The Rundown - Semifinals

Canada West will once again narrow the field from four teams to two teams as the hunt for the Canada West banner and berths in the U SPORTS National Championship continues. We already knew a team from BC would be in the Canada West Final, but we needed to find out which of those two teams would be moving on in their series. The second series saw two recent National Champions clash in Calgary as only one would move forward. Who would move onto the final and book tickets to Elmira? Let's find out this week on The Rundown!

FRIDAY: UBC entered the semifinal series having not played in a couple of weeks thanks to their bye week and a quarterfinal series bye. One always worries about the rest-vs-rust factor in long layoffs, so UBC was looking to get back into the swing of things quickly. Trinity Western came into the semifinal after having swept the Calgary Dinos, and they were looking to another series where they played solid hockey. Would the Spartans be able to upset the Thunderbirds or would UBC find their game on Friday?



Spartans goals: none
Spartans assists: none
Spartans netminders: Kate Fawcett (10/13) in 29:20; Olivia Davidson (13:14) in 40:30

Thunderbirds goals: Ilona Markova (1), Jaylyn Morris (1), Vanessa Schaefer (1), Mia Bierd (1)
Thunderbirds assists: Cassidy Rhodes (1), Ashton Thorpe (1), Hanna Perrier (1), Grace Elliott (1), Annalise Wong (1), Hanna Perrier (2), Jacquelyn Fleming (1)
Thunderbirds netminder: Elise Hugens (18/18)

Result: 4-0 victory for UBC over Trinity Western.

SATURDAY: If there was any concern over UBC not being ready, they laid those concerns to rest on Friday as they controlled the pace and flow of the game from the drop of the puck. Trinity Western would have last change in Game Two so would we see a response as they found matchups they liked? With their backs against the wall, the Spartans needed a push!



Spartans goals: Sadie Isfeld (1)
Spartans assists: Presleigh Giesbrecht (1), Kyra McDonald (1)
Spartans netminder: Kate Fawcett (27/30)

Thunderbirds goals: Jaylyn Morris (2), Jacquelyn Fleming (1), Ilona Markova (2)
Thunderbirds assists: Ashton Thorpe (2), Mia Bierd (1), Jaylyn Morris (1), Ashton Thorpe (3), Presley Zinger (1), Sophia Gaskell (1)
Thunderbirds netminder: Elise Hugens (21/22)

Result: 3-1 victory for UBC over Trinity Western. UBC wins the series 2-0 and will advance to the Canada West Final. They also qualify for the U SPORTS National Championship in Elmira, Ontario.

FRIDAY: Mount Royal hosted the Manitoba Bisons this weekend in a Canada West semifinal series in Calgary. Mount Royal came into the series after a week off thanks to their quarterfinal bye, but they'd need to be better than their final ten games where they were 5-4-1 including losses in four of their last five games. Manitoba looked to continue their solid play after having won five of their last six games on the road included eliminating the Alberta Pandas last week. Would we see Mount Royal turn the heat up again or would the Bisons rumble into Calgary and set the tone?



Bisons goals: Dana Goertzen (1)
Bisons assists: Julia Bird (1), Hanna Bailey (3)
Bisons netminder: Emily Shippam (16/18)

Cougars goals: Jerzey Watteyne (1), Jordynne Hojnocki (1)
Cougars assists: Sydney Benko (1), Summer Fomradas (1), Sydney Benko (2), Allee Gerrard (1)
Cougars netminder: Scout Anderson (16/17)

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

SATURDAY: These two teams were all about defensive responsibility on Friday as neither side hit twenty shots, and the score reflected those locked-down defensive zones. Manitoba needed to open things up a little more with their skaters, but the Mount Royal seemed very comfortable preventing any sort of sustained pressure. Would the Bisons rally for a win in Game Two or would the Cougars book their tickets to the final and to Nationals?



Bisons goals: Hanna Bailey (2), Norah Collins (2), Sadie Keller (3)
Bisons assists: Aimee Patrick (2), Sophia Heidinger (1), Julia Bird (2), Alyssa Rasmuson (1), Brenna Nicol (4), Jessie Haner (2)
Bisons netminder: Emily Shippam (15/16)

Cougars goals: Sydney Benko (1)
Cougars assists: Summer Fomradas (2), Isa MacPhee (1)
Cougars netminders: Scout Anderson (5/8) in 25:56; Katherine Holan (7/7) in 32:29

Result: 3-1 victory for Manitoba over Mount Royal.

SUNDAY: Game Three marks the second-straight week where the Bisons played on Sunday, but it was win-or-go-home for one of these teams. I can throw stats and trends and analysis at everyone, but the simple fact is that whoever scores more today will move on to the Canada West Final and the U SPORTS National Championship. The stakes are known by both teams, so who will advance between the Manitoba Bisons and Mount Royal Cougars?

Highlights? I'll mark this spot as "Coming Soon".

Bisons goals: Julia Bird (3), Kelsey Huibers (2), Sophia Heidinger (2), Norah Collins (3), Jessie Haner (1), Dana Goertzen (2)
Bisons assists: Norah Collins (1), Alyssa Rasmuson (2), Sophia Anderson (1), Louise Fergusson (4), Louise Fergusson (5), Aimee Patrick (3), Sadie Keller (3), Brenna Nicol (5), Norah Collins (2)
Bisons netminder: Emily Shippam (17/18)

Cougars goals: Summer Fomradas (1)
Cougars assists: Sydney Benko (3)
Cougars netminders: Scout Anderson (21/24)

Result: 5-1 victory for Manitoba over Mount Royal. Manitoba wins the series 2-1 and will advance to the Canada West Final. They also qualify for the U SPORTS National Championship in Elmira, Ontario.

There are no standings to worry about per se, but the playoff picture needs to be updated as we're down to two teams for all the marbles.

It should be noted that the times shown above are in Pacific Time.

Final Preview

With both UBC and Manitoba now set to represent Canada West in Elmira, Ontario at the U SPORTS National Women's Hockey Championship, it should come as no surprise that Canada West's best team all season long will face Canada's best team since the second half of the season resumed. UBC is 11-1-0 since the calendar flipped to 2026 as they continued their dominance while Manitoba is 13-3-2 since the start of the new year. Clearly, something has to give.

The only time these two teams met this season was in Vancouver on November 7 and 8 where UBC won 2-0 and 3-2 in the shootout as the Bisons were the first team to take a point off the Thunderbirds this season. At the time, Manitoba was still seeking its first regulation win of the season despite being six weeks in, so things have changed for both teams in that time. UBC is still 13-1-0 in the last five years against Manitoba, but all of the Bisons will say they have grown as players since November. This will be a test for the Bisons.

UBC will likely point to last season's Canada West Final where the Alberta Pandas swept them on home ice, using that memory for motivation this time. The Thunderbirds simply forced Trinity Western to play UBC's game, and that allowed them to sweep the Spartans aside. It will be the same gameplan as Manitoba comes to town, so we'll see if UBC can execute and earn another banner for their arena.

Manitoba will look to continue to capitalize on its opponents' mistakes with speed and scoring. The Bisons have been solid on the power-play, clicking at 35.3% (6/17), but they have to stay out of the penalty box against the T-Birds. Emily Shippam has allowed just 11 goals in six games, and that kind of goaltending will help. The defence has been solid in front of her as well, but next weekend will be their biggest test of the season as they play for the banner!

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. There were rumours that she had hung up her skates after last season, but her decision to return to the blue line this year saw her have her best year in her five seasons. Her playoff scoring and discipline on the ice has shown her maturity and leadership, and that's how Manitoba Bisons defender Hanna Bailey made The Honour Roll this week!

If there was a knock on Bailey as she played through her first few seasons, it's that she seemed to take penalties at inopportune times. Twice she's been at 26 PIMs or more, but her point totals haven't hit double-digits until this season. Whatever changed over the summer has her playing her most effective hockey of her career, and the Bisons are benefitting from that renewed confidence as nine of her 14 total points in the regular season came after the calendar flipped!

Bailey has points in five of six games in the playoffs including a goal and an assist to help eliminate Alberta. She had a point in each game against Mount Royal including opening the scoring in Game Two. She's been smarter with the puck in making good first passes and reducing needless turnovers, and she's been an effective shutdown defender when called upon by head coach Jordan Colliton. Hanna Bailey is a big reason why the Bisons will play for a banner and in the National Championship this season, and that's how she made the list!

Earning Credit

Full marks to Canada West for getting the highlight reels up quickly for each of the games this weekend after I was critical of their efforts last week. It should also be noted that they posted the Manitoba-Alberta highlights as well, so better late than never. I added those to last week's edition of The Rundown, so feel free to watch them if you like by scrolling back to that article.

It make me wonder why this can't be a weekly thing for the teams and conference to do when it make highlight reels so much more accessible. Baby steps are better than nothing, though, so Canada West gets a little credit back for doing the work they should be doing. However, there's a long way to go in making things better.

Provincial Dominance

No one will fault the effort given by the Trinity Western Spartans in their series against UBC, but the familiarity those two teams have with one another may have hurt the Spartans more than people will believe. Make no mistake that UBC is good, but the numbers I pulled for their last four games is eye-opening to say the least.

On January 23, Trinity Western's Kailey Ledoux scored at 2:30 of the second period to put the Spartans ahead of the Thunderbirds by a 2-1 score. After that goal, UBC went on a 14-1 goal-scoring run against Trinity Western through to the end of the series yesterday. They posted a shutout streak of 215:54 between Trinity Western goals as the Thunderbirds showed their dominance. Even more impressive is that none of those 14 goals were scored by Grace Elliott!

UBC was 6-0 against Trinity Western during the regular season, and are now 8-0 overall this season. Of course, not having the Spartans score for more than three games' worth of time is a big reason why!

Ontario's Teams

As we get nearer to Nationals, I'd be remiss if I didn't fill everyone in on what's happening elsewhere. The OUA is in the middle of their playoffs, so let's see who is still in the running to play in Elmira. Being the hosts, the Waterloo Warriors are already in for Nationals, but there are two OUA berths still up for grabs with these games!

The Wilfred Laurier Golden Hawks are already through to the OUA semifinals after bouncing the Brock Badgers in a two-game sweep. Laurier was 19-4-4-1 this season as the top team in the OUA, so there should be no surprise in them moving on. Clara Chisholm led the way in the regular season with 24 points, but they have a number of weapons and scoring is spread throughout their lineup. Kayla Renaud played both games, earning two wins after stopping 36 of 38 shots. Laurier will play the winner of the Waterloo-Guelph series.

The Toronto Varsity Blues and Ottawa Gee-Gees were tied 1-1 in their series with Game Three played in Ottawa at 3pm ET today. Toronto took Game One by a 6-3 score before Ottawa bounced back with a 2-1 victory. The 2025 bronze medalists won't be back as Ottawa defeated Toronto by a 3-1 score this afternoon to advance. Ottawa will meet the winner of the Ontario Tech-Queen's series.

The Guelph Gryphons and the Waterloo Warriors are tied 1-1 in their series with Game Three being played at 2:30pm ET today. Guelph won 4-3 over Waterloo in Game One while the Warriors laid a 6-0 beating on Guelph in Game Two. It took six periods today, but Guelph finally beat Waterloo by a 3-2 score in triple overtime to move on in the playoffs. Guelph will meet Laurier in the OUA West Final.

The Queen's Golden Gaels and the Ontario Tech Ridgebacks are tied 1-1 in their series with Game Three being played at 8pm ET today. Ontario Tech surprised Queen's with a 4-2 win in Game One before Queen's came back with a 3-1 win in Game Two. Queen's went 12-6-7-1 as the top team in the OUA East while Ontario Tech was 8-14-2-2 and beat Nipissing in a play-in game to reach the semifinal.

Quebec's Teams

The RSEQ is in the middle of their playoffs, so let's see who is still in the running to play in Elmira. Remember that the four-team RSEQ sends two teams to Nationals every year. Make that make sense.

The Concordia Stingers have already booked their tickets to Elmira after sweeping the McGill Martlets in their series. Concordia won Game One by a 5-1 score before wrapping up the sweep in Game Two by a 4-1 score. Concordia was 22-2-0-0 in RSEQ play this season, so no one should be surprised that they're headed back to Nationals. Four Stingers players had three points through the two-game sweep while both Belle Mende and Jordyn Verbeek split the games in the crease.

The Montreal Carabins and the Bishop's Gaiters were tied 1-1 in their series with Game Three played in Montreal at 2pm ET today. Montreal won 3-2 in overtime in Game One while Bishop's responded with a 3-1 on home ice in Game Two. We can make it official as Montreal will head to Elmira after defeating Bishop's 3-2 today, meaning that Bishop's title defence is over. Montreal finished the season with a 13-9-2 record and will be the second RSEQ team in Elmira.

Atlantic's Teams

The AUS is in the middle of their playoffs, so let's see who is still in the running to play in Elmira. Remember that the nine-team AUS sends one teams to Nationals this year because the OUA is a bunch of whiny babies. Four conferences, two finalists from each. Let's go.

The UNB Reds and St. Thomas Tommies are playing in their semifinal series and are tied 1-1 in the best-of-five. Game Three went today at 7pm AT as the series shifted to the Grant-Harvey Centre after UNB won 1-0 in Game One and St. Thomas returned the favour with a 1-0 win of their own in Game Two. UNB will look to close out the series in Game Four after their 3-0 win tonight over St. Thomas with that game scheduled for Monday at 7pm AT. UNB was 20-6-2 while St. Thomas was 18-8-2 as four points separated these teams.

The StFX X-Women and UPEI Panthers are playing in their semifinal series and are tied 1-1 in the best-of-five. Game Three went today at 7pm AT as the series shifted to MacLauchlan Arena after UPEI won 2-1 in double-overtime in Game One and StFX grabbed a 4-2 in win in Game Two. The X-Women are on the verge of advancing after they downed UPEI by a 4-0 score tonight with Game Four scheduled for Monday at 7pm AT. StFX was the top team in the AUS with a 22-5-1 record while UPEI went 16-9-3 this season for a ten-point difference.

Plans For Next Year

It was announced last week, but Trinity Western Spartans forward Kyra McDonald already has plans for next season after graduating this year as she'll suit up for HC Fribourg-Gottéron in the PostFinance Women's Hockey Legaue in Switzerland! We've see a handful of former Canada West players land in Switzerland with success over the years, and Kyra's looking to carve her own success with her professional contract in Fribourg!

McDonald's play got better as she played in more situations for Trinity Western, and her back-to-back seasons of 19 points that saw her score 20 goals should have the fans in Fribourg excited for her addition. Sarah Krymalowski of CBC News spoke to the Inuvik-born sniper after it was announced that she had signed to play pro hockey.

"The fact that it's a reality, that I get to play professional hockey, is kind of mind-blowing," McDonald told Krymalowski. "I'm so proud of myself, 'cause I definitely just have had that mindset just of trying to keep getting to that next level somehow."

We're all proud of you, Kyra, and we'll be following your progress next season when the Swiss league hits the ice! If Kyra plays there like she did in Langley, I'd expect a long pro hockey career for the 22 year-old. Congratulations on this opportunity and best of luck next season!

The Last Word

Five teams have already qualified for the National Championship in Elmira. Canada West will send UBC and Manitoba, the RSEQ will send Concordia and Montreal, and Waterloo is hosting the event. That leaves two spots for the OUA champion and finalist, and one spot for the AUS champion. I'm sorry to say this, but whoever voted for this nonsense should be banned from participating in sports forever.

Canada West has nine teams while the AUS has eight teams, yet Canada West gets two berth at Nationals while the AUS gets one. One can argue that the AUS has traditionally done worse than the other three conferences sicne the move to eight teams in 2015, but that should be a non-starter as the only team who has consistently gone to Nationals from the AUS is StFX. In fact, the other seven teams in the AUS conference have gone a combined 23 times to Nationals whereas StFX has been there 18 times on their own! How is that fair for the seven teams when StFX goes almost every year and cannot win?

With the RSEQ expanding next season, keeping them at two berths is fine. Having Canada West at two berths makes sense. Having Ontario send three teams while the AUS only gets one team makes no sense at all when you consider that OUA teams only have a winning record against the AUS. For a conference with ten teams, they should not get an extra berth whatsoever until they prove they can win regularly at Nationals. With Canada West and the RSEQ capturing seven of nine gold medals since 2015, this injustice needs to end after this season.

If the OUA doesn't win the National Championship with three of eight berths this season, this experiment should be forgotten as soon as possible. The AUS deserves the same chance to win as everyone else.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!