If there's one lesson I've learned over the years regarding the Pandas, it's that you cannot take penalties against them. They made Mount Royal pay just five minutes into this game as Jadynn Morden found the back of the net on the power-play at 5:28 to give the Pandas a 1-0 lead! Mount Royal had opportunities to tie the game later in the period as the Pandas were shorthanded twice, but Alberta's penalty-killers were on their game in the first period, denying all three MRU opportunties. Through one period, the score held as a 1-0 Alberta lead despite Mount Royal outshooting the Pandas by a 10-4 count.
Once again, don't take penalties against the Pandas where necessary, and it was a lesson Mount Royal was learning on this night as Jadynn Morden was back for more with her second power-play marker of the game at 8:52 to make it a 2-0 game. Six straight penalties to the Cougars killed almost any chance of them getting their offence rolling in this frame, and that was evident as the horn sounded with Alberta holding a two-goal lead despite being outshot 18-14.
The third period saw both sides settle down when it came to infractions as they traded a power-play opportunity, but Alberta would find the net once more with Kaitlyn Ross on the bench for the extra attacker as Madison Willan hit the unguarded cage with five seconds to play to give the Alberta Pandas the 3-0 victory over the Mount Royal Cougars! Halle Oswald threw the wall up as she stopped all 22 shots for her second win and first shutout of the season while Kaitlyn Ross suffered her first setback in a 19-save effort.
Mount Royal's refusal to post highlights of the U SPORTS National Women's Hockey Champions is nearly an act of treason. They did post a hype video for the home opener tonight, however, so you'll get that instead. Is it the same as having proper highlights? No, not at all, but that's what we get in Canada West - zero highlights of games.
I'm not sure about this, but I recall mentioning that taking penalties against Alberta was a bad idea. Mount Royal was called for the first infraction and it didn't take Alberta long to make them regret it as power-play specialist Jadynn Morden scored her fourth power-play goal of the season at 7:42 to put the Pandas up 1-0. Much like Friday's game, the next two penalties went against the Pandas, but the Cougars were unable to convert once more as the first period ended with Alberta up a goal while being outshot 8-7.
The second period saw Mount Royal come to play as they really beared down to limit Alberta's chances. Just before the midway point, Alberta would find a break as Madison Willan picked up her second goal in as many games to put Alberta up 2-0 at 7:39! Mount Royal received the only power-play in the frame later in the period, but the Pandas were exterminating penalty situations like they were bugs to keep them ahead. At the second break, the 2-0 lead held despite a 16-9 edge in shots for the Cougars.
The third period saw the teams trade early power-play oppoertunities with no success. As time counted down, it seemed like Mount Royal was going to be held off the scoresheet once again, but they finally solved Oswald with less than four minutes remaining. Kiana McNinch kept her hot start to the second going with her third goal of the campaign at 16:19, and it was a 2-1 Alberta lead. Despite having Kaitlyn Ross on the bench for the final 1:55 of the game, the Cougars could not push the equalizer by Oswald, and the Alberta Pandas captured the win via that 2-1 score! Halle Oswald picked up her third win of the season by stopping 22 shots while Kaitlyn Ross was on the losing end of a 14-save night.
Alberta's made it two weeks in a row with no highlights, so it seems like the school simply doesn't care about showing off its athletes and their skills. I mean, they have one of the leading goal scorers in the conference right now, one of the leading playmakers, and a top netminder. You wouldn't know that, though, because Alberta doesn't bother to showcase those athletes. Instead, since I think it's very interesting and she deserves some recognition, let's learn about Rachel Wiebe who is part of the Alberta Golden Bears' coaching staff!
The first period saw Saskatchewan bring the heat as they tried to find ways through the MacEwan defence, but Sank was there each and every time to make the save for pucks that did reach her. Saskatchewan killed a penalty off just before the midway point of the frame, but there wasn't much scoring to highlight as the two teams would reach the break tied at 0-0 with the Huskies up 11-2 in shots.
The second period would see the stalemate continue as both sides were afforded a pair of power-plays that went unfulfilled. MacEwan looked like a different team as they began to find lanes to the net for shots, but Drever looked solid in her crease. Late in the period, the deadlock would finally be snapped as Kendra Zuchotzki found room past Sank with 53 seconds to play in the period, and the Huskies would take that 1-0 lead to the room after being up 19-9 in shots!
The 1-0 score was certainly something that the Huskies don't mind protecting in the third period, but a one-goal lead keeps MacEwan in the game and they would finally strike just past the seven-minute mark. Mila Verbicky's shot was stopped by a defender, but a streaking Maria Ayre would break in off the left side, pick up the loose puck, and zip it past Drever at 7:17 for her first Canada West goal, tying this game at 1-1! The celebration would be short-lived, though, as the Huskies' Kelsey Hall beat the Griffins defenders to a loose puck, broke in alone on Sank, and beat the goaltender with a backhander just 1:15 after MacEwan had tied the game to put the Huskies back up by a goal!
"I have some experience against this goalie, played against her in midget and I've beat her with that move," Hall told HuskieFan's Wray Morrison. "It was happening so fast and I thought, 'this is the way I can beat her.'"
From there, Camryn Drever and the Huskies' defence locked down the defensive zone as the Griffins struggled to get good looks on the Saskatchewan net. When the horn sounded, the one-goal lead stood as the difference as the Saskatchewan Huskies defeated the MacEwan Griffins by that 2-1 score. Camryn Drever picked up her third win of the season with a 12-save effort while Brianna Sank suffered the loss despite making 28 saves.
We're inching closer to the ten-year anniversary of anything women's hockey being put on the MacEwan official YouTube site, so the link above is the only goal you'll see from the Griffins from Friday's game. Is it too much to ask that even one school does highlights this year? If you want to see the Griffins skating this year, this may be the best highlight reel you'll get because MacEwan isn't doing one.
SATURDAY: The Huskies were looking to extend their winning streak to four games on Saturday while the Griffins were looking to stop Saskatchewan and start their own. After a defensive battle the night before, these two teams who, at times, struggled to score in the past seem to be figuring out the scoring touch. Would we get more goals today? Two people who weren't looking for more goals were Colby Wilson for the Huskies who made her first start of the season while Brianna Sank was making her fourth-straight start for the Griffins!
It would take all of 96 seconds for the first goal light to be lit as Sophie Lalor beat Sank early to put the Huskies up 1-0! MacEwan seemed to need that wake-up call as they came to life after than goal, and they'd be helped by the Huskies who took three-straight penalties midway through the period. While MacEwan couldn't score, they did have chances that Wilson turned aside. An exchange of power-plays later in the period also was unsuccessful, and Saskatchewan survived the first period with the 1-0 lead despite being outshot 14-5 by MacEwan!
Another unsuccessful power-play was the only thing to report from the first-half of the second period, but things changed dramatically in the second-half of the frame. Isabella Pozzi got a "goal scorer's bounce" as her shot hit the skate of a defender and got past Sank at 11:55 to make it 2-0 for the visitors. 1:46 later, Tess Collier - formerly Tess Bakus - hammered one from the right point that eluded Wilson and found twine to make it a 2-1 game. Later in the frame, the Huskies would blow the game open as Sydney Hughson lost the puck on the power-play which allowed Jade Cadieux to break down the ice unopposed as she went high on the blocker side just as a Huskies penalty was expiring for the shorthanded marker to make it 3-1 for Saskatchewan at 16:35. 17 seconds later, Sophie Lalor notched her fourth of the season, and the Huskies took a commanding 4-1 lead to the room despite MacEwan holding a 25-18 advantage in shots.
The teams would trade power-plays in the opening minutes of the final frame, but neither would find the net. Minutes after Saskatchewan killed their penalty, though, Kori Paterson's forecheck resulted in a turnover that she centered, and Rian Santos would bury the opportunity at 5:28 to make it 4-2. Both teams seemed to play a little more cautious with the score a little closer, but the Huskies wouldn't allow anything else into their net as the final horn sounded on a Saskatchewan 4-2 victory. Colby Wilson picks up her first win of the season on a 29-save night while Brianna Sank suffered the loss after making 23 stops.
You already know there are no highlights provided by the Griffins. Once again, we'll go a moment from the Griffins that should make you chuckle. In three weeks, though, we'll celebrate the 10th anniversary of the MacEwan Griffins posting anything to their YouTube channel pertaining to women's hockey in any way!
The first period was more track meet than hockey game as both teams went up and down the ice looking for goals. A pair of power-plays for each side produced nothing for the scoreboard, though, as the goalies stood tall and the penalty-killers were solid. Despite a very uptempo period, both teams would break for the intermission still tied at 0-0 with TWU holding a 13-11 edge in shots.
The stalemate would be broken just before the seven-minute mark when Chloe Reid's shot from the slot appeared to be redirected off the stick of a Dinos defender, eluding Durante on the stick side as the Spartans went up 1-0 at 6:55! Power-plays were not a factor in this period as the two teams had chances as time wound down, but Reid's goal stood as the only marker with the third period looming despite Calgary's pushback to lead 21-17 in shots.
Calgary missed out on an early power-play to tie the game, but they kept pushing and would be rewarded. Solana Cooper picked up her first Canada West goal as she dipsy-doodled into the slot and had just enough on the backhander to beat Fawcett at 9:38. The Dinos came back for more two minutes later when, during a questionable TWU line change, Rebecca Clarke and Josie MacLeod went back and forth before Clarke's shot found the back of the net at 11:43 to put the Dinos up 2-1! However, Trinity West wasn't going quietly into the night for their home opener. Olivia Leier threw a puck from the right side into the crease area where Brooklyn Anderson got a stick on it before Durante could cover, and that goal at 16:38 tied the game at 2-2!
The excitement didn't end there, though, as Brooklyn Anderson streaked down the right side with less than a minute to play, and her centering pass found Jordyn Matthews who shovelled the puck under Durante with 37 seconds to play! That would stand as the winner as the Trinity Western Spartans earned a 3-2 victory over the Calgary Dinos! Kate Fawcett stopped 30 shots for her first win of the season while Gabriella Durante stopped 25 shots in a losing effort.
Trinity Western produced highlight reels of only their goals last season, and they are doing the same thing again this season. Am I happy that we actually have a highlight reel? Absolutely. Am I excited that it looks like the person who put it together has never used video editing software before? No. But beggars can't be choosers, right?
SATURDAY: The Spartans were looking for an opening weekend sweep to put them in a good position moving forward. The Dinos, after dropping their second Friday game in a row, needed to respond with a win if they hoped to keep pace with other teams in Canada West. Important points were on the line as Amelia Awad got her second start of the season for the Dinos while Mabel Maltais was in the crease for the Spartans for her first start of the season!
This one started quick as Courtney Kollman got her first as a member of the Dinos when her and Sydney Mercier broke in on a two-on-one, Mercier fed Kollman, and Kollman zipped a shot past Maltais at 4:15 for the 1-0 lead! TWU would get that one back, though, when Kate Klassen simply outraced a couple of Dinos defenders down the ice, and her backhander went under Awad's glove and inside the post at 8:04 to make it a 1-1 game! A late Calgary power-play did nothing to help the Dinos, and we'd hit the break with the 1-1 tie intact and with Calgary leading 9-7 in shots.
Calgary would strike early in the middle frame as well. The Dinos won an offensive zone face-off back to Dana Wood, and her shot from the right point eluded the traffic heading to the net and found its way past Maltais, and Wood's goal would make it 2-1 for Calgary at 4:15. The Spartans would tie up just past the midpoint of the period as a cleared puck on a Calgary power-play allowed Kasey Ditner to race down the ice and go in on the breakaway, and she'd bury it glove-side on Awad for the shorthanded goal and her first Canada West goal at 11:05! The Spartans would then take the lead at 17:35 off an offensive zone face-off. Presleigh Giesbrecht seemingly was hauled down, but she used her long reach to poke the puck towards the net, and Olivia Leier found it and slid it under Awad to make it 3-2 for the Spartans! That would be the score as the second intermission began as well despite the Dinos holding a 22-13 edge in shots.
The Dinos opted for Gabriella Durante for the final period as Amelia Awad was on the bench and one had to wonder if that move would pay off. The two teams traded power-plays before the halfway point of the third period, but neither would capitalize. However, a Trinity Western power-play would see the Dinos find their offence. A blocked shot led to Calgary sending a bouncing puck to the line that got past Chelsea Debusschere, and the race was on as Calgary's Kyla Mitenko caught up to the puck, fed Elizabeth Lang, and Lang spotted Mitenko wide-open on the right post where she deposited the puck into the yawning cage for a shorthanded goal and her first Canada West goal at 14:59 that tied the game at 3-3! Nothing would be solved in the final five minutes of regulation time, so we'd need overtime to find a winner!
The five-minute, three-on-three overtime solved nothing, so that brought up the first skills competition of the season as the shootout started with Brooklyn Anderson being denied by Durante before Kyla Mitenko went ridiculous with a between-the-legs goal to put the Dinos up 1-0. Olivia Leier was next for the Spartans, and she too was turned away. Evelyn Lawrence would bury her opportunity next as she technically scores her first Canada West goal and game-winning goal, and the Calgary Dinos picked up the 4-3 shootout win over the Trinity Western Spartans!
I preached this last season, but statistics are important and off-ice officials and scorekeepers had better get these right. Gabriella Durante should have been the goalie of record in this game as she was on the ice when Calgary won the game, yet the goalie stats for Canada West show that Amelia Awad earned the win. Since this is wrong based upon every rule for goaltending stats in hockey, I'm crediting Durante with her first win of the season after she played 25:00 in relief of Awad and stopped all 18 shots plus two shootout attempts she faced. On the other side, Mabel Maltais suffers the shootout loss after making 33 saves in this contest. For the record, Amelia Awad played 40:00 of time, surrendering three goals on 13 shots in that time. And yes, someone needs to sit down with the scorekeepers out in Langley and sort this out.
Again, Trinity Western only shows highlights of their players, but at least the majority of the goals that Calgary scored are linked above. We almost have a full highlight package here if those were to be combined! Either way, here are the Spartans' goals.
UBC needed just five minutes to get on the board as Mackenzie Kordic's shot from the top of the left circle beat a screened Williamson at 5:01, and the Thunderbirds were up 1-0. The teams traded power-plays through the rest of the period, Regina got their legs going to generate some offence, but the horn brought the first period to a close with UBC up 1-0 and leading 11-7 in shots.
Regina was doing their best at keeping things close, but UBC would double their lead at 6:58 when Rylind MacKinnon found a loose puck behind the net and quickly wrapped it around the post before Williamson could get her skate there for the 2-0 lead! I'll give Regina credit for clogging up the middle of the ice and making things tough for the Thunderbirds around Williamson, but a couple of power-plays for the T-Birds late in the period saw them just miss on a couple of attempts as Regina dodged a bullet. At the second break, UBC held that 2-0 lead and a 19-9 advantage in shots.
Unfortunately for Regina, the dam burst in the third period. Mia Bierd's slapshot from the right point was deflected up past Williamson at the 5:00 mark for the 3-0 lead. 55 seconds later, Cassidy Rhodes centered to Madisyn Wiebe from behind the net, and Wiebe wired home a shot for her first Canada West goal to make it 4-0! Makena Kushniruk would get one back on the power-play to make it 4-1, but Mackenzie Kordic added her third goal of the season at 13:23 to make it 5-1 and Kailee Peppler notched a goal at 17:56 to make it 6-1. That was more than enough offence on this night as the UBC Thunderbirds skated to the 6-1 win over the Regina Cougars. Elise Hugens picked up her second win of the season with a 12-save night while Natalie Williamson took the loss after stopping 31 shots.
Look, I'm tired of schools not making highlight reels. If you don't care about the two-time defending Canada West champions, UBC, neither do I. Because you don't care, UBC, all of your highlights this season are going to be Wes McCauley highlights. You have the best team in Canada West based upon the last two seasons, and you don't make highlight reels despite clipping the goals so enjoy Wes McCauley in place of where your players should be shown.
SATURDAY: After a rough third period on Friday, Regina needed to step up to salvage some points out of this weekend's series with UBC. The Thunderbirds, meanwhile, were looking to keep their momentum rolling with another win and a weekend sweep. Arden Kliewer was tasked with stopping the T-Birds on Saturday while Kayla McDougall was starting her first Canada West game in this one!
Just 39 seconds into this game, a goal light was flashing as Mackenzie Kordic scored her fourth goal with a low shot that beat Kliewer. Regina, however, would come right back as Kaitlyn Gilroy forced a turnover before feeding Jordyn Blais, and she beat McDougall at the 1:38 mark to make it a 1-1 game! Regina would be called for an infraction later in the period, but nothing would come of it as the two teams battled to the horn. At the break, it was a 1-1 game with UBC leading 10-3 in shots. Before we go on, though...
The second period, unfortunately, was a lot like the third period from Friday when it came to how many goals were scored by UBC. Grace Elliott deflected Sierra LaPlante's point shot past Kliewer at 7:34, and UBC led 2-1. Mackenzie McCallum then picked up her first goal as a T-Bird after transferring in from McGill this summer, and her goal at 10:01 made it 3-1. Annalise Wong set up Joelle Fiala, and she went shelf on Kliewer at 11:19 for the 4-1 lead. McCallum would add her second of the period by banking the puck off Regina's Shelby Rublee and past Kliewer at 14:27, and the Thunderbirds held a 5-1 lead that would carry into the second intermission. UBC held a 29-7 advantage in shots as well.
The final period saw Madisyn Wiebe add a sixth goal for UBC, but this game's result was never in doubt after that four-goal second period as the UBC Thunderbirds put another 6-1 win on the board against Regina. Kayla McDougall wins her first Canada West game after making nine stops on this night while Arden Kliewer stopped 33 shots in the loss.
No highlights from UBC means more Wes McCauley. Enjoy!
| School | Record | Points | GF | GA | Streak | Next |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saskatchewan | 4-0-0-0 | 8 | 14 | 5 | W4 | BYE |
| UBC | 3-0-0-1 | 7 | 16 | 6 | W2 | @ MAN |
| Alberta | 2-1-1-0 | 6 | 4 | 4 | W1 | @ MAC |
| Mount Royal | 1-2-1-0 | 4 | 10 | 7 | L2 | @ CAL |
| Calgary | 1-2-1-0 | 4 | 9 | 9 | W1 | vs MRU |
| Trinity Western | 1-0-0-1 | 3 | 6 | 5 | L1 | @ REG |
| MacEwan | 1-3-0-0 | 2 | 6 | 10 | L3 | vs ALB |
| Regina | 0-3-0-1 | 1 | 4 | 21 | L4 | vs TWU |
| Manitoba | 0-2-0-0 | 0 | 2 | 8 | L2 | vs UBC |
Stats Matter
I noted that Gabriella Durante had a win that she earned taken away from her above at Trinity Western, and I added the Jordyn Blais statistical error because that's a big moment that UBC messed up. It should also be noted that Sophie Lalor of the Saskatchewan Huskies was awarded a shorthanded goal on Saturday when there was no one sitting in the penalty box.Look, I get the whole "to err is to be human", but statistics matter when it comes to nominations for awards. These are mistakes that shouldn't happen when it comes to knowing the game, and it seems that there may need to be a few athletics departments needing to chat with their scorekeepers. Accuracy matters, folks, so let's get this stuff right!
Stats Matter - The Sequel
Last week, we saw teams that scored first went 6-0-2 for the weekend. This weekend, teams that scored first went 8-0-0. Combined, that's 14-0-2 which is way ahead of the 75%-ish trend we normally see for the season, but it's showing that teams who score first are certainly more successful this season. As you can see, there hasn't been a regulation loss in 16 games, so every team that's scored first has recorded at least one point in those 16 games.I cannot stress this enough: get out in front as soon as possible and put the pressure on your opponents. It seems to be working this season, and the trends from the past few seasons have shown that teams that score first win more often. Use that stat as you see fit.
The Swedish Pros
As we know, a number of former Canada West players are currently playing in the SDHL. The women's division has played either five or six games depending on which team you're looking at, but here are the stats of the former Canada West players earning a living playing hockey in Sweden:- Jaycee Magwood (REG) - 2 goals and 4 assists in 5 games.
- Anna Purschke (MRU) - 2 goals and 4 assists in 6 games.
- Autumn MacDougall (ALB) - 1 goals and 3 assists in 6 games.
- Tatum Amy (MRU) - 3 goals and 0 assists in 6 games.
- Mathea Fischer (UBC) - 1 goal and 2 assists in 6 games.
- Kate Stuart (UBC) - 0-2-0, 4.35 GAA, .834 sv% in 3 games.
The Last Word
Usually, I have some smart-ass thing to say down here, but tonight will be different. It's Thanksgiving weekend - a time for family and giving thanks for that which is good in your life. I hope you're grateful for everything you have and for the people around you.If you do feel like you can do more, please help out at a local food bank, homeless shelter, or soup kitchen where your efforts can go to helping those most in need. With temperatures dropping overnight, getting a warm meal and a warm smile can go a long way for those who need our help. This isn't just a request for Thanksgiving, although it makes the most sense to start pushing it now.
Happy Thanksgiving, folks! Thanks for reading!
Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!
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