC Thunderbirds. UBC won two-straight games over Alberta last year by 2-1 and 5-1 scores in March, so the Pandas were looking to erase those memories. Both teams needed points if they hoped to catch Mount Royal while making it harder for each other, so this series could prove interesting down the stretch. Halle Oswald was defending the Pandas' net while Elise Hugens was back in her crease for a Friday night contest.

The Pandas struck early in this one thanks to a solid forecheck by Madison Willan that forced a turnover. She fed Abbey Bourdeaud'hui with the pass, and the rookie winger found the back of the net with her shot for her Canada West goal at 3:54 to put Alberta up 1-0! Alberta's game plan seemed to be an opportunistic one as they looked to force the high-flying Thunderbirds into mistakes with UBC carrying most of the play in the first period. Both teams would trade unsuccessful power-plays in the period, but it was Alberta holding the one-goal lead when the horn sounded despite UBC outshooting Alberta by a 14-5 margin.

The Pandas seemed content in pressuring the Thunderbirds throughout the second period, but the T-Birds can play with speed. They continued to find chances while smothering the Alberta offence at every opportunity, but Alberta's defence would simply not give. But UBC would not relent and they'd find a score late in the period when Sophia Gaskell's shot from the point beat a screened Halle Oswald with 1:05 remaining in the frame to make it a 1-1 game. As people began stirring in anticipation of the second intermission, Gaskell struck again when her shot was redirected in front of the net as it went off an Alberta defender and past Oswald with one second to play, giving UBC the 2-1 lead through 40 minutes while outshooting the Pandas 25-8. Not a typo.

The third period started the same way that the other periods had gone with UBC dictating the pace, but they'd run into some trouble just past the midway point of the frame as they gave Alberta's power-play a chance to get on the ice. The Pandas didn't waste that chance as Danica Namaka was the finisher as she potted her goal off some great passing by the Pandas to make a 2-2 game at 11:55. The teasm would trade power-plays through the final ten minutes, but neither would light the lamp behind the opponent's goal so we'd get some free hockey in this one with the score tied 2-2 at the end of regulation time despite UBC holding a 36-17 margin in shots!

The first overtime period solved nothing as these two teams continued their chess match, but the game would be over quickly once the 3-on-3 period began. After Joelle Fiala won the faceoff, Rylind MacKinnon skated it into the Pandas' zone, dropped for Chanreet Bassi on the right half-boards where Bassi skated it into the corner and started to circle behind the net. Spotting Fiala out front, Bassi fed her the pass in the slot, and Fiala made no mistake as she one-timed it past Oswald for the 3-2 double-overtime UBC win! Elise Hugens stopped 16 shots in 65:12 of work for her fifth win of the season while Halle Oswald stopped 40 shots in the extra-time loss.

Since UBC won't post highlights, I'm just ripping the OT winner from their social media. Don't even think about complaining that I'm doing this. If you can isolate the clip from the feed for social, you can piece together a highlight reel. It's not hard to do and you know it, UBC.


SATURDAY: After a battle on Friday where both teams picked up points, the Pandas and Thunderbirds finished off the two-game set on Saturday. One had to expect the Pandas to come out with fire under their skates after only managing 18 shots the night before while UBC was looking to capture all four points with another solid game. Halle Oswald was back between the pipes for Alberta while Kate Stuart continued her routine of Saturday starts for the Thunderbirds.

Both teams looked focused as this game began with shots finding their targets on both sides. The goaltenders weren't letting anything touch twine, though, as the opening ten minutes featured no goals. A Pandas penalty would open the door for the Thunderbirds, though, as Hannah Koroll's long point shot was kicked aside by Oswald, but Cassidy Rhodes cleaned up the rebound with a couple of whacks to get it across the line at 13:38 to UBC ahead 1-0. Neither team changed strategy after that as they continued to get shots, but the horn would sound on the opening frame with UBC holding the one-goal lead and a 10-9 advantage in shots.

The second period saw the ice slant towards the Alberta zone once more as UBC found their skating legs during the break. Despite the teams trading power-play opportunities, no goals would be scored with the advantages. There would be one lamp lit, though, as Kallie Clouston dented twine for the Pandas when he shot beat Stuart at 13:30 to make it a 1-1 game! Beyond that, though, Halle Oswald had to be sharp in this period as we hit the break with the game tied 1-1, but UBC up 21-13 in the shot count.

Alberta had multiple opportunties to score early in the third period with two UBC penalties called five minutes apart, but UBC denied both power-play opportunities. That may have been a turning point as Alberta was called for a penalty moments after the second UBC penalty expired, and the Thunderbirds made them pay. Hannah Koroll's high shot from the point went off someone in the mass of humanity standing in front of Oswald and deflected downward past the surprised netminder for the power-play goal at 9:35 and the 2-1 UBC lead! Alberta turned up the heat in an effort to find an equalizer, but they could not solve Stuart over the final ten minutes as UBC earned the 2-1 victory. Kate Stuart made 22 stops for her sixth win of the season while Halle Oswald suffers her second-straight loss after a 21-save effort.

Again, I'll handle the work here, UBC, and post the game-winner scored by Hannah. Get your act together and post highlights.

FRIDAY: For the first time in their history, the Trinity Western Spartans travelled to Calgary to play the Dinos. While they have played before - Calgary was 2-0 in Langley last season - this would be the first time the Spartans suited up at Father David Bauer Arena. Both teams were hunting for points after splits last weekend, and it would be Kate Fawcett getting the nod for the Spartans while Gabriella Durante was in the Dinos' net once again.

Both sides were eager to get things rolling as they went north-south in the opening period, but the defences were solid in preventing good looks. That would change as the period went on with both sides finding ways to get shots. The opening goal would come off the stick of Michela Naccarato after a flurry of chances when she skated out of the corner untouched and sniped a snot past Durante at 13:36 for her first Canada West goal and the 1-0 TWU lead! Late in the period, Alli Borrow would strike when her long, high wrist shot was deflected en route to Fawcett, and the netminder could not find the puck before it was in the net behind her as Calgary tied this game with 34 seconds left in the frame. That 1-1 tie would hold into the break with the Spartans up 10-7 in shots.

Early in the second period, Reilly Kellner picked up a loose puck at the Calgary blue line after a turnover, and her wrist shot from the high slot area is likely one that Durante wants back as the Spartans jumped ahead 2-1 at 2:23. Before they could even regroup, a cross-ice pass between the Dinos defenders in their own zone rolled off the stick of the recipient, and Brooklyn Anderson was all over the puck and she deked around Durante and slid the puck into the net 12 seconds after the Kellner goal to make it 3-1! That seems to snap the Dinos out of whatever slumber they started the period in, and they roared back with some aggressive play. They wouldn't solve Fawcett, but they had their chances. After 40 minutes, though, Trinity Western held the 3-1 lead despite being outshot 20-16.

Calgary was still pressing for goals in the third period, but they'd find themselves deeper in the hole being dug when Anderson's backhand, cross-crease pass to a streaking Jordyn Matthews was converted by Matthews just 26 seconds into the period, and the Spartans were up 4-1. The Spartans played a fairly clean period without giving too many good looks to the Dinos, and they would ice this game with 54 seconds to play when Brooklyn Anderson fired a puck from her own blue line into the vacated Calgary net to give the Spartans the 5-1 victory! Kate Fawcett stopped 26 shots for her third win of the season while Gabriella Durante took the loss after stopping 17 shots.

Guess who's back! Back again! The Dinos are back with highlights again! I'm not sure what changed, but I'm not complaining!


SATURDAY: The Dinos came into this game looking for a split and to reduce the amount of unforced errors that hurt them on Friday. The Spartans were back to complete the sweep by playing smart, opportunitic hockey once again as they looked to widen the gap between themselves and the Dinos in the standings. Kate Fawcett was back between the pipes for Trinity Western while Amelia Awad got her first Canada West start for the Dinos.

It's always good to get a feel for the puck early if you're a rookie goaltender in your first game, and Awad certainly did as the two teams traded chances early in this one. Trinity Western would ruin Awad's potential shutout 11:00 in when Kailey Ledoux's shot from the high slot was tipped by Amay Potomak to get by Awad for the 1-0 lead! Calgary wouldn't capitalize on their power-play opportunities as they were defied by Fawcett once again as the Spartans held the one-goal lead into the intermission with Calgary up 13-10 in shots.

The second period saw the back-and-forth battle resume as both sides were angling for goals, but the goaltenders were just as good. Power-plays were awarded to both sides, but neither could cash in on those opportunities again. It wasn't until late in the period when a goal-mouth scramble off a Jessica Martens shot saw Jordyn Burgar with a couple of whacks at the loose puck before Annaliese Meier swooped in and chipped the puck past Fawcett and into the net to tie the game at 1-1 at 18:33! The final 1:27 ticked off the clock as we hit the intermission, so this game would be decided in the third period or beyond as we were tied up at 1-1 with Calgary up 21-16 on the shot count.

We wouldn't have to wait long for a team to take the lead in the third period. A low shot from Annaliese Meier was stopped by Fawcett behind traffic, but the rebound popped out to Jolie Nafziger on the backdoor where she popped it into the net for the 2-1 just 2:52 into the frame! Calgary kept the pressure on as they recognized Trinity Western's push to tie things up, but thhe Dinos weren't willing to give an inch. A late penalty to the Dinos tested their resolve, but they weathered the storm to allow Elizabeth Lang to chip one into an empty net with 46 seconds to play to secure the 3-1 victory for the Dinos over the Spartans! Amelia Awad gets the game puck for her first Canada West win after making 22 stops while Kate Fawcett was on the wrong end of a 28-save night.

More highlights from the Dinos! Have I mentioned how much I appreciate the University of Calgary? Well done, Dinos!

FRIDAY: Two teams who are pushing for a playoff spot met in Edmonton as the Manitoba Fluffy Cows went northwest to meet the MacEwan Griffins. The Griffins had a chance to really put the Fluffy Cows' chances of the playoffs in peril with a couple of wins, so there was motivation for the home side as they entered this weekend series. Brianna Sank was guarding the Griffins' net in this one.

The Griffins struck early in this one as Sydney Hughson found room from the side of the net to open the scoring just 2:45 into the game. MacEwan wuld surrender a goal early in the second period, but they'd find the lead late in the middle frame when Jayme Doyle one-timed a feed from Makenna Schuttler on a 5-on-3 power-play, and the Griffins would go to the second break up 2-1 with the shots being tied 17-17.

If there's one thing that both teams suffer from, it's penalties and the parade to the sin bins in this game was noticeable. It would come back to bite the Griffins, though, as they gave up an early power-play goal in the third period before surrendering another power-play goal while trying to kill off back-to-back 5-on-3 disadvantages. The lack of discipline hurt the Griffins in this one as they fell 3-2 on Friday. Brianna Sank likely deserved a better fate after she stopped 36 shots.

I never actually thought I'd ever have Gritty on The Rundown, but MacEwan's refusal to do highlights has made that dream happen!


SATURDAY: MacEwan needed a big response on Saturday if they were going to keep things close when it came to contending for playoff spots. It would be wise to stay out of the penalty box for the Griffins after penalties did them in on Friday, but we'd have to see where this game went against the Fluffy Cows. The one thing that was certain is that Lindsey Johnson was the starter for the Griffins in the back half of the series.

The two sqauds started the game off with good pace, but MacEwan fell behind just before the midway point. And that hope for less penalties? Yeah, that went out the window early in this game. The good news is that the Griffins responded on the power-play when Jenny Andrash went over the glove and under the bar with her shot at 16:32 to make it a 1-1 game. The jubilation lasted just 1:23, though, as the Griffins were down 2-1 after giving up a power-play goal, and that score would extend into the break with the Griffins trailing in shots 11-9.

The parade that MacEwan set up to the penalty box in the second period really did them in as they allowed three goals - one on the power-play - but they had absolutely no offensive chances thanks to the constant play in their defensive zone. Falling behind 5-1 meant the mountain to climb in getting out of that deficit would be huge, and the final score of 5-1 shows they didn't even make a dent in it. Discipline matters as MacEwan was whistled for 10 infractions on the day which didn't help rookie Lindsey Johnson as she took the loss despite making 32 saves.

The Griffins didn't run into any Canadan geese this weekend, but the end result feels the same after these games. Watch out for nickels.

CANADA WEST WOMEN'S HOCKEY

School	Record	Points	GF	GA	Streak	Next
UBC	8-1-3-2	24	47	24	W3	@ MRU
Mount Royal	11-2-0-1	23	42	21	W1	vs UBC
Alberta	8-4-1-1	19	36	23	L2	vs CAL
Saskatchewan	6-4-2-2	18	24	18	L1	@ MAN
Trinity Western	5-6-2-1	15	35	35	L1	vs REG
Manitoba	5-8-1-0	12	33	47	W3	vs SAS
Calgary	4-7-2-1	12	27	36	W1	@ ALB
MacEwan	2-10-1-1	7	19	41	L5	BYE
Regina	2-9-0-1	5	17	35	L7	@ TWU

No Offence Or All Defence?

I mentioned up above that I'd speak a little further about the Mount Royal Cougars and Saskatchewan Huskies, so let's dig into it because the number of 1-0 victories seen between these two teams is starting to get ridiculous. Since 2017-18, these two teams have played 17 times, including playoff games, and we've seen a 1-0 decision eight times! Saskatchewan leads in those games by a 5-3 advantage, but defence is served whenever these two teams get together.

Beyond that stat, ten of those 17 games have seen one team record a shutout, 12 of the 17 games have been decided by a single goal, and only three of 17 games have seen a team win by three-or-more goals. In the last ten games between these two teams since the start of the 2019-20 season, Saskatchewan leads 6-4 in games won while Saskatchewan has outscored Mount Royal 11-8.

If you see these two teams going head-to-head, don't bet the over.

Power Outage

I don't know if the MacEwan Griffins have abandoned all hopes of having special teams this season, but this is a team that is a woeful 3-for-64 on the power-play (4.7%) while their penalty-killing has now surrendered 13 goals on 78 shorthanded situations (83.3%). With the Griffins being the lowest-scoring team in the conference with just 19 goals-for in 14 games (1.36 goals-per-game), not having a prayer with the special teams likely means disaster for the Griffins when it comes to making the playoffs.

I cannot stress this enough: special teams can win and lose you games in Canada West. Not improving those statistics throughout the year is bad news when it comes to success.

The Cutoff Point

A few weeks back I had estimated that it would take 22-24 points to make the playoffs. With half the season in the books for eight of the nine teams, the two teams tied for sixth-place right now - Calgary and the Fluffy Cows - sit with 12 points. There are 28 points left on the table for teams to get themselves ready for the playoffs, and it would appear that strength of schedule may come into play based on who is left for each team to play in this campaign.

The Fluffy Cows host Saskatchewan, go to Regina, host Mount Royal, host UBC, visit Trinity Western, host Calgary, and visit Alberta to finish off the season. They are currently 0-0, 2-0, 0-2, 0-2, 1-1, 1-1, and 0-2 against those teams for a combined 4-8 record against their remaining opponents.

The Dinos have a home-and-home with Alberta, host Saskatchewan, have a home-and-home with MacEwan, host Regina, have a home-and-home with Mount Royal, visit Manitoba, and finish with a home-and-home against MacEwan. The Dinos are currently 0-0, 1-1, 0-0, 1-1, 0-2, 1-1, and 0-0 against their opposition for a combined 3-5 record against their remaining opponents.

The catch? Calgary has six of their final 14 games against teams below them in the standings whereas the Fluffy Cows have just four games. That series in Winnipeg between the Dinos and Fluffy Cows could ultimately determine who grabs that final playoff spot in the conference assuming everything else stays the same, but don't dismiss that final weekend with Calgary playing MacEwan while the Fluffy Cows tangle with the Pandas.

The Last Word

It's Grey Cup Sunday, and there's only one team for whom everyone should be cheering. You can be against the Bombers all year because of rivalries and divisional matchups, but I think we all subscribe to the theory of "ABT" - Anybody But Toronto. The Regina Cougars had the weekend off for good reason as the craziness surrounding the Mosaic Stadium and its neighbours, which includes Co-Operators Centre, will likely be a zoo as we get closer to game time, but here's hoping that it's a highly-competitive, entertaining game between the two most-deserving teams in the CFL.

Or it's a blowout for the Bombers. I'd actually prefer that.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!