The Rundown - Week 14

There was a delay on this article thanks to Mother Nature interfering with the schedule set out by Canada West. Regina and Saskatchewan were forced to play the second game in their two-game set on Sunday as a winter storm swept into the rectangular province, and full credit to the two teams for not putting anyone at risk by travelling when it wasn't ideal. As such, this article was on pause when it came to being published until those teams got that final contest of the weekend in, but let's see how everything played out this week on The Rundown!

THURSDAY: You know it's Crowchild Classic season when the Calgary Dinos and Mount Royal Cougars are playing on a Thursday afternoon inside the Saddledome! The Dinos were looking to close the gap between themselves and the Cougars when it came to first-place in the East Division while the Cougars wanted to stretch the lead and lockdown a quarterfinal bye before February. With playoff positioning on the line and playing in the big rink, this was a marquee matchup!

Dinos goals: Caitlyn Perlinger (1), Josie McLeod (3)
Dinos assists: Brooklyn Anderson (7), Brette Kerley (3)
Dinos netminder: Amelia Awad (28/29)

Cougars goals: Gabby Lindsay (2)
Cougars assists: Abigail Borbandy (2), Kaia Borbandy (5)
Cougars netminder: Scout Anderson (20/22)

Result: 2-1 victory for Calgary over Mount Royal.

SATURDAY: After having an extra day to lick their wounds following the loss, Mount Royal met Calgary at Father David Bauer Arena. The Cougars wanted the split to restore the gap following Thursday's setback, and the Dinos were looking for another win to put pressure on Mount Royal. The stakes remained high between these two teams with points on the line and a potential bye waiting for the winner!


Cougars goals: Gabby Lindsay (3), Julia Duke (9), Allee Gerrard (10)
Cougars assists: Kaia Borbandy (6), Kiana McNinch (10), Isa MacPhee (10), Summer Fomradas (11)
Cougars netminder: Scout Anderson (23/27) in 63:02

Dinos goals: Solana Cooper (3), Brooklyn Anderson (6), Jess Martens (7), Brooklyn Anderson (7)
Dinos assists: Bree Kennedy (5), Solana Cooper (2), Sydney Mercier (5), Emma Tait (2), Alex Spence (11), Evelyn Lawrence (7)
Dinos netminder: Amelia Awad (34/37) in 63:02

Result: 4-3 overtime victory for Calgary over Mount Royal.

FRIDAY: The Manitoba Bisons hit the road with their destination set as Edmonton where the Alberta Pandas were waiting. The Pandas were looking to open up a wider gap between them and idle Trinity Western with wins over Manitoba. The Bisons were hunting for points in their attempt to catch and overtake Saskatchewan, so both teams came into this weekend's series knowing their assignments!

Bisons goals: Norah Collins (6), Julia Bird (9), Jessie Haner (2), Brenna Nicol (1), Norah Collins (7)
Bisons assists: Alyssa Rasmuson (8), Claire Moorman (6), Norah Collins (5), Alyssa Rasmuson (9), Brenna Nicol (5), Sadie Keller (3), Aimee Patrick (10)
Bisons netminder: Emily Shippam (20/25) in 62:33

Pandas goals: Raegan Yewdall (4), Jadynn Morden (6), Abby Soyko (8), Natalie Kieser (6), Natalie Kieser (7)
Pandas assists: Hayleigh Craig (7), Sara Kazeil (2), Natalie Kieser (9), Alexandra Black (1), Sara Kazeil (2), Holly Magnus (12), Riley Smith (5)
Pandas netminders: Mackenzie Dojahn (19/23) in 61:56

Result: 5-4 overtime victory for Alberta over Manitoba.

SATURDAY: The stakes remained the same as the night before as both Alberta and Manitoba were seeking points. Both teams got points on Friday, but finishing off the weekend with a regulation win would be big for both sides. Manitoba, who held a one-goal lead after rallying in the third period on Friday, ended up on the wrong side of another game where they led, so will those losses come back to haunt them?

Bisons goals: Louise Fergusson (3), Julia Bird (9), Sadie Keller (3), Norah Collins (8)
Bisons assists: Norah Collins (6), Norah Collins (7), Jessie Haner (1), Addison Vines (1)
Bisons netminder: Emily Shippam (15/17)

Pandas goals: Abbey Bourdeaud'hui (1), Abby Soyko (9)
Pandas assists: Raegan Yewdall (2), Annie King (4), Natalie Kieser (10), Brayden Stewart (3)
Pandas netminders: Grace Glover (17/20)

Result: 4-2 victory for Manitoba over Alberta.

FRIDAY: There wasn't a lot of math needed for the MacEwan Griffins this weekend: win against UBC to keep their season alive. A sweep would keep their slim playoff hopes alive. Anything less would mean another offseason starting in February for MacEwan with the remainder of the schedule switching to "spoiler mode". For UBC, this weekend was about playing well and preventing injuries.

Thunderbirds goals: Jacquelyn Fleming (5), Karine Sandilands (8), Olivia Buckley (4)
Thunderbirds assists: Ashton Thorpe (6), Grace Elliott (12), Cassidy Rhodes (4), Audrey Church (5), Annalise Wong (25)
Thunderbirds netminder: Elise Hugens (12/12)

Griffins goals: none
Griffins assists: none
Griffins netminder: Taya Currie (48/50)

Result: 3-0 victory for UBC over MacEwan.

SATURDAY: With UBC's win, MacEwan was officially out of needed games to overtake anyone for a playoff spot in the West Division, so this second game of the two-game set was nothing more than two teams at different levels of Canada West hockey. That being said, the Griffins weren't about to roll over on home ice as they looked to give UBC a headache and, potentially, a loss as this series came to an end.

Thunderbirds goals: Grace Elliott (23), Grace Elliott (24)
Thunderbirds assists: Annalise Wong (26), Jacquelyn Fleming (7), Annalise Wong (27), Jaylyn Morris (13)
Thunderbirds netminder: Mya Lucifora (10/10)

Griffins goals: none
Griffins assists: none
Griffins netminder: Lindsey Johnson (26/28)

Result: 2-0 victory for UBC over MacEwan.

FRIDAY: The U Prairie Challenge was center-stage for the province of Saskatchewan as the Huskies met the Cougars in Regina. Two wins in regulation time by the Huskies would eliminate their southern counterparts from the playoffs, so Saskatchewan was looking to make things very unhappy in Regina. The Cougars were needing to beat the Huskies to close the gap between them as they needed to leap past Manitoba and Saskatchewan to make the playoffs. Sweeping the opposition was the goal for both squads in this U Prairie Challenge!

Huskies goals: Jayde Cadieux (3), Jayde Cadieux (4), Sara Kendall (4), Kahlen Wisener (5)
Huskies assists: Kaysah Nurani (2), Avery Gottselig (4), Paris Oleksyn (5), Bronwyn Boucher (7), Peppi Virtanen (4), McKenna Bolger (7), Avery Gottselig (5)
Huskies netminders: Colby Wilson (16/17)

Cougars goals: Kaylee Dyer (4)
Cougars assists: Julianne Girardin (2)
Cougars netminders: Natalie Williamson (22/25) in 29:32; Amy Swayze (20/21) in 30:04

Result: 4-1 victory for Saskatchewan over Regina.

SUNDAY: As stated at the top of the article, Mother Nature's wintery grip on Saskatchewan pushed the second-half of the U Prairie Challenge to Sunday as Regina and Saskatchewan met in Saskatoon late this evening. If the Huskies win in regulation, the Cougars would not be able to overtake them in the standings, eliminating them from the playoffs. If the Cougars earn a point or more, it sets up an important battle with Manitoba next weekend to keep their playoff hopes alive. Would we see desperation hockey from Regina?

Huskies goals: Paris Oleksyn (3), Kahlen Wisener (6)
Huskies assists: Jayde Cadieux (9), Julianna Herman (1)
Huskies shootout scorers: Sara Kendall
Huskies netminders: Colby Wilson (25/27) in 65:00 plus 4/6 shootout attempts

Cougars goals: Shaylee Scraba (4), Makena Kushniruk (4)
Cougars assists: Julianne Girardin (3), Shaylee Scraba (1)
Cougars shootout scorers: Cassidy Peters, Trinity Grove
Cougars netminder: Amy Swayze (38/40) in 65:00 plus 5/6 shootout attempts

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	22-2-2-0	48	80	23	W6	vs ALB
Mount Royal	12-6-6-2	38	64	43	L3	BYE
Calgary	13-5-3-4	34	58	44	W2	vs SAS
Alberta	8-7-2-7	27	50	55	L1	@ UBC
Saskatchewan	6-9-4-5	25	38	53	L1	@ CAL
Manitoba	7-9-2-6	24	55	62	W1	@ REG
Trinity Western	5-12-6-1	23	53	58	L3	@ MAC
Regina	4-12-4-4	20	37	59	W1	vs MAN
MacEwan	3-17-2-2	12	23	61	L3	vs TWU

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 normally shows up earlier on this list, but there's no doubting that Manitoba Bisons forward Norah Collins is an important scorer for Manitoba. Adding three goals and three assists against Alberta this weekend helped the Bisons earn three points, but Norah Collins' six-point effort was big and that's how she made the Honour Roll!

Collins was a phenomenal scorer at the AAA level in Manitoba, and I expected to see her put into prominent offensive opportunities with the Bisons after she committed to them. Her first two seasons with the squad saw her play 27 games combined which was wholly puzzling considering how good she had been, but she broke out with 12 goals and 16 points last season to announce her presence in Canada West.

This season saw her getting chances, but pucks weren't finding twine. That all changed when the calendar flipped to 2026 as Collins has gone off since returning from the break. She has scored five of her eight goals over the last eight games and eleven of her 15 points have been scored over the last four weeks. As we know, six of those points came against the Pandas, and the Bisons are going to need Collins to remain hot if they're going to overtake the Huskies. Scoring points on 75% of the goals scored in a weekend is one way to do that, and that's how Manitoba Bisons forward Norah Collins made the list!

Big Crowd!

The Crowchild Classic was another success for the Dinos and Cougars this season as Calgary's two U SPORTS schools saw both the men's and women's games played at the Scotiabank Saddledome. While the crowd was sparse on Thursday for the afternoon women's game, the men's game was sold out weeks ago as 13,324 people pushed through the turnstiles in downtown Calgary! That total might be more than all of Canada West's season combined! Well done, Dinos and Cougars!

The Crowchild Classic hockey portion even got mainstream media attention! CBC Calgary's Zafir Nagji filed a report on how big this event has become for the two schools and the students that attend!

Full marks go out to everyone who attended the Crowchild Classic at the Saddledome because that place was rocking on Thursday night who set a U SPORTS record for the largest crowd for any U SPORTS game! The record they smashed this season was the one they set last year at the Saddledome when 13,139 fans watched the schools' hockey squads battle! My only question is why this crowd doesn't materialize every weekend in Calgary for Canada West hockey.

The fans clearly enjoyed the games, these four teams are highly-competitive, and all four have a shot at a National Championship berth. I know they don't play in the Saddledome every week, but seeing that electricity in the building is something both athletic departments should be looking to replicate each week!

Playoff Picture

It should come as no surprise that UBC is in and they have home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs. Mount Royal is in, but are still battling for a quarterfinal bye with the Calgary Dinos, and things could get very interesting based on next weekend's results. Calgary, for the record, is also in, but here's where the math gets involved:

• All of the head-to-head stats are identical as both teams have 3-2-1 records for seven points, and both teams have scored 13 goals against one another. Throw away the head-to-head stats.
• Total wins in league play would be the next tie-breaker, and that's where Calgary would move ahead if they win both games against Saskatchewan. Calgary would have 17 total wins to Mount Royal's 16 wins. At the end of the day, wins matter.

It isn't often that Mount Royal cheers for the Saskatchewan Huskies, but they'll be pulling for the team in green next weekend in order for Mount Royal to stay ahead. Four points by the Dinos would push them into first-place in the East Division with two games remaining for each team. The Dinos play the Bisons in Winnipeg on the final weekend while Mount Royal is in Saskatoon to play the Huskies.

Alberta and Trinity Western are both in thanks to UBC defeating MacEwan this weekend, but where they finish is still up in the air. Alberta has a four-point lead on Trinity Western, but Trinity Western holds the tie-breaker over Alberta. With Trinity Western playing MacEwan next week and Alberta meeting up with UBC, there's a chance that this race comes down to the last weekend of the season as well. In that case, Alberta and MacEwan have a home-and-home series whereas Trinity Western hosts Regina. Home-ice advantage for the quarterfinal series is still up for grabs in the West Division.

Saskatchewan holds a one-point lead over Manitoba for the final playoff spot in the East Division, and the Huskies may be in tough with back-to-back weekends against Calgary and Mount Royal. If they want to play at Nationals, however, they'll likely need to beat at least one of those teams in the playoffs so maybe this is what they want. In any case, Manitoba needs to sweep Regina in the Queen City and handle the Dinos at home. Nothing is guaranteed as of yet, so the final playoff spot looks like it will be a race to the finish!

Speaking of which, the Regina Cougars, thanks to their shootout win over the Huskies tonight, kept their hopes for a postseason berth alive for another week. Regina has to sweep the Bisons next week at home while getting some help from the Calgary Dinos in order to jump right back into the race, so the Cougars have to win if they want a shot. If they split with Manitoba, the playoff dream is over.

Unfortunately for the MacEwan Griffins, they'll be playing spoiler for the final two weekends of the season. They were officially eliminated with their loss on Friday to the UBC Thunderbirds, so they'll do their best to ruin playoff hopes for both Trinity Western and Alberta who they meet over the final two weekends of the campaign.

The Last Word

We're now into February on the calendar with five playoff spots still to be determined. I don't know if anyone could have predicted that we'd have playoff races right into the final weekend this year based on how some of these teams started the season, but this is where we find ourselves. If you're not excited for Canada West hockey over the next two weeks, you may want to check your pulse just to be sure.

Obviously, things may be a little different for the Mount Cougars as they go into the bye week by sending their coach to Italy, but I want to wish Scott Rivett all the best as he gets ready for Czechia's opening game in four days against Team USA! Czechia is looking for a medal at these Olympic Games, and the only question might be what colour that medal is when the dust settles! Good luck, Scott!

UBC will be down a solid player as well as Vanessa Schaefer will suit up with the Swiss team in Milano-Cortina! The last time we saw a player go to the Olympics, win a medal, and return to help her team win Canada West and the U SPORTS National Championship was 2018 when Venla Hovi captured a brozen medal in Pyeongchang only for her to return, help Manitoba dispatch Alberta and Saskatchewan, and then play a significant role in helping Manitoba secure the National Championship in London, Ontario! Is this Vanessa's time to shine?

Schaefer has a chance to do the same as she'll compete with Switzerland, rush back as fast as she can to suit up with UBC, and see if she can help the Thunderbirds win Canada West before heading out to Elmira, Ontario for the U SPORTS National Championship. I'm not saying there are similarities here, but there seems to be a number of opportunities for Schaefer to replicate what Hovi did! Could we see her bring home a medal only to help UBC capture a banner and bring home another important medal? We'll know soon enough!

The storylines are full of drama as we enter the two weeks of the season. How can anyone not get excited for what lies ahead?

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!