The Rundown - Week 7

We're nearly two months into the season, and it's fairly clear that certain have playoff aspirations while others may be looking to plan for next season. Seven teams have played their way into the playoff discussion, and that number will be reduced to six by February. The good news is that all nine teams can still earn a playoff spot based on their schedules if they start winning now, so let's find out how the games went for eight of the nine teams on The Rundown!

FRIDAY: If there's one team that has given the UBC Thunderbirds headaches over the last couple of seasons, the Calgary Dinos may be that team. While Calgary has yet to earn two wins in a weekend over UBC, they've certainly been in a pile of games that UBC eventually has found a way to close out. Calgary was looking for points again this weekend as they attempted to be that thorn in UBC's side once more at home while the T-birds were looking to extend their division lead. Elise Hugens was in the UBC crease while Amelia Awad got the call for Calgary to begin this weekend's fun.

Both squads had some jump in their skates as they battled in the first period. UBC was plagued with penalties through the opening frame as four minor penalties were called in the frame, and they all went against the Thunderbirds. They would weather that storm, though, while still finding good offensive chances, but the goaltenders were strong in the opening period as the horn sounded on a 0-0 period despite UBC holding a 10-8 edge in shots.

Early in the second period, UBC got their legs going after killing over a penalty that beld into the middle stanza. Annalise Wong caught Jaecia Joyce flat-flooted as she broke into the zone on the left side, and her speed allowed her to get to the slot where she wired a shot past Amelia Awad's blocker for the opening goal at 2:35! Somehow, that didn't get onto the highlight reel below, so it's posted here. Nevertheless, the score stood at 1-0 following Wong's marker.

Calgary would see their first penalty called against them at the six-minute mark, but it was no reason to stop looking for offence. Brooklyn Anderson poke-checked Jacquelyn Fleming at the blue line, and she was off to the races where she went through the five-hole on Hugens for the shorthanded marker at 6:18 to tie the game at 1-1!

Penalties, though, would come back to haunt the Dinos in this period as Grace Elliott finished off a gorgeous tic-tac-toe passing play from the bumper spot to make it 2-1 at 10:19 before Jaylyn Morris's shot from the point at 12:35 found room through traffic for another goal as UBC used two power-plays to take a 3-1 lead. A late goal by Ashton Thorpe at 17:15 after her initial shot was blocked would make it a three-goal advantage for UBC, and we'd hit the second break with UBC up 4-1 while holding a 20-14 edge in shots.

UBC seemingly claimed the third period by controlling the puck as Calgary couldn't find very many opportunities, but neither side would add more to their totals on the scoreboard. UBC would capture a 4-1 in over Calgary on this night. Elise Hugens improved to nine wins on the season after a 16-save effort while Amelia Awad was on the losing end of a 28-save night.

Most of the highlights of this game are below!


SATURDAY: For the first time all season, the Dinos found themselves in unfamiliar territory: outside of a playoff spot. Clearly, that wouldn't sit well with the Dinos as they looked to rebound from the night before and correct that problem against UBC. The Thunderbirds, however, were not about to let a chance for a double-digit win streak pass them by as they were 9-0-0 in their last nine games. Something had to give here as Elise Hugens was back in net for the Thunderbirds while the Dinos went with Amelia Awad for the second night in a row for a true rematch.

Calgary clearly was on a different level in this game compared to one night earlier as they started with all sorts of jump, but UBC were ready to respond as they showed their own brand of speed and skill. The doughnuts would be broken midway through the frame when Emma Tait dropped a pass to Josie McLeod in the slot, and her shot seemed to handcuff Elise Hugens as it found its way through the netminder and into the net for the 1-0 Calgary lead at 9:31! UBC had a few chances to tie the game later in the frame, but the Calgary defence was solid and Amelia Awad stood tall. The Dinos took their one-goal lead to the break with an 11-9 edge in shots.

The second period saw the defences step up as a lot of opportunities never reached the net. UBC had the lone power-play of the frame, but they couldn't make anything happen on that opportunity. Shots from further out saw no rebounds corralled, and those chances that got to the inside never materialized into goals on the scoreboard, so we'd hit the second break with Calgary still leading 1-0, but UBC holding the 15-14 shot lead.

The third period got off to a good start for UBC as Grace Elliott used that long stride and her long reach to beat a Calgary player to a loose puck, and then used that speed and reach to get around a defender and tuck the puck home under Awad at the 3:42 mark for her conference-leading ninth goal as UBC pulled even at 1-1! UBC certainly had the majority of chances in this period, but Awad and the Calgary defence worked together at bailing one another out as this game wound down. As the final horn sounded, the game was still tied at 1-1 so we'd have some free hockey to play as UBC held the shot advantage at a 26-17 count.

We wouldn't need long for this one to have a winner. Off an offensive zone face-off, the Dinos controlled the puck before Brooklyn Anderson returned a pass to Kate Wagner at the top of the zone for a quick one-timer, and it appeared that Hugens picked it up late as the puck seemed to fly over her glove and into the top-left corner for the game-winner as the Calgary Dinos earned the 2-1 overtime victory over the UBC Thunderbirds! Amelia Awad picked up her sixth win of the season after stopping 25 shots while Elise Hugens suffered the overtime loss in a 17-save effort.

Highlights of this overtime win are below!

FRIDAY: The top teams in Canada West's East Division met in Edmonton with their sights set on first-place in the division. With Alberta going 7-3-0 in their last ten games, one has to believe that the Pandas will be a serious contender to emerge for the Canada West banner, but Regina has shown a resilience and some scrappiness all season that suggests that one cannot count them out. Two different styles of winning games would clash in the Alberta capital - which would stand out? I wish I could show you, but there are no highlights from the Pandas despite them having 926 subscribers on their YouTube channel.

Pandas goals: Abbey Bourdeaud'Hui (2), Raegan Yewdall (3), Raegan Yewdall (4), Madison Willan (2), Hayleigh Craig (2)
Pandas assists: Ryann Perrett (2), Hayleigh Craig (1), Sara Kazeil (5), Natalie Kieser (3), Taylor Anker (3), Raegan Yewdall (2), Natalie Kieser (4), Izzy Lajoie (3), Taylor Anker (4)
Pandas netminder: Mackenzie Dojahn (20/20)

Cougars goals: none
Cougars assists: none
Cougars netminder: Arden Kliewer (42/47)

Result: 5-0 victory for Alberta over Regina.

SATURDAY: After what one could call a convincing victory on Friday, the Pandas were looking to put some space between them and the rest of the division. Regina needed a win to keep pace with the Pandas in the standings as a regulation victory would tie them atop the division. Again, no highlights from the Pandas because why would they want to show off their athletes in these kinds of games?

Pandas goals: Ryann Perrett (3), Izzy Lajoie (1)
Pandas assists: Abbey Bourdeaud'Hui (1), Annie King (1), Jadynn Morden (3), Sara Kazeil (6)
Pandas netminder: Grace Glover (21/22) in 63:49

Cougars goals: Olivia Leggett (1)
Cougars assists: Kaylee Dyer (3)
Cougars netminder: Natalie Williamson (40/42)

Result: 2-1 overtime victory for Alberta over Regina.

FRIDAY: Downtown Edmonton was also hosting games this weekend as the Trinity Western Spartans visited the MacEwan Griffins. Trinity Western was on a program-best four-game win streak entering Friday's game, and had climbed back into the West Division's playoff race because of it. MacEwan hasn't seen any sort of prolonged success this season, but they were looking to break out this weekend against their Canada West expansion cousins. Of course, there are no highlights because the Griffins can't be bothered despite having two different YouTube channels and 129 subscribers. That's a new level of apathy. Anyway, here's the scoring summary.

Griffins goals: Sasha Malenfant (1)
Griffins assists: Ella Maternick (1)
Griffins netminder: Brianna Sank (37/40)

Spartans goals: Kara Yackel (3), Jordyn Matthews (3), Olivia Leier (2), Kelsey Ledoux (1), Jordyn Matthews (4)
Spartans assists: Olivia Leier (6), Jace Scott (3), Kasey Ditner (4), Kyra McDonald (2), Kasey Ditner (5), Emily Karpan (1)
Spartans netminder: Kate Fawcett (10/11)

Result: 4-1 victory for Trinity Western over MacEwan.

SATURDAY: It's hard to take positives from an 11-shot outing in which everyone except the goaltender was outplayed, but something has to give for the Griffins. More on this below, but they need a much bigger effort from everyone if they wanted to topple the Spartans. Trinity Western was looking to extend their win streak to six games, so let's check out the scoring summary because there sure as heck won't be highlights.

Griffins goals: none
Griffins assists: none
Griffins netminder: Lindsey Johnson (36/38)

Spartans goals: Brook Dorash (1), Ashley Breitkreuz (3), Kyra McDonald (2)
Spartans assists: Cailin Yackel (1), Kyra McDonald (3), Ella Boon (3)
Spartans netminder: Mabel Maltais (12/12)

Result: 3-0 victory for Trinity Western over MacEwan.

FRIDAY: The 2018 National Champions met the 2023 National Champions in Calgary as the Bisons made the trip west to southern Alberta. Coming off a bye, Manitoba had a week to prepare for one of Canada West's best teams this season while the Cougars always play the Bisons tough. In fact, in their history, the Cougars are 11-13 against the Bisons all-time, so Calgary has been anything but friendly for the Herd. Mount Royal seems to believe that the 420 subscribers to their YouTube channel don't care about highlights, so they don't make them. Instead, here's the scoring summary.

Cougars goals: Allee Gerrard (1), Athena Hauck (3), Jerzey Watteyne (5), Jordyn Hutt (2), Jordyn Hutt (3), Aliya Jomha (6), Athena Hauck (4)
Cougars assists: Aliya Jomha (6), Jori Hansen-Young (3), Kiana McNinch (5), Dara Thompson (1), Dara Thompson (2), Gabby Lindsay (2), Dara Thompson (3), Jori Hansen-Young (4), Athena Hauck (6), Aliya Jomha (7), Allee Gerrard (3)
Cougars netminder: Kaitlyn Ross (13/13)

Bisons goals: none
Bisons assists: none
Bisons netminders: Emily Shippam (10/15) in 26:52; Paige Fischer (14/16) in 33:08

Result: 7-0 victory for Mount Royal over Manitoba.

SATURDAY: The Cougars now have defeated the Bisons in seven-straight games dating back to January 14, 2023. In five games during that streak that were played in Calgary, Mount Royal has outscored Manitoba 28-5. More on these stats below, but to say the Cougars have had the Bisons number in Calgary might be underselling just how dominant they have been. Could Manitoba bounce back after last night's thrashing?

Cougars goals: Athena Hauck (5), Jordyn Rivett (1)
Cougars assists: Aliya Jomha (8), Kaia Borbandy (1), Julia Duke (3)
Cougars netminder: Scout Anderson (14/17) in 62:17

Bisons goals: Norah Collins (6), Aimee Patrick (3), Dana Goertzen (2)
Bisons assists: Julia Bird (2), Kylie Lesuk (3), Kylie Lesuk (4)
Bisons netminders: Paige Fischer (24/26) in 62:17

Result: 3-2 overtime victory for Manitoba over Mount Royal.

No, I'm not doing the stupid East and West Divisions on the standings board. One conference, nine teams, let's see who is best.

CANADA WEST WOMEN'S HOCKEY

School	Record	Points	GF	GA	Streak	Next
UBC	9-2-2-1	23	43	22	L1	BYE
Mount Royal	7-2-1-2	18	33	17	L1	@ TWU
Alberta	6-3-3-0	18	28	15	W4	@ SAS
Regina	2-3-4-3	15	17	24	L3	vs MAC
Trinity Western	6-5-1-0	14	26	20	W6	vs MRU
Calgary	5-4-0-3	13	28	27	W1	@ MAN
Manitoba	4-3-2-1	13	22	19	W1	vs CAL
Saskatchewan	0-8-0-4	4	11	28	L12	vs ALB
MacEwan	1-9-0-2	4	9	40	L8	@ REG

Honour Roll

Each week on The Rundown, I highlight the best performances from the weekend's games. It won't always be the top scorer or the best goalie, but I'll have a reason for who gets picked each week. This week's Honour Roll candidate will be the conference's top scorer as UBC Thunderbirds forward Grace Elliott adds her name to the list!

There's no doubt that the tallest player in Canada West might be one of its best after scoring double-digits in goals and more than 20 points in each of the last two seasons. This season, though, she's on the precipice of both in mid-November as she has nine goals and 19 points already this season, and there's no sign of her slowing down based on her play. She's been held off the scoresheet in just four of UBC's games this season, and she already has six multipoint games including a four-point night. She hasn't gone more than a game without scoring a goal, and she's been one of Graham Thomas's most consistent forwards over the last two-plus seasons.

With UBC having five of the top-nine scorers this season, there shouldn't be any surprise that a UBC player is leading the conference in scoring. What may surprise you, though, is that Elliott's nine points better than the next UBC player, and that means she's in on a large number of the scoring plays that UBC generates. That can't be overlooked when it comes to UBC's success again this season, and it's the reason why Grace Elliott is being added to the Honour Roll!

Shameless (Self)Promotion

We're back this week with another interview from The Hockey Show featuring a specific Canada West athlete. As stated, Canada West hockey is more than just hockey; it's joining a new school, finding new friends, discovering one's passions, and playing a little puck. On The Hockey Show, we talk about all this cool stuff going on in athletes' lives, so let's introduce you to another great person!

With PWHL camps getting underway and both Rylind MacKinnon and Kaitlin Willoughby at the Toronto camp, I thought it might be fun to bring back the interview I did with current PWHL Ottawa and former Calgary Dinos head coach Carla MacLeod. Carla's an incredible coach, an even better person, and she talks fondly of her career, her time in Calgary, coaching the Czechia team, and more! Three things stood out to me in this chat with Carla: she wants hockey to be fun and enjoyable for the players, she cares about her players, and she's an excellent communicator. Those three elements may explain why she risen through the various coaching levels as fast as she did, and she was one heckuva player in her time as well!

As much as I hate the team name, I do want PWHL Ottawa to do well this season after speaking to goaltender Logan Angers this summer, defender Savannah Harmon last season, and head coach Carla MacLeod before she made the jump to the PWHL! Here's hoping Ottawa is in the playoffs this season, and Carla MacLeod is recognized for her knowledge and abilities as head coach!

Anywhere But Calgary

I spoke of Manitoba's struggles above when playing Mount Royal, but there's a lot more to what's happening in this rivalry. As we know, Mount Royal's first-ever playoff appearance came at Wayne Fleming Arena in 2017 where Manitoba won both games at home, but it's been slowly tilting away from the Herd ever since that playoff battle.

Starting in that 2017 season, Manitoba rattled off nine-straight wins over Mount Royal between October 27, 2017 and October 12, 2019. On October 13, 2019, Mount Royal snapped that streak with a 4-0 win over the Bisons, and that was where the scales began sliding the other way. Since that October 13, 2019 game, Mount Royal is undefeated in regulation time against the Bisons in 17-straight contests, going 13-0-4 in those games. Specifically in Calgary, the Cougars are 10-0-2 against Manitoba since October 13, 2019.

Overall, the Cougars have outscored the Bisons 62-24 in those 17 games while outscoring the Bisons 45-13 in the 12 games in Calgary. Kaitlyn Ross has led the way between the pipes with a 14-0-2 record and five shutouts in those games while surrendering just 18 goals. Offensively, Athena Hauck has lit the lamp ten times against the Herd while posting 16 points in those 17 games, and there have been a total of 35 players who have recorded a point in the 17 games. To say that it's been one-sided isn't even close.

Of course, the stats don't reveal everything, though. The Bisons have lost five games by a goal while winning in overtime in four others. If the games go to extra time, Manitoba sports a 4-0 record in overtime since 2017 in those 17 games with two of those wins coming in Calgary. However, it's hard to look at the 17-game streak with no regulations losses and figure that Manitoba has a shot if they cross over to play Mount Royal. If I'm Manitoba, I'm doing everything in my power not to play Mount Royal in February in Calgary.

Logically Eliminated

Look, I hate to report on any team being eliminated at any time of the year because these women give it their all, but it may not be a stretch to suggest that the MacEwan Griffins are logically eliminated. Not mathematically, thankfully, but the numbers are starting to look more and more like it will be another campaign without a playoff game for the Griffins.

Through their 12 games, the Griffins have recorded just 166 shots. Manitoba, which has played two less games, sits at the next lowest with 268 shots - 102 more than a team that has played two more games! This isn't like this is a one-off statistic either as MacEwan was dead last in shots on net last season with 519; Regina was next lowest with 667 (148 difference). In 2022-23, they recorded 621 shots; Trinity Western had 627 as the next lowest. In short, MacEwan has been least offensively productive team over the last three seasons.

By averaging 13.8 shots on net through their first 12 games, MacEwan's total would end up being 387 shots on net total this season - far and away the least amount of shots for any team and that includes the 20-game 2021-22 season. The 5.5% shooting percentage that they currently have would be the lowest for any team as well, and would translate to just 21 goals for the season. Whatever they're doing at the Downtown Community Arena in Edmonton is going in the wrong direction, and it's starting to become evidently noticeable when they put together a 23-shot WEEKEND. Not for nothing, 5.5% of 23 shots is one goal - exactly what they scored this weekend.

I want the MacEwan Griffins to prove these stats wrong and start scoring like gangbusters, but they aren't even getting the shots on net to do so. There are still enough games left for the Griffins to make a run, and it would certainly help if they could beat Regina next week. It seems that something dramatic will have to change, however, for the Griffins to have any chance at making the playoffs this season, and that disappoints me considering their long history of winning.

Bye Week Craziness

I said I'd keep an eye on this, and I have: teams coming out of the bye week are now a combined 6-5-3. One would think that a team would buckle down, watch video, fix weaknesses, and work on exploiting their opposition's weaknesses, but being a game above .500 means a lot of teams don't seem ready to jump back into action. Granted, that record is better than the 2-3-1 record from earlier this season, but that's still a crazy record for teams with a week to prepare.

The Last Word

I want to take a moment here and congratulate all of the players who have scored their first goals, their first points, recorded their first assists, picked up their first wins, and earned their first shutouts that haven't gotten the credit that I normally give these players. You all deserve a mention, but it's not me who should be doing it as the primary point of contact as much as I want to be.

I know Canada West was trying to honour its SIDs and communications people this week, but it's hard for me to sit here and wonder why no one is making bigger deals any time someone hits a major milestone or accomplishment. I'll give MacEwan some credit for posting Sasha Malenfant's first-ever Canada West goal, but that should be the very minimum threshold for what's being done for athletes.

I'm not here to excuse Mount Royal as I do know why they don't tweet or post goals during games, but Dara Thompson had an incredible Friday night in posting three assists in her first Canada West game while Jordyn Rivett scored her first Canada West goal on Saturday. Total mentions are none despite them having a whole athletics department at their disposal. Further to this, the Trinity Western Spartans didn't even bother mentioning Brook Dorash's first Canada West goal this weekend nor did they clip a video of it. Why is this such a difficult task?

To everyone who got their "first" anything this season, I congratulate you. You're doing incredible things, and your team is benefitting from having you as part of it. I'm inspired by and in awe of your hockey abilities, and I'm overjoyed that you're finding personal success on the ice as well as succeeding off it. Keep up the great work, and hopefully, one day, things will change for the better. You certainly deserve it, and I want to be there to celebrate every milestone along the way.

Seven weeks are in the books. Keep up the fantastic play!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!