More U SPORTS News

I was always curious where the phrase "Extra! Extra! Read all about it!" came from because the origins seem very foreign to me. Why "Extra"? Well, it turns out that the "Extra" was short for "Newspaper Extra" which was a special printing of a newspaper when there was a big story that needed coverage. With the introduction of radio in the 1930s and 1940s to most metropolitan areas, the idea of a special edition of the newspaper fell off since most breaking news could be relayed over the radio medium. But you now know why newspaper street vendors would holler, "Extra! Extra!" when selling newspapers - if you wanted the most recent news, you bought the newspaper extra.

That fact aside, today's entry is a little like that idea in that there are some stories that didn't make The Rundown yesterday that still should be told because of the importance they carry. One is about a former player that's excelling elsewhere while the other is about a game that was played tonight that will see one more team heading to Montreal. Without further adieu, let's get to the stories!

She's Still Got It

Back in July 2022, I wrote an article about Jordan Kulbida making the decision to transfer from the University of Regina to Minot State University in North Dakota where she would play her final year of university eligibility with the Beavers. Jordan was a heckuva player with Regina and, while I couldn't write that at the time, I felt like there would be a massive hole in Regina's lineup without her skills. She was always a threat in the offensive zone whether she had the puck or not, and her defensive game had grown quite nicely to the point where she was one of the better two-way players in Canada West. In short, she had all the talent needed to be successful no matter where she played.

Well, that assessment seems to have held true south of the border as Jordan was named as a Women's Midwest Collegiate Hockey First Team All-Star after leading the Beavers in scoring this season with 18 goals and 13 assists. Beyond that, she played all over the Beavers' lineup - including suiting up for a game as a defender in exhibition play! - as she helped the Beavers to the third seed in the upcoming ACHA National Championship!

Kulbida and the Beavers will face the tenth-seeded Miami (Ohio) Bobcats in their opening game of the tournament that runs from March 16-20 in Boston, Massachusetts. The 21-10-2-0 Beavers and the 16-7-0-1 Bobcats meet at 6pm on March 16 with the winner advancing to the quarterfinals on March 18. As it stands, the Beavers never played the Bobcats this season, and the last time they squared off was January 2020 when the Beavers swept the Bobcats in the two-game weekend series.

It wasn't hard to see that Kulbida was going to be an impact player throughout her career in Canada West, and it's awesome to see her doing so well in the ACHA. I'll be cheering for Minot State in the ACHA National Championship as I want to see Jordan finish her university hockey career with a championship. I'll also be cheering for them because we featured head coach Ryan Miner on The Hockey Show and had a great chat with him about the Beavers program! Knowing that these two people are leading the Beavers into the national championship makes me believe that the Beavers should be one of the favourites to come home with some hardware!

Best of luck to both Jordan Kulbida and Ryan Miner as they look to capture the ACHA National Championship in Boston. I know it's a long way from the prairies, but there will be one guy cheering for the Beavers in Winnipeg as they make a push for the championship! And congratulations on the accolades earned this season, Jordan!

One More Into The Field

Game Four of the AUS semifinal series between the St. Francis Xavier X-Women and the Saint Mary's Huskies was played tonight, and the Huskies needed to win at home to keep their season going. Jamie Johnson was the netminder for the X-Women while Sophie Scully started for the Huskies.

I say "started" in the previous sentence because Scully's night was over after 7:31 of action. Chloe Vukosa at 38 seconds, Abby Lewis at 3:12, and Lauren Dabrowski on the power-play at 7:31 was the damage done before Scully was replaced by Ridleigh Hansen in the Saint Mary's net, and that StFX lead loomed large throughout the game as the Huskies never really got their game going.

Lea Macleod would add a fourth goal at 8:41 of the third period for the Huskies, but the three quick strikes in the first period was more than enough for Johnson as she pitched the 31-save shutout in helping StFX to the 4-0 win. That victory also was the third of the series for the X-Women as they eliminated the Huskies 3-1 in their best-of-five semifinal to qualify for both the AUS Final against the UNB Reds and the U SPORTS National Championship in Montreal.

Officially, we await the OUA for their representatives at the U SPORTS National Championship. The Canada West Final, as we know, will happen this weekend with the UBC Thunderbirds hosting the Mount Royal Cougars. The RSEQ Final will take place in Montreal with the Concordia Stingers hosting the Montreal Carabins. The AUS Championship will have their championship schedule posted on Wednesday, and the series will start in Fredericton as the Reds finished ahead of the X-Women in the standings. This final AUS series can be watched for free by signing up for a free AUS TV account! There's nothing better than watching for free, right?

The OUA semifinals start on Wednesday with the Toronto Varsity Blues hosting the Guelph Gryphons at 7pm ET in Toronto while the Nipissing Lakers will host the Waterloo Warriors at 7pm ET in North Bay. The best-of-three series will see Nipissing head to Waterloo for Game Two on Friday at 7pm ET while Toronto plays in Guelph on Saturday at 2:30pm ET. Game Three for the Nipissing-Waterloo series, if necessary, will be played in North Bay on Saturday at 7pm ET while Game Three between Toronto and Guelph will be played on Sunday at 4pm ET if necessary. These games can be seen for free by signing up for a free OUA TV account! Free is good!

We'll know which two OUA teams will be joining UBC, Mount Royal, Concordia, Montreal, UNB, and StFX as early as Saturday, but by Sunday at the very latest. The National Championship will be played from March 16-19, 2023 at CEPSUM Arena at the University of Montreal, and CBC will have all the games broadcast on their online streams from the tournament in Montreal. It's time to get fired up for championship hockey!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!