The Rundown - Semifinals

We were down to four teams in the Canada West playoffs this week, and that number would be cut in half by the time Sunday evening was in place. The winners this week get an extra bonus as those two teams will head to the University of Montreal in a few weeks to represent Canada West at the U SPORTS National Championship, but the quest for a Canada West banner was still the goal for all four teams. There was a rematch from last year's Canada West Final in one semifinal while the other was the new-age Battle of Alberta, so let's find out who will be booking flights to and hotels rooms in Montreal in this week's edition of The Rundown!

Just to remind everyone, here's the current bracket.

Saskatchewan was in Vancouver to battle UBC while Mount Royal went to Edmonton to tangle with Alberta. Let's go!

We'll start in Vancouver on Friday night where the fifth-seeded Huskies met the top-seeded UBC Thunderbirds. Saskatchewan is one of the teams who defeated the Thunderbirds in regulation this season, so there was no reason to believe they couldn't do it again despite that victory coming way back on October 14, 2022. UBC, meanwhile, had only put together a perfect home record this season, going 14-0-0 at Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Arena while posting a 19-0 record if one includes the 2022 playoffs where the Thunderbirds won the Canada West banner. Streaks were on the line, a berth to Nationals was up for grabs, and these two teams came in hungry on Friday night as Camryn Drever took her spot in the Saskatchewan net while Elise Hugens was in between the pipes for UBC!

When one looks at the final stats in this game, it's hard not to think that one team completely dominated the other. In reality, the game seemed much closer in how it was played despite the statistical finish, but the numbers are what they are. In saying that, the Thunderbirds missed out on taking a lead when they were awarded two power-play opportunities in the opening frame while the goalies were perfect in their jobs, and we'd go to the second period still tied 0-0 despite UBC jumping out to a 15-3 advantage in shots.

The second period featured a quick pace as both teams looked for the opening goal, but the goaltenders weren't having any of it. A late power-play in the period for the Huskies wouldn't help in the goal-scoring department, so we'd head to the third period with the score still locked at 0-0 and with UBC leading 31-8 in shots. Not a typo.

As hard as it may be to believe, UBC upped their pressure in the third period as every puck they had in the offensive zone seemed to end up directed at the Saskatchewan net. It didn't help that Saskatchewan took two penalties, but the Huskies weathered those storms. The problem, though, was that Sophia Gaskell's shot at 9:13 eluded the bodies in front and ended up under the bar on Drever's glove side, and UBC broke the goalless tie to go up 1-0!

UBC continued to press for an insurance marker, limiting Saskatchewan's chances. Time would run out on the Huskies, though, as the UBC Thunderbirds claimed the 1-0 victory! Elise Hugens earned her first win and the shutout thanks to her nine-save clean sheet while Camryn Drever deserved a batter fate after stopping 49 shots in this game.

With the victory, UBC holds a 1-0 lead over Saskatchewan in this best-of-three semifinal series.

UBC has a highlight package for Game One!

The Thunderbirds took a step forward in defending their Canada West title, and they were looking to close out the series on Saturday. The Huskies, meanwhile, had their collective backs against the wall as they looked to keep their season alive with a win. They'd likely need more than nine shots to do it, so I expected some adjustments to be made by the Huskies as they came into Saturday's game. Game Two saw Camryn Drever back in the Saskatchewan net while UBC went back to Elise Hugens.

It was clear that the Huskies came to play with a little desperation in their game as this game looked much different than the night before. UBC was whistled for an early power-play that Saskatchewan couldn't capitalize on, but they also were quick to cut off the T-Birds when they counter-attacked. The teams traded penalties midway through the period while the Huskies were called for an infraction late, but the goalies were on their game as this game hit the break still tied at 0-0 and the teams tied at four shots apiece.

The second period saw UBC get their legs under them as they got a few more shots on Drever, but the Saskatchewan goalie stood tall. There was one penalty called in the period, and it led to the game's opening tally. The Huskies moved the puck around the top of the zone before Sophie Lalor loaded up a wrist shot that found room past a screened Hugens on the glove side at 15:55, and the Huskies had their first lead of the series at 1-0! That score would hold until the horn as the second intermission saw the Huskies leading 1-0 while UBC held a 17-12 edge in shots.

As they did one night earlier, UBC came out with fire under their skates for the third period. They had a number of chances, but Drever and the Huskies' defence were quick to reduce chances and clear rebounds before anything could come of them. UBC was called for a penalty midway through the frame, and that led to a nearly-identical power-play goal from Sophie Lalor as she zipped a shot through the high screen as Elise Hugens tried to peek around the bodies standing in front of her, and the puck dented twine on the glove side to put the Huskies up 2-0!

That goal seemed to fire up the T-Birds once again, but the Huskies were all-in on defending the lead. They killed off a late penalty and prevented the Thunderbirds from getting good looks as time ticked down. When the horn finally sounded, the Huskies had snapped the home winning streak for the Thunderbirds with a 2-0 win! Camryn Drever was outstanding in denying all 34 shots for her third playoff win and first shutout whuile Elise Hugens made 15 saves.

With the victory, the Huskies and Thunderbirds are tied at 1-1 and will require a Game Three in this best-of-three semifinal series.

Highlights of Game Two are below!

It came down to Sunday where one game would determine who would move on to Montreal and a chance at winning the Canada West Final and who would go home and begin planning for next season. Statistics go out the window in a winner-takes-all game as every shot could be the difference between winning and losing. Our starters were back where they belong as Camryn Drever was in the net for the Huskies while Elise Hugens was in the UBC blue paint.

An early penalty against the Huskies didn't do them any favours as UBC got the power-play rolling. Cassidy Rhodes wired a wrister from the high slot with bodies in front of Drever, and the puck found twine at 3:12 to put the T-Birds up 1-0. Saskatchewan applied some solid pressure on the Thunderbirds, forcing them into a penalty minutes later, but they couldn't get one by Hugens. UBC couldn't capitalize on a power-play later in the period, and they'd end the period by having a penalty carry-over into the second frame. The lone power-play goal for UBC held as the only marker, though, as the Huskies held a 13-8 advantage in shots through 20 minutes.

The second period opened with a flurry of activity at both ends before Jacquelyn Fleming fed a pinching Sophia Gaskell out front, and the UBC defender chipped it by Drever at 3:11 to put UBC up 2-0. A pair of UBC penalties before and after the midway point of the period didn't slow the Thunderbirds down as they appeared to be engaging in the idea of "the best defence is a good offence". Regardless, the Huskies couldn't score on those power-plays, and the horn would sound on the end of two period with UBC leading 2-0 while Saskatchewan was holding a 19-17 margin in shots.

An early third period penalty to the Thunderbirds was killed off as Saskatchewan may regret those opportunties missed, but the Thunderbirds didn't sit back and let the Huskies attack. While both sides had chances as time ticked down, a Chanreet Bassi shot that Drever appeared to cover only to have Grace Elliott poke from under glove into the net with 1:58 to play would ice this game and series as the UBC Thunderbirds skated to the Game Three 3-0 win! Elise Hugens stopped 26 shots for her second win and second shutout of these playoffs while Camryn Drever made 24 stops in her final game of the season.

With the victory, UBC eliminates Saskatchewan to advance to the Canada West Final and qualify for the 2023 U SPORTS National Championship in Montreal. They'll host the winner of the Mount Royal-Alberta series as they look to defend their Canada West championship.

Highlights of Game Three from Vancouver are below!

While the battle of Alberta normally involves the Flames and Oilers, there has been no love lost between the Mount Royal Cougars and the Alberta Pandas in the last few years. These teams met in 2020 Canada West Final where the Pandas downed the Cougars in two-straight games, and the Pandas hold a 2-0 edge at home over the Cougars again this season. After both teams were eliminated in the semifinals last season, one of them would be competing for the Canada West banner this year. Kaitlyn Ross was in the Mount Royal net to begin this series while Halle Oswald stood in front of the Alberta net in the Pandas' zone.

This game started well with both sides looking to get on the board early, but it would be the Cougars who struck first as Canada West Player of the Year Tatum Amy somehow found room past Oswald on the glove-side when it seemed there was none, and Mount Royal had the 1-0 lead just 5:24 into this game! After that goal, the parade to the penalty boxes began as Alberta was whistled for back-to-back penalties before the teams alternated penalty calls with three whistled inside of 55 seconds. The end result was no goals were scored on the power-plays, and the 1-0 score for Mount Royal would hold into the break with Alberta up 11-6 in shots.

The second period looked more like a Mount Royal-Alberta battle as shots were seen, but second chances were few and far between. A power-play awarded to each team both went unsuccessful, and the defensive efforts were much better from both sides. Neither team would find twine as 40 minutes expired with the Cougars still leading 1-0 and Alberta up 17-12 in shots.

The third period brought a more aggressive Alberta attack as they looked for an equalizer while Mount Royal continued to try and limit chances for their opponents. Despite the Pandas pressing, they simply couldn't find room past Ross, and the Cougars would ice this game late when Athena Hauck continued her solid play in the playoffs by burying the empty-netter at 18:23 as the Mount Royal Cougars took Game One by a 2-0 score over the Alberta Pandas! Kaitlyn Ross picked up her third playoff win and second playoff shutout after her 26-save effort while Halle Oswald suffered the loss on a 13-save night.

With the victory, Mount Royal holds a 1-0 lead over Alberta in this best-of-three semifinal series.

Alberta's got a hightlight package ready for Game One!

For the first time all season, the Alberta Pandas were feeling the pressure as they needed to win to keep their season going. Mount Royal had a chance to exorcise a number of demons when it came to playing at Clare Drake Arena, but they still had to defeat the always-tough Pandas on their ice to do so. One of the keys to Mount Royal's success had been scoring first in every playoff game thus far, so could they do it again? Kaitlyn Ross was back in her normal place for this one while Halle Oswald was looking for a bounce-back in the Alberta net.

Alberta was considerably more focused, it seemed, as they pressured Mount Royal right from puck-drop. Mount Royal was called for a penalty just before the midway point of the period, and that would be the opportunity Alberta sought. Abby Soyko got the puck at the top of the zone, skated to the top of the circles, and unleashed a shot that got through the traffic and past the screen that impaired Ross's vision to dent twine at 10:44, giving Alberta their first lead of the series at 1-0! The penalty calls continued throughout the remainder of the period as Mount Royal killed off two to Alberta's one infraction, but the period would end with a Cougar in the box, Alberta up a goal, and the Pandas leading 6-2 in shots.

The battle continued in the second period, and it seemed Alberta took a 2-0 lead off a great deflection in front. However, the officials ruled that the puck had been played with a high sitck, so the goal was wiped out and we were back to a 1-0 lead for the Pandas. That waved-off goal seemed to energize the Cougars as they got back into the game quickly with some rushes into the Alberta end, but Halle Oswald was having none of it. The teams traded unsuccessful power-plays in the frame, but the horn sounded on the period with Alberta still leading 1-0 and still leading 12-9 in shots.

Mount Royal didn't do themselves any favours in the opening ten minutes of the third period by taking three-straight penalties, but they turned up the heat a notch or two in the final half of the period. Some late chances, though, were thwarted by Oswald and the Pandas' defence as Alberta withstood the late barrage to hold on for the 1-0 victory over the Cougars! Halle Oswald picked up her first playoff win and first shutout this postseason as she stopped 16 shots while Kaitlyn Ross stopped 17 shots in the setback.

With the victory, the Cougars and Pandas are tied at 1-1 and will require a Game Three in this best-of-three semifinal series.

Highlights of Game Two are below!

We were down to one game to determine who would play in the Canada West Final with the winner heading to Montreal while the losing squad heading home. Just as I stated for the other series, most statistics matter not when it comes to a one-game situation. The only statistic that matters at the end of the day is the final score. Kaitlyn Ross was in the blue paint for the Cougars for her second-straight Game Three Sunday while Halle Oswald occupied the Pandas' net.

Alberta scored first one night earlier and that resulted in a win, so they figured they'd do it again. Cassidy Maplethorpe notched her first Canada West playoff goal at 3:17 to get the Pandas out front, and that was followed by a parade to the penalty box. Mount Royal took a penalty only to have the Alberta power-play nullified 27 seconds into the advantage, and Alberta took two more penalties in the period including one that carried over into the second period. No goals were scored on the power-plays, so we'd hit the break with Alberta up 1-0, but Mount Royal holding a 7-5 edge in shots.

The second period saw Mount Royal drop in front of any shot they could while applying crazy pressure on the Pandas. That carried-over penalty led to another Alberta penalty, but the Cougars were unable to capitalize. Mount Royal played 5-on-3 for a minute in the middle of the period, but they'd kill off those penalties as well. It wouldn't be until late in the period we'd see a tally as Mackenzie Butz dropped a pass to Laura Cook who sent a long wrister through a crowd of humanity in front of Oswald. She got a pad on it, but the puck ricocheted off her pad and slid into the net behind her at 18:17, and the Cougars had tied the game at 1-1! We'd enter the intermission at that score as Mount Royal jumped out to an 18-7 advantage in shots in the middle frame.

The third period was played like a playoff game as both teams seemingly focused on being safe in their own zones before looking for offence. A mid-period penalty to the Cougars went by with no Alberta goals, but an Alberta penalty minutes later saw the Cougars capitalize. Mackenzie Butz threw a low shot towards the Alberta net from the right face-off circle, and Ava Metzger got her stick on it to deflect it under Oswald. Oswald, though, didn't have it covered, and Sydney Benko from the left post poked it across the goal line to put the Cougars up 2-1 with 5:10 to play!

On the reset, the Pandas knew the clock was their biggest enemy in keeping their season alive. They looked to set up in the Cougars' zone, but Mount Royal was quick to pucks and checks. With 1:37 to go, Alberta went with the extra attacker, but it didn't matter on this day as the Mount Royal Cougars claimed a 2-1 victory over the Alberta Pandas! Kaitlyn Ross stopped ten shots for her fourth win in the playoffs while Halle Oswald saw her season end after 22 saves.

With the victory, Mount Royal eliminates Alberta to advance to the Canada West Final and qualify for the 2023 U SPORTS National Championship in Montreal. They'll head to Vancouver with their sights set on upsetting the defending Canada West champions in the UBC Thunderbirds.

Here are the Game Three highlights from Edmonton.

The Bracket

Those times shown on the image above are the times shown on the Thunderbirds' schedule, so I'd take them as gospel. All of those times are, of course, in Pacific Time, so do the math to figure out when to tune in. Mount Royal will head to Vancouver for the first time this season as these two teams only met in Calgary for a weekend set this year, so it gives us very few statistics to analyze when it comes to advantages this season.

The Numbers

During UBC's visit to Calgary back on November 25 and 26, they split with the Cougars as UBC won Friday's game by a 2-0 score before Mount Royal responded with a 1-0 win on Saturday. The historical numbers say that UBC is 13-5 at home all-time against Mount Royal, but Mount Royal holds a 4-2-0 record in Vancouver since 2019. In all of those games, the winning team scored two goals or less, so I expect the defensive game that Mount Royal has been playing to continue against UBC. The last time the Cougars swept the Thunderbirds in Vancouver was November 22 and 23, 2019, so this series may favour the visitors based on historical trends.

Of course, they play the games for a reason, so I'll be watching to see if UBC can defend their Canada West title or if Mount Royal can capture their first Canada West banner in school history!

Out In The Maritimes

One series is already decided in the AUS as the UNB Reds defeated the UPEI Panthers by a 3-1 count in their best-of-five semifinal. That win qualifies UNB for the U SPORTS National Championship in Montreal, and they await their opponents competing in the other semifinal before kicking things off at home in the AUS Final.

The other semifinal has St. Francis-Xavier leading 2-1 over Saint Mary's in their best-of-five series with Game Four scheduled for Monday night at the Dauphinee Centre on the Saint Mary's University campus. The StFX X-Women fell 6-3 earlier today to the Huskies, but they'll have two more opportunities to close out the series. Saint Mary's, as it stands, has to win to keep their season alive.

Au Québec

The RSEQ saw the Concordia Stingers take out the Bishop's Gaiters in their semifinal by a 2-0 count in their best-of-three semifinal series. I don't think anyone would be surprised that the Stingers won both games by 5-1 scores, but the growth of the hockey program is encouraging to see at Bishop's. I'll speak more about this below, the the RSEQ needs Bishop's to really grow quickly.

We already know that the Montreal Carabins are hosting the U SPORTS National Championship, so their series with the Ottawa Gee-Gees was important to all three of Montreal, Ottawa, and Concordia. If Montreal defeated Ottawa, Concordia qualifies for Nationals just by being in the RSEQ Final. If Ottawa defeated Montreal, Concordia and Ottawa would meet in the RSEQ Final with the winner advancing to Nationals. So what happened?

Montreal defeated the Ottawa Gee-Gees 3-2 in overtime in today's Game Three of their best-of-three series. Montreal advances to the RSEQ Final to face Concordia, and Concordia automatically qualifies for Nationals. Concordia will look to defend their RSEQ title next week, but both Montreal and Concordia will play for the U SPORTS National Championship.

Ontario's Still Going

After an epic four-overtime, seven-period game today between the Windsor Lancers and the Guelph Gryphons that was won 3-2 by the Gryphons, the OUA will begin their semifinals this week. The Gryphons will meet the Toronto Varsity Blues in one of the semifinal series while the Waterloo Warriors will meet the Nipissing Lakers in the other series. The winners of those series will advance to the McCaw Cup Final where they'll battle for the highest honour in OUA hockey, but both teams will qualify for the National Championship.

Keep your eyes on the OUA because three of those four teams were ranked in the Top Ten this season, and at least one of them won't be going to Montreal this year.

OUA And RSEQ Changes

There will need to be some major decisions made in the next few months about what to do regarding the OUA and the RSEQ as both the Ottawa Gee-Gees and the Carleton Ravens have announced their intentions to move out of the RSEQ into the OUA by 2024-25. When that happens, the OUA will grow to 14 teams while the RSEQ will fall to four teams in total.

It seems pretty clear to me that these moves will ultimately mean that the RSEQ would be absorbed into the OUA much like the OUA Men's Conference has done. The three Quebec-based men's teams play in the East Division of the OUA alongside Ontario-based teams in Carleton, Ontario Tech, Ottawa, Queen's, RMC, and Nipissing while the OUA West Division is made up of ten Ontario-based men's teams. It's far from perfect, but it somehow works for the OUA.

Shifting Toronto, TMU, and York to the Women's West Division while absorbing Concordia, Montreal, McGill, and Bishop's would create a nine-team OUA West Division and a seven-team East Division at first glance. It would open the door to further expansion in Quebec - Laval and Trois-Rivieres, perhaps? - but the playoff format could be similar to Canada West until things were evened out.

In any case, having Ottawa and Carleton move to the OUA means the the RSEQ becomes nearly irrelevant if all teams make the playoffs and a team needs to win one playoff round to qualify for Nationals. Someone who has their name on a door at the U SPORTS offices better come up with a solution in the next few months.

The Last Word

The Canada West championship series will feature the two most successful teams over the last two season as the Thunderbirds enter the championship with a 38-8-2 record over those two campaigns while the Cougars come into the final with a 35-8-5 record. The teams feature the top two goalies statistically in the playoffs, and both teams have played some incredible defensive hockey to get where they are.

Five teams have qualified for Nationals. One team is a win away from joining them while two more are series wins from rounding out the field. If you're not pumped for next weekend's schedule of championships and playoff series, you may want to check to see if you still have a pulse!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!