The Rundown - Week 16

It's the final week of the season and there are six teams vying for five playoff spots. Two teams can play spoiler this week by rallying for wins, so all eight teams have a reason to shoot for the win column. The only team who can relax are the UBC Thunderbirds who know they'll have next week off as the playoffs start and will be sleeping in their own beds for the entirety of the Canada West playoffs after clinching home-ice advantage. Beyond that, though, every other playoff spot is up for grabs, so let's see who's in, who's out, and who is travelling where next week on this week's edition of The Rundown!

FRIDAY: We'll start out on the west coast in Langley where the Trinity Western Spartans played host to the Regina Cougars in a 1pm PST game on Friday. The Cougars were playing the spoiler role this weekend as they looked to cause chaos for the Spartans by earning wins. TWU needed points to stay ahead of Alberta, and a sweep would guarantee that they would host the West Division quarterfinal. The assignment was clear: earn as many points as possible.

Cougars goals: Trinity Grove (2), Tessa Stewart (5), Pippy Pritchard (5)
Cougars assists: Cassidy Peters (3), Kaylee Dyer (7), Kaitlyn Gilroy (2), Quinn McLaren (6), Makena Kushniruk (6)
Cougars netminders: Payton Schlamp (44/46) in 60:46

Spartans goals: Michela Naccarato (2), Olivia Leier (3)
Spartans assists: Ella Boon (9), Kara Yackel (5), Presleigh Giesbrecht (8)
Spartans netminders: Kate Fawcett (22/25) in 60:46

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

SATURDAY: One point was better than no points, but it made Saturday's game a must-win affair for the Spartans to put pressure on the Pandas. They could lose in overtime or the shootout, but they'd need MacEwan to win in regulation time to host the quarterfinal games. Good teams take care of their own business first, though, so could Trinity Western go into the playoffs on a winning note?

Cougars goals: none
Cougars assists: none
Cougars netminders: Amy Swayze (49/50)

Spartans goals: Kailey Ledoux (7)
Spartans assists: none
Spartans netminders: Kate Fawcett (26/26)

Result: 1-0 victory for Trinity Western over Regina.

FRIDAY: The last chapter of the Battle of Edmonton in 2026 began at the Downtown Community Arena on Friday. Alberta likely had to sweep the MacEwan Griffins this weekend plus hope for a little help from the Regina Cougars if they wanted to host the West Division quarterfinal. When the Pandas arrived at the arena, they already knew that Regina had limited Trinity Western to one point so the door was open. MacEwan had one task: slow the Pandas down.

Pandas goals: Hayleigh Craig (1), Hailey Carothers (4), Jadynn Morden (8), Ryann Perrett (3)
Pandas assists: Jadynn Morden (7), Hailey Carothers (5), Jadynn Morden (8), Hayleigh Craig (9), Sara Kazeil (4), Hailey Carothers (6), Kelly Stanford (3), Janay Williams (3)
Pandas netminders: Misty Rey (24/24)

Griffins goals: none
Griffins assists: none
Griffins netminder: Lindsey Johnson (18/21)

Result: 4-0 victory for Alberta over MacEwan.

SATURDAY: With the series shifting back to Clare Drake Arena, the Pandas came into Saturday with a one-point edge over the Trinity Western Spartans in the West Division standings. In order for Alberta to host, they had to win as the Spartans held the tie-breaker. If MacEwan won in any fashion, the Pandas would travel for their quarterfinal game, so the battle lines were drawn for this game.

Pandas goals: Brayden Stewart (1), Ryann Perrett (4), Natalie Kieser (8), Ryann Perrett (5), Jadynn Morden (9), Jadynn Morden (10)
Pandas assists: Annie King (6), Holly Magnus (13), Sara Kazeil (5), Abby Soyko (9), Holly Magnus (14), Abby Soyko (10), Annie King (7), Hayleigh Craig (10), Holly Magnus (15), Annie King (8), Holly Magnus (16)
Pandas netminders: Mackenzie Dojahn (14/14)

Griffins goals: none
Griffins assists: none
Griffins netminder: Mikayla Christmann (46/52)

Result: 6-0 victory for Alberta over MacEwan.

FRIDAY: The fates of two teams hung in the balance on Friday night as the Mount Royal Cougars met the Saskatchewan Huskies at Merlis Belsher Place. The Cougars had to remain ahead of the Calgary Dinos in some form for them to win the East Division and enjoy a quarterfinal bye next week. The Saskatchewan Huskies needed to win as many points as possible while hoping that the Bisons stumbled in their games. The first task for both teams was to win on Friday or grab points in whatever way possible in order to help their causes.

Cougars goals: Kaia Borbandy (3), Julia Duke (10), Jerzey Watteyne (10), Summer Fomradas (3)
Cougars assists: Isa MacPhee (11), Sydney Benko (7), Allee Gerrard (9), Ava Metzger (5), Gabby Lindsay (2)
Cougars netminder: Scout Anderson (13/13)

Huskies goals: none
Huskies assists: none
Huskies netminders: Colby Wilson (18/21)

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

SATURDAY: While both teams knew their fate thanks to the Calgary-Manitoba game on Friday, there was still business to complete on Saturday as the Cougars and Huskies met in their final games of the season. I won't give away the ending with respect to playoff positioning, but both teams wanted end the campaign in the win column for 2026. Who would close out their season with a win?

Cougars goals: Allee Gerrard (11), Kiana McNinch (7)
Cougars assists: Kiana McNinch (11), Julia Duke (5)
Cougars netminder: Katherine Holan (29/32)

Huskies goals: Sara Kendall (5), Jayde Cadieux (6), Kahlen Wisener (10)
Huskies assists: Jessica Anderson (2), Sara Kendall (3), Kendra Zuchotzki (7), McKenna Bolger (9)
Huskies netminders: Colby Wilson (17/19)

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

FRIDAY: As I indicated above, Friday's game between the visiting Calgary Dinos and the hosting Manitoba Bisons determined the fates of all four teams in the East Division who were vying for playoff spots and standings. Manitoba just needed to match what the Huskies did this weekend as they held the tie-breaker while the Dinos needed wins to catch the Mount Royal Cougars. With those teams playing in Saskatoon, let's see how this game finished regarding playoff spots.

Dinos goals: Hannah Reagh (5), Evelyn Lawrence (7)
Dinos assists: Kyla Mitenko (7), April Klarenbach (3), Josie McLeod (4), Alex Spence (14)
Dinos netminder: Amelia Awad (37/40) in 60:37

Bisons goals: Julia Bird (11), Aimee Patrick (10), Dana Goertzen (6)
Bisons assists: Norah Collins (8), Alyssa Rasmuson (9), Norah Collins (9), Louise Fergusson (8), Sadie Keller (5), Aimee Patrick (15)
Bisons netminder: Emily Shippam (18/20) in 60:37

Result: 3-2 overtime victory for Manitoba over Calgary.

SATURDAY: Because Mount Royal won and Manitoba won on Friday, neither Calgary nor Saskatchewan could overtake those respective teams in those races. That made Saturday's game all about building for playoff momentum while remaining healthy as both teams looked forward to Canada West quarterfinal games next week.

Dinos goals: none
Dinos assists: none
Dinos netminder: Maisie Cope (36/41)

Bisons goals: Hanna Bailey (4), Hanna Bailey (5), Julia Bird (12), Norah Collins (10), Alyssa Rasmuson (3)
Bisons assists: Kelsey Huibers (2), Sophia Anderson (5), Julia Bilous (5), Sophia Anderson (6), Sophia Heidinger (4), Hanna Bailey (9), Sadie Keller (6), Norah Collins (10)
Bisons netminder: Emily Shippam (13/13)

Result: 5-0 victory for Manitoba 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	24-2-2-0	52	85	24	W8	BYE
Mount Royal	13-7-6-2	40	70	46	L1	BYE
Calgary	13-7-4-5	37	66	61	L3	vs TWU
Manitoba	10-9-3-6	32	71	65	W5	@ ALB
Alberta	10-9-2-7	31	61	60	W2	vs MAN
Trinity Western	8-12-6-2	30	65	63	W1	@ CAL
Saskatchewan	8-10-4-6	30	50	65	W1	OUT
Regina	4-15-5-4	22	41	70	L1	OUT
MacEwan	3-21-2-2	12	25	80	L7	OUT

Honour Roll

Each week on The Rundown, I highlight the best performances from the weekend's games. It won't always be the top scorer or the best goalie, but I'll have a reason for who gets picked each week. She's always been one of the better scorers that the Alberta Pandas had on their roster, but three goals and two assists in her final two regular season games was something I noticed as she helped the Pandas lock down a home quarterfinal series. That kind of effort from Alberta Pandas forward Jadynn Morden puts her on The Honour Roll!

If there was an award for consistency, Jadynn Morden of the Alberta Pandas may win it thanks to her 18-point season this year. I say that because Morden had 18 points last season and 18 points the season before, and she had 18 points combined in her first two seasons with the Pandas! She needed a big weekend this weekend to hit that mark again, and she responded with a goal and two assists on Friday before adding two goals on Saturday to push her back to the 18-point mark.

I got to see how good she was while she played with the Lloydminster PWM Steelers at the 2019 and 2020 Female World Sport School Challenges, and I knew Alberta had a special player on their recruitment list when it was announced she would be a Panda. With her time coming to an end at the university level, she showed she's still an explosive offensive player who can take over a game, and that's how Alberta Pandas forward Jadynn Morden made the list!

Olympic Progress

With the women's hockey event in Milano-Cortina down to four teams, the number of Canada West people still going at the tournament is starting to tail off. Let's see who is still in the mix.

Mount Royal Cougars head coach Scott Rivett should be on his way home soon if not already after Czechia was "upset" by the Swedes in the quarterfinals. I put "upset" in quotation marks because the Swedes always have good players, so I'm not certain it's a true upset outside of original rankings. Nonetheless, the early exit by the Czechs means there are no medals coming home to Calgary from Italy.

Italy's Gabriella Durante won't be bringing home any hardware either after USA eliminated the Italians from the tournament. Durante played in four of the five games for Italy, recording a 1-2-0 record with a 3.44 GAA and a .908 save percentage. She was the goaltender of record in the 3-2 win over Japan - her first Olympic win - and was the goaltender Italy went with in their quarterfinal game against Team USA. I'm not sure anyone will stop the Americans this year, but Durante made 45 stops in the 6-0 loss so she did her absolute best. No word of a lie: I may get myself a #1 Durante Italy jersey just because of how well Gabriella played at the 2026 Olympic Games!

That leaves Swiss forward Vanessa Schaefer as the remaining Canada West player in Italy who will be playing for a medal, but the colour of said medal is still undetermined. Schaefer and her Swiss colleagues will play Canada tomorrow in one of the two semifinals after the Swiss beat Finland to advance. Schaefer has yet to record a point and is sitting with a -4 through the event, but the Swiss are showing incredible defensive play to hold good teams at bay. I know the UBC Thunderbirds will be cheering for her, but it's going to be hard to cheer against Canada tomorrow at 2:10pm CT when they meet!

Expansion Is Coming

The RSEQ announced last year that both Laval University and the University of Sherbrooke would be adding women's hockey programs to their athletic departments beginning no later than 2027. Well, I'm here to tell you that Laval is already putting the work in so they can be ready to hit the ice in the fall of 2026! The RSEQ is growing!

I was discussing the growth of the game yesterday with the Olympics once again showing that women's hockey is one of the event's pinnacle sports, and I was informed that there was a Winnipeg-born player who had recently been recruited by Laval University to play hockey there next season. This caught me by surprise, so I went and checked. Sure enough, Talia Jones of the MFHL's Winnipeg Ice is listed on their recruitment page along with a handful of other women!

The University of Sherbrooke has yet to make any announcements nor post anything on their website about women's hockey yet, so they may still be looking at the 2027 date as their starting point, but the fact that the RSEQ is growing from four to five teams next season is encouraging. Having four teams competing for two spots at the U SPORTS National Championship is dumb, so let's hope that Quebec continues to grow the game to add a few more teams to the mix!

The East Next Week

The schedule is posted for the games that we'll see in the East Division battle in the Canada West quarterfinals. Here's the preview.

The Spartans and Dinos will meet at Father David Bauer Arena in Calgary for Game One on Friday, February 20 at 7pm MT. Game Two goes Saturday at the same time while Game Three, if necessary, will be played on Sunday at 5pm CT. Calgary and Trinity Western played only one weekend series this year in Calgary on November 14 and 15. Calgary won 3-2 in overtime and 2-0 in those two games.

Sydney Mercier scored three goals and adding a helper over those two games. The Spartans are going to want to slow her down if they want to advance, but they need to keep an eye on all of Brooklyn Anderson, Jess Martens, and Evelyn Lawrence as well. Alex Spence and Caitlyn Perlinger will be the defenders who push the pace, and it will likely be Amelia Awad who starts for the Dinos after going 12-3-1 this season with a 1.87 GAA and a .940 save percentage.

Trinity Western will come into Calgary with just as many offensive weapons, being led by Kyra McDonald and Chloe Reid, but the likes of Kara Yackel and Kailey Ledoux could also make some noise. The Spartans get a huge push from their blue line where all of Presleigh Giesbrecht, Sadie Isfeld, Ella Boon, and Kasey Ditner have double-digit point totals, so expect them to jump into the offensive fun. Kate Fawcett will be the likely starter for TWU after a 10-7-1 season where she posted a 2.28 GAA and a .914 save percentage.

The West Next Week

Before we even get into this, had Canada West kept the one conference idea instead of being split into two division, Manitoba, who finished with more points than Alberta, would be hosting this series in Winnipeg. That complaint aside, here's the preview.

The Bisons and Pandas will meet at Clare Drake Arena in Edmonton for Game One on Friday, February 20 at 7pm MT. Game Two goes Saturday at the same time while Game Three, if necessary, will be played on Sunday at 5pm CT. Manitoba and Alberta played only one weekend series this year in Edmonton on January 30 and 31. Alberta won 5-4 in overtime while Manitoba took the second game of the weekend series by a 4-2 decision. This series should be fun.

Natalie Kieser had a three-point weekend the last time these teams met including the overtime game-winner. She, Abby Soyko, and Jadynn Morden should be the players that Manitoba is watching, but Holly Magnus has shown her skills while Hailey Carothers can dent twine if given a chance. Albera won't want to get into a track meet with Manitoba, so expect them to clamp down defensively in front of their netminder. Mackenzie Dojahn will be the likely starter after she went 8-2-2 with a 1.74 GAA and a .920 save percentage this season.

Norah Collins had five points for the Bisons the last time they were at Clare Drake Arena, so the Pandas are going to keep an eye on her. That being said, she, Aimee Patrick, and Julia Bird all hit double-digits in goals this season while Dana Goertzen, Alyssa Rasmuson, and Sara Harbus were all solid secondary scorers. Hanna Bailey and Louise Fergusson pushed the pace offensively from the blue line, but the Bisons will need to continue to hold teams to under 25 shots. Emily Shippam will be the likely starter for the Bisons after she posted an 11-9-3 record with a 2.29 GAA and an .891 save percentage.

The Last Word

There are three teams who saw their seasons come to an end this week, and it sucks because not every team can make the playoffs. I would hope that this makes all of the Saskatchewan Huskies, Regina Cougars, and MacEwan Griffins hungrier for next season, but we'll see in October when the new season begins. Not all is lost, though.

The Huskies are in the midst of a rebuild, and their future looks bright with some of the recruits they've signed joining the returning players next season. We didn't even get to see the likes of defender Evy West after injuries sidelined her, but we did get to see Peppi Virtanen show her stuff, Kahlen Wisener hit double-digits in goals this season, Avery Gottselig looks like she's going to be a pillar on the blue line, and Clara Juca should continue to be solid between the pipes.

The Regina Cougars are looking to continue to build, and they keep adding a ton of talent through their recruiting process. Pippy Pritchard is a leader on this team already, Tessa Stewart has shown growth, Quinn McLaren and Callie Hilhorst look like solid defenders, and the Amy Swayze-Payton Schlamp tandem should keep Regina in games for years to come. The Cougars are young, but they'll get better with every game they play next season and beyond.

You don't have to look hard to see the raw talent that the MacEwan Griffins possess with the likes of Megan Dolynchuk, Jordan Brown, Sasha Malenfant, and Jordana Jones being the next wave of talent. With Taya Currie and Mikayla Christmann holding down the fort, the Griffins could use a solid recruiting class and/or some transfers to boost the amount of scoring talent in the short term, but the effort the Griffins give on every night will never be questioned. This is a team that plays with heart and pride, and they should be proud that they were 4-6 in one-goals this season. For comparison, Manitoba was 4-7 in one-goal games this season, and they're in the playoffs!

While next season starts now for those three teams, the other six will determine which two teams will head to Elmira, Ontario for the U SPORTS National Champion and which team will add another tapestry to their rafters next season. Six teams will be reduced to four teams by this team next weekend, so best of luck to the Pandas, Dinos, Bisons, and Spartans! We should see some amazing hockey!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!