The Rundown - Week 7

It's a quieter week than what we normally see as the Alberta Pandas, the Saskatachewan Huskies, and the Manitoba Bisons are all on a bye week for various university-related reasons, but we still had six teams seeking points to improve their chances at a playoff spot this season. Honestly, it's weird knowing that both Saskatchewan and Manitoba have four games in-hand on the Calgary Dinos within the same division, but I'm not in charge of the Canada West schedule. Let's check out the six teams that were on the ice competing for points this weekend on this week's edition of The Rundown!

FRIDAY: As always, the Calgary Dinos make highlight reels and post them on YouTube, so they always get pushed to the top here on The Rundown. They were hosting the Trinity Western Spartans this week who swept a weekend prior to being on the bye last weekend while the Dinos were looking to jump back into the win column after a split one week ago. The Dinos have been good at home with a 5-1-1 record while the Spartans brought their 4-2-1 record on the road to Calgary!


Spartans goals: Kyra McDonald (5), Jordyn Matthews (4)
Spartans assists: Kasey Ditner (4), Presleigh Giesbrecht (5), Kyra McDonald (5), Presleigh Giesbrecht (6)
Spartans netminders: Olivia Davidson (25/28) in 60:24 of action

Dinos goals: Brooklyn Anderson (3), Sydney Mercier (5), Sydney Mercier (6)
Dinos assists: Brooklin Fry (3), Sydney Mercier (2), Alex Spence (7)
Dinos netminder: Amelia Awad (35/37) in 60:24 of action

Result: 3-2 overtime victory for Calgary over Trinity Western.

SATURDAY: With both teams scoring two goals in quick succession on Friday - Calgary in 1:14 and Trinity Western in 1:34 - both of these teams showed they have lethal scoring when given a chance. The first periods on Friday were quiet as both played solid defence, but we saw points collected by both squads as they went to overtime. Would we see more extra time in Saturday's contest between these teams?


Spartans goals: none
Spartans assists: none
Spartans netminders: Olivia Davidson (23/24)

Dinos goals: April Klarenbach (5), Sydney Mercier (7)
Dinos assists: Alex Spence (8)
Dinos netminder: Alyssa Barrette (19/19)

Result: 2-0 victory for Calgary over Trinity Western.

FRIDAY: The MacEwan Griffins headed southwest over the mountains to meet the UBC Thunderbirds in a West Division matchup where MacEwan was looking to end the Thunderbirds' undefeated run to start the season. UBC was aiming to keep the good times rolling, and there was a chance we might see a little history this weekend if a few players turned in good performances. Could the Griffins slow down the high-flying Thunderbirds in any way this weekend?

Griffins goals: Kori Paterson (2)
Griffins assists: none
Griffins netminder: Taya Currie (44/49)

Thunderbirds goals: Mia Bierd (2), Grace Elliott (11), Jaylyn Morris (5), Mia Bierd (3), Grace Elliott (12)
Thunderbirds assists: Jacquelyn Fleming (3), Kailee Peppler (2), Presley Zinger (4), Kailee Peppler (3), Grace Elliott (4), Audrey Church (1), Mya Healey (3), Jaylyn Morris (4)
Thunderbirds netminder: Elise Hugens (16/17)

Result: 5-1 victory for UBC over MacEwan.

SATURDAY: I'll talk about the history made on Friday by two UBC players down below, but the winning streak continued. MacEwan was back to try to derail the the Thunderbirds on Saturday, but it seems they're only getting better as their secondary scoring is finding its groove as well. The Griffins were looking for a better effort on Saturday while UBC looking to push the win streak to 12 games.

Griffins goals: none
Griffins assists: none
Griffins netminder: Lindsey Johnson (34/39)

Thunderbirds goals: Olivia Buckley (1), Grace Elliott (13), Madisyn Wiebe (1), Mia Bierd (4), Karine Sandilands (4)
Thunderbirds assists: Mya Healey (4), Mia Bierd (2), Annalise Wong (11), Karine Sandilands (2), Hanna Perrier (2), Mya Healey (5), Olivia Buckley (3), Jaylyn Morris (5), Madisyn Wiebe (2)
Thunderbirds netminder: Mya Lucifora (16/16)

Result: 5-0 victory for UBC over MacEwan.

FRIDAY: It's always a good time when the Cougars meet the Cougars, and it was Mount Royal who headed east for a weekend series with Regina. Mount Royal came into the weekend with the second-longest winning streak in Canada West at seven games while Regina swept ther previous weekend's games. This East Division weekend battle could be significant in the race for playoff spots for both teams!

Cougars goals: Ava Metzger (1), Jerzey Watteyne (4), Julia Duke (4)
Cougars assists: Jerzey Watteyne (2), Julia Duke (2), Summer Fomradas (5), Ava Metzger (3), Jerzey Watteyne (3)
Cougars netminder: Scout Anderson (26/27)

Cougars goals: Kaitlyn Gilroy (3)
Cougars assists: Pippy Pritchard (3), Shaylee Scraba (1)
Cougars netminder: Amy Swayze (23/26)

Result: 3-1 victory for Mount Royal over Regina.

SATURDAY: The Alberta Cougars took the first round off the Saskatchewan Cougars, so Regina was looking for the split on Saturday as they looked to keep pace with Mount Royal. Shocking, Regina may want to petition the league to play on the road more as they're 4-0-1 away from Regina while sporting a 1-4-1 record in the Saskatchewan capital. With MRU looking for a ninth-straight win, both Cougars teams wanted to finish the weekend with a solid effort!

Cougars goals: Allee Gerrard (6), Summer Fomradas (2), Sydney Benko (6), Julia Duke (5)
Cougars assists: Sydney Benko (5), Kaia Borbandy (2), Keyana Bert (3), Kiana McNinch (5)
Cougars netminder: Katherine Holan (19/19)

Cougars goals: none
Cougars assists: none
Cougars netminder: Natalie Williamson (21/24)

Result: 4-0 victory for Mount Royal over Regina.

Don't even ask about divisions. I'm not interested in that setup. It's one conference, nine teams, and we'll see who is best in the west.

CANADA WEST WOMEN'S HOCKEY

School	Record	Points	GF	GA	Streak	Next
UBC	11-0-1-0	24	39	9	W12	@ ALB
Mount Royal	6-2-4-0	20	30	16	W9	@ TWU
Calgary	8-3-1-2	20	30	20	W2	vs MAN
Trinity Western	3-4-5-0	15	30	23	L2	vs MRU
Regina	3-5-2-2	12	17	23	L2	BYE
Saskatchewan	2-3-3-2	12	16	23	W1	vs MAC
Alberta	3-5-0-4	10	23	31	L4	vs UBC
MacEwan	1-10-1-2	6	11	36	L4	@ SAS
Manitoba	0-5-1-4	6	13	28	L9	@ CAL

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. She's been on the radar all season as she's helped her team to the top of the division, she's represented Canada at the FISU Games, and her play over the last few seasons has made her recognizable across Canada West. With three goals and four points including the overtime winner on Friday, Calgary's Sydney Mercier adds her name to the list!

Mercier had a down year with nine points last season compared to her previous two seasons where she registered 22 points in each season, winning both the Canada West and the U SPORTS Rookie of the Year honours in 2022-23. She's not quite setting up goals with the same frequency as she did in those first two seasons, but it seems she's going to smash her Canada West high of nine goals set in 2022-23 as she already has seven goals this season with 14 games to play!

Mercier likely won't break Iya Gavrilova's program record of 23 goals in one season, but her four points this weekend pushed her back into a tie for fifth-most points in Canada West. The Dinos are 4-0-1 when she lights the lamp this season, and she has goals in three-straight games as the Dinos get set for a showdown with Manitoba. For a four-point weekend that saw Calgary collect four points including two off her stick in overtime, that's how Sydney Mercier made the list!

History Made

The last few weeks have seen me talk about Grace Elliott chasing the UBC program record for goals. On Friday night, it happened.
As shown on the highlight, the officials initially waved off the goal, but further discussion between the stripes eventually saw the goal awarded. I can conclusively say that the puck went off the near post and into the net where it popped the water bottle behind MacEwan's Taya Currie at the 13:00 mark of the first period while on the power-play for Elliott's 62nd goal of her career, passing the UBC program mark of 61 set by Tatiana Rafter in 2015! How awesome is that?

A big congratulations goes out to Grace Elliott from HBIC on breaking the UBC Thunderbirds' program record for goals, and here's hoping there are many more before you move to the next chapter of life!

The Numbers And Dates

For those needing a little trivia, Elliott's first Canada West goal was scored on October 23, 2021 at home against Manitoba when she opened the scoring on Manitoba Bisons netminder Erin Fargey at 5:39 of the first period with assists going to Chanreet Bassi and Rylind MacKinnon in an eventual 5-1 victory. She tallied her 64th goal on Saturday to sit just five goals back of Calgary's Iya Gavrilova for the sixth-highest total in Canada West history. If you're wondering if her total may one day be in jeopardy, the highest career total for any current Thunderbirds player is 16 goals. Calgary's Brooklyn Anderson sits second among active players with 37 career goals.

If you were wondering how the numbers break down for Elliott, it's nearly baffling to think that she has just one hat trick in her career, and that came this season on November 1, 2025 against the Regina Cougars when she beat Amy Swayze three times in a 3-1 win. Including that hat trick, she has just eight games where she scored two or more goals. She has scored 33 of her 64 goals at home while potting 31 on the road. Might Grace's middle name be "consistency"?

The Trinity Western Spartans have been her favorite victims as she has 13 goals against them in her career, just slightly ahead of the 12 she has scored against Regina and 11 against MacEwan including this weekend. Among the rest of the teams, Elliott has scored seven times against Mount Royal, six times on Manitoba, and five times on each of Alberta, Calgary, and Saskatchewan. Of the eight Canada West teams, Calgary was the last of the teams she scored against when she finally beat Gabriella Durante at home at the 1:00 mark of the second period on November 24, 2023 in a rare 3-2 loss to the Dinos.

Haunting Their Memories

When you've scored 64 times in your career, there's a good chance you've scored on a number of goalies. That's the case here with Grace Elliott as she's scored on a total of 23 different goaltenders so far in her career. Elliott may want to send an apology to Trinity Western's former netminder Kate Fawcett after scoring eight times on Fawcett in her career, but Regina's Natalie Williamson and MacEwan's Lindsay Johnson have had the lamp lit behind them five times apiece as well.

Four other goalies to date have been beaten four times, but only two are still active: Manitoba's Emily Shippam and Calgary's Amelia Awad. The other two goalies are former Cougars - Mount Royal's Kaitlyn Ross and Regina's Arden Kliewer. I'm pretty certain there will be a lot goalies breathing a sigh of relief when Grace Elliott graduates.

The Next One To Fall

UBC's Elise Hugens tied Manitoba's Stacey Corfield with her 64th victory on Friday night after stopping 16 of 17 shots against MacEwan. She'll get two chances in Edmonton to beat the Pandas, and there's no reason to believe that she won't win her 65th Canada West regular season game next weekend in front of friends and family as the Sherwood Park native looks to become the winnigest goalie in Canada West history with one victory over the Alberta Pandas.

It took Stacey Corfield some 5590 minutes to win 64 games, and Elise Hugens was able to win the same number of games in just 4704 minutes. She also has made 1410 saves compared to Corfield's 1931 saves, she's appeared in just 79 games compared to Corfield's 106 games, and Hugens already surpassed Corfield's 17 shutouts with her 24 clean sheets which trails only Alberta's Lindsey Post who has 31 shutouts. She hasn't been as busy, but Elise Hugens has been just as good as those two Canada West goaltending legends in her career.

It should be a special scene at the end of one of two games next weekend if UBC is leading. Elise Hugens stands on the edge of Canada West history, and it appears that she'll set the new record for wins as a Canada West goaltender. Keep an eye on those games!

Moving Towards A Top-Ten Finish

UBC's Annalise Wong picked up her 55th assist on Saturday, moving her into a tie with Tatiana Rafter for second-place all-time in UBC Thunderbirds' history for assists. Wong's assist on Grace Elliott's 13th goal of the season was her 11th helper this season, and her seventh time she's set up Elliott so far in the 2025-26 campaign.

With her next assist, Annalise Wong becomes the second-best setup player in UBC history, and it will move her into a tie for 19th-best all-time in Canada West history with former Alberta Pandas Lori Shupak and Jennifer Newton at 56 asissts. It'll take a big effort to get to tenth-best all-time with 67 assists that would tie her with former Manitoba Bisons forward Alanna Sharman and former Alberta Pandas forward Autumn MacDougall, but Wong hit 22 assists last year. If she equals that total, she'll be at 66 for her career, tying her with Iya Gavrilova. One more, and she hits the Canada West top-ten!

That's How You Do It

Calgary's Alyssa Barrette let Canada West know that the Dinos have another solid netminder on their depth chart as she started her first game on Saturday night, went about stopping all 19 shots that Trinity Western threw at her, and collected the shutout in her first game! The former NWCAA Bruins U18 AA boys' team netminder showed why the Calgary Dinos wanted her on the roster for the future!

Want to see an interview with Alyssa before she became a Dinos netminder? Of course you do, and you can hear who her goalie role model is off this interview from the Bruins U18 AA Instagram page!

Following The Pros?

As you likely know, the CFL's Grey Cup will feature the Montreal Alouettes facing the Saskatchewan Roughriders for Canadian football's biggest prize. What you may not know is that the Vanier Cup this season will feature the Montreal Carabins facing the Saskatchewan Huskies for U SPORTS football's biggest prize!

In terms of women's hockey, the Saskatchewan Huskies and Montreal Carabins have met just once at the U SPORTS National Championship. Montreal beat Saskatchewan 3-0 back in 2014 when the St. Thomas Tommies hosted the event in Fredericton. For the record, another Montreal-based team won the gold medal that year as the McGill Martlets captured their fourth gold medal in Fredericton with a 4-3 win over those Carabins. That was also the last tournament to feature six teams before the tournament expanded to eight teams.

Women's hockey and football are obviously different sports, but you didn't think I'd miss an opportunity to push women's hockey, did you?

The Last Word

We're back to eight teams being in action next weekend, but it's odd seeing two teams having played only ten games and two teams already having completed half of their schedule. If you're Manitoba and Saskatchewan, this is where you need to collect as many points as possible while you have those games in-hand if there's going to be playoff talk on those campuses. Of course, if you're the Bisons, just winning in regulation might be a good first step on which to build.

By the way, UBC's magic number is five. Any combination of five UBC wins and/or MacEwan losses will clinch a playoff spot for UBC. It's not unreasonable to think that the Thunderbirds might have a playoff spot locked up before the calendar flips to December. That's downright ridiculous, but that's how good UBC has been this season!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!