I'll be fully honest in saying that I don't follow the CHL or its respective leagues likely as much as I did when the Winnipeg Ice were still a team. The Ice gave a reason to check in on the WHL and the other leagues under the CHL's umbrella, but I admittedly have not being doing that since they relocated to Wenatchee. Having spent the day in Brandon, it got me thinking that I should do more, and then social media got into the act tonight as several accounts posted the same clip from the OHL that will likely give one player a league-imposed break from hockey. The player pictured above is that player, and his name is Adam Levac who is a second-year centerman for the OHL's Peterborough Petes.
Levac is having himself a solid season this year. He skated in 57 games last year as 16 year-old where he had six goals and ten points, and he's shown solid improvement this season with 14 goals and 36 points in 48 games. Being a solid scorer at the OHL level is always encouraging to see because younger players can be overwhelmed by the league and its older players who often get the scoring chances.
In saying that, there is one thing that Levac doesn't do at this point in his career, and that's being an enforcer for the Petes. Levac has just one career fight in the OHL so far, but has been known to a throw a big hit every now and then as he has a physical side. Tonight, though, he used a move during a skirmish that will force him to miss games.
Let's go to the video from tonight's contest between the Petes and the Ottawa 67's where a melee broke out on the ice where Levac was paired up with Ottawa defender Kaleb Dietsch for some dancing.
I'm not sure what was going through Levac's mind when he swept the leg out from under Dietsch, but that move earned him a five-minute major penalty and a match penalty. I can understand Levac likely wasn't appreciating Dietsch's jabs despite him wearing his gloves, but that's what can happen when a player stands three inches shorter in a fight. What Levac did was completely uncalled for and rightfully deserves supplemental discipline, so he should expect a call from the OHL as early as tomorrow before the Petes arrive in Kingston.
I believe it should be a heavy suspension based on Levac's actions. As we know, the slew-foot alone will like get him a game or two, so that's a given. However, the fact that Levac landed on top of Dietsch and then started throwing punches will likely get him the longer suspension that he deserves. Had Dietsch been injured by the slew-foot move, this could have been much worse. Thankfully, it wasn't, but Levac doesn't get rewarded because Dietsch avoided injury.
Secondly, Dietsch has six total fights in his career. The jabs he threw with a gloved hand are done to keep Levac at a distance rather than trying to hurt him. I'm not saying that Diestch wasn't prepared to drop the gloves, but the fact that he still had his gloves on as Levac engaged him suggests he wasn't looking for a fight. In using his longer reach, he kept Levac where he could avoid damage, and that's when Levac pulled out the slew-foot to put Dietsch on his back.
Based on all of this evidence, this has to be a ten-game suspension. The slew-foot alone has to be worth two or three games just for safety reasons, but Levac landing on top of him and throwing punches will add another six-to-eight games for me. I'm not saying that Levac and Dietsch weren't going to fight had this played out normally, but the fact that Levac decided to commit two egregious acts - slew-footing an opponent and punching a player whil he's down - means that a message must be sent so this doesn't happen again.
No one is saying that Adam Levac is a bad player. He simply made bad decisions that could have resulted in terrible things happening to another player. I'm glad that Kaleb Dietsch is alright and will likely play against Sudbury on Sunday, but Levac should probably be prepared to watch a lot of game film over the next two weeks because he won't soon be on the ice for the Peterborough Petes.
The Hockey Show, Canada's only campus-produced radio show that strictly talks hockey, is back in the cozy confines of the UMFM studio tonight where it will be a normal temperature unlike our rink setting last week. Obviously, our hosts had a blast seeing some of the best women's hockey action this province has to offer at the 2026 Female World Sport School Challenge, and they'll wrap up that experience with some well-deserved thank-yous, a recap of what happened, and a discussion on where the tournament may go from here. And then they'll talk other hockey stuff too! It's a fun episode with looks at hockey from across the globe tonight on The Hockey Show at 5:30pm CT!
Tonight, Teebz and Jason show a little gratitude in thanking at all the people who made the 2026 Female World Sport School Challenge memorable, entertaining, and fun. Beyond that discussion, they'll also chat about the results and who finished where, highlights for each of the two radio voices, and where they may see the tournament going in 2027. They'll also discuss a former Bisons coach getting the bump to head coach in another league, an SDHL team that is making a hard decision on its future, the KHL being the KHL with some of the news coming out of that league, and there's an exciting development coming out of the University of Waterloo about concussion detection! It should be an interesting show based on those stories and more, so make sure you're listening tonight to The Hockey Show at 5:30pm CT on one of 101.5 FM, Channel 718 on MTS TV, or via UMFM.com!
If you live outside Winnipeg and want to listen, we have options! The UMFM website's streaming player works well if you want to listen online. We also recommend Radio Garden if you need an easy-to-use online stream. If you're more of an app person, we recommend you use the TuneIn app found on the App Store or Google Play Store.
If you have questions, you can email all show queries and comments to hockeyshow@umfm.com! Tweet me anytime with questions you may have by hitting me up at @TeebzHBIC on Twitter! I'm here to listen to you, so make your voice heard! And because both Teebz and Jason are on the butterfly app where things are less noisy, you can find Teebz here and Jason here on Bluesky!
Tonight, Teebz and Jason chat about great people, great moments, big wins, new jobs, less teams, questionable hires, former stars, brain care, and much more exclusively on 101.5 UMFM and on the UMFM.com web stream!
Having been able to watch her play before she became a professional hockey player, there was never any doubt that former StFX X-Woman sniper Sarah Bujold had the talent to continue playing. Her 2016-17 season where she scored 24 goals and 43 points in 24 games is still one of the best seasons in recent U SPORTS history, and the only award she seemed to be missing from her trophy cabinet was a U SPORTS National Championship. What also stands out from that five-year period is that she only spent 105 minutes in the sin bin despite being sent over the boards a lot for the X-Women.
Since her days in the AUS, Bujold's gone on to play in the PHF, the PWHL, and the SDHL including this season where she's lighting the lamp for Luleå HF. Through 31 games, she has nine goals and 20 points in pushing Luleå to second-place in the SDHL, sitting two points back of first-place Frölunda HC. There are players who have outscored her, but she does lead the entire SDHL by a wide margin in one statistic, and it likely isn't the one anyone expects her to lead!
In four seasons with Djurgårdens IF, HV71, and Luleå HF before this season, Bujold had 80 penalty minutes combined. In fact, she had recorded just four minor penalties last season for eight minutes, so it's not like she was some sort of goon patrolling the ice for Luleå HF. This season, however, Bujold has brought a mean streak that we simply haven't seen from her as she has sat for 78 penalty minutes already! If she's whistled for one more minor penalty this season, she'll have doubled her career SDHL PIMs in one season!
In no professional season had Bujold had more than 30 penalty minutes and, including her university career, she never got above 35 minutes. Her 78 minutes in the sin bin not only lead the SDHL, but she's 25 minutes ahead of HV71's Alva Solberg who is in second-place with 53 minutes! She's also 37 minutes ahead of her closest teammate in Nadia Mattivi, so it's not like Luleå has been gooning it up all season like they're the Swedish version of the Broad Street Bullies.
I have no idea where this side of Sarah Bujold came from this year, but it doesn't seem to be slowing her down in any way. Her team is winning, she's contributing, and she has scored three game-winners. It's just that she has visited the penalty box this season as much as she had in four previous SDHL seasons which is startling considering how she played with StFX. If this is the new Sarah Bujold at age 29, it seems Luleå is reaping the benefits despite having to kill a few more penalties than normal while Sarah watches from the penalty box!
It seems like players in the SDHL need to have their head on a swivel when Luleå's #62 comes over the boards because she's just as likely to setup or score a goal as she is to lay the body. In fact, she might be more willing to do the latter if it keeps Luleå in the win column!
If there's one thing I tried to do this year while sitting in a cold rink for four straight days, it was bundling up as best as I could. I went to great lengths to layer clothing so that heat wouldn't escape, but the colder temperatures across southern Manitoba brought a chill inside the rinks at the Hockey For All Centre that eventually infiltrated my layering. As a result, I was going in and out of the rinks all weekend, trying to reclaim some warmth between games in the lobby and the hospitality room with coffee. Despite my best efforts, the chill just continued to work its way through the jackets and sweaters I was wearing, culminating in a case of the sniffles and some grogginess yesterday that bled into today.
Granted, I did go to bed earlier last night as I was tired, but it was very clear that I had myself a head cold this morning as my sinuses were clogged and my nose was a runny mess. After a shower, some medication, and a box of tissues, I was ready to tackle the day as best I could despite the setback. Would I make it through work?
The good news is that I did make it. The bad news is that I'm feeling pretty lethargic tonight, so it's going to be another early night for me as I work to fight off this cold bug. Honestly, I hate being sick, so getting through this as quickly as possible is my goal. If it takes a few days, so be it, but I'm hoping the ol' immune system opens a can of whoop-ass on the cold so I can get back to my healthy, normal self.
I do want to point out that going in and out of the cold literally has nothing to do with catching a cold, and the fact that I was around a vast number of people all weekend likely led to the sniffles. That being said, the Mayo Clinic's Dr. Jesse Bracamonte does point to the fact that colder weather can lead to catching a cold indirectly.
"If you're a little bit colder outside, your body's immune system may just drop a little bit because it's spending extra effort to keep you warm. That's not with everybody, but, in some cases, it may predispose you to a cold," says Dr. Bracamonte.
"When it's cold outside," he continued explaining, "typically people gather around the fireplace or around your home. Therefore, if people are sick, you're more likely to be in close proximity to someone who is ill, thus catch the cold."
See? Being around people at the rink was the problem. I assume that I probably was in the vicinity of someone who had a touch of this cold bug, and now I have it as it settled into a new host. These are the unforeseen health risks I take to broadcast great hockey for people!
Jokes aside, I'm off to medicate and get some rest. I'm sure I'll bounce back tomorrow and be back with something to say about a hockey story of some sort. It seems to be what I do here on HBIC!
After a night of well-needed sleep under a stack of blankets to warm up, it's time for some reflection on the 2026 Female World Sport School Challenge. This isn't going to be some autopsy on the event; rather, it's more of a showing of gratitude for allowing myself and UMFM to take part when both Balmoral Hall School and the Balmoral Hall Blazers could have opted to go with any radio station or have no radio broadcasts at all. As we said on the broadcasts, we are honoured to have been given the opportunity and we were privileged to bring the action to any and all who tuned into the broadcasts. That being said, allow me to say thanks a little more.
They say it takes a village to raise a child, but it's very clear that it takes an incredible team of people to pull off a tournament like the Female World Sport School Challenge. Balmoral Hall showed they are a close-knit team by banding together, finding solutions to problems, welcoming goofballs like me, and keeping the tournament rolling through four days of action. To the parents, the staff, and the students who volunteered in some capacity over the four days, you are the key to this tournament's success, and you deserve infinite thank-yous for your time and efforts. Thank you for everything!
To the players, staff, and coaches of the nine teams who brought boundless energy, incredible skills and talents, and unrelenting competitive spirits, thank you for the fantastic hockey all weekend long. Yes, the Winnipeg Ice may have gone home with the gold medals, but there was no shortage of amazing hockey played in each of the nine games we called. Beyond that, the abundance of talent shown at the Skills Competition was unforgettable, and we are excited to see where everyone lands, whether it be in hockey or beyond the rink. Thank you for making the hockey so great!
To Aaron, Chelsea, Bryan, Geneviève, Erin, Jennifer, and Jennifer Armstrong, thank you so much for allowing UMFM to be the voice of the tournament once again this year. We are always proud to be able to broadcast this tournament so that parents, families, friends, and fans can hear their favorite players and teams play, and we hope that we'll be a part of the tournament again next year and beyond. You guys did a phenomenal job in organizing and running the tournament, and I hope we were able to rise to the occasion with our broadcasts to meet the standard you all set! Thank you for your leadership!
To the many sponsors who supported this tournament, we are extremely grateful for your generosity! UMFM ran ads before, during, and after every game in order to recognize your efforts in supporting this tournament, and I hope the commercials we found and created for all the sponsors were as helpful as each business was in supporting this tournament. If you're reading this, please try to frequent this amazing group of businesses as they're putting women's hockey on the map in Manitoba! Thank you for your support!
Finally, I want to say thank you to all the parents, families, and fans who trekked to the Hockey For All Centre this weekend in the brutal cold to cheer on daughters, granddaughters, sisters, friends, and teams. From the moment they put skates on for the first time to the final whistle this weekend, you've been there to cheer them on, push them higher, give them comfort when things get bumpy, and celebrate all their successes. If you couldn't make it to the rink, my hope is that we did a good enough job describing the game via the UMFM broadcasts so that it felt like you were there watching. It goes without saying, but thank you for being their biggest fans!
In showing gratitude, I also want to say thanks to both Jason Pchajek and Eugene Pelland for throwing on a headset this weekend and providing great commentary. I called a number of games, but you guys elevated the broadcasts with your insights, expertise, and knowledge, and I will always be proud to sit next to you while calling a game. Thank you for your excellent broadcasting skills while making the games sound more intelligent and exciting than I ever could!
Another incredibly successful tournament is in the books with the Winnipeg Ice bringing home their second-straight gold medal. The Rink Hockey Academy are the silver medalists and the host Balmoral Hall Blazers are the bronze medalists with the Westman Wildcats falling just short at fourth-place. The Winnipeg Avros defeated the Pembina Valley Hawks in the fifth-place game, and the Yellowhead Chiefs defeated the Pilot Mound Buffaloes in the seventh-place game. The Interlake Lightning finished the tournament in ninth-place.
The Skills Competition saw Balmoral Hall's Brannagh Rae win the Fastest Skater event. The Avros had three players take home awards as Addilyn Nohlgren won the Accuracy Shooting event, defender Leah Claussen won the Hardest Shot event, and Cali Lavallee won the Breakaway Shootout event. The Ice saw defender Aliyah Texeira win the Sauce Passing event while goaltender Gina Plett was named the top netminder in the Breakaway Shootout event. Honestly, all the players who took part in these events were outstanding, and we saw some incredible performances that didn't win from players like Ivy Perkin, Rowyn Street, Joslyn Tetlock, and Kate Chuback.
With this being Balmoral Hall's first attempt at hosting, they've set a lofty standard to meet next season if they plan on hosting this tournament again. From the awesome volunteers to the talented players to the incredible action on the ice, this was an excellent event. I can only hope we'll be back again next year to see the fantastic hockey once more, so thank you to Balmoral Hall School and the Balmoral Hall Blazers for all the fun we had this year!
I watched a total of zero minutes of action from Canada West this weekend given that I was watching tomorrow's stars all weekend at the 2026 Female World Sport School Challenge, so don't expect a lot of breakdown or analysis this week. I'm cold, I'm tired, my voice is hoarse from broadcasting, and I need some serious sleep. The good news is the hockey I got to watch was pretty incredible, and there should be some Canada West teams who are very excited to have their signed players joining their programs next season. Before we get there, though, let's find out who did what on The Rundown!
FRIDAY: The Saskatchewan Huskies loaded up the bus for a short trip west to Edmonton where they met the Alberta Pandas for a two-game set this weekend with both squads hunting for points. Saskatchewan was looking to regain its playoff spot after being bumped out of the final East Division playoff spot for a week while the Alberta Pandas were aiming to grab second-place in the West Division. If everything played out as it could, this series could be a playoff preview based on where these teams may finish in the standings, so both were looking to make that statement as well. Who would improve their standing?
Huskies goals: Jayde Cadieux (1)
Huskies assists: Bronwyn Boucher (5), Kendra Zuchotzki (5)
Huskies shootout scorers: none
Huskies netminders: Clara Juca (28/29) in 65:00 plus 1/2 in the shootout
Pandas goals: Abby Soyko (7)
Pandas assists: Jadynn Morden (6)
Pandas shootout scorers: Natalie Kieser
Pandas netminder: Mackenzie Dojahn (18/19) in 65:00 plus 3/3 in the shootout
Result: 2-1 shootout victory for Alberta over Saskatchewan.
SATURDAY: Both teams grabbed points on Friday, but more were sought on Saturday as the Huskies and Pandas met in the back half of the two-game set. If this was a playoff series preview, we might have seen Friday's game go late into the night as neither side could solve the other's goaltending easily. Would we get the same results again?
Huskies goals: Jayde Cadieux (2), Peppi Virtanen (5)
Huskies assists: Shelby Williamson (1), Kendra Zuchotzki (6), Bronwyn Boucher (6)
Huskies shootout scorers: Jayde Cadieux, Sara Kendall
Huskies netminders: Colby Wilson (21/23) in 65:00 plus 2/3 in the shootout
Pandas goals: Holly Magnus (3), Sara Kazeil (3)
Pandas assists: Natalie Kieser (8), Riley Smith (4), Hailey Carothers (4), Hayleigh Craig (6)
Pandas shootout scorers: Abby Soyko
Pandas netminder: Mackenzie Dojahn (23/25) in 65:00 plus 0/2 in the shootout
Result: 3-2 shootout victory for Saskatchewan over Alberta.
FRIDAY: The MacEwan Griffins headed east to Winnipeg where the Manitoba Bisons welcomed them to the city on what might be the coldest weekend this year. The Bisons were looking to remain hot as they had won three of four games since the calendar flipped to 2026, putting them into a playoff spot in the East Division. The Griffins were simply trying to keep their slim playoff hopes alive with victories. Both sides were looking for a sweep this weekend!
Griffins goals: Sydney Jack (4), Kori Paterson (3), Allee Isley (2)
Griffins assists: Rian Santos (2), Claire Hobbs (4), Rian Santos (3)
Griffins netminder: Taya Currie (40/42)
Bisons goals: Kelsey Huibers (4), Alyssa Rasmuson (1)
Bisons assists: Dana Goertzen (8), Aimee Patrick (9), Norah Collins (4), Julia Bird (5)
Bisons netminder: Emily Shippam (9/12)
Result: 3-2 victory for MacEwan over Manitoba.
SATURDAY: Friday's game marked the second-straight Friday where the Bisons built an early lead only to surrender the lead and eventually lose the game to their opponents on home ice. This is something the Bisons will need to address moving forward if they want to participate in the playoffs as coughing up leads won't lead to much success. Could the Bisons bounce back? MacEwan needed the win on Friday, though, and they looked for more on Saturday.
Bisons goals: Julia Bird (8), Alyssa Rasmuson (2), Louise Fergusson (2)
Bisons assists: Hanna Bailey (5), Sophia Anderson (4), Norah Collins (5), Julia Bilous (3)
Bisons netminder: Jenna Goertzen (12/13)
Result: 3-1 victory for Manitoba over MacEwan.
FRIDAY: The Mount Royal Cougars played host to the Regina Cougars this weekend as the two Cougars squads met in Calgary. Regina was looking for wins to try and close the gap between them and the two teams who stood before them in the East Division while Mount Royal was looking for wins to lock down top spot in the East. Both squads came in knowing what they had to do, so who would go home happy?
Cougars goals: Kiana McNinch (6), Sydney Benko (10), Jori Hansen-Young (2), Jordyn Hutt (3)
Cougars assists: Isa MacPhee (8), Keyana Bert (5), Kiana McNinch (9), Allee Gerrard (8), Isa MacPhee (9), Lyvia Butz (4)
Cougars netminder: Scout Anderson (16/19)
Result: 4-3 victory for Mount Royal over Regina.
SATURDAY: The back-and-forth action between these two teams on Friday was uncharacteristic of both squads, so I was expecting some tighter defence on Saturday. Both teams were still hunting for wins in the second game of their set, but it may have been mosre pressing for Regina as they were running out of games to get back in the race.
Cougars goals: Julia Duke (8)
Cougars assists: none
Cougars netminder: Katherine Holan (15/17)
Result: 2-1 victory for Regina over Mount Royal.
FRIDAY: The battle of BC was back on the schedule as Trinity Western headed north to play UBC. The Spartans needed wins against their archrivals to help their playoff standing while UBC was looking to lock up home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs with victories this weekend. Both squads had their assignments entering this series.
Spartans goals: Kara Yackel (7), Kailey Ledoux (4)
Spartans assists: Sadie Isfeld (7), Kyra Anderson (4)
Spartans netminders: Kate Fawcett (29/33)
SATURDAY: The home-and-home series shifted to Langley for the second game, but the stakes were still the same as both sides were looking for wins. Based on the number of games remaining, any points earned by the Spartans would eliminate the MacEwan Griffins, and UBC would officially lock up first-overall in Canada West with a win. Would the Spartans make the Thunderbirds wait another week?
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
20-2-2-0
44
75
23
W4
@ MAC
Mount Royal
12-5-6-1
37
60
37
L1
vs CAL
Calgary
12-5-1-4
30
52
40
L2
@ MRU
Alberta
8-6-1-7
25
43
47
L1
vs MAN
Trinity Western
5-12-6-1
23
53
58
L3
BYE
Saskatchewan
5-9-4-4
22
32
50
W1
@ REG
Manitoba
6-9-2-5
21
47
55
W1
vs MAC
Regina
4-11-3-4
18
34
53
W1
vs SAS
MacEwan
3-15-2-2
12
23
56
L1
vs UBC
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. They haven't had a lot to celebrate this season as they work to get back into a playoff spot, but the Regina Cougars saw Kaylee Dyer play a big part this weekend in helping the Regina Cougars earn a win over one of the best teams in Canada. Three goals against the fourth-ranked team will do that as Kaylee Dyer adds her name to the Honour Roll!
Dyer entered this weekend's games without having dented twine this season, and her career-high for any season is four goals. Dyer put that number in jeopardy as she scored once on Friday against Mount Royal before potting both goals in the victory on Saturday to equal her total from last season and put her one back of the total she notched in 2023-24. Those three goals also pushed her to nine points this season, breaking her career-high of eight points in a season that she set last year so it was a productive weekend overall!
The fifth-year forward recently rolled over the 100-game mark, and she's just one point away from hitting double-digits in points for the first time in her university career. More importantly, she helped Regina earn a big win over Mount Royal to keep them in the race for the final playoff spot in the East Division as they stare down two important weekends against Saskatachewan and Manitoba. With Dyer catching fire this weekend, the chances of getting in got a lot better. For her three-goal weekend that included both goals in a big win, that's how Regina Cougars forward Kaylee Dyer made the list!
Playoff Situations
There are a handful of playoff situations that a few teams are facing as we barrel forward towards Week 14 of the Canada West season. A few are more dire, so here are those situaitons:
MACEWAN: win at all costs. There is no tomorrow.
REGINA: sweep Saskatchewan. At worst, a split will mean Regina will need help to catch the Huskies in the standings, but a sweep would be immensely helpful against their provincial rivals. Regina just has to win moving forward.
MANITOBA: win at Clare Drake Arena. That could be a potential playoff scenario, so the Bisons have to win twice in Edmonton if they make the playoffs. Why not do that this weekend and put pressure on Saskatchewan and Regina to win games?
SASKATCHEWAN: sweep Regina out of the playoffs. Two wins next weekend will remove one team from the playoff race, and the pressure would fall onto Manitoba to win out. Two wins over their provincial rivals would be huge for the Huskies.
TRINITY WESTERN: cheer for Manitoba to sweep the Pandas.
ALBERTA: sweep Manitoba, put all the pressure on the TWU.
UBC, MOUNT ROYAL, and CALGARY: play hard, don't get hurt.
With most teams having just six games remaining, there isn't a lot of room for mistakes. Dropping a game could be the difference between playing in mid-February and watching the playoffs from home.
What We Know
As it stands, UBC will play at home throughout the playoffs thanks to their incredible season. They earned that right this weekend as the Mount Royal Cougars cannot catch them in the standings.
Mount Royal has clinched a playoff spot and can clinch a bye in the opening round if they earn a single point against the Dinos next weekend. Mount Royal is 3-1 against the Dinos this season, so they hold the tie-breaker unless Calgary sweeps the Crowchild Classic in regulation time. They did lose once in overtime, so that would give them seven points to Mount Royal's six points in the six-game season series. Of course, Calgary also has to catch Mount Royal, but Mount Royal is looking to wrap up that top spot before head coach Scott Rivett heads off to Italy for a couple of weeks for the Olympics.
Calgary is also in the playoffs, and they can still capture top spot in the East Division if they sweep the Crowchild Classic and win the two games in-hand they have on the Cougars. The first step is sweeping the two games against Mount Royal this weekend in regulation, so they'll need to be ready to play on Thursday night at the Saddledome.
Thanks to their effort against Saskatchewan this weekend, the Alberta Pandas have clinched a playoff spot. The Pandas still need to win games to put themselves in second-place, but they can put some serious pressure on Trinity Western by sweeping the Bisons at home this weekend. With Trinity Western idle thanks to the bye week, the six-point gap they could build could be the difference between playing at home in the quarterfinals and travelling to Calgary for a quarterfinal series. Forcing the Spartans to win out would be ideal.
Lastly, MacEwan has to win out if they want to play in the playoffs. They have six games remaining with two coming against Trinity Western, and any point that the Spartans earn over their remaining four games would spell the end for the Griffins' hopes. The biggest question will come this weekend as the Griffins have to sweep the Thunderbirds in Edmonton to keep the playoff dream alive.
The Next Wave...
I was privileged to be part of UMFM's broadcasts of the 2026 Female World Sport School Challenge in Winnipeg where we got to see a number of players who are heading off to post-secondary institutions next season, and I don't think it would be a stretch to say that Canada West is getting a pile of talent who will join those teams.
UBC will have lots to be excited about with all of Balmoral Hall's Payton Henwood and Kate Chuback, Winnipeg Ice's Cassie Carvalho, and Winnipeg Avros' netminder Ana Almeida joining their squad next season. All of these players finished their tournaments with a win today, and each played a major role in those wins. Kate Chuback's hat trick in the semifinal was proof she's ready to take the next step while both of Henwood and Carvalho recording multiple points today. Almeida helped the Avros secure fifth-place in the event with a strong goaltending performance, so UBC looks strong moving forward.
She didn't show up on the scoresheet as much as her teammates did, but Balmoral Hall's Hudson Bradley looks like she's going to be the prototypical Alberta Pandas defender who can contribute at both ends of the ice. Bradley was excellent in her own zone where she showed a knack breaking up plays with a touch of a mean streak, and she solid offensively as she got pucks to the net from the blue line, pinched at opportune moments, and supported her teammates well. Alberta has another solid defender coming their way.
I only had the chance to see her play once, but the Saskatchewan Huskies will be happy with Charlie Shearer's play with the Westman Wildcats. Shearer didn't have any points this weekend, but she was a force in her own zone where she blocked shots, used her stick effectively to break up plays, and made smart breakout passes. I'm not sure Charlie Shearer will lead the Huskies in scoring, but she won't have to if she's as good defensively as she was this weekend.
Perhaps the one team who could see a major turn with the players they've recruited is the Regina Cougars. Westman's Ivy Perkin was magical with the puck all weekend, and she already looks like she's a university-level player. Aliyah Texeira was excellent at both ends of the ice for the Winnipeg Ice as a leader and playmaker with the defender winning the saucer pass challenge at the FWSSC Skills Competition. Perkin was just as impressive at the Skills Competition as she just missed out on winning the accuracy shooting challenge, so the Cougars are going to have serious Manitoba talent next year.
Finally, Manitoba will get some offensive punch next season as the Winnipeg Avros' tandem of Braya Kapusta and Addilyn Nohlgren were solid all weekend in helping the Avros capture fifth-place. They led the way offensively with five goals, and they showed solid defensive responsibility in their backchecking. The Bisons can use the added scoring punch next season, and both Kapusta and Nohlgren will provide that. Nohlgren won the accuracy shooting event at the Skills Competition, so goalies may want to keep an eye on her!
... And Beyond?
There were lots of players who stood out that aren't in their graduation year this season, and it would be wise for teams to reach out and speak to these players if they need an upgrade in future seasons. Some of the players that stood out to Jason and I as we watched and called games included Westman defender Addison Henwood ('28), Balmoral Hall defender Lucy Ring ('27) and forward Brannagh Rae ('28), Winnipeg Avros defender Leah Claussen ('27), Winnipeg Ice netminder Gina Plett ('27) and forwards Sophie Woznesensky ('27), Kate Cairns ('27), and Maren Temple ('28), Rink Hockey Academy forward Georgia O'Neill ('27) and defender Piper Holbrook ('27), Pembina Valley forward Casey O'Brien ('27) and defender Ella Victor ('27), Interlake defender Ellis Pearson ('27), Pilot Mound forwards Sophie Drummond ('27) and Wytten Constant ('28), and Yellowhead forward Callee Despiegelaere ('27).
Not that anyone would want me doing it, but I could build one heckuva program if I could recruit all these players onto one team.
The Last Word
With the season into its final ten-game stretch, playoff spots will be decided soon. Some teams could take big steps forward next weekend while others are clinging to hope and need wins for the playoffs to remain a reality. For some teams, the playoffs start now if they want a shot at participating in the official Canada West playoffs.
With three weeks remaining in the season, though, all nine teams are still mathematically in the race meaning they all have a reason to play hard. Not all of them will make the playoffs, of course, but having this many teams alive this deep into the season means the intensity should remain high as we get near the end of the campaign.
Enjoy the games next week, folks. They should be good!
If you haven't been keeping up with the Federal Prospects Hockey League, that's probably because you live nowhere near one of their member teams. There was a completely moronic signing that happened today by the Baton Rouge Zydeco that involved a player who should never play professional hockey again, but we're going to focus on a better story from the FPHL that doesn't involve convicted criminals. Instead, the image to the left is likely what you'll see on the shoulders of the jerseys for the FPHL's newest expansion team that I noted was playing in the other Ralph Engelstad Arena located in Thief River Falls, Minnesota. That team officially now has a name!
This announcement was made last Friday on January 16, so it kind of falls into line with how late I posted the information about the FPHL expanding into Thief River Falls. My tardiness in keeping up with both stories aside, this new team will officially be called the Minnesota Northern Lights! As you can see to the right, the team will wear "vibrant purple and sharp green" while the main logo will be "a scrappy moose in hockey uniform surrounded by the northern lights". According to the release linked above, "[o]ver 1,000 votes came in" when it came to naming the team with votes coming in from "as far as Florida and Indiana"! I can assure everyone I did not vote.
For those that are unaware, the science of the "Northern Lights lies in Earth's magnetosphere, shielding against solar wind's charged particles. Interaction at the poles creates the colorful display, as electrons from the solar wind excite oxygen and nitrogen atoms, releasing vibrant photons. Colors vary with altitude, forming pink, purple, and white lights. Most visible during solar storms, the Northern Lights are overshadowed by sunlight during the day." For the record, Minnesota is one of the best states in the continental US to see the aurora borealis phenomenon throughout the winter!
The team confirmed there will be a moose mascot at home games, but that mascot is unnamed at the time of publishing. I can assure you that Mick E. Moose likely won't be used thanks to the mascot for the AHL's Manitoba Moose, but there are likely all sorts of names that can be used. The team will run a contest for name suggestions, and the mascot will be ready for the inaugural puck drop in October 2026! if the team is going with white and black backgrounds for their jerseys, that purple and green could pop nicely like the northern lights do against the night sky. I'll reserve judgment on the colours until we see the jersey design, but the Minnesota Northern Lights seem like they'll be fairly well-dressed when they take the ice!
In hunting for ticket prices to see the Northern Lights play, their Facebook page indicated that there are four levels of ticketing that they'll offer with season tickets coming in at $406, $464, $522, and $604 for their 56-game scheduled. That means a 28-game hockey schedule would see tickets priced at $14.50 for the $406 package while the best seats will set fans back $21.57 per game for the 28 games. According to the team, single-game tickets will be priced at $14, $16, $18, and $20 which means that season tickets actually cost more per game than single-game tickets do. Somehow, that doesn't seem right unless there's an increase in the total number of games.
Economics aside, it looks like the Minnesota FPHL expansion team has a distinct identity. They have yet to sign a player when it comes to generating excitement on the ice, but Thief River Falls is officially on the FPHL map! Here's hoping the jersey unveiling is just as good!
For those who may be reading this article outside of the middle of continent, the frigid temperatures being experienced across Manitoba, North Dakota, Minnesota, and other parts in the midwest are nothing short of dangerous when it comes to frostbite and hypothermia. My hope is that anyone who is outside is bundled up to the point where movement is difficult and I pray that those who are homeless can find warmth tonight because this cold snap is brutal. I'm not one to complain about the cold often, but even I have a hard time understanding why anyone would want to be out in this version of the cold voluntarily. And that brings me to tonight's AHL game between the Iowa Wild and the Milwaukee Admirals which is part of Hockey Day in Minnesota and was played outdoors in the cold.
According to the forecast, the Wild and Admirals met on the outdoor ice in temperatures that were expected to hover around -26C at game time. The game officially began at 5:08pm CT, and there were lots of players who were adjusting helmets and gloves for added layers under that equipment. Understandably, things were uncomfortably cold when the game began and the thermometer showed a -8F temperature. If you're doing your imperial-to-metric conversions, that's a -22C start! Despite the term, there was no chance that either team got a chance to warm up during warm-ups.
I didn't get to watch the game due to my involvement at the 2026 Female World Sport School Challenge, but the angle that FloHockey was given for broadcasting this game makes it seem like they're doing it from the moon. At one point, the broadcast went out as well as the cold began to affect the equipment that FloHockey uses so clearly the cold couldn't have been fun for the players despite the opportunity to participate in this game. However, the game went on and we would see goals scored!
Hunter Haight scored for Iowa in the first period before Ryan Sandelin made it a two-goal lead for the Wild at the 7:52 mark of the second period. The Admirals weren't about to let the deficit nor the cold get them down, though, as Ryder Rolston scored before the end of the middle frame to make it 2-1 after 40 minutes. Milwaukee would eventially tie the game when Oasiz Wiesblatt scored on the power-play at 7:43 of the third period, setting the stage for some potential heroics as we neared a "next goal wins" situation in the third period!
There was no hero in regulation time, but there was in extra time as this game went to overtime because these players just needed to be out in the cold longer, right? Sarcasm aside, overtime lasted all of 95 seconds as Zach L'Heureux ended it with a goal to give the Milwaukee Admirals the 3-2 overtime win over the Iowa Wild at Tradition Veterans Complex in Hastings, Minnesota in front of 4608 fans!
Aaron Sims, the radio play-by-play announcer for the Admirals, spent the entire 61:35 outdoors as he called the game from the upper level of the bleachers, so I want to give him all the credit for spending an hour outside, standing in virtually one spot all night. I don't know if Sims has any future plans of exploring one of the polar regions of the planet, but his refusal to let the cold affect his broadcast is amazing!
Officially, the Wild and Admirals are claiming that the Wild Outdoor Classic this season marks the coldest professional hockey game of all-time with that -22C temperature achieving that dubious distinction, but fans in Edmonton may disagree after they braved what was forecast as -18C temperature that came with a windchill that plunged the temperature to -30C. They didn't mention the 2003 Heritage Classic in the tweet above, but they did mention the 2023 Winter Classic where St. Louis and Minnesota met in Minneapolis on a day where the temperature dropped to -20.9C. Or -21C for simplicity.
Regardless of whether Edmonton, Minneapolis, or Hastings was coldest, any outdoor game that's played below -10C is simply just "cold". Those three cities can battle over which outdoor game was coldest, but do any of them really want that frigid distinction?
Congratulations to both the Iowa Wild and the Milwaukee Admirals on playing an entertaining game in less-than-ideal conditions, but both teams brought the heat as they scored goals, made plays, got saves, and played into overtime before a winner was found. I do want to give a big shout-out to the officials and the coaching staffs from both teams who braved the cold as well, and to the fans and broadcasters who did their best in bundling up for the uncomfortably cold night.
To the winners go the spoils, so here is your winning team!
The Hockey Show, Canada's only campus-produced radio show that strictly talks hockey, is out in the big world, broadcasting from the Hockey For All Centre in west Winnipeg tonight as part of the 2026 Female World Sport School Challenge! The tournament games are beign broadcast on the UMFM Second Stream internet stream all weekend, but we'll dive back onto the radio frequency with an on-location show! Live radio means anything can happen, so be ready for some fun tonight on The Hockey Show at 5:30pm CT!
We've already got confirmation that we'll be joined by the young lady to the left as Teebz and Jason will chat with Balmoral Hall Blazers defender Lucy Ring about her career and the tournament! We'll get her thoughts on the Blazers' first game against the Winnipeg Avros, we'll chat about her future aspirations, we'll talk about Carter George's record-0setting night last night and how awesome goalie goals are, and we'll discuss Balmoral Hall's chances at a gold medal this weekend and in the CSSHL playoffs! If Lucy is joined by another player, we'll pose the same questions to her as well, but Teebz and Jason will chatting hockey at the Hockey For All Centre tonight on The Hockey Show at 5:30pm CT on one of 101.5 FM, Channel 718 on MTS TV, or via UMFM.com!
If you live outside Winnipeg and want to listen, we have options! The UMFM website's streaming player works well if you want to listen online. We also recommend Radio Garden if you need an easy-to-use online stream. If you're more of an app person, we recommend you use the TuneIn app found on the App Store or Google Play Store.
If you have questions, you can email all show queries and comments to hockeyshow@umfm.com! Tweet me anytime with questions you may have by hitting me up at @TeebzHBIC on Twitter! I'm here to listen to you, so make your voice heard! And because both Teebz and Jason are on the butterfly app where things are less noisy, you can find Teebz here and Jason here on Bluesky!
Tonight, Teebz and Jason chat with Balmoral Hall Blazers defender Lucy Ring about the tournament, her season, her future goals, goalie goals, gold medal chances, and much more exclusively on 101.5 UMFM and on the UMFM.com web stream!
The goaltender to the left may not be well-known, but that's only because he hasn't worn that jersey very often. Carter George will, one day, be a member of the Los Angeles Kings based on how well he stops pucks, but he's currently adjusting to life in Sault Ste. Marie where he's playing with th Greyhounds. The Owen Sound Attack traded him to the Soo in exchange for seven OHL Priority Selection picks two weeks ago after the World Junior Championship ended, and he it appears he's right at home in the Ontario portion of the city that straddles the St. Mary's River.
The Soo Greyhounds welcomed the London Knights to GFL Memorial Gardens this evening. Things were going according to plan as the Greyhounds had a 3-2 lead on London and they were playing solid defence in the third period as time wound down. That's when Carter George decided to jump into the action, so let's go to the video!
With London netminder Aleksei Medvedev heading to the bench at 18:29 of the third period for an extra attacker, the dump-in by the London Knights was stopped by Carter George behind the net. When he looked up, he had time and space to take the shot, and Carter George would score his first goal of the season and the Greyhounds' fourth goal at 18:33 of the third period en route to a 5-2 win!
This goal puts George into very elite company as he became the first OHL goaltender to score two goals in his junior career! Because I missed that goal, here is George's first goal when he scored with Owen Sound on November 14, 2024 against the Peterborough Petes!
Clearly, having a goalie score twice is extremely rare, but would it surprise you to learn that Carter George is the second CHL goaltender to do that? According to the history books, former netminder François Brassard was the first CHL netminder to score twice in career, accomplishing the feat with Cape Breton on December 13, 2014 and with Gatineau on February 28, 2015! Yes, you read that correctly - Brassard scored twice in the same season! Just to add a little more fun to the numbers, Brassard also scored a goal in the ECHL!
While George's second goal made him the second goaltender in CHL history to score twice, it also made him the second Soo Greyhounds goaltender to record a goal as Nolan Lalonde scored for the Greyhounds against the Flint Firebirds on January 24, 2025 as the first Soo stopper to achieve the feat. What's funny about this entire goal-scoring extravaganza is that I cannot find a list of OHL goalies who have recorded goals anywhere, and yet George was identified as the eleventh goalie to do so when he scored with Owen Sound.
That detail aside, it's still a pretty cool fact that Carter George now has two goals in his OHL career. Yes, he was the second goalie to achieve that lofty goal total, but that takes nothing away from the fact that he now shares that record. What's even more fun is that he still has time to set a new record with a third goal, so it might be a good idea to keep an eye on the Soo Greyhounds where George is now 4-0-0 since being traded and has scored a goal for his new team!
Goalie goals are awesome no matter who scores, but Carter George will always be the answer to what OHL goalie dented twine twice! And maybe he'll get one when he finally joins the LA Kings.
As someone who has been doing radio for a number of years, I tend to listen to commercials more than I should probably admit. It's not the messaging that I'm interested in nor the product being sold, but it's how the commercial is selling the product that catches me. I say this because hockey games on the radio have a lot of time where commercials can be run, and companies need to have effective messaging for their advertisement to be catchy. In preapring commercials for sponsors of the 2026 Female World Sport School Challenge, I've found that a large number of companies are only producing video commercials that have few, if any, voiceovers.
I get that visual media often doesn't need a lot of words when imagery does the trick. After all, a picture is worth a thousand words, right? But when it comes to looking for radio commercials for companies, there aren't a lot of audio databases like YouTube or iSpot where audio commercials are held. With no database like that, I've had to use visual media for some of those commercials and there are a lot of ads where the words appear on the screen with no voiceover.
For the last three days, I have spent an exhausting amount of time creating radio commercials for companies who produce excellent visual media, but terrible audio media. One company has dozens of commercials on their YouTube account with all sorts of information and products, but this company rarely uses a voiceover to help promote their products. Heck, this company doesn't even mention its own name other than posting their logo at the end of the commercial. Again, this helps for visual media, but it's awful for people who may need the audio portion for things to make sense.
As a person who has 20/20 vision, it never occurred to me how vitally important the audio was in commercials until I began encountering more and more commercials that had none. This led me down a rabbit hole of thinking about how people with visual impairments may experience these commercials, and I landed on a page for the American Council for the Blind where Yvonne B. Garris gave an account of what it's like for her when she's watching television.
She makes one statement that I completely agree with, stating,
After hearing your ad, do you know what the commercial is for? If not, please change the commercial.
Honestly, I cannot disagree with her. There were lots of times over the last 72 hours where I sat with my eyes closed as a commercial played through my headphones, and I had no idea what the company was selling nor what company it was had I not been looking for them.
I'm not here to call out any of these companies for producing the advertisements they have. They're far more successful than I so whatever they're doing seems to work. However, they can be better as Miss Garris states and I support, and I hope that her statement above serves as a reminder for companies moving forward that there is a segment of the population with great influence and buying power that is often underserved by these companies' advertisements.
If you're in marketing or advertising and you're reading this, my hope is that this resonates with you. As someone with no visual impairments, I know I often take for granted that commercials and advertisements cater to those who can see. Selfishly, I could use more chatter in visual advertising to make creating radio ads easier, but I'm the last person to whom companies should be catering. Instead, I'm advocating for Miss Gerris whose simple request would make a huge difference in her life and, in turn, assist me.
In a world where communicating is supposed to be easier, we seem to be talking less and less. Use your words, folks. They matter.
If there's one thing that I enjoy more than anything when doing radio, it's participating at live events. Live radio has a certain unpredictability to it that is unlike anything else except for live television, and it's that unpredictability that makes covering events a bit of a thrill. It is with great honour that UMFM has been invited to cover the 2026 Female World Sport School Challenge once again, and we are proud to working with the great people at Balmoral Hall School to bring these broadcasts to hockey fans once again! That will all happen this weekend, so let's see why you may want to tune in or watch in-person at the Hockey For All Centre in Winnipeg!
As you you may recall from past tournaments, this tournament was always run by the St. Mary's Academy Flames. After they decided to cut their prep hockey program, the tournament was in jeopardy of being eliminated from the hockey scene, but Balmoral Hall School stepped in to fill the void left by the Flames' absence. That effort will see the tournament continue this weekend from January 22-25 as nine teams battle for the gold medal and bragging rights!
This year's tournament will have a very local flavour as all nine teams are from Manitoba. There were a number of non-Manitoba AAA and CSSHL teams that couldn't squeeze the tournament into their schedules, but they have expressed interest in participating next season. That being said, Balmoral Hall decided to make this year's event into a showcase of the best women's hockey this province has to offer as six MFHL teams and all three Manitoba-based CSSHL teams will participate! If you wanted a best-on-best format, you got it!
UMFM will be broadcasting from the PCL Arena once again this year, and that gives us the honour of calling nine FWSSC games. All games being broadcast can be heard on the UMFM Second Stream internet stream beginning Thursday afternoon while your favorite programming continues on the 101.5 FM frequency. We are excited for the action, so here are the games you'll hear:
2:15pm January 22 - Balmoral Hall vs. Winnipeg Avros
7:30pm January 22 - Interlake Lightning vs. Pilot Mound
9:00am January 23 - Winnipeg Ice vs. Pilot Mound
5:00pm January 23 - Balmoral Hall vs. Westman Wildcats
9:15am January 24 - Interlake Lightning vs. Winnipeg Ice
2:05pm Janaury 24 - Pilot Mound vs. Pembina Valley Hawks
5:30pm January 24 - SKILLS COMPETITION!
9:00am January 25 - Championship semifinal
11:30am January 25 - 5th-place game
2:00pm January 25 - FWSSC Gold Medal Game
In total, there will be nine games plus the special event on Saturday night that will be broadcast via the UMFM Second Stream, so you shouldn't have any excuse when it comes to catching a few games as any internet-connected device can carry the broadcasts. Even if you can't get to the Hockey For All Centre, UMFM will make sure you have a window into the best women's hockey tournament in the province!
You may have noticed the words "SKILLS COMPETITION!" above. Balmoral Hall decided that they wanted to put their own stamp on the 2026 Female World Sport School Challenge with something a little different, so they're going to run a skills competition where girls from all nine teams will get a shot to show off their dangles, clap-bombs, snipes, and saves! UMFM will pull off some magic by moving rinks with all of our equipment, but we're going to bring you the 2026 FWSSC Skills Competition in full with a pile of interviews and chatter as we cover the event and see which players make their marks!
What's not on the broadcast schedule above is Thursday night's episode of The Hockey Show which will also take place at the 2026 Female World Sport School Challenge as Jason and I broadcast the show live from the rink prior to the 7:30pm game between the Interlake Lightning and Pilot Mound Buffaloes. There likely will be a few players who pop by for a chat, we'll get everyone updated on the afternoon games, and we'll chat about some hockey stories before the evening game, so make sure you stick around for that!
If you're planning on coming to a game or are on the fence about going, let me give you one little push: admission to all games and the skills competition is absolutely FREE! Thanks to the generosity of Patrick and Carla Rae who are part of the tournament's incredible sponsors, they have covered the costs of any and all admission costs for the tournament so that all fans can attend and catch the fantastic hockey action all weekend no matter what game you want see!
At the end of the day, there are a pile of women who will be playing this weekend who are heading off to post-secondary institutions on both sides of the border. There will be even more whose performances this weekend and this season will set themselves up for the same opportunities. This is the tournament where all of Aerin Frankel, Jade Iginla, Sarah Potomak, Halli Krzyzaniak, Hannah Miller, and Logan Angers showed their skills before playing on international and professional stages. Perhaps the next potential stars of women's hockey will be showcasing their skills in west Winnipeg this weekend?
The Female World Sport School Challenge is always a weekend of incredible hockey in which UMFM is honoured to included. I have no doubt that Balmoral Hall School and the Balmoral Hall Blazers are going to host an incredible tournament, and I'm excited to watch and call some incredible games between the best teams that Manitoba has to offer. If you can make it down to the Hockey For All Centre, please come and watch. If you can't be at the rinks this weekend, we'll keep you up to speed on what's happening at the 2026 Female World Sport School Challenge on the UMFM Second Stream.
There usually isn't a lot to be excited about when it comes to hockey in late January, but the 2026 Female World Sport School Challenge has been circled on the UMFM calendar for a while. We're grateful for Balmoral Hall's invitation to be part of the event again this year, and we're proud to be broadcasting the 2026 Female World Sport School Challenge for all to hear! See you at the rink this weekend!
There were all sorts of playoff implications in the games featured this weekend in Canada West as eight teams looked to strengthen their chances for playoff spots and the related benefits that come with those playoff berths. The only team who wasn't participating was the MacEwan Griffins, and they needed a few teams to help them out by beating the teams they were chasing. Some teams will only have six games remaining on their schedule after this week, so the push for points has to be now if teams are going to make a run. Let's find out who made that push for points this week on The Rundown!
FRIDAY: The Trinity Western Spartans headed out to the flat land of Manitoba to meet the Bisons in a two-game set where both teams had playoff aspirations that required points. Trinity Western was looking to maintain their hold on second-place in the West Division while Manitoba was looking to overtake Saskatchewan and grab a playoff spot in the East Division for the first time this season. Both teams came into the weekend having won their last two games, so someone was going to be on the wrong side of the ledger after Friday night.
Bisons goals: Sophia Anderson (1), Dana Goertzen (4), Louise Fergusson (1), Aimee Patrick (7)
Bisons assists: Julia Bird (4), Hanna Bailey (4), Claire Moorman (4), Kelsey Huibers (1), Dana Goertzen (6), Aimee Patrick (7), Dana Goertzen (7), Sophia Anderson (3)
Bisons netminder: Emily Shippam (29/34) in 64:30
Result: 5-4 overtime victory for Trinity Western over Manitoba.
SATURDAY: I'm pretty sure that Manitoba wasn't pleased with surrendering a three-goal lead on home ice before salvaging a point, so it was expected that the Bisons would come into Saturday's game with a more focused defensive effort. Trinity Western was looking for the full four-point effort as they looked to carry the comeback effort forward in this game. If this is going to be one of the playoff series this season, fans should be excited for another chapter in this battle!
Bisons goals: Aimee Patrick (8), Dana Goertzen (5), Sophia Heidinger (1), Norah Collins (5)
Bisons assists: Sara Harbus (5), Claire Moorman (5), Aimee Patrick (8), Sara Harbus (6), Sara Harbus (7), Alyssa Rasmuson (7)
Bisons netminder: Emily Shippam (23/24)
Result: 4-1 victory for Manitoba over Trinity Western.
FRIDAY: The Mount Royal Cougars went northeast to Saskatoon where the Saskatchewan Huskies were hosting their two-game set, and this would be the second time that the Cougars and Huskies had met in the last two weeks. The exhibition game they played saw the Cougars prevail by a 1-0 score as the Cougars looked to put more distance between themselves and Calgary this weekend with wins. The Huskies were looking to get back into the win column after dropping a pair of games to Manitoba as they looked to hold onto their playoff spot.
Cougars goals: Kaia Borbandy (2), Julia Duke (7), Isa MacPhee (2)
Cougars assists: Jordyn Hutt (3), Summer Fomradas (9), Kaia Borbandy (4), Kiana McNinch (8)
Cougars netminder: Scout Anderson (10/12) in 60:43
Huskies goals: Jaiyana Nurani (1), Shelby Williamson (3)
Huskies assists: Kahlen Wisener (4), Jessica Anderson (1), Kahlen Wisener (5), Paris Oleksyn (4)
Huskies netminders: Colby Wilson (28/31)
Result: 3-2 overtime victory for Mount Royal over Saskatchewan.
SATURDAY: After an emotionally-charged game on Friday that featured Saskatchewan's outstanding Play For A Cure jerseys where they raised funds to battle breast cancer, the Cougars and Huskies were back at it on Saturday with both teams still seeking points. The Cougars were needing to add more points in order to secure first-place in the East Division while the Huskies were aiming to end their three-game skid that has opened their 2026 calendar.
Cougars goals: Allee Gerrard (9), Kiana McNinch (5), Sydney Benko (9), Breanne Comte (1), Jerzey Watteyne (9)
Cougars assists: Summer Fomradas (10), Allee Gerrard (6), Breanne Comte (6), Allee Gerrard (7), Keyana Bert (4), Julia Duke (4), Ava Metzger (3)
Cougars netminder: Katherine Holan (20/21)
Huskies goals: Sara Kendall (3)
Huskies assists: Jaiyana Nurani (3)
Huskies netminders: Colby Wilson (42/47)
Result: 5-1 victory for Mount Royal over Saskatchewan.
FRIDAY: The Alberta Pandas collected their gear and went southwest to visit the Regina Cougars this weekend. The Pandas were looking for points in an effort to overtake the Trinity Western Spartans whereas the Cougars were needing points to stay in the race in the East Division. Alberta could also put a gulf of space between them and MacEwan, so both teams were playing with a purpose this weekend. Would either make a dent in their quests to secure a playoff spot?
Result: 1-0 overtime victory for Alberta over Regina.
SATURDAY: Both teams grabbed points on Friday, and they returned to the rink with the same goal omn Saturday. Regina needed a two-point effort if they were going to close the gap on the teams ahead of them while Alberta was looking to close the gap between them and the Spartans while having two games in-hand. Regina had to get more pucks to the net if they wanted those two points while Alberta was hoping not to get goalied in a second game. Who'd grab the points?
Pandas goals: Riley Smith (2), Riley Smith (3)
Pandas assists: Annie King (3), Natalie Kieser (6), Natalie Kieser (7), Hailey Carothers (3)
Pandas shootout scorers: none
Pandas netminder: Grace Glover (31/33) in 65:00 plus 1/2 in the shootout
Cougars goals: Rayna Hennie (2), Maggie Kate Fitzpatrick (1)
Cougars assists: Maggie Kate Fitzpatrick (2), Brooke Fofonoff (2)
Cougars shootout scorers: Jordyn Blais
Cougars netminder: Amy Swayze (23/25) in 65:00 plus 3/3 in the shootout
Result: 3-2 shootout victory for Regina over Alberta.
FRIDAY: In what could potentially be a Canada West semifinal preview, the Calgary Dinos headed to Vancouver where the UBC Thunderbirds were waiting. UBC knew they were headed to the playoffs, so they were looking to send a message to the upstart Dinos. Calgary was looking to prove that UBC wasn't all that invincible. Calgary has had UBC's number on occasion in past seasons, so would we see another Dinos victory against the Thunderbirds?
Dinos goals: Brooklin Fry (1)
Dinos assists: Brooklyn Anderson (5), Evelyn Lawrence (6)
Dinos netminder: Amelia Awad (33/38)
SATURDAY: UBC took one step closer to securing home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs, and they looked to take another step towards that outcome on Saturday. Calgary, however, wanted to get back into the win column as they still had hopes for first-place in the East Division. If Calgary was going to rattle the Thunderbirds' cage, they needed a win on UBC ice while UBC was looking to bury the Dinos for the sweep and a four-point weekend to send a message.
Dinos goals: April Klarenbach (4), Evelyn Lawrence (5)
Dinos assists: Kyla Mitenko (5), Jess Martens (6), Brooklyn Anderson (6), Alex Spence (10)
Dinos netminder: Maisie Cope (55/58) in 62:18
Result: 3-2 overtime victory for UBC over Calgary.
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
18-2-2-0
40
67
21
W2
vs TWU
Mount Royal
11-4-6-1
35
55
32
W3
vs REG
Calgary
12-5-1-4
30
52
40
L2
BYE
Trinity Western
5-10-6-1
23
51
50
L1
@ UBC
Alberta
8-6-0-6
22
40
44
L1
vs SAS
Manitoba
5-8-2-5
19
42
51
W1
vs MAC
Saskatchewan
5-9-3-3
19
29
47
L4
@ ALB
Regina
3-10-3-4
16
29
48
W1
@ MRU
MacEwan
2-14-2-2
10
19
51
L2
@ MAN
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 player has quietly become one of the best two-way defenders in Canada West and, dare I say, all of U SPORTS. She may not appear on the scoresheet every week, but her impact on the game is hard to miss while watching her team play and win and that's how Mount Royal Cougars defender Summer Fomradas lands on The Honour Roll!
Fomradas set career highs with three goals and 15 points last season, and she has two goals and 12 points in her third season this year. Consistency has always been her best quality as a defender, even when she was playing in the AFHL, and she's brought that with her to Canada West where she's become head coach Scott Rivett's trusted defenders. Summer plays both sides of the puck equally well, often being a stopper against the oppositon's best players while also chipping in offensively when Mount Royal gets to the offensive zone.
With key losses on the blue line over the last couple of seasons, Fomradas' emergence as one of Mount Royal's best defenders has helped them remain an elite team. She won't razzle-dazzle anyone when she has the puck, but her first pass is usually good, her vision on both sides of the puck is excellent, and she reads plays well. Being a third-year player, she'll continue to lead the Cougars with her play and her hockey smarts, and she has a chance to equal or break her offensive career-high totals with six games to play this season.
Fomradas was solid all weekend in making life difficult for the Huskies' offensive players just as she's done all year to other Canada West teams, and adding a pair of assists while being so defensively-responsible this weekend wasn't missed by this writer. I'm not here to jinx her chances, but she'd be on my short list for Canada's FISU team next year! A two-assist weekend where she helped the Mount Royal Cougars to a pair of wins is how Summer Fomradas made the list!
A Justified Absence
I had noticed that there was a player missing from the action at Wayne Fleming Arena in Winnipeg on Friday night as I watched the CBC broadcast. I had heard that this player had officially moved on after a ceremony last week, but I thought there might be some way she'd want to finish the season considering how well her team has been playing. It turns out, though, that Trinity Western Spartans forward Jordyn Matthews has moved into a new chapter of her life!
Make no mistake that Jordyn Matthews was a competitor night-in and night-out. She played 122 Canada West games where she recorded 21 goals and 28 assists for 49 points, finishing her career as Trinity Western's all-time leading scorer in Canada West play. She played in all situations for the Spartans, recording six power-play goals and two shorthanded goals, and she never recorded more than 20 penalty minutes in a season. For a kid who came through the AFHL's Rocky Mountain Raiders program never having scored more than six points at the AAA level, Jordyn Matthews showed that it's not how your start, but how you finish with her solid five-year career at Trinity Western!
Jordyn's next chapter has her returning to Alberta where she'll begin a nursing job as she moves into the next chapter of her life! I'm sure there will still be time for hockey in a senior women's league and I hope she continues to play. Jordyn was a great competitor in Canada West, a cherished teammate by the Spartans, and I suspect she'll be loved by anyone she treats in Alberta in her new profession!
Congratulations on a great career, Jordyn, and here's hoping the nursing career is as rewarding, as challenging, and just as fun as your university hockey experience! HBIC wishes you all the best!
Special Threads
The Saskatchewan Huskies will always have a place on The Rundown for their big night where they raise money for various cancer initiatives to help save lives. It doesn't really matter what type of cancer that the Huskies are raising money to abolish because all cancers are brutal to those who get those diagnoses and to their families whose lives change because of those diagnoses. Major kudos go out to the Huskies for their annual Play For A Cure night!
For this year's game, the Huskies suited up in pink to honour Kerri Backman in the picture to the left. Kerri is goaltender Emma Backman's mom, and she recently defeated breast cancer in her life which is amazingly good news. What people should remember, though, is that breast cancer will affect 1-in-8 women in North America in their lifetimes, and that roughly 1-in-100 cancers detected in men are breast cancer. If you're doing the math, a team of 25 women's hockey players means that three of those women will, at some point, be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetimes. That's a scary thought for a number of reasons, so early detection and early treatment go a long way in helping women overcome this disease. Thankfully, Kerri did.
The Huskies fell just short of $17,000 in their fundraising total last season, so they had their sights set on that $17,000 mark this season. I am pleased to report that not only did the Huskies hit that mark, but they surpassed it! In total, the Department of Oncology at the University of Saskatchewan will be receiving a donation earmarked for breast cancer research and initatives from the Saskatchewan Huskies for a total of $19,195! How awesome is that effort?!?
You don't need to answer because I'll show you how awesome it is!
HuskieFan app Senior Producer Host and Partnership Coordinator Wray Morrison reached out to Ron MacLean on Saturday with the photo and information, and MacLean got it mentioned on Sportsnet's Hockey Day In Canada yesterday! How cool is that? Great job, Wray, on getting the Saskatchewan Huskies women's program a little exposure for the amazing work they're doing to fight cancers!
May I add this is why he should run Canada West's marketing and communications departments? If I was in charge, he would be!
What About Everyone Else?
We've seen what the Huskies have been doing, and, to date, they've donated nearly $120,000 to various cancer-related research organizations and initiatives that help cancer patients. That's a huge amount of money when you consider they raise that on one night, and it got me thinking as to why this isn't a Canada West initiative.
If nine programs were able to raise $10,000 or more in their communities for cancer research, wouldn't $100,000 annually going to cancer research have a significant impact on cancer diagnoses and treatments? Prostate cancer makes up about 23% of all new male cancer diagnoses while breast cancer accounts for about 26% of new cancer diagnoses in women. Lung and bronchus cancers make up the second-most diagnoses in Canada. In total, those cancers make up nearly half of all cancer diagnoses in both men and women!
What angers me the most about Canada West is that there isn't a mention of Saskatchewan's Play For A Cure game anywhere on the Canada West website nor do they seem to care to highlight the efforts and amazing results that the Saskatchewan Huskies women's hockey team turn in every year on that night. I live a province away and I'm emailing the Huskies every September about the dates for their Play For A Cure game, yet Canada West completely ignores everything about it despite these young women being everything that Canada West implores its athletes to be. Baffling, isn't it?
Again, I'll let Bob and Bob ask the obvious question of Canada West.
Scheduling Note
I will admit right here and now that I will be watching zero Canada West games next weekend thanks to my involvement in the 2026 Female World Sport School Challenge hosted by Balmoral Hall School and the Balmoral Hall Blazers. UMFM has the honour of calling tournament games from the PCL Arena at Winnipeg's Hockey For All Centre, so I'll be in a rink for four-straight days watching the next stars of U SPORTS battle for the gold medal and bragging rights!
With Balmoral Hall taking over as hosts from the previous school, they've reduced the field to nine teams as they learn how to manage this tournament. All nine teams are Manitoba-based team, in fact, so that's where the bragging rights come into play. In saying that, there are a lot of already-recruited players and a pile of uncommitted players playing next weekend, so tune into the tournament on UMFM's Second Stream internet stream or watch on FloHockey.tv if you have a subscription. The hockey should be awesome, so we'll see you at the 2026 Female World Sport School Challenge next weekend!
The Last Word
Playoff spots will be on the line next week again in Calgary, Edmonton, and Winnipeg. The home-and-home series between UBC and Trinity Western will also have ramifications, but Trinity Western seems almost assured of their inclusion in the playoffs. Unless MacEwan can win seven of eight games while getting some help, the Spartans and Pandas could clinch playoff spots next weekend.
Out in the East Division, Manitoba occupies third-place and the final playoff spot due to them holding the tiebreaker over the Saskatchewan Huskies, so that battle may come down to the last weekend of the season. Of course, Regina's right behind them and could catch one or both if they falter, so that race in the East might come down to who makes the least mistakes over the final four weeks of the season. Regina plays both Saskatchewan and Manitoba in two and three weeks, respectively, so those games likely will determine whether or not Regina will play into late February.
Mathematically, no one is out, but every game's result will determine where and how each of the nine Canada West finish the season.
