UBC decided that the vast majority of the period would be played in the Calgary end as they absolutely peppered Durante with shots, but the Calgary netminder stood tall in front of the red iron. Second chances were few and far between as Durante covered most pucks, and those that didn't get covered were cleared quickly by the Calgary defence. UBC had the only power-play in the frame, but they'd come up empty on that chance. After one period of play, the two teams were tied at 0-0 with UBC holding a 21-4 lead in shots. Not a typo.
The second period saw UBC strike early as a turnover at the UBC blue line by Calgary led to a 2-on-1 for the T-Birds. Grace Elliott elected to keep despite looking for Sophia Gaskell, but the decision paid dividends as she went over Durante's glove to dent twine for the sixth time this season, and the Thunderbirds led 1-0 just 60 seconds into the frame. That lead didn't last long, though, as Caitlyn Perlinger's point shot on the power-play at 4:42 found the net behind Hugens for her first Canada West goal, and the game was tied at 1-1. Just past the midway point of the period, Josie MacLeod collected a puck in the UBC corner, made a move along the goal line to create some space between her and a UBC defender, and she tucked the puck home past an outstretched Hugens at 11:47 for her third goal as the Dinos went up 2-1. UBC wasn't going to go into the break down a goal, though, as Mia Bierd's shot with less than four minutes left was stopped by Durante, but the rebound bounced off a player in front and got past Durante at 16:28 to tie the game again. The horn would sound on a very competitive period as this game was knotted up at 2-2 despite UBC outshooting Calgary 35-14 at that point.
We'd only need 53 seconds for one team to pull ahead in the third period. Kyla Mitenko threw a wrister at the net from the half-boards that handcuffed Hugens as it found twine for her third goal, and the Dinos were back on top by a 3-2 score. That goal seemed to light a fire under the T-Birds once again as they hemmed the Dinos in their zone for minutes at a time throughout the period. Despite hitting iron in the closing minutes of the game, that would be the only puck that got by Durante in the final 19 minutes of this one as the Dinos shocked the Thunderbirds with their 3-2 victory! Gabriella Durante was phenomenal as she stopped 48 shots for her third win while Elise Hugens fell in regulation on a 12-save night.
If you're asking for highlights, UBC provides none. This game may have been a mismatch on paper, but this is why I maintain that anyone can beat anyone else on any given night in Canada West as the Dinos record the biggest win of their season so far!
SATURDAY: If you believed that the UBC Thunderbirds were content with how Friday night finished considering they controlled most of the play and outshot Calgary 50-15, you may want to readjust those beliefs. I'm sure Calgary was expecting a big push from the T-Birds in the second game, but they may be able to use their quick strikes once more to gain an advantage. Gabriella Durante was back in the crease looking to make it two-straight over UBC while Kayla McDougall for the start for the Dinos in this one.
I'll preface this game by saying that the 21 minor penalties handed out to both teams resulting in 21 power-plays made this game feel like there was less flow than the night before. It didn't stop UBC, though, as their solid power-play went to work in the first period when Cassidy Rhodes got just enough on her shot from the circle to beat Durante for her seventh goal, and UBC was up 1-0 at the 10:28 mark. 1:35 later, they'd double the lead when Kailee Peppler snapped a wrist shot through traffic for her second goal, and the Thunderbirds were up 2-0. That score would carry into the intermission as UBC held a 9-3 advantage in shots.
The parade to the penalty box continued in the second period, and it would UBC's power-play who struck again. Jaylyn Morris wired a shot from the point that found shelf at 9:40, and the T-Birds went up by a 3-0 score. Calgary's power-play seemed to respond later in the period with the T-Birds down a couple of players, though, as Caylin Perlinger looked like she scored, but the goal was waved off due to goalie interference in the crease. However, the Dinos would come right back as Sydney Mercier went backhand to the top-shelf past McDougall at 19:27 for her fourth goal, and the Dinos were on the board as the score was 3-1. The last 33 seconds saw no other scoring, and it was Calgary holding an 18-16 edge in shots.
The third period saw the teams take a break for an eight-minute stretch where no penalties were called! However, that ended midway through the period with a Dinos penalty, and UBC scored seconds after the penalty ended when Chanreet Bassi found the back of the net at 12:16 to make a 4-1 game on Bassi's sxith goal of the season. Four more penalties would be called after Bassi's goal, but none would see goals scored on those opportunties as UBC killed off 11 of 12 power-plays Calgary had in their 4-1 victory. Kayla McDougall picked up her third win of the season after a 21-save effort while Gabriella Durante stopped 24 shots in the setback.
UBC's athletics department was likely busy with the Vanier Cup on Saturday, so highlights of this game won't be seen. In honour of all the penalties, though, here's Dean Morton getting confused in his penalty call! Is it roughing, slashing, or hooking?
The opening period saw Mount Royal play more north-south as they drew a penalty just past the midway point of the period. They came out firing on the power-play, and they were rewarded when Emma Bergesen's shot dented twine behind Fawcett at 13:22 for her fifth goal to make it 1-0 for the Cougars. Mount Royal would double their lead six minutes later when Aliya Jomha notched her third goal with 37 seconds in the period, and the Mount Royal Cougars took a 2-0 lead into the break while leading 19-7 in shots.
The second period saw Mount Royal continue their pressure, but the story was the two penalties they took. Five minutes in, Mount Royal was given a penalty and TWU took advantage. Kara Yackel's shot was deflected by Kyra McDonald and stopped by Ross, but she picked up the loose puck and went stick-side on Ross as the netminder slid to her left as McDonald's second of the season made it 2-1. Later in the frame, Mount Royal was whistled for another infraction, and that allowed Kate Klassen to find Olivia Leier in the slot for the backhander that went under the bar. Leier's fourth goal came at 14:32, and Trinity Western's second power-play goal on the night made it 2-2. The teams would head to the room at the horn still tied at 2-2, but Mount Royal held a 33-13 margin in shots.
Both sides played more cautiously in the third period with Mount Royal killing off an early penalty. It seemed like this game may need extra time - thanks in large part to Fawcett's goaltending - but a late penalty to the Spartans gave us a game-winning goal. Allee Gerrard would score her ninth goal of the season on the power-play at 17:35 to put Mount Royal ahead by a 3-2 score, and that's how this one would finish as the Cougars downed the Spartans on Friday. Kaitlyn Ross picked up her tenth win on a 19-save night while Kate Fawcett likely deserved a better fate after making 38 stops in this game.
Trinity Western's two goals are highlighted in this package!
SATURDAY: After a night where the Cougars nearly got goalied, one had to figure they'd come back on Saturday and push twice as hard. Trinity Western found their power-play in Friday's game, but they needed a bigger effort on the penalty-kill, so we'd see if they could respond on Saturday. Both teams opted to swap goalies as the Cougars gave Scout Anderson the crease while Mabel Maltais was guarding the Spartans' net.
Mount Royal wouldn't waste much time in establishing a lead as Allee Gerrard dented twine for her tenth goal of the season just 3:06 into Saturday's contest, and the Cougars were off and running with a 1-0 lead. The teams would trade power-plays without goals midway through the frame, but a relatively quiet period came to a close with just the lone MRU goal scored with the shots tied at 7-7.
The second period saw more of the same solid, defensive hockey that shown in the first period by both sides. An early MRU power-play was negated by a penalty of their own, and they'd kill off a later penalty as TWU was unable to find the back of the net. Both netminders were keeping things tidy in and around the net as well, and the second period would close with the Cougars still holding their one-goal lead, and they had a 14-13 edge in shots.
The third period was played without infractions, so the back-and-forth was steady. Trinity Western pushed for an equalizer while Mount Royal continued to make good on chances without giving up anything defensively. That strategy would pay off when Abbey Borbandy scored her first Canada West goal 14:16 to put Mount Royal up 2-0. From there, the Cougars simply needed to keep the Spartans out of danger areas, and that would happen as the horn sounded on a 2-0 Mount Royal victory over the Trinity Western Spartans. Scout Anderson made 25 stops for her third win and second shutout this season while Mabel Maltais made 19 saves in the setback.
Since Trinity Western was shut out, there is no highlight reel. As convenient as that is for them, let's continue with a theme as long as the Cougars keep winning. Here's the pinball animation for "seven" from Sesame Street as the Cougars have won seven games in a row!
This one didn't get out of hand until second period, but one side scored a number of goals. Jadynn Morden scored her tenth goal of the season at 10:17 to make it 1-0 for Alberta, and Madison Willan scored her third goal as Alberta's power-play flexed its muscle, and the Pandas had a 2-0 lead 16:08. Alberta would kill a late penalty off, and they'd hit the break with the 2-0 lead despite being outshot 7-5.
Alberta used the second period to push things from bad to worse for Manitoba. Natalie Kieser scored 60 seconds into the frame, and her fifth goal made it 3-0. 2:01 later, Allison Reich fired home her second goal of the season, and it was quickly 4-0 as Meagan Relf's night came to an end. Emily Shippam came on in relief of Relf, but that didn't deter the Pandas. At 6:11, Taylor Anker scored her first goal of the season to make it a 5-0 game for the Pandas, and the rout was on. Alberta would be whistled for a penalty later in the period, but nothing came of that opportunity for the Bisons. With 40 minutes in the books, Alberta held a 5-0 lead and was up 19-18 in shots.
Cassidy Maplethorpe would add her fourth goal of the season at the 3:23 mark of the third period, and the Bisons simply couldn't solve Oswald or the Pandas' defensive system on this night as Alberta cruised to the 6-0 win over Manitoba. Halle Oswald stopped all 28 shots thrown at her for her seventh win and fourth shutout of the season while Meagan Relf was the goalie of record in the loss as she stopped six of ten shots she saw in 23:01 of play. For the record, Emily Shippam made 14 saves on 16 shots in 36:59 of relief.
No highlights from the Pandas, but this GIF sums up what happened in this game. Three-straight shutouts for Alberta as well!
SATURDAY: With the Bisons playing their final game before January after a stinging loss the night before, one had to expect them to be much better on Saturday. Alberta, as seen the night before, was firing on all cylinders, so a bounce-back wouldn't be easy. Meagan Relf was in the Bisons' crease for the second game while Misty Rey got the start for the Pandas.
The first period saw the ice slanted in one direction as Manitoba came out of the tunnel with some fire under them. The Bisons were all over the Pandas in the opening frame as they tested Rey time and time again, but the netminder kept things level for her side. An Alberta power-play saw nothing come of it despite Alberta's power-play success this season, and we'd hit the break with the teams tied at 0-0 and Manitoba holding a 15-4 edge in shots.
The second period saw the teams commit more infractions, but Manitoba's first penalty cost them when Natalie Kieser got a stick on Taylor Anker's shot and deflected it past Relf for her sixth goal, and the Pandas jumped out to the 1-0 lead on that power-play goal at the 5:12 mark. From there, the Pandas really turned on the defensive pressure as they denied Manitoba any good looks over the final 15 minutes. At the end of 40 minutes, the Pandas had the one-goal lead with Manitoba holding a 19-13 advantage in shots.
The third period felt like a sequel to the second period, only there were fewer penalties and less goals. Alberta absolutely suffocated the Manitoba offence in the final frame as very few shots found their way to the Alberta net, and the handful of shots Alberta took were denied by Relf. Unfortunately for Manitoba, time would run out on them as the Alberta Pandas posted their fourth-straight shutout with a 1-0 win over the Bisons. Misty Rey stopped 22 shots for her third win and first shutout of the season while Meagan Relf fell for the second time in as many days on a 19-save night.
No highlights from the Pandas, but they were money all weekend.
Regina came out of the gates fired up and firing pucks as they put all sorts of shots on net throughout the period. MacEwan did a good job weathering the storm past the midway point, but the Cougars killed a penalty and followed that up by scoring a goal when Kaitlyn Gilroy snapped her fourth goal past the glove of Sank at 13:15, and the Cougars grabbed the 1-0 lead in this game. 2:31 later, it was a 2-0 game when Olivia Leggett's blast on the power-play found room past the bodies in front of the Macewan net as her first goal came at 15:46. A late power-play for Regina wouldn't yield anything more, but the Cougars took the 2-0 score into the break while leading 16-4 in shots.
The second period was all about offence as both teams decided that defence wasn't needed. 31 combined shots were put on net in this period, but only one team found twine with those shots. Paige Hubbard made it a 3-0 game when she beat Sank on a breakaway at 5:15 for her fifth goal. MacEwan had opportunities, but they simply couldn't beat Williamson or pucks would avoid sticks. In any case, Regina kept coming and they'd go up 4-0 when Kaylee Dyer went blocker-side on Sank at 15:09 for her first of the season, and the Cougars took a 4-0 lead into the second intermission while holding a 32-19 margin in shots.
The third period saw Macewan continue their offensive push while the Cougars played more defence to close out this game. That combination may have helped MacEwan when Maria Ayre's centering pass went off a skate and past a startled Williamson at 8:29 for her third goal, and that cut MacEwan's deficit to three goals at 4-1. After killing off a number of longer penalties, Regina would ice this one on the power-play when Jadyn Kushniruk jammed a puck home under Sank with 2:45 to play for her third goal, and the Regina Cougars skated to the 5-1 win over the MacEwan Griffins. Natalie Williamson stopped 31 shots for her first win of the season while Brianna Sank was on the wrong end of a 32-save night.
No highlights from MacEwan, but the Cougars were all over the Griffins like this cat wrestling this toddler. Even when it looks like the kid gets away, there's the cat again! Relentless attack!
SATURDAY: The Griffins likely weren't too happy with the results from one night earlier, so I expected them to come out strong. Regina, meanwhile, showed an explosion of goals after being shut out by Alberta twice on the previous weekend, and I expected them to continue to push the pace. Arden Kliewer got the start for the Cougars while Lindsey Johnson was in the Griffins' crease!
Regina wasn't waiting around for the water to freeze from the resurfacing as Kaylee Dyer got her stick on Rachel O'Toole's point shot to redirect the puck past Johnson just 28 seconds into the game for her second goal, and the Cougars grabbed the early 1-0 lead. That goal wouldn't deter the Griffins, though, as they pushed back in the period. A mid-period penalty was killed off by the Griffins, but, seconds after the penalty expired, the Cougars added a second goal when Jenna Merk deflected a Paige Hubbard shot past Johnson at 13:16 for her third of the season and the 2-0 lead. That would be all the scoring we'd see in the first frame as the Cougars hit the intermission with the two-goal lead despite MacEwan holding a 9-8 edge in shots.
The teams clashed again in the second period as they were fairly even throughout the frame. A pair of coincidental minors were the only penalties called, but we'd see a goal late in the frame when Jesse Jack found room past Kliewer on a rebound with 29 seconds left in the period to make it a 2-1 game on Jack's fifth goal of the season. Regina had their chances, but Johnson seemingly got better as the period went on. The horn would sound on this period with Regina holding a 2-1 lead, but with MacEwan up 18-16 in shots.
Regina came out for the third period with a fury I haven't seen from most teams this season as they sent every puck they could at the MacEwan net. The problem was the wall named Lindsey Johnson who stopped every puck thrown at her. That was key because, late in the period, the Griffins found an equalizer off the stick of Maria Ayre when she sniped a shot between the wickets of Kliewer for her fourth goal at 15:22, and, more importantly, this game was tied at 2-2. The last four minutes seemed to last forever as the Cougars pushed for the winner, but the horn would sound as we'd move to overtime to solve this one with the game tied at 2-2 and Regina holding a 37-21 lead in shots.
Overtime saw both teams play a little more cautiously as neither side wanted to see the other celebrate, but the five-minute period would expire, sending us to the shootout. In the skills competition, we'd go five rounds without a goal as Kliewer and Johnson were on full denial mode, In the sixth round, however, Allee Isley snapped one high on Kliewer to put the Griffins up. Kaitlyn Gilroy would be denied, and the MacEwan Griffins rallied for the 3-2 shootout win over the Regina Cougars. Lindsey Johnson picked up her first Canada West victory with 35-save effort in regulation time and six more stops in the shootout while Arden Kliewer took the shootout loss after stopping 19 shots plus five more.
No highlights again from the Griffins because they haven't done a highlight reel in a decade, but you'd think they'd celebrate with video proof when their teams are...
| School | Record | Points | GF | GA | Streak | Next |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UBC | 11-1-1-3 | 27 | 67 | 22 | W1 | @ REG |
| Mount Royal | 8-3-5-0 | 26 | 47 | 27 | W7 | vs SAS |
| Alberta | 10-2-2-2 | 26 | 45 | 15 | W4 | @ MAC |
| Saskatchewan | 8-3-1-2 | 20 | 32 | 21 | W1 | @ MRU |
| Trinity Western | 6-7-0-1 | 13 | 33 | 37 | L2 | @ CAL |
| Manitoba | 6-9-0-1 | 13 | 32 | 54 | L2 | JANUARY |
| Regina | 4-9-1-2 | 12 | 29 | 54 | L1 | vs UBC |
| Calgary | 3-11-1-1 | 9 | 34 | 52 | L1 | vs TWU |
| MacEwan | 2-13-1-0 | 6 | 27 | 64 | W1 | vs ALB |
Changes Behind The Bench
Having seen Sommer coaching in-person, I can honestly say that New York is getting a guy who thinks the game five steps ahead of everyone else, and his knowledge of systems and tactics is second-to-none. I know Graham was likely reluctant in letting him go, but Mike has a massive opportunity at the professional level that he could turn into another pile of opportunities. In my view, Mike's good enough to be running his own program if he chooses, so that may be an avenue he explores at some point.
I want to wish Mike all the best as he jumps into the professional ranks, and I know he's going to make a difference with the women playing in the PWHL. All the best, Mike, and here's hoping there's a championship waiting for you and Howie at the end of Year One!
Vacancy Filled
With Mike leaving for the Big Apple, Graham Thomas didn't waste any time bringing in someone to fill the rather large shoes that Mike left behind. That person is none other than Partap Sandhu, and he joined the Thunderbirds with some impressive credentials as well!
We'll see how Partap Sandhu fits into the equation for the Thunderbirds, but it seems very clear that Graham Thomas has made another solid hiring when it comes to skill development and skating. For a team like UBC that already skates like the wind and has an abundance of skill, Sandhu's hiring seems like the right one to continue to push the Thunderbirds towards a third-straight Canada West title!
Road Worriers?
The Manitoba Bisons will get an extra week to rest up for the second half of the season as they'll have the bye next week in the final week of the first half of the schedule. There have been major changes for the squad since Jordy Zacharias and Amanda Schubert took over behind the bench, and I expect we'll see more as this team begins to resemble their coaching styles.It seems pretty clear that the Bisons will be playing on the road in the opening round of the Canada West playoffs if they capture a postseason berth, and the road has not been friendly to the Herd thus far. Including the two games against Mount Royal where a different coach was standing behind the bench, Manitoba is 1-6-1 this season, scoring just seven goals while allowing 28 goals-against. They've been shutout four times and have scored three-or-more goals in a road game just once this season.
Let me be clear in that these stats aren't a matter of effort. Manitoba has outshot its opponent in the last five road games, so they're getting chances. It hard to imagine that a team with as much talent as the Bisons has just seven goals on 210 shots on the road (3.33% shooting percentage), but part of those woes come from the fact that the Bisons are oh-fer on 27 power-play attempts on the road as well. If the Bisons aren't scoring when they have the advantage, it becomes a lot harder to go into the opposition's barn and win games when you score once on 30 shots.
With no games for the next five weeks, there could be some good work put in by the players to really get themselves ready for a solid second half. Whether they end up going to Alberta or Saskatchewan for playoff games will still need to be determined, but the Bisons are a combined 0-5-1 against potential playoff opponents. A solid month of hard work to ramp up the power-play and get systems down will pay dividends down the road, so we'll see how the Bisons use their longer break!
The New Standard
Ayre's five points on the season would have her tied for fourth in rookie scoring, but, unlike Morris, all of Ayre's goals have come at even-strength. One could argue that Ayre is this season's best rookie goal-scorer based on how she's scoring goals and the rate at which she's scoring them. If MacEwan needs a goal late, I'd expect Ayre to be on the ice for the Griffins just as she was when she scored the game-tying goal on Saturday!
Congratulations to Maria Ayre on setting the team rookie goal-scoring record! There's still a pile of games to go, so keep up the great work and make that record difficult to match or beat!
The Last Word
There's one more week of games on the first-half schedule for the eight teams not based in Canada West's easternmost province. Three teams have a shot at hitting 30 points before January, virtually guaranteeing that they'll not only be playoff teams, but will likely either have a bye or be hosting a playoff series. Another team can seemingly creep past the threshold depending on their results to all but lock in a playoff spot this week as well.That leaves two spots to be decided for the remaining five teams. With the Bisons watching this week, they could be out of a playoff spot by the time Sunday's games are over and they could potentially be tied for seventh-place in the conference. It seems we'll have a race for playoff spots in the second half of the season after all, and all five teams competing for that spot still have a legitimate chance at grabbing one of those two final postseason berths.
For four teams, the playoffs may start this week as every point matters, so we'll see how things shake out at the end of the first half after next week's action. One thing is certain, though: this week could set up a very interesting second half of the season.
Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!
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