The Rundown - Week 11

Eight teams returned to action this weekend with playoff implications being the story arc in a few of those series. The Alberta Pandas started the second half with the bye, but there was action played at Clare Drake Arena as well. We'll touch on that game after the Canada West games are reviewed, but, with the number of games remaining getting smaller for everyone involved, this weekend was all about collecting points for those who still have playoff hopes. Let's see who did what to help their playoff chances this weekend on The Rundown!

FRIDAY: The Regina Cougars headed west towards thw shadow of the Rocky Mountains where the Calgary Dinos waited. Calgary is comfortably in a playoff spot, but they weren't satisfied with second-place as they looked to catch the Mount Royal Cougars. The Regina Cougars arrived in sothern Alberta needing points to try to close the gap between them and the Saskatchewan Huskies who held the third and final playoff spot in the East Division. If Regina has playoff aspirations, they're going to have to beat teams ahead of them, and that's what the assignment was against the Dinos this weekend!


Cougars goals: Makena Kushniruk (3)
Cougars assists: Tessa Stewart (2)
Cougars netminder: Natalie Williamson (43/45)

Dinos goals: Jess Martens (3), Jess Martens (4)
Dinos assists: Sophia Zuck (1), Jada Johns (4), Jada Johns (5), Brooklyn Fry (4)
Dinos netminder: Amelia Awad (24/25)

Result: 2-1 victory for Calgary over Regina.

SATURDAY: Losing on Friday wasn't the end of the world for Regina as a split would still keep them in the race for that final playoff sport, so they knew the task that needed to be done. The Dinos, meanwhile, were looking to sweep the visiting Cougars out of town while trying to track down the hometown Cougars in the standings. Both teams were on the hunt for points on Saturday evening!


Cougars goals: Shaylee Scraba (3), Rayna Hennie (1), Trinity Grove (1), Felicia An (2)
Cougars assists: Kaylee Dyer (5), Meg Farmer (2), Jordyn Blais (3), Brooke Fofonoff (1), Kiah Shields (1)
Cougars netminders: Natalie Williamson (9/12) in 20:00; Amy Swayze (10/15) in 40:00

Dinos goals: Jess Martens (5), Sydney Mercier (12), Josie McLeod (1), Brooklyn Anderson (4), Brette Kerley (2), Josie McLeod (2), Brooklyn Anderson (5), Jess Martens (6)
Dinos assists: Jada Johns (6), Kyla Mitenko (3), Sydney Mercier (3), Evelyn Lawrence (5), Jess Martens (5), Caitlyn Perlinger (7), Eden Carius (3), Bree Kennedy (4), Kyla Mitenko (4), Sydney Mercier (4), Brette Kerley (2), Emma Tait (1)
Dinos netminders: Alyssa Barrette (16/20) in 30:05; Maisie Cope (12/12) in 29:55

Result: 8-4 victory for Calgary over Regina.

FRIDAY: Calgary played host to what could be a preview of the Canada West Final this season as the West Division-leading UBC Thunderbirds met the East Division-leading Mount Royal Cougars for a weekend series. UBC had already guaranteed themselves a playoff spot prior to the December break, so they were looking to avoid injuries while keeping sharp. Mount Royal still had work to do in holding off the Dinos while trying to clinch first-place in the East Division. The top two teams in Canada West clashed in Calgary!

Thunderbirds goals: Grace Elliott (19), Jacquelyn Fleming (1)
Thunderbirds assists: Kailee Peppler (5), Presley Zinger (6), Jaylyn Morris (10)
Thunderbirds netminder: Elise Hugens (13/13)

Cougars goals: none
Cougars assists: none
Cougars netminder: Scout Anderson (15/16)

Result: 2-0 victory for UBC over Mount Royal.

SATURDAY: UBC took a 1-0 series lead in the season series, going up 2-0 in goal differential as they look to win the tie-breaker for first-overall in Canada West. Mount Royal would need a push back if they wanted to secure home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs, and that means beating the Thunderbirds who have just one loss. Would UBC wrap up the first-overall tie-breaker this weekend?

Thunderbirds goals: Madisyn Wiebe (2), Ashton Thorpe (2)
Thunderbirds assists: Audrey Church (3), Cassidy Rhodes (3), Presley Zinger (7)
Thunderbirds netminder: Mya Lucifora (15/18)

Cougars goals: Jerzey Watteyne (8), Allee Gerrard (8), Isa MacPhee (1)
Cougars assists: Summer Fomradas (7), Allee Gerrard (5), Jori Hansen-Young (6), Summer Fomradas (8)
Cougars netminder: Scout Anderson (14/16)

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

FRIDAY: In a series that could have big playoff implications, the Manitoba Bisons headed northwest to Saskatoon for a series with the Saskatchewan Huskies. The Bisons needed to close the gap between them and Saskatchewan if they wanted any chance at earning a playoff spot, so wins and points had to be obtained. The Huskies had a chance to deliver a critical blow to those hopes with a pair of wins over the Bisons, so both teams needed to come in hungry on Friday!

Bisons goals: Norah Collins (4), Julia Bird (6), Shayna Bannister (1), Kelsey Huibers (3)
Bisons assists: Alyssa Rasmuson (5), Alyssa Rasmuson (6), Norah Collins (2), Brenna Nicol (4)
Bisons netminder: Jenna Goertzen (15/15)

Huskies goals: none
Huskies assists: none
Huskies netminders: Colby Wilson (30/33)

Result: 4-0 victory for Manitoba over Saskatchewan.

SATURDAY: The Bisons took one step forward in closing that gap between them and the Huskies, but the Huskies returned to Merlis Belsher Place looking to re-establish the point gap that started the weekend by splitting the tw3. o games. Another regulation win by Manitoba would have them breathing down Saskatchewan's neck in the standings, so the Bisons were looking for a sweep. Saskatchewan, who were denied a goal in Game One of 2026, were looking to erase that lack of offensive punch by scoring often in the second game.

Bisons goals: Julia Bird (7), Dana Goertzen (3), Aimee Patrick (6), Brenna Nicol (2)
Bisons assists: Norah Collins (3), Julia Bird (3), Sadie Keller (2), Sara Harbus (4)
Bisons netminder: Emily Shippam (16/17)

Huskies goals: Bronwyn Boucher (5)
Huskies assists: Jayde Cadieux (8)
Huskies netminders: Clara Juca (35/38)

Result: 4-1 victory for Manitoba over Saskatchewan.

FRIDAY: The MacEwan Griffins headed to Langley, BC where the Trinity Western Spartans were waiting to host the weekend series. MacEwan had one priority this weekend: win and gather as many points as possible. Two losses would put MacEwan in a very deep hole, and Trinity Western came into the weekend with a shovel to do that. They also needed points in an effort to secure second-place in the West Division, so both squads were hunting for a win on Friday!

Griffins goals: Sasha Malenfant (3)
Griffins assists: Jordana Jones (2)
Griffins netminder: Lindsey Johnson (34/38)

Spartans goals: Sadie Isfeld (2), Chloe Reid (7), Ashley Breitkreuz (3), Keelyn Pisani (2)
Spartans assists: Ella Boon (6), Olivia Leier (2), Emily Karpan (2), Chayce Kullman (4), Emily Karpan (3), Emily Karpan (4)
Spartans netminders: Kate Fawcett (20/21)

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

SATURDAY: MacEwan was basically in must-win mode on Saturday and that will likely the remainder of their season if they hope to have any shot at the playoffs. Beating one of the teams they were chasing for a playoff spot would help immensely, but Trinity Western wasn't going to let a chance to drive a nail in the Griffins' coffin go to waste. A sweep would push them past Alberta as well, so Saturday's game was all about winning in regulation time on both sides of the ice.

Griffins goals: Ashton Bender (1), Megan Dolynchuk (4)
Griffins assists: Sasha Malenfant (1), Sydney Jack (4), Claire Hobbs (3)
Griffins netminder: Taya Currie (39/42)

Spartans goals: Kyra Anderson (2), Chloe Reid (8), Kara Yackel (6)
Spartans assists: Ella Boon (7), Jordyn Matthews (5), Kyra McDonald (8), Olivia Leier (3), Kyra Anderson (2)
Spartans netminders: Olivia Davidson (21/23)

Result: 3-2 victory for Trinity Western over MacEwan.

FRIDAY: With Alberta off this week, the Pandas were looking to get some additional game action under their belts before starting their second half of the season next week. They had already played the NAIT Ooks and the Edmonton Junior Oilers U18 AAA teams, and this week saw them welcome the ACAC's Red Deer Polytechnic Queens to Clare Drake Arena. Red Deer has a 10-3-2-1 record and sits in second-place in the ACAC, so the Pandas had to be ready for this game!

Queens goals: no boxscores found, but someone scored
Queens assists: no boxscores found
Queens netminders: no boxscores found, but someone stopped pucks

Pandas goals: no boxscores found, but multiple players scored
Pandas assists: no boxscores found
Pandas netminder: no boxscores found, but someone stopped pucks

Result: 6-1 victory for Alberta over Red Deer.

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	17-2-1-0	36	59	18	L1	vs CAL
Mount Royal	10-4-5-1	31	47	29	W1	@ SAS
Calgary	12-4-1-3	29	49	32	W2	@ UBC
Trinity Western	5-9-5-1	21	45	42	W2	@ MAN
Alberta	7-6-0-5	19	37	42	L1	@ REG
Saskatchewan	5-8-3-2	18	26	39	L2	vs MRU
Manitoba	4-8-2-4	16	34	45	W2	vs TWU
Regina	3-10-2-3	13	27	45	L8	vs ALB
MacEwan	2-14-2-2	10	19	51	L2	BYE

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 nearly doubled her scoring totals from the first half of the season, and she equaled her career-high in goals and points in any season this weekend as she went on a tear over these last two games. Her four goals and five-point performance this weekend lands Calgary Dinos forward Jess Martens on the Honour Roll!

In no season prior to this one had Jess Martens scored more than four goals or five points. That's not to say she wasn't an effective player, but her role didn't see her scoring a lot of points. This season, she had started the campaign with two goals and three points in six games, but she continued to play well defensively for the Dinos.

This weekend, however, Martens was all over the ice as she opened the scoring in both games, scored the game-winner on the power-play on Friday night, and had the primary assist on Brette Kerley's game-winner on Saturday. Her five points boosted her from six points to eleven on the season which is a career-high total. Her four goals boosted her goal-scoring from two markers to six which is a career-high total. Her eleven points this season doubles her career total to 22 points. In short, Martens' big plays led to a big weekend for the Dinos which, in turn, is leading to a career-year for the senior!

Four-goal and five-point weekends don't happen very often in Canada West, but it's the importance of those points in helping the Dinos to two big wins that makes Jess Martens' weekend so impressive. If the Dinos can harness what she did in preparing for the second half and inject into all their players, the Dinos may be an unstoppable force! Exploding out of the break with key performances is a good way to get noticed, and that's how Calgary's Jess Martens made the list!

A Change Made

If you stopped to watch the highlights of the Regina-Calgary games above, you may have noticed that I didn't do them in a Headline Sports style like I had in the first half. If you haven't watched or don't watch them, that's ok too because I just figured no one does.

I asked for feedback on doing the highlights in that style, and I got no responses. I asked if people wanted to see something different, and no one responded. Since there was no feedback, the apathy tells me that no one cares whether I make the highlights fun or not, so I'm not going to spend time doing that if there's zero appreciation for it.

If you appreciated those highlight reels I was making, speak up. Otherwise, I'm reclaiming my time rather than making highlight reels.

Finding Her Way Back

I wrote a story on Friday about former Calgary Dinos goaltender and former Great Britain national team goaltender Ella Howard finding a home with the NAIT Ooks in the ACAC. Ella's limited time with Calgary proved she could play the position well, but her time was limited due to an injury. What injury she had was never discussed publicly anywhere, but the Dinos moved on without Howard as her injury seemed like it may have derailed her hockey career entirely.

Thanks to Alberta playing the NAIT Ooks on January 2, Ella Howard's name appeared on the boxscore and I noticed it immediately. Upon further examination, Ella's injury was disclosed in an article written by the Ooks' athletic department where she said she had been suffering from femoroacetabular impingement. I explain all of what that is in the linked article, but Howard makes it clear that she's aiming to get back in the crease regularly as part of her rehab.

The good news is that it seems like Ella's spirit and love of the game hasn't wavered as she tries to get back to the form that her on the Dinos' roster. She may never play interntationally again, but just seeing her come back from an injury as serious as femoroacetabular impingement can be classified as a major victory all on its own.

Keep up the rehab and the good work, Ella! We're cheering for you!

Free TV Schedule

My frustration with Canada West boils over more often than it likely should because I have never seen an organization fail so often as Canada West does. For those that aren't aware, CBC Sports is still streaming Canada West hockey games for free on their website and on YouTube, but I suspect that no one knows because why would Canada West want to promote free viewership of their product?

Since they won't do it, I will. Here's CBC's schedule for games:

• January 16 - Trinity Western at Manitoba (7pm CT)
• January 23 - Saskatchewan at Alberta (8pm CT)
• March 19 - U SPORTS Quarterfinal 1 (12pm CT)
• March 19 - U SPORTS Quarterfinal 2 (6pm CT)
• March 20 - U SPORTS Quarterfinal 3 (12pm CT)
• March 20 - U SPORTS Quarterfinal 4 (6pm CT)
• March 21 - U SPORTS Consolation Semifinal 1 (9am CT)
• March 21 - U SPORTS Consolation Semifinal 2 (12pm CT)
• March 21 - U SPORTS Championship Semifinal 1 (3pm CT)
• March 21 - U SPORTS Championship Semifinal 2 (6pm CT)
• March 22 - U SPORTS Gold Medal Game (2pm CT)

There could be more games added, but CBC is one of the national broadcasters for the 2026 Winter Olympics and Paralympics, so those two events do occupy a lot of their network and streaming time. In saying that, though, there are at least two more Canada West games on CBC Sports' streaming site, so do yourself a favour and tune in!

The Last Word

The playoff races get a little more serious next week with key matchups in Saskatoon, Winnipeg, and Regina potentially having big impacts on all six teams who are playing in those games. If you like playoff races, these games are ones you should be watching because there could be all sorts of movement in the standings. All six teams are gunning for points to bolster their playoff hopes next weekend.

It's coming down to crunch time in Canada West where teams have to refuse to lose if they want to be in the playoffs. For some, getting into the playoffs may require the same effort as it takes to win Canada West. That's why these playoff races are so fun - all it takes is a hot streak for any of these teams to go on a championship run!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!