Two teams have already clinched playoff spots in Canada West, meaning those two teams are simply trying to lock down their positions in the standings. Two more teams could could clinch playoff spots depending on results this weekend. If everything were to go as planned, that would leave two playoff spots remaining for the rest of Canada West, and one team was slowly tightening its grip on one of those spots. Teams are running out of real estate when it comes to playoff hopes and playoff positioning, so every point matters. Let's find out who did what this weekend on The Rundown!
FRIDAY: On paper, the top team in the conference shouldn't have problems with the bottom team in the conference, but I'm very much of the belief that there isn't a lot separating UBC and MacEwan when it comes totalent and skill. Execution and how these teams approach the game likely have a bigger effect on results, but MacEwan should be using these games to measure up to Canada West's top team. UBC still needed to collect points if they hoped to hold onto that top spot. Elise Hugens was between the pipes for the Thunderbirds while the Griffins responded with Brianna Sank guarding their cage.
The Griffins executed early in this one as they grabbed the early lead when Jesse Jack notched her sixth goal of the season off a rebound from a Jenny Andrash shot following a face-off win, and the early goal had the Griffins in front 1-0 at the 4:31 mark. UBC would answer back a few minutes later when Madisyn Wiebe's initial shot was saved, but Makenzie McCallum drove the net and had the puck deflect in off her body for her seventh goal at 8:24, and the game was even at 1-1. With just over three minutes remaining in the first period, Karine Sandilands deflected a Kaylee Peppler shot right onto the stick of Leighanna Rizarri, and she potted her first Canada West goal at 16:44 to make it 2-1 for UBC. We'd hit the break with that same score as UBC was also up 12-5 in shots.
The second period was far more physical than the first period as the penalty box doors got a workout. There was an early goal in the frame, however, as Chanreet Bassi was wide open in front of Sank for a deflection on a Rylind MacKinnon, and her seventh goal of the season just 55 seconds into the period made it a 3-1 game. Despite all the power-plays seen, though, neither side was able to break through with the player advantage. As such, we'd reach the second intermission with UBC up 3-1 and holding a 24-11 margin in shots.
I'll give MacEwan a lot of credit for their effort as they worked their tails off trying to skate with UBC, but a late redirection by Chanreet Bassi off a great pass from Sierra LaPlante at the point was the nail in the coffin on this night as Bassi's eighth goal came at the 17:00 mark. The final score may sting given the effort, but the Griffins needed more than an oh-fer-eight on the power-play. As such, the UBC Thunderbirds claimed victory over the MacEwan Griffins by that 4-1 score. Elise Hugens made 15 stops for her 11th win of the season while Brianna Sank stopped 28 shots for the Griffins.
Quick reminder: MacEwan doesn't seem to know how to make highlights. It's hard to believe that, over the past ten years, no one has bothered to learn how to use any software needed to make two-minute videos. This, at an institution of higher learning. Just baffling.
SATURDAY: The rematch game didn't have any factors change as both sides sought points to improve in the standings, but, again, their approaches may be different. MacEwan's still a young team in terms of its Canada West history, so they're getting themselves set for future successes. UBC, on the other hand, has won the past two Canada West titles, and they know how to continue to pour salt on wounds. The Griffins would need a big effort to prevent the sweep as Kayla McDougall was in the UBC crease while Lindsey Johnson stood in front of the Griffins' net.
Jesse Jack got the home side on the board early for the second-straight game as she poked home a rebound off a Jenny Andrash shot at the 3:40 mark for her seventh goal of the season, and the Griffins were up 1-0. As stated above, UBC is wired differently in terms of how they play, and they seemed to turn up the pace, the intensity, the tempo, the temperature, and anything else they could after that goal. Off a face-off win before the midway point of the period, Madisyn Wiebe spotted Mackenzie Kordic in the slot, and Kordic was given enough space by a defender for the one-timer goal as her 12th goal of the season made it 1-1 at 9:48. Two late penalties didn't hurt the T-Birds, so that 1-1 score would carry into the intermission with UBC up 22-8 in shots. Not a typo!
UBC began to exert their will on this game in the second period as Jacquelyn Fleming put the Thunderbirds ahead when she tipped home an Ashton Thorpe shot through a crowd for her fourth goal at 2:27. They made it a two-goal lead when Sophia Gaskell loaded up the cannon and sent a rocket under the bar at 6:45 for her seventh goal. And it became a 4-1 lead when Madisyn Wiebe hammered home a blocked shot from in front of Johnson for her eighth goal at 8:58. That's the salt in the wound as those three goals in 6:31 seemed to slow MacEwan's pace, and the Thunderbirds carried that score into the break while holding a 34-12 edge in shots.
The third period saw UBC tack on a power-play goal at 5:16 when Chanreet Bassi cleaned up a rebound for her ninth goal, and Mackenzie Kordic picked a MacEwan defender's pocket, skated in alone, and went forehand-backhand to make it 6-1 for her conference-leading 13th goal at 15:31. MacEwan had a shot as closing the gap a little when Joie Simon was awarded a penalty shot, but she was denied by McDougall. At the end of the day, UBC never took their foot off the gas pedal as they secured a 6-1 win over MacEwan. Kayla McDougall was good on 16 shots for her fifth win of the season while Lindsey Johnson stopped 41 shots in the game.
Here's a quick peek at MacEwan trying to make highlight reels.
FRIDAY: The home-and-home series between Alberta's two original women's hockey programs added another chapter this weekend as the Dinos were on the road in Edmonton to face the Pandas on Friday. Alberta's on a roll as they continue to try to overtake the T-Birds while the Dinos opened a gap between themselves and the pack of teams competing for the final playoff spots. Both teams were looking to continue collecting points as the Dinos had Gabriella Durante in net while the Pandas had Halle Oswald in their blue paint.
Calgary decided to get the scoring going early as Courtney Kollman picked off a pass at her own blue line, broke down the ice, and drew the defenders to her before throwing a pass into the slot where Elizabeth Lang buried her eighth goal, and the Dinos were up 1-0 at the 4:29 mark on their first recorded shot of the game. Their second recorded shot ended up in the same place as Jess Martens poked home a rebound off a Rebecca Clarke shot for her second goal of the season, and the Dinos held a 2-0 lead at 12:10. Despite the Pandas more than doubling the shots on Durante at 13-5, the Dinos would hit the first intermission with that two-goal lead.
An early penalty in the second period would benefit the Pandas when Natalie Kieser found room past Durante just 1:49 into the frame as Kieser's ninth goal cut the Calgary lead to 2-1. Alberta imposed their will throughout this period once again, but the Dinos continued to thwart the Alberta shooters when they had chances. A second Alberta power-play in the period was killed off by the Dinos, and we saw Halle Oswald come up big by stopping Evelyn Lawrence on a penalty shot. The second intermission would see that 2-1 lead for the Dinos hold despite the Pandas outshooting the Dinos by a 22-6 count.
The third period saw a much more focused Dinos squad get the puck to the Alberta net more often, but Oswald stood tall in front of the Pandas' cage. That certainly benefitted the Pandas because Oswald went to the bench for the extra attacker late in the frame, and the Pandas would tie the game with 1:03 remaining when Taylor Anker beat Durante through the wickets for her third goal and, more importantly, evened the game at 2-2! The final 63 seconds yielded no other goals, so we were off to overtime to settle this one with Alberta up 25-13 in shots!
The free hockey didn't last long. After Brooklyn Tews' shot ended up on the left side, Payton Laumbach spotted Abby Soyko coming into the zone, hit her with a pass, and Soyko buried the game-winner 48 seconds into overtime from the high slot for her fifth goal, leading the Alberta Pandas to the 3-2 overtime victory over the Calgary Dinos. Halle Oswald made 11 saves in securing her 11th win of the season while Gabriella Durante stopped 24 shots in the overtime loss.
Highlights from the Pandas are like seeing pandas roaming on the Canadian landscape: it ain't happening. Alberta used to be consistent at producing highlight reels, but that doesn't happen any longer...
SATURDAY: While both teams got points in Edmonton, the series shifted to Calgary where the Dinos were looking for the full two points and Alberta was hoping to hit double-digits on their current win streak. Holding leads is something Calgary struggled with early in the season, and they needed to change that aspect. Alberta, meanwhile, likely didn't want to wait until the final minute to earn points. Misty Rey got the call for the Pandas while the Dinos went back to Gabriella Durante after her strong game one night earlier.
Calgary exploded out of the gate in this game thanks to an early power-play, but they couldn't turn that pressure into a goal. A power-play for the Pandas later in the period barely generated shots, let alone good scoring chances, as it seemed like the Dinos were determined to end another long streak this season. The only catch? The first intermission saw the teams still tied 0-0 with Calgary holding a 12-3 edge in shots.
The second period saw a little more push from the Pandas, but the shot count was still decidedly in favour of the Dinos even after they took a penalty. The one main difference? Natalie Kieser decided to break the goose egg on the Alberta side of the scoreboard with her snipe into the right corner from just inside the left circle for her tenth goal, and the Pandas took a 1-0 lead with 74 seconds to play in the frame. That score carried into the second intermission as the Pandas led, but the Dinos still held a 21-8 edge in shots.
Calgary continued to press in the third period as they searched for an equalizer. They killed an early penalty, and then went to work on a power-play of their own where Elizabeth Lang tried to send a cross-ice pass to far point, but it was deflected by a Pandas defender and it pinballed to Sydney Mercier who buried the loose puck for her seventh goal at 8:29, and we were back to even at 1-1! However, a four-minute double-minor penalty would hurt the Dinos later in the period as Payton Laumbach fed Jadynn Morden in the slot, and she went to the backhand to score her 13th goal of the season on the power-play, putting Alberta up 2-1 at 12:24. Calgary went back to work for another equalizer, but the Pandas and the clock denied the Dinos the game-tying goal as the final horn sounded on the Pandas' 2-1 win over the Dinos. Misty Rey snagged her fourth win with a 29-save night while Gabriella Durante fell for the second-straight night after making 12 saves in this game.
The Dinos' athletics department is in a class unto themselves thanks to the work they do in producing highlight reels. Excellent work!
FRIDAY: The last two Canada West teams that won National Championships met in Winnipeg this weekend as the Manitoba Bisons hosted the Mount Royal Cougars. The Cougars were jumping back into action after having the bye week coming out of the December break while the Bisons were looking to try and emulate the Dinos by pulling away from the pack of teams they found themselves in. No one, including the Cougars, was interested in giving the Bisons any help while the Cougars themselves were still looking to catch Alberta and UBC for a playoff bye position. With both teams seeking points, Kaitlyn Ross was standing in the Mount Royal crease while Emily Shippam got the nod for Manitoba.
Mount Royal would open the scoring when Athena Hauck found the back of the net for her sixth goal at the 5:44 mark, putting the Cougars up 1-0. Manitoba would respond 2:06 later when Kylie Lesuk blocked a shot to set up Dana Goertzen for the shorthanded breakaway goal at 7:50, and Goertzen's sixth goal of the season tied the game at 1-1. Each team had a power-play, but that Goertzen shorthanded goal was the only special teams marker of the first period as the teams hit the break tied at 1-1 and tied in shots at 6-6.
Before the water had frozen for the second period, the Cougars had a 2-1 lead. Breanne Trotter beat Shippam for her fifth goal just 15 seconds into the frame, and that was the start of a second period controlled by the Cougars. 5:59 after Trotter gave the Cougars the lead, they doubled that lead when Kaia Borbandy notched her second goal of the season at 6:14, and they'd make it a three-goal lead at 12:26 when Jerzey Watteyne found the back of the net for her fourth goal to push the score to 4-1. A Manitoba power-play after the three goals did nothing to help the home side, and we'd go into the second break with that 4-1 score and with the teams tied 14-14 in shots.
Manitoba knew they needed to push the pace if they wanted a shot at tying the game, and they'd score early when Camryn Gillis picked off a puck and fed Aimee Patrick who skated it down the ice before feeding Gillis who jumped up on the 2-on-1 for her second goal of the season at 2:48 to make it 4-2. Mount Royal stepped up their defensive game from there, though, and reduced the number of quality looks that Manitoba got in the frame. They'd restore the three-goal lead when Kiana McNinch scored her seventh goal of the season at 14:46, and that was how this one finished as the Cougars claimed the 5-2 win over the Bisons. Kaitlyn Ross recorded her 12th win with a 24-save night while Emily Shippam stopped 17 shots in the setback.
Not only has Manitoba not done any women's hockey highlights this season, they don't even make them for any of their other teams. You likely know how I feel about that, but let's get Bill Murray's feelings.
SATURDAY: With a win over the Bisons today, the Mount Royal Cougars would officially clinch a playoff spot, so they had their task to complete. The Bisons, meanwhile, still looked to move ahead of Trinity Western and little more out of reach of Regina when it came to securing one of the final two playoff spots. With goals clearly laid out, Kaitlyn Ross was back between the pipes for the Cougars while Meagan Relf was the starter for the Bisons.
Mount Royal clearly understood the assignment because they started strong in this one with Jordyn Hutt going shelf for her third goal of the season just 2:16 into the game to put Mount Royal up 1-0. Manitoba killed off one penalty at the midway point, but the second penalty that followed shortly after the first one expired was a different story. Jerzey Wattyne deflected a Jori Hansen-Young shot past Relf at 11:59 for her fifth goal, and the power-play marker made it a 2-0 game for the Cougars. While Manitoba had chances, Ross was equal to the task as the Cougars held the 2-0 lead at the intermission while leading 12-9 in shots.
The second period saw the teams trade power-plays without recording goals, but the weirdest part may have been the coincidental minors assessed. This may be the first time I've seen a goaltender receive a two-minute minor for a hit to the head.
Kaitlyn Ross was involved in a large gathering in front of her goal and, normally, there are roughing penalties in a scrum rather than the "hit to the head" call which is normally reserved for checks. Somehow, though, the referees on this day assessed Ross with this infraction. That was the only highlight I could find in the second period, though, as Mount Royal led 2-0 through 40 minutes despite the Bisons carrying the play in the second frame to lead 20-14 in shots.
The third period saw Manitoba break through early as Julia Bird's initial shot was stopped, but she followed her own rebound into the crowd in front of Ross and chipped it by the netminder for her second goal at 2:19 to make it a 2-1 game. Manitoba continued to push for the equalizer, but the Cougars stepped up their defence once more. Manitoba may regret not scoring on a power-play midway through the period because they had to kill a penalty late in this one that made pulling the goalie for the extra attacker nearly impossible. At the final horn, the Cougars claimed victory over the Bisons by that 2-1 score. Kaitlyn Ross picked up her 13th win with a 27-save afternoon while Meagan Relf was on the wrong end of a 17-save effort.
It would be great to see how good this game was when it comes to some of the goals and saves made, Bisons Sports, but...
FRIDAY: The Trinity Western Spartans made their way to Saskatoon for a weekend with the Saskatchewan Huskies. The Spartans needed points to move out of a tie and into sole possession of sixth-place while the Huskies were looking to track down the Mount Royal Cougars and move into third-place. Both teams knew their assignments as Kate Fawcett made her way to the Trinity Western crease while Camryn Drever went out to the Huskies' net.
These two teams always seem to have low-scoring, tightly-contested games when they meet and Friday was no different. Jordyn Matthews was the benefactor of a turnover cause by Chloe Reid at the Huskies' blue line, and she skated in alone on Drever and beat the netminder for her fourth goal of the season at 6:29 to put the Spartans up 1-0. A Saskatchewan power-play midway through the period didn't help the Huskies, but they would get the equalizer before the horn sounded as Kate Ball finished off a 2-on-1 thanks to a great pass from Sophie Lalor, and her fifth goal of the season made it a 1-1 game with 14 seconds left in the frame. That score carried into the break with the Huskies up 10-9 in shots.
The second period saw Trinity Western up the pressure somewhat, but Saskatchewan met the challenge. The two teams swapped power-plays with no additional goals scored, but the Spartans did pepper the Saskatchewan net at times only to be denied. However, at the end of 40 minutes, the game remained tied at 1-1 with Trinity Western holding a 19-15 edge in shots.
The third period saw Trinity Western assessed a penalty early, and the Huskies took advantage with the advantage as Mallory Dyer found twine off the backhander she put on net, and her seventh goal made it a 2-1 game for Saskatchewan at 4:58. Both sides continued to press in this game with the Spantans needing an equalizer and the Huskies looking for an insurance marker. Another Saskatchewan power-play later in the period didn't help their cause, and Drever made a key save on a breakaway with about six minutes left. The Huskies would defend well down the stretch as well, and that allowed them to capture the 2-1 victory over the Spartans. Camryn Drever won her 11th game of the season on a 25-save night while Kate Fawcett likely deserved a better fate with her 23-stop effort.
There are 15 university athletic teams at the University of Saskatchewan. There are zero highlight reels for any of those teams this season. I'll let Eric Cartman handle this one.
SATURDAY: Depending on results in other games, the Huskies could clinch a playoff spot with a win today, so they knew what they had to do. The Spartans, meanwhile, still needed points to move out of that tie they were in for sixth-place, so they knew their task for this Saturday contest. The goaltenders were a rematch from one night earlier as Kate Fawcett was in the Spartans' crease while Camryn Drever was between the pipes for the Huskies.
The Huskies came to play on Saturday as they jumped all over the Spartans. An early TWU penalty turned into a Saskatchewan power-play goal as Kara Kondrat fired home a Jacquelyne Chief rebound at 3:23 for her fifth goal and the 1-0 Huskies lead. That became a 2-0 lead 2:04 later while on another power-play as Mallory Dyer fired home her eighth goal of the season. That would be an early end to Fawcett's night as Mabel Maltais took her place in the Spartans' net, but Jesper Desmarais would find the back of the net on Maltais on a great individual effort as she streaked in and dented twine at 15:01 for her second goal of the season, and the Huskies were up 3-0 through 20 minutes and holding a 10-9 edge in shots.
Saskatchewan was called for an early penalty, and that opened up a chance for the Spartans. The penalty would expire seconds before Ella Boon found just enough room between Drever and the post for her second goal, and the TWU deficit was 3-1. Trinity Western would kill three-straight minor penalties before getting a couple of power-play chances, and they'd make good on the second chance when Kara Yackel pounced on a Jordyn Matthews rebound for her fourth goal, and the lead was one as the Spartans cut the score to 3-2. That's how the second period would close with the Huskies up by a goal, but the Spartans up 20-17 in shots.
The third period saw Trinity Western continue their push for that equalizer, but the Huskies had buckled down in their own zone. Chances were thrwarted by Drever and the Huskies' defensive group, and Maltais was good in her crease when called upon, but the final horn would sound on a 3-2 victory by the Huskies over the Spartans. Camryn Drever made 29 stops for her 12th win of the season while Kate Fawcett was tagged with the loss after making one stop in her 5:27 of play. For the record, Mabel Maltais made 20 stops in the 54:03 she played.
I went to make dinner after Saskatchewan went up by three goals, so I was hoping for highlights so I could see the Trinity Western goals again. Since there aren't any highlights, I have to ask...
CANADA WEST WOMEN'S HOCKEY
School
Record
Points
GF
GA
Streak
Next
UBC
17-1-1-3
39
91
28
W7
vs TWU
Alberta
15-2-3-2
38
64
21
W10
BYE
Mount Royal
11-4-5-0
32
61
37
W3
vs REG
Saskatchewan
13-4-1-2
30
49
32
W4
vs MAC
Calgary
7-12-2-2
18
53
64
L2
vs MAN
Trinity Western
6-13-0-1
13
43
58
L8
@ UBC
Manitoba
6-13-0-1
13
38
69
L6
@ CAL
Regina
4-13-1-2
12
31
65
L5
@ MRU
MacEwan
2-18-1-1
7
32
88
L6
@ SAS
Four In, Two To Go
With eight games left on the schedule for both Trinity Western and Manitoba - currently tied for the sixth and final playoff spot - all of UBC, Alberta, Mount Royal, and Saskatchewan have clinched playoff spots. Positions for those four teams are still wide open, but all four teams can prepare for their first playoff games to be on home ice. Even if Calgary wins out, Saskatchewan technically holds the tiebreaker between the two teams.
With Manitoba in Calgary next week, the Dinos could put a stranglehold on fifth-place in the conference or find themselves right back in the thick of a playoff race based on wins and losses. Regina will need a big weekend coming off their bye week against Mount Royal in Calgary to try and pass both Manitoba and Trinity Western. Trinity Western has a home-and-home with UBC where they need to pick up points.
In short, next week could make the race for the final two playoff spots very interesting depending on the results of those three series.
New Ink In The Record Book
Full marks to this graduating student as MacEwan Griffins forward Jesse Jack is now among the greats who have skated for the Griffins! With her sixth and seventh goals this weekend, Jack set a new program record for goals by a Griffin in Canada West play, and her 12 points on the season breaks the mark set by Sydney Hughson last season for points by a Griffin in Canada West play! Jack's been an outstanding addition to the Griffins this season with her willingness to go to the dirty areas of the ice, her work ethic, and her knack for scoring goals in tight to the netminder. Her leadership is reflected by the letter worn on her jersey, and she's been an example to follow both on and off the ice.
In short, Jesse Jack's Canada West career has been short, but it's very memorable as she's now part of the school's record book for her offensive abilities. Congratulations on a fantastic year and career, Jesse, and here's hoping you can boost those totals even higher in the final four weeks of the season!
The End Is Near
If you missed the announcement on Wednesday, HBIC is coming to an end in its current form. I plan to retire the daily entries I make following the U SPORTS National Women's Hockey Championship in March, and I'll begin pursuing other interests. I'll still occasionally write things on here, but after 6000+ articles over 16 years it's time to find a new hobby that requires a lot less of my time.
I didn't comment on The Rundown in that article as I need to think about what this weekly recap article means to some people, and it's occurred to me that a lot of people like my candid comments on here about the things seen and heard in Canada West hockey. Because I have no affiliations with any of the programs, the repercussions towards me are minimal at best, but that makes me wonder why more people affiliated with the programs aren't speaking up about some of the complete garbage that is seen within programs and within the conference itself.
I'll expand on this more in the future as we get closer to the end, but let me make one thing very clear to any administrator, athletic department staff member, parent, coach, fan, or player reading this: I will always - ALWAYS - go to bat for the players. These players deserve a professional environment both on and off the ice when it comes to chasing their dreams, so don't be surpised if I call anyone out when amateur hour takes hold. Capiche? Good. Moving on....
The Last Word
I don't want to be the bearer of bad news, but I'm not sure if we're going to see a surprise at Nationals this year like we saw last season when Mount Royal upset the Concordia Stingers. That's not to say there won't be upsets, but I'm referring to the eight teams who seem like they may be checking travel schedules in March.
Canada West will have Saskatchewan at the event as the host, and it seems very likely that one of UBC, Alberta, or Mount Royal will be joining them based on how those teams have played this season. All four teams have been to Nationals in the last three seasons, so Canada West will be represented by teams that have medalled at Nationals before.
The OUA seems to have a few favorites this season as both Nipissing and Guelph lead their respective divisions, but both Toronto and Waterloo have been formidable opponents. Waterloo hosts the 2025 U SPORTS National Championship, so getting some experience at the tournament would certainly help them, but the other three teams have seen all sorts of success at the National Championship. Waterloo will need a big playoff push if they're to bump Guelph out of the way.
The AUS has had far less success when it comes to hardware, but UNB and StFX have already clinched playoff spots out in the Maritimes, and Saint Mary's is close to that level of success as well. St. Thomas might be the wild card as they're in fourth-place in the conference, but they've lost four-straight games to fall out of the top-three in the AUS. We'll have to see how these teams finish, but St. Thomas is the team with the least history at Nationals, last attending in 2018.
The RSEQ may be the one conference that sends a surprise team as the top-three teams in that conference are Concordia, Bishop's, and Montreal. While Concordia and Montreal certainly have long histories at Nationals, Bishop's has never been to the U SPORTS National Women's Hockey Championship since their expansion into the RSEQ in the 2020-21 season. Concordia is top of the conference at 14-0-2-0, but seeing Bishop's qualify for Nationals would be an exciting change!
Of course, nothing is written in store and anything can change, but we're two months from Canadian university women's hockey's biggest event, and I'm excited to see who emerges from the four conferences to compete for the Golden Path Trophy in Saskatoon!
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