The Rundown - Week 16

With playoff spots nearly locked in, we may get a clearer version of who will play whom in a few weeks when the Canada West playoffs begin. With Trinity Western off for a bye week, they weren't worrying about improving their standing as they were locked in as the third-seeded team from the West Division. There was some help needed for a few teams if they wanted to move up in the standings, but there were still seedings and placements to determine as eight teams took the ice this weekend. With points on the line for playoff hopefuls, let's find out how things played out this week on The Rundown!

FRIDAY: Calgary was in Edmonton to kick off a weekend of fun against MacEwan as this series was about finishing the season strong. Both teams were already eliminated from the playoffs, so it was all about honouring senior players for both teams as they played this home-and-home series. One win would ensure that Calgary couldn't finish worse than seventh-place while MacEwan had been playing stronger hockey for a few weeks. I'd like to show you how this one went down, but no highlights for more than a decade is how MacEwan is building its hockey legacy for everyone to see.

Griffins goals: Jennifer Andrash (4), Rian Santos (2), Jennifer Andrash (5)
Griffins assists: Joie Simon (2), Robyn Short (5), Ella Maternick (2), Allee Isley (3), Robyn Short (6), Sydney Olsen (6)
Griffins netminder: Brianna Sank (24/24)

Dinos goals: none
Dinos assists: none
Dinos netminder: Rebecca Boswell (24/26)

Result: 3-0 victory for MacEwan over Calgary.

SATURDAY: The teams headed south for the back half of the head-to-head matchup as Calgary and MacEwan met in Calgary. MacEwan's win on Friday put them three points back of both Saskatchewan and Calgary as they continued to play inspired hockey for another weekend. Calgary was looking to wrap things for their home-ice portion of their schedule with a strong game to honour their senior players off on this night. Mikayla Christmann was in the Griffins' net while Amelia Awad stood in the blue paint for the Dinos.

The Dinos clearly weren't happy with their efforts one night earlier as they came out firing pucks all over the place. Showing the resolve they did, they drew a couple of penalties that the Griffins killed off, but the Dinos were the aggressors in this period. They'd capitalize with just over five minutes to play in the period when Rebecca Clarke's wrist shot from the left circle beat Christmann on the glove-side inside the post at 14:42, and the Dinos carried that 1-0 goal into the break while leading 13-4 in shots.

The Griffins got themselves moving in the second period as Calgary committed three infractions in eleven minutes to give the Griffins all sorts of power-play time. The Dinos, however, successfully killed those off while the Griffins killed off another penalty themselves. 55 seconds after killing off that third penalty, the Dinos doubled their lead when Evelyn Lawrence corralled a puck off a Makenna Schafer pass, pulled it to her backhand, and tucked it home at 13:40! The Dinos would make it a 3-0 before the end of the period as Rebecca Clarke sent Josie MacLeod in on a breakaway, and she found space between the wickets of Christmann with 1:26 to go. After 40 minutes, the Dinos were up 3-0 and up 21-11 in shots.

The Dinos looked to lock down this game in the third period with a three-goal lead. Emma Tait would add another goal halfway through the period when she pounced on a rebound to make it 4-0 at the 9:18 mark. Ali Macauley would snap the shutout 3:01 later with a great effort on a power-play to get to the slot and wire home a wrist shot, but Clarke would notch her own power-play goal at 14:32 from the face-off dot throuhg traffic. When the final horn sounded, the Calgary Dinos had defeated the MacEwan Griffins by that 5-1 score! Amelia Awad picked her eighth win with a 15-save night while Mikayla Christmann stopped 25 shots in the setback.

Highlights of this game are below! Thanks, Dinos!

FRIDAY: This rivalry has been a little one-sided in recent years, but the Bisons visited Clare Drake Arena for a series with the Pandas needing points as they looked to lock up second-place in the East Division. With Regina four points back, a sweep would give Manitoba a home playoff date. The Pandas weren't worried about divison standings, but they were still in the hunt for first-place overall as they wanted home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs. Clearly, both teams were motivated, but we'll get zero highlights out of the Pandas this season. Instead, here's the scoring summary.

Pandas goals: Izzy Lajoie (4), Abby Soyko (10)
Pandas assists: Madison Willan (13), Abby Soyko (9), Madison Willan (14), Brooklyn Tews (6)
Pandas netminder: Grace Glover (23/24)

Bisons goals: Ashley Keller (2)
Bisons assists: Norah Collins (4)
Bisons netminder: Emily Shippam (18/20)

Result: 2-1 victory for Alberta over Manitoba.

SATURDAY: After a solid defensive battle that opened up in the third period, both the Pandas and Bisons were back at it on Saturday. Both squads still needed points to achieve their goals, so opportunistic offence and stingy defence would likely be on the menu again today. Once more, no highlights from the Pandas because they have no mandate to make a reel, so here's the scoring summary.

Pandas goals: Madison Willan (7), Ryann Perrett (6), Madison Willan (8), Hayleigh Craig (4)
Pandas assists: Brooklyn Tews (7), Sara Kazeil (9), Allison Reich (5), Raegan Yewdall (5), Abby Soyko (10), Hayleigh Craig (5), Madison Willan (15)
Pandas netminder: Grace Glover (17/18)

Bisons goals: Julia Bilous (1)
Bisons assists: Kylie Lesuk (5), Louise Fergusson (8)
Bisons netminders: Emily Shippam (3/7) in 20:00; Paige Fischer (17/17) in 40:00

Result: 4-1 victory for Alberta over Manitoba.

FRIDAY:The Alberta Cougars headed east to meet the Saskatchewan Cougars for a series as Mount Royal and Regina squared off in the Saskatchewan capital. Mount Royal needed some help and a sweep if they hoped to catch UBC while Regina was needing wins and some help to catch Manitoba. In what could be a first-round playoff preview, we got Cougars-vs-Cougars action, but zero highlights.

Cougars goals: Shaylee Scraba (4), Trinity Grove (3)
Cougars assists: Lauren Focht (6), Paige Hubbard (4), Makena Kushniruk (3), Jules Stokes (9)
Cougars netminder: Natalie Williamson (32/35)

Cougars goals: Jerzey Watteyne (8), Alexandria Spence (1), Allee Gerrard (6)
Cougars assists: Dara Thompson (6), Jori Hansen-Young (6), Summer Fomradas (11), Aliya Jomha (12), Athena Hauck (14), Jori Hansen-Young (6)
Cougars netminder: Kaitlyn Ross (14/16)

Result: 3-2 victory for Mount Royal over Regina.

SATURDAY: Both teams came in with the same needs as they had on Friday as wins and points were all that mattered. Despite a push by Regina late, they wanted a better start to today's game while Mount Royal was looking to cash in more often on the shots they took. Again, no highlights from the Regina-based Cats because why would anyone want to see how good this game was?

Cougars goals: Makena Kushniruk (3), Shaylee Scraba (5)
Cougars assists: Jordyn Blais (4), Julianne Girardin (4), Olivia Leggett (3), Megan Long (5)
Cougars netminder: Arden Kliewer (32/35)

Cougars goals: Kiana McNinch (3), Lyndsey Janes (7), Aliya Jomha (13)
Cougars assists: Sydney Benko (10), Summer Fomradas (12), Jordyn Hutt (4)
Cougars netminder: Scout Anderson (17/19)

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

FRIDAY: These are two teams at different ends of the hockey spectrum. The visitors came into the weekend as the top-ranked team in the nation while the home side is recruiting and retooling for future runs at banners. Needless to say, there was a bit of a mismatch happening as the Thunderbirds met the Huskies. That being said, we know these two teams have some history, so would we see that factor into this weekend's results? I'd like to show you more, but there are no highlights from the Huskies.

Huskies goals: none
Huskies assists: none
Huskies netminders: Emma Backman (27/34) in 47:22; Colby Wilson (7/9) in 12:38

Thunderbirds goals: Jacquelyn Fleming (7), Grace Elliott (19), Ashton Thorpe (6), Karine Sandilands (7), Mya Healey (2), Chanreet Bassi (11), Jaylyn Morris (6), Mackenzie Kordic (12), Mackenzie Kordic (13)
Thunderbirds assists: Annalise Wong (17), Grace Elliott (17), Jacquelyn Fleming (11), Mia Bierd (4), Mackenzie Kordic (10), Sophia Gaskell (5), Hanna Perrier (1), Vanessa Schaefer (2), Grace Elliott (18), Jacquelyn Fleming (12), Chanreet Bassi (18), Jacquelyn Fleming (13), Annalise Wong (18), Kailee Peppler (10), Makenzie McCallum (11), Karine Sandilands (9)
Thunderbirds netminder: Elise Hugens (24/24)

Result: 9-0 victory for Alberta over Saskatchewan.

SATURDAY: We don't celebrate blowouts here on HBIC, but we do celebrate the careers of players as the Huskies honoured their senior players on Saturday. After a rough night on Friday, Saskatchewan was looking to clear that sour taste from their mouths while the Thunderbirds were simply looking to wrap up first-place in the West Division. Again, no highlights of this game because the Huskies have better things to do. Or something.

Huskies goals: none
Huskies assists: none
Huskies netminder: Colby Wilson (44/47)

Thunderbirds goals: Grace Elliott (20), Grace Elliott (21), Jaylyn Morris (6)
Thunderbirds assists: Mackenzie Kordic (11), Annalise Wong (19), Jacquelyn Fleming (14), Jacquelyn Fleming (15), Annalise Wong (20)
Thunderbirds netminder: Mya Lucifora (15/15)

Result: 3-0 victory for Alberta over Saskatchewan.

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
Alberta	19-3-5-1	49	73	29	W13	BYE
UBC	20-2-3-1	47	101	32	W12	vs CAL
Mount Royal	15-4-3-4	40	74	45	W3	vs TWU
Manitoba	10-11-3-2	28	55	60	L2	vs SAS
Trinity Western	10-12-2-2	26	56	53	L2	@ MRU
Regina	6-11-4-5	25	43	58	L3	@ MAC
Calgary	6-16-2-2	18	47	74	W1	@ UBC
Saskatchewan	4-15-1-6	16	29	68	L3	@ MAN
MacEwan	2-18-3-3	13	25	84	L1	vs 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 is a two-sport star whose diminutive size never quite measured up to her impact on the ice as she closed out her university career this weekend. There isn't any doubt that Madison Willan was one of the best players over the last five years, and she capped her career off with a five-point weekend!

Willan's eight goals this season gives her five seasons where she scored eight-or-more goals. Her 15 assists this season are the most she's scored in any of her five campaigns, and her 23 points is the third time she's hit that mark in her career. Willan will finish her Pandas career with 46 goals and 66 assists as she's averaged nine goals and 13 assists per season. Consistent is thy name!

Her 112 career points puts her as 16th-highest in Canada West history, and her 66 assists ties her with Canada West legends Iya Gavrilova of Calgary, Julia Flinton of Regina, and Lauryn Keen of Manitoba as 12th-highest in conference history. Willan's 17 game-winning goals stands alongside Breanne George's total as fourth-best of all-time. Not only is she consistent, but she's a clutch scorer too.

Her consistent play has always been noticeable whenever she takes the ice, and it certainly shows in Alberta's repeated success. She's an incredible player no matter where she is on the ice, and she's helped Alberta remain as one of the favourites to win a banner and represent Canada West at the U SPORTS National Championship. Because of her strong play once again this season and over this past weekend, that's how Madison Willan got her name on the list!

They're Trolling Me, Right?

No, Canada West still hasn't fixed the media stats on the Canada West Hockey Tech page. It's still showing men's stats despite using the women's hockey address. This is almost comical at this point.

Perhaps I'm being too lenient on Canada West, though, because they also have a "History" link on their canadawest.org page. That history page shows the correct information for Canada West winners and U SPORTS Champions, but the Canada West historical records document is wildly behind the times. But there may be a reason why.

That link actually points to the web address below. You may not care much for reading URLs, but I immediately noticed something as my mouse hovered over the link. I highlighted what caught my attention.

Yup, you guessed it: the women's hockey records link point to the men's hockey records document. I get that Canada West has a handful of sports they preside over every week, but whoever is doing their internet updates is wholly incapable or entirely apathetic when it comes to the women's hockey section of their website.

Like most things Canada West, I'm not surprised or bothered by this. It's just constant disappointment with their management of the sport.

Playoff Picture

UBC and Alberta are free and clear as they both have earned first-round byes in the playoffs. What we will need to watch is what UBC does against Calgary because the Pandas sit two points up on UBC, but UBC holds the tiebreaker. If UBC can collect two or more points against the Dinos, the Thunderbirds will sit in first-place overall and will earn home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs. If they earn one or less points, the Pandas will have home-ice advantage.

The race for second-place in the East Division will come down to next weekend's results as well. The Regina Cougars hold the tiebreaker over the Manitoba Bisons, so Manitoba can claim second-place with any sort of win or by earning two points against the Saskatchewan Huskies. If Regina ends up tied with Manitoba after earning points against MacEwan, Regina will move into second-place while Manitoba will slide to third-place. A regulation loss by Regina next weekend in either game will also give Manitoba second-place while Regina remains in third-place. In short, Manitoba controls its own destiny.

It should be noted that the crossover portion of the playoffs will see Trinity Western going to one of Manitoba or Regina while Mount Royal will host one of Manitoba or Regina. Beyond that, the winner of the Trinity Western-East2 series will visit UBC while the winner of the Mount Royal-East3 series will face Alberta. And to make things a little more interesting, Alberta has a 13-game winning streak going while UBC is on a 12-game winning streak on its hands.

The Last Word

With the playoffs looming, there's some unfinished business as shown above. We could know who is playing where by Friday night, but those games need to be played. However, there's something a little more personal for one player who has a chance to add her name to the record books depending on what she does next weekend.

UBC's Grace Elliott is already tied for the ninth-highest goal total in one season with her 21 markers this season. Sitting alongside Iya Gavrilova and Lori Shupak is awesome to see, but she could potentially move up the rankings with a big weekend against Calgary. As it stands, Danielle Bourgeois, Miranda Miller, and Breanne George all scored 28 times in one season, so those might be untouchable unless Elliott goes off next weekend, but Bourgeois' total of 24 is very reachable. If Elliott hits that mark, it would be the third-highest total ever recorded. Can she do it? We'll find out!

Beyond that, Elliott sits four points back of Iya Gavrilova, Hayley Wickenheiser, and Tarin Podloski for the eighth-highest points total in one season, and sits five points back of the seventh-spot occupied by Alana Cabana. Seeing Elliott having this kind of season is remarkable, and she's been a big reason why UBC has been so tough to defeat this season. I'll be watching to see what kind of numbers she puts up next weekend because Gavrilova was the most recent player to hit these totals back in 2016. Yes, Elliott's having a season to remember!

What might be most scary? Elliott has one year of eligibility left. She could haunt goaltenders even more next season!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!