The Rundown - National Semifinals

The games started early on Saturday as the 2026 U SPORTS National Women's Hockey Championship moved into the semifinal phase of the tournament. Four teams were still in the hunt for medals while four others were trying to close out their seasons with wins. Unfortunately for fans of Canada West teams, the two representatives in Elmira, Ontario were playing for the latter as both squads lost their opening games nof the tournament. However, there was still lots to play for when it came to this season and beyond as action got underway at 10am ET. Let's find out who would be playing for the medals and who would get one more game to play tomorrow on The Rundown!

Consolation Semifinal #1

The Manitoba Bisons ran into a very good Concordia team that bumped them to the consolation side of the bracket while the Waterloo Warriors were bounced by their playoff opponents again as the Guelph Gryphons ended their medal run. Both teams wanted to extend their seasons by one more game, so they met in the 10am game to determine who would play on Sunday in the Consolation Final. It was the first time Manitoba and Waterloo had met at Nationals, so let's see who would prevail and get the extra game!



Bisons goals: none
Bisons assists: none
Bisons netminder: Emily Shippam (24/26)

Warriors goals: Nikki McDonald (1), Nikki McDonald (2)
Warriors assists: Tatum James (1), Gracey Smith (1), Tatum James (2), Gracey Smith (2)
Warriors netminder: Kara Mark (32/32)

Result: 2-0 victory for Waterloo over Manitoba.

Consolation Semifinal #2

In another meeting of two teams that had no history, the Ottawa Gee-Gees dropped a shootout decision to the UNB Reds to land in the consolation semifinal while the UBC Thunderbirds also lost in shootout to the upstart Montreal Carabins to end their march towards gold. Both teams weren't prepared to go home without trying to play another day as they met in the 1pm game for the right to advance to the Consolation Final. Would the Thunderbirds bounce back or could the Gee-Gees land an upset in this game like the Carabins did?



Gee-Gees goals: none
Gee-Gees assists: none
Gee-Gees netminder: Clara Genier (37/39)

Thunderbirds goals: Ashton Thorpe (1), Jacquelyn Fleming (1)
Thunderbirds assists: Presley Zinger (1), Cassidy Rhodes (1)
Thunderbirds netminder: Elise Hugens (15/15)

Result: 2-0 victory for UBC over Ottawa.

Championship Semifinal #1

The Guelph Gryphons advanced to the medal round with a win over the Waterloo Warriors as they looked to continue their battle towards a second gold medal. The Concordia Stingers defeated the Manitoba Bisons to advance to the medal round for a fifth-straight year, and they were looking for a third gold medal in that five-year span and a fifth gold medal overall. Historically, Concordia held a 3-0 record against Guelph, so would we see the Stingers stay perfect against the Gryphons or would Guelph down Concordia for the first time?



Gryphons goals: Maeve Sutherland-Case (1)
Gryphons assists: Jadyn Calder (2), Brielle Caruso (1)
Gryphons netminder: Martina Fedel (28/30) in 65:42

Stingers goals: Courtney Rice (1), Emilie Lussier (1)
Stingers assists: Jessymaude Drapeau (1), Zoe Thibault (2)
Stingers netminder: Jordyn Verbeek (32/33) in 65:42

Result: 2-1 overtime victory for Concordia over Guelph.

Championship Semifinal #2

The second semifinal game saw the Montreal Carabins looking for a second-straight upset as they pushed for another gold medal after defeating the UBC Thunderbirds. Standing in their way was the medalless UNB Reds who downed the Ottawa Gee-Gees to reach the semifinal, but the Reds were hungry for some precious metal. Montreal defeated UNB in 2023 by a 4-1 score, so UNB was looking to even the all-time record. Would les Carabins win over another higher-seeded team or could UNB end up in their first Nationals final?



Carabins goals: Jade Picard (1), Juliette Rolland (2), Audrey-Anne Veillette (1), Laurie-Anne Ethier (1), Audrey-Anne Veillette (2)
Carabins assists: Chloe Duchesneau (1), Kaleann Laforge (1), Catherine Proulx (2), Jade Picard (2), Chloe Duchesneau (1), Rosalie Couture (1)
Carabins netminder: Maude Desroches (20/21)

Reds goals: Hailey Jackson (1)
Reds assists: Katelyn Scott (1), Jorja Nystrom (1)
Reds netminder: Cassie McCallum (25/29)

Result: 5-1 shootout victory for Montreal over UNB.

There are no standings to worry about, but the tournament bracket has been updated to reflect the championship side of the bracket!

Two teams will make their ways back to their respective communities as the Manitoba Bisons and Ottawa Gee-Gees see their tournaments come to an end today with a second loss. They will know what place they finish in based on the results of the Consolation Final that will be played between UBC and Waterloo tomorrow. Speaking of which, here is the schedule for Sunday:

• Consolation Final @ 8am: Waterloo at UBC
• Bronze medal game @ 11am: UNB at Guelph
• Gold medal game @ 3pm: Montreal at Concordia

All the times above are for the Eastern Time Zone, so adjust your clocks accordingly, and make sure you tune in on CBC Gem! The gold medal game can also be seen on CBC Network TV, meaning you can watch the game anywhere in the country! How awesome is that?

The Drive For Five

Ok, so it's not where they wanted to place, but the UBC Thunderbirds will be playing for a fifth-place finish for the fourth time in the last five years. Given their eight appearances at Nationals. they might be the most consistent team when it comes to finishes. If they win tomorrow, this will be the fifth time in eight appearances that they've finished in fifth-place. Even weirder? They've never been the fifth-seeded team at the tournament in those eight appearances!

Waterloo and UBC have never met at a National Championship, but UBC has a 5-2 record against OUA teams. Waterloo is 2-1 against Canada West teams, so it would appear the odds favour the Thunderbirds over the Warriors. It's an 8am game, though, so we'll which team comes out ready to play. If you wanted a little hockey to go with coffee tomorrow, it'll be on the CBC streams bright and early!

Storybook Ending?

The UNB Reds are looking to medal for the first time in the school's history, and certainly since the team was brought back from the dead in 2018. UNB has been to five-straight National Championships, and their best finish was in 2022 when they lost the bronze medal game to the Saskatchewan Huskies in Charlottetown. Will we see them earn a bronze medal tomorrow for the first time in program history?

Standing in their way will be the Guelph Gryphons as UNB and Guelph meet for the first time at a National Championship. Guelph is searching for their second medal in program history after winning the gold medal in 2019 in Charlottetown, so they'll be aiming to play a solid game as well. Historically, UNB is 1-4 against OUA teams while Guelph holds a 4-3 record against AUS teams. Guelph may be the favorite based on history, but UNB may be a tough opponent for the Gryphons tomorrow as they stand on the precipice of history!

La Belle Province

The RSEQ will bring home the gold medal no matter what as the Montreal Carabins and the Concordia Stingers renew acquaintances in the final tomorrow. Including the playoffs, Concordia posted a 10-0 record against Montreal this season, outscoring them 35-15 in those games. It seems that the statistical analysis favours one team by a large margin. Does Montreal even have a chance tomorrow?

Lost in the stats from those ten games are five games that were decided by one goal. We've also seen goaltender Maude Desroches come up being against two higher seeds in UBC and UNB, and it looks like Montreal is getting great contributions from scorers while the defence remains solid. Of course, the same could be said for Concordia as they enter the final, so these generalities apply to both teams. Just swap Desroches' name for Jordyn Verbeek's name.

There could be some history made tomorrow. If Montreal scores in the game, it will be their 100th goal at National Championships, making them the fifth team to hit that mark. Depending on how many times they score, les Carabins could move past Wilfrid Laurier into fourth-place for most goals by a team at Nationals. I hope someone grabs the historic puck if it ends up in Concordia's net!

Concordia is also looking to move past a team as a gold medal victory would give them five in program history which would move them ahead of the McGill Martlets into second-place when it comes to gold medals won. Strangely, Concordia is 0-1 versus RSEQ teams at Nationals and that one loss came against McGill in the bronze medal game back in 2001. If they win tomorrow, it will give them an 11-0 record against les Carabins this season! That's dominant hockey!

The Last Word

There are three games left in the 2025-26 season. Six teams will play tomorrow before the offseason begins. Some players will graduate and move on to professional hockey opportunities while others will choose additional schooling or gaining employment for the summer and beyond. Some players will begin the offseason training regiment they undertake in order to prepare for next season's grind while others will enjoy summer away from the game to reset their outlook.

None of these are wrong choices to make, and my hope is that people don't forget how much they've sacrificed and how hard they've worked when it comes to their university hockey careers. Being an elite student-athlete is a tough job when one has to practice, eat right, play games, maintain a required grade-point average, and try to have a social life. The women playing in Elmira, Ontario are some of the best student-athletes this country has to offer without doubt.

I don't know how many people have tuned in to watch the games on CBC's streams, but my hope is that more and more people are discovering how great the Canadian university game is. I know I've spent far too much time trying to push the game as being some of the best hockey people will see, so I'm hoping CBC's coverage of university hockey will amplify that message because it's been a helluva tournament and a helluva season in every corner of Canada.

Three more games. Enjoy the action, and celebrate the women!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!