Both teams played fairly carefully to open this game as neither side looked like it wanted to give its opponents any space. Calgary would be whistled for an infraction six minutes in which allowed the Bisons to put shots on Durante, but Courtney Kollman forced a turnover as the Bisons were changing, made a quick pass to Dana Wood who just came out of the sin bin, and Wood raced alone and went high on the glove side to put the Dinos up 1-0 at 8:25 with her third goal of the season. The Dinos would find a second goal just as a power-play was expiring for them as Elizabeth Lang took a return pass from Wood, and her one-timer from the left dot got by a somewhat-screened Relf for her ninth goal of the season as the Dinos went up 2-0 at 14:38. That score would hold until the horn as the Dinos took the two-goal lead into the rooms while holding an 8-6 edge in shots.
Durante was busy early in the second frame as the Bisons came out of the intermission with a serious push, but the Dinos and their netminder held the fort. That would pay off when Jess Martens was allowed to go for a skate with the puck in the Bisons' zone, skating from the corner to the blue line before curling to the slot and down to the net where her backhander had just enough on it to squeeze through the pads of Relf and into the net at 6:11 for her third goal and the Dinos' third goal of the night! Just past the midway point, the Bisons were on a rush when the puck was knocked off the stick in the slot, but Jena Barscello was in the right place to snap the puck past Durante for her second goal at 11:54, and the Bisons were on the board at 3-1. Despite a pwer-play later in the frame, the two-goal cushion would remain for the Dinos as they led 3-1 at the second break despite the Bisons being up 18-17 in shots.
The third period started with the Bisons seeking goals, and they'd get one early when Louise Fergusson put a puck on net that Durante couldn't cover, and Ashley Keller whacked it home on her third try for her sixth goal of the season at 2:31, cutting the deficit to 3-2. The Dinos wouold erase that goal on the power-play, though, as Dana Wood's shot from the point hit bodies in front, and the clearing attempt by the Bisons was swept right onto the stick of Evelyn Lawrence who zipped her first Canada West goal past Relf at 6:04, givng the Dinos the 4-2 lead. Both sides looked for more goals down the stretch as penalties piled up, but the final horn would sound on the Dinos' 4-2 win over the Bisons. Gabriella Durante picked up her eighth win of the season with a 25-save effort while Meagan Relf stopped 23 shots in the setback.
The Dinos should be celebrated every week for their highlight reels. I know I appreciate them for this effort, and I still can't figure out why they're the only team doing it. Hint, hint, other teams.
SATURDAY: With fifth-place sliding further away after the loss on Friday and the number of games decreased by one, Manitoba needed to make Saturday's game one of the must-win types of games if they had plans on avoiding the toughest path through the playoffs. Calgary's win one night earlier put them in a very good spot moving forward, but winning on Saturday would help even more. Emily Shippam was given the netminding assignment for the Bisons while Gabriella Durante was back in her crease.
The Bisons came out focused and flying as they got pucks on net through the first period often. Killing off two penalties didn't slow them either, but the Dinos found their chances as well. Both defences were quick to help the goalies, though, and the first period came to an end with the teams still tied at 0-0 despite the Bisons holding an 11-4 shot advantage.
Both teams showed up for the second period as each side put as many pucks as they could on net. Two power-plays for Calgary in the first half of the period didn't help the Dinos, and the Bisons missed out on two power-plays of their own in second half of the frame. Shortly after the second power-play ended, the Bisons capitalized as a scrum in front of Durante saw the puck amongst the skates, but Kylie Lesuk's backhander out of the crowd beat Durante with 29 seconds left in the frame as her sixth goal of the season sent the Bisons to the second break leading 1-0 in goals and 22-17 in shots.
The third period saw Calgary continue to push for goals while Manitoba traded offensive chances for defensive stops. Manitoba would see the only power-play midway through the frame, but that was killed by the Dinos. Despite their efforts, the Dinos simply couldn't solve the Manitoba defence on Saturday as the Bisons earned the 1-0 win over the Dinos. Emily Shippam stopped 26 shots for her second win of the season and first Canada West shutout of her career while Gabriella Durante likely deserved better after making 26 saves.
Once again, full marks to the Dinos for their highlight reels. No, I'll never stop dropping hints about this for the other eight programs.
It was UBC's party and they decided to celebrate with a bit of a blowout over the Spartans, so let's make this quick. Chanreet Bassi scored her eleventh goal while on the power-play to opening the scoring at 6:24. Jacquelyn Fleming added her fourth goal at 12:37, and Cassidy Rhodes hit double-digits in goals with her tenth at 15:43 to put UBC up 3-0 after 20 minutes.
Bassi added her 12th goal at 9:21 of the second period while Rylind MacKinnon notched a power-play goal at 18:42 for her seventh goal of the season, and it was 5-0 through 40 minutes of play. Grace Elliott would add a power-play goal with two seconds left in the game, but it was more than ncessary on this night as the UBC Thunderbirds blanked the Trinity Western Spartans by a 6-0 score. Elise Hugens stopped ten shots for her 12th win and third shutout of the season while Mabel Maltais did all she could in stopping 33 shots.
It's rather amazing that UBC can put video of four of six goals scored on Twitter, but they can't post a highlight reel. Unbelievable.
It didn't take long for UBC to get going as Rylind MacKinnon scored her eighth goal on an unassisted effort at 4:01 to put UBC in front. UBC continued their attack from one night before by putting shots on Fawcett, but the TWU netminder stood tall until late. That was when Makenzie McCallum found room past Fawcett for her eighth goal with 25 seconds to play, and UBC would carry the 2-0 lead in the break while holding a 14-7 lead in shots.
The second period saw a number of penalties handed out as the two sides got a little more physical, but the first penalty to Trinity Western would hurt them. Grace Elliott finished off a great passing play by firing home a feed from Bassi in the slot for her tenth goal, and the power-play marker at 4:59 made it 3-0 for UBC. The penalties through the remainder of the frame allowed Trinity Western to get a few good looks, but Hiddleston was dialed in for UBC. When the horn sounded on the second period, UBC held a three-goal lead and a 30-18 margin in shots.
The calls continued into the third period, and the Spartans would finally break through on an early power-play. Kara Yackel's shot from the left face-off dot off a rebound looked like it hit iron and came out, but the referee immediately pointed at the net as Yackel was credited with her fifth goal at 2:53, and the power-play marker for TWU made it a 3-1 game. UBC was simply too much on this day for the Spartans as McCallum scored into the empty net with one second remaining, and UBC picked up the 4-1 win over Trinity Western. Reese Hiddleston made 27 stops for her third win of the season while Kate Fawcett stopped 39 shots in the setback.
I know Trinity Western just does highlight reels to showcase their own athletes, but I'm invoking the Ricky Bobby rule here that says, "If you're not first, you're last." A 23-second highlight package showing one goal will never be good enough, TWU. Get your act together.
Mount Royal was the more aggressive team from puck drop as they had Regina pinned in their own zone at times. Thankfully, Williamson made some key saves to help kill off an early penalty and keep MRU at bay, but she wasn't able to stop them all. On a power-play late in the frame, Sydney Benko found the puck in tight to the net off a rebound, and she was able to push it past Williamson for her fourth goal of the season, putting Mount Royal up 1-0. That score carried into the break as MRU led in goals and with a 12-3 shot count.
The second period saw both sides bring their offensive games as shots were on target all over the ice. Both Williamson and Ross were sharp in this frame, but Mount Royal would light the lamp once as Allee Gerrard setup Breanne Trotter for a one-timer, and Trotter buried her sixth goal of the season at 11:43 for the 2-0 lead. A relatively clean second half of the period allowed the offensive flow to continue, but we'd hit the second intermission with Mount Royal up 2-0 and holding a 23-15 edge in shots.
The third period saw all sorts of penalties handed out as these teams got a little punchy with one another. The shot totals dropped as both sides found themselves killing penalties, but another lamp was lit late in the game when Athena Hauck sent Gabby Lindsay in alone, and Lindsay found room between the wickets on Williamson for her second goal at 17:19, putting Mount Royal up 3-0. That was more than enough offence for the Alberta-based Cougars as Mount Royal posted the 3-0 win over Regina. Kaitlyn Ross picked up her 14th win and first shutout of the season by stopping all 21 Regina shots while Natalie Williamson made 26 stops in the Regina net.
I'm a big Mount Royal Cougars fan and have been for some years. I like how they play the game. What I don't like is that their athletics department has an opportunity to showcase the reigning U SPORTS National Champions and does nothing, so here's Billy Madison with a quick, but accurate, message. You know what you have to do.
SATURDAY: The context didn't change for either Cougars team on Saturday as both still needed wins and points to help their own causes. The urgency for Regina may have been turned up a notch after Manitoba won earlier in the day, so we'd have to see if that played a factor into how they played. Arden Kliewer got the start for Regina while Mount Royal sent Scout Anderson out to their crease.
It was Mount Royal who controlled the pace in the opening frame as they found room to get shots on net, but Kliewer was equal to the task while her defence kept further harm away. However, she couldn't stop everything as Julia Duke found room past Kliewer at 11:29 for her first Canada West goal, putting Mount Royal up 1-0. A late power-play for the ALberta squad didn't help them on the scoreboard, so we'd take the first break with MRU up 1-0 and ahead 11-4 in shots.
The second period saw Mount Royla double their lead early as Jordyn Hutt found the back of the net just 2:22 into the frame for her fourth goal, and the Cougars from Calgary had the 2-0 lead. Regina pushed back following that goal, and they'd be rewarded before the midway point of the period when Raea Gilroy's shot found room through Anderson's five-hole for her first goal of the season at 8:59 to make it a 2-1 game. Regina had a few great chances thanks to a handful of Mount Royal penalties, but MRU withstood the attack to make it to the second break with that one-goal lead and a 24-14 lead in shots.
The third period saw the two teams go shot for shot until late when Mount Royal was called for a penalty. Regina opted to go 6-on-4 as they pulled Kliewer, but Mount Royal continued to hold the line as they denied chances by Regina. When the horn sounded, the Mount Royal Cougars emerged with the 2-1 win over the Regina Cougars. Scout Anderson picked up her third win with a 24-save performance while Arden Kliewer ended up on the wrong side of a 32-stop night.
Zero highlights once again from Mount Royal. The National Women's Hockey Champions play there. They've sent a number of players on to the professional ranks. Just baffling. It's almost like Mount Royal is taking a page out of Peter Gibbons' book from Office Space.
The Huskies had a solid crowd on-hand for this game, and they were into the game early when Mallory Dyer found the back of the net on a partial breakaway at 4:01 for her ninth goal, and the Huskies were out in front 1-0. The Huskies were the recipients of the only power-play in the opening frame, but that late advantage changed nothing as the Griffins showed solid defence and goaltending throughout the frame. At the end of the first period, Saskatchewan led 1-0 and was outshooting MacEwan by a 15-6 margin.
The second period was more even in terms of offensive chances, but they were fewer than what was seen in the first 20 minutes. The teams traded unsuccessful power-plays, and the defensive play held the forts on both sides. With no goals scored, the 1-0 score held through 40 minutes as Saskatchewan was up 22-12 in shots.
An early penalty in the third period gave the Huskies some life, but Brianna Sank denied those opportunities. The teams exchanged shortened power-plays later in the frame, but those were denied by the penalty-killing units as well. With time winding down and MacEwan needing a goal, Sank went to the bench for the extra attacker, but it would be Sophie Lalor scoring into the vacated net as her ninth goal of the season with 39 seconds to play iced the game. When the horn sounded, the Huskies prevailed by that 2-0 score over the Griffins. Camryn Drever picked up her 13th win and fifth shutout of the season after stopping all 18 shots she faced while Brianna Sank likely deserved better after she stopped 30 shots.
Camryn Drever might be having one of the most storied seasons in Canada West history (more below), and the Huskies' athletics department hasn't even noticed by getting clips of her making saves. What will it take to get a highlight reel out of the UofS?
SATURDAY: Fans were treated to a very entertaining goaltending battle the night before, but the stakes hadn't changed. Both teams sought wins on Saturday for their playoff aspirations, so the assignments were clear for both teams in this game. Brianna Sank was back between the pipes for the Griffins while the Huskies had Colby Wilson guarding their cage in the rematch.
The Huskies got themselves behind the eight ball when they took a penalty, but the penalty-killers did their part by keeping the Griffins off the board. Midway through the frame, the Huskies were awarded a power-play and they went to work. Sophie Lalor scored her tenth goal of the season at the 11:18 mark when she found room past Sank to dent twine, and the Huskies were up 1-0 in this one. That didn't last long, though, as Joie Simon tipped deflected Ali Macauley's point shot up and under the bar past Wilson for her second goal at 14:41, and we were back to even at 1-1. A late power-play didn't help the Huskies, and we'd hit the break at that 1-1 stalemate despite Saskatchewan outshooting MacEwan 18-7 in the frame.
The second period was fairly quiet when it came to the scorekeepers being busy. There was an early MacEwan power-play that saw no goals scored, and a late Huskies' power-play yielded the same result. Both teams had a number of shots and opportunities, but neither side could find twine as Sank and Wilson were solid in their respective ends. We were locked in another defensive battle as the period came to an end with that 1-1 tie still intact and Saskatchewan still holding a 30-18 lead in shots.
The defensive game continued to see shots denied as the third period wore on. Midway through the period, though, Ava Bergman won a face-off back to Kelsey Hall who one-timed the puck past Sank at 9:13 for her seventh goal, and the set play worked to perfection to put Saskatchewan up 2-1. The final ten minutes saw Saskatchewan really turn up their defensive pressure in preventing MacEwan from any good looks, and that effort allowed the Huskies to skate to the 2-1 win over the Griffins. Colby Wilson picked up her third win on a 20-save night while Brianna Sank was spectacular in the setback once again as she stopped 34 shots.
As I stated last week, there are 15 teams at the UofS with no highlights for the entire sport seasons they play. That includes a team that already has a berth at the 2024 U SPORTS National Hockey Championship, so let's just state the very obvious at this point.
| School | Record | Points | GF | GA | Streak | Next |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UBC | 19-1-1-3 | 43 | 101 | 29 | W9 | BYE |
| Alberta | 15-2-3-2 | 38 | 64 | 21 | W10 | vs SAS |
| Mount Royal | 13-4-5-0 | 36 | 66 | 38 | W5 | @ CAL |
| Saskatchewan | 15-4-1-2 | 34 | 53 | 33 | W6 | @ ALB |
| Calgary | 7-13-2-2 | 20 | 57 | 67 | L1 | vs MRU |
| Manitoba | 7-14-0-1 | 15 | 41 | 73 | W1 | vs TWU |
| Trinity Western | 6-15-0-1 | 13 | 44 | 68 | L10 | @ MAN |
| Regina | 4-15-1-2 | 12 | 32 | 70 | L7 | vs MAC |
| MacEwan | 2-20-1-1 | 7 | 33 | 92 | L8 | @ REG |
The Classic Battle
For those who are needing a Canada West fix in the middle of the week, you're in luck this week because the annual Crowchild Classic kicks off in Calgary. The Mount Royal Cougars technically "visit" the Calgary Dinos on Wednesday night in the annual hockey competition between the two universities. It's the tenth time the Crowchild Classic has taken place, and the women get the primetime billing at the Scotiabank Saddledome on Wednesday, January 24!If you're wondering, there is a prize besides bragging rights up for grabs when it comes to the Crowchild Classic. For the winning school in the combined sports of basketball, hockey, soccer, and volleyball, they take home "the Medal" which sounds impressive, but is actually a 68-kilogram cast iron City of Calgary manhole cover. Where it gets displayed is clearly up to the school, but it's a manhole cover.
Everyone has their traditions, right?
Winter Classic Fashion
Full marks on these, UBC. You might be terrible at making highlight reels, but this new jersey design is a winner. Keep wearing it!
Playing For A Cure
For those that don't know, the Huskies were raising funds for the Matt Cook Foundation which provides support to young adults undergoing inpatient cancer treatments. There was a raffle for a pile of prizes as well as an auction for the jerseys seen above, and the Huskies always post big dollar amounts on these nights in terms of money raised for local charitable organizations. I suspected that tonight's jerseys would help because they look so good, but we had to wait to find out the total raised for the Matt Cook Foundation.
For those that may have forgotten, the Huskies raised $8610 last year which set a new record for their Play For a Cure games. I can tell you that the number reported today eclipses that figure in a big way because the Huskies raised $16,015 on Friday night!
That's an incredible effort by the players, staff, and parents of the Huskies to help young adults get the support they need while undergoing inpatient cancer treatments, and everyone involved with the 2024 version of the Play For A Cure Night should be extremely proud of their efforts! Well done, Huskies, and here's hoping that next year's total keeps getting bigger!
A Wall Named Drever
Camryn Drever pitched another shutout on Friday night, but her blanking MacEwan isn't the story. What should be the story is Drever's incredible save percentage which currently sits at .959 through 18 games she's played and with six games left in Saskatchewan's season. Yes, you read that right: Camryn Drever is stopping 96% of the pucks shot at the Saskatchewan nets when she's standing in front of it!The last time anyone finished above .950 in a season was in 2019-20 when Alberta's Kirsten Chamberlin ended the season with a .955 save percentage in 14 games. Chmaberlin allowed 11 goals on 242 shots whereas Drever's been twice as busy this year with 20 goals against 488 shots. With every save, Drever inches closer to Chamberlin's .963 save percentage in 2019 and Jessica Vance's .964 save percentage in 2018. Again, the key in both of those seasons is that neither Chamberlin nor Vance saw as many pucks as Drever has.
There's zero doubt that Drever is a big part of why Saskatchewan has been so successful this season, but what she's doing in the greater context is rather awe-inspiring. The only season I can find that's even close to the number of shots faced with a save percentage this high is Kelsey Roberts' season in 2019-20 where she was named the Canada West Women's Hockey Player of the Year. Roberts' numbers that year saw her make 614 saves on 648 shots for a .948 save percentage in the 25 games she played.
What I'm saying is that for as good as players like Mackenzie Kordic, Elizabeth Lang, Natalie Kieser, and Emma Bergesen have been for their teams, Camryn Drever should absolutely be among the names in contention for Canada West MVP this year. You'll have a hard time convincing me otherwise based on her play this season.
Playing Spoiler
Mathematically, the MacEwan Griffins are still eligible for a Canada West playoff spot. Being eight points back of Manitoba means that their final four games are must-win games unless Manitoba earns at least one point against Trinity Western next week. The only problem is that if Trinity Western wins against Manitoba or vice versa, the playoff dream is over and one of those teams has to pick up points in that head-to-head matchup. In short, the Griffins have already been eliminated despite the math saying otherwise.The Playoff Picture
If you wanted playoff races, these next three weeks should be very entertaining in Canada West. UBC has a cushion and appears to be destined to finish atop the standings while MacEwan's fate has been sealed by the schedule already, but everything else is still entirely up in the air. Here's what the playoff picture looks like.Alberta may be the second-place team at the moment, but they finish the season with a series at home against Saskatchewan, a road series against UBC, and a home series against Trinity Western. They have two tough weekends in a row starting next week, so we'll see where Alberta finishes. Honestly, their weekend against Saskatchewan this week could determine where they finish.
Mount Royal has a home-and-home against Calgary, they visit Saskatchewan, and they host UBC in the final week. The Calgary series will be tough as it's the Crowchild Classic and the Dinos always show up to play, so nothing can be taken for granted, but next weekend against Saskatchewan could also determine where the Mount Royal Cougars finish in the standings.
The easiest thing to say about Saskatchewan's standing is they need to win out, but being in Alberta, hosting Mount Royal, and finishing off the season in Manitoba means that they need to sweep one of Alberta or Mount Royal along with sweeping Manitoba in that final weekend to move up in the standings. Saskatchewan could finish anywhere from second-place to fourth-place depending on who wons and who doesn't in these final weeks.
Calgary has a firm grasp on fifth-place right now, but they're at a disadvantage with only having four games left. Two are the home-and-home with Mount Royal while the final games see them in Regina. Depending on what happens with other teams, the Dinos could still miss the playoffs. They may be forced to play for their playoff lives when they visit Regina on the final weekend.
Manitoba currently occupies the sixth-place spot in the conference, but next week's matchup against Trinity Western at home will either help them in their quest for a playoff spot or put them in chase mode. The Bisons visit MacEwan on the first weekend in February, and they finish with a home series against Saskatchewan. If Manitoba can win the next two series, they'll have an excellent shot at playing in the postseason. If they split with Trinity Western, they'll have to beat MacEwan to make life difficult for Trinity Western and Regina.
Regina hosts MacEwan, visits Trinity Western, and hosts Calgary, and the easiest thing for me to say about Regina's chances are win out the season. Regina will definitely need points against MacEwan this weekend, and then they have to split with Trinity Western in order to have a shot at a postseason berth. Trailing Manitoba by three points and Calgary by eight points won't make it easy, but they can leap past TWU with a little help from the Bisons and they can close in on Calgary with a sweep in the final weekend. Regina may have the easiest schedule in the final playoff spot race, but it will not be a stroll in the park by any means.
The Last Word
There was a lot written above, so I'm not going to draw this out any further. What I do know is that teams need to seize opportunities over the next three weekends if they want to be in the best positions they can be for the playoffs. I can't say how the final standings will look at this moment, but one of those coveted bye positions is up for grabs for three teams, and the final two playoff spots are going to be contested by four teams. Some of these races will end sooner than others, but the final three weeks should feature some very entertaining hockey!Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!
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