The Tuck Rule

I'll admit that the first thing I noticed about the Flyers' jerseys last night was that massive IBX add on the shoulder. We'll talk about that later, but the image to the left is of Trevor Zegras sitting in the penalty box after being sent off by officials for "improperly wearing equipment" in their preseason game against the Boston Bruins. You might be thinking that everything looks fine on Zegras when it comes to how he's dressed, but officials noticed that his jersey was tucked into his pants during play, and he was officially penalized for that fashion choice. I'll make it known: I am in favour of the NHL cracking down on equipment infractions.

At 9:51 of the second period of the Flyers-Bruins preseason game, Zegras received a two-minute minor penalty for delay of game. What was weird is that this was called moments after a face-off in the Bruins' zone, so there was some confusion. Here's that moment.

As you can see at the blue line, that's referee Francis Charron, an 18-year veteran, making the call on Zegras, and Zegras had a chat with referee Jon McIsaac as he was being escorted to the penalty box. McIsaac, a 15-year veteran, broke the news to Zegras that he was being called for his tucked-in jersey. In short, this wasn't some hotshot rookie referee that was looking to make a name for himself.

According to Kevin Kurz of The Athletic, "Zegras said after the game he was given a warning when he had it tucked to start the game, 'because that's how I usually play. It must have just went back in on the bench, and when I came out, just forgot, and (they) called it'".

Kurz also noted that The Athletic's Chris Johnston reported that wearing equipment properly is a point of emphasis entering this season, and will include "visors, neck guards and cut-resistant gear (now required for all new players), helmets in warmup and tucked jerseys". The Flyers were aware of the new mandate as per head coach Rick Tocchet who told Kurz, "They told us, in all fairness two, three weeks ago. I didn't even think about it. … Obviously, can't do it anymore. Regular season starts, we can't have a penalty like that. I actually had to put (Matvei Michkov’s jersey) down on the bench."

Some people are going to roll their eyes and say the NHL is going too far, but this has always been part of the NHL rulebook since 1964. The stricter enforcement comes with players altering their uniforms and equipment to gain an advantage which, in turn, could lower the safety aspect of the uniform and equipment. Zegras' jersey tuck, for example, is that he likely doesn't have his jersey tied down as it should be, and that's not how the jersey is designed to be worn. That, by the letter of the law, is a penalty, and Zegras broke the rule.

Admittedly, the NHL never really cared about the jersey tuck thanks to some guy who wore #99 and set a bunch of scoring records, but this rule has to be applied to all equipment or there would be chaos. Consider that the NHL penalized Maple Leafs forward Leo Komarov at 6:26 of the first period in the opening game of the 2017 NHL season for his visor being pushed up on his helmet, creating an unsafe situation for Komarov. If the officials had shrugged and Komarov was high-sticked or took a puck in the face, the NHL could be liable.

As stated above, the mandated cut-resistant gear comes on the heels of Adam Johnson's death in the EIHL, Richard Zednik's scary neck incident, and Erik Karlsson's Achilles injury. Cut-resistant equipment is good, but a properly-secured jersey helps protect players as well.

No one complains about NHL players not being able to show personality or bring their style to the game while wearing helmets, yet helmets were mandated for all new players entering the NHL on June 1, 1979 following the death of Bill Masterton from a brain injury on January 13, 1968. No one complains that the players are losing personality or style with everyone wearing visors which the NHL mandated at the start of the 2013–14 season. And no one will complain that no player tucks their jerseys into their pants if the NHL makes it a point to end this equipment trend. Safety matters.

Every player will be warned this season if there's an equipment problem, so they'll have a chance to correct the issue. If they choose not to do that like Zegras chose not to, they will sit and watch for two minutes from the little bench. If they choose to continue to ignore the rule, the third violation would result in a game misconduct. Again, this is less about personal style and more about safety, and I'll side with safer hockey for all every single time.

Feel free to disagree with me if you like, but I'd rather see my favorite NHL stars on the ice rather than nursing injuries for wearing their visors improperly or spending time at the hospital as doctors try to stop them from bleeding to death. Jerseys are part of the equipment players wear, so wearing it properly should be enforced. In this case, count me as a supporter of the jersey tuck rule.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

The Call On The Ice Stands

With the Edmonton Oilers and Anaheim Ducks battling into overtime last night, we saw the overtime game-winning goal scored by Anaheim called into question for a couple of reasons. Having watched the video over and over, I am convinced the NHL got the call right despite what Oilers fans and opinionated columnists think, but there seems to be a false consensus reached by those fans and columnists that the goal shouldn't be counted because Jarry's skate partially covered the puck. The problem with that reason is it's clearly wrong to the naked eye.

As shown in the image above, Oilers supporters aren't wrong in that Jarry's skate blade was covering the top of the puck. Because his skate covered both the goal line and the top of the puck, there was some question as to whether the puck fully crossed the line as the NHL requires "definitive proof" that a good goal had been scored.

Adding fuel to the fire was that none of the on-ice officials were in a position to see the goal when it was scored. They would confer after awarding Anaheim the goal, and I assume they came to an agreement there was no reason not to award the goal. Again, the image below shows where each official was standing when the goal was scored.

As we know, every goal scored in overtime gets reviewed, but this one needed to be called in by the on-ice officials. The Situation Room in Toronto would need "conclusive evidence" that the puck did not cross the line if they were to overturn the goal. This is from where all the controversy stems because the Situation Room ruled that the goal was good, the call on the ice would stand, and Anaheim would skate off with a 4-3 overtime victory in their pocket. All good, right?

Well, debate raged into the night on the Sportsnet broadcast, journalists and bloggers were already picking sides with their keyboards, and fans from both teams were already forming opinions on the goal, the NHL's handling of the goal, and any other conspiracies that were being imagined. However, it's clearly visible that the NHL got this call right despite the concerns because the puck's physical traits don't change throughout the entire game.

All hockey pucks used by the NHL are three inches in diameter. They are circles without any deformations that make them oblong or egg-shaped nor do they have any random protrusions that extend outside of their circumference. You can argue all you want about Jarry's skate obstructing the puck and goal line, but it seems pretty clear from the image to the right that the puck did cross the line entirely. Unless the puck developed some incredible irregularity after hitting Darnell Nurse's skate before sliding under Tristan Jarry, common sense and visual proof says that the NHL's Situation Room made the right call by upholding the "good goal" call made by the officials on the ice.

This argument that there isn't definitive proof that the puck crossed the line is the new "skate in the crease" controversy. It's very clear that the puck is across the line despite Jarry's skate obstructing the top of the puck, and most kindergarten students would tell you the puck crossed the line. If anyone wants to believe otherwise, that's baggage one will have to carry on one's own because Anaheim scored in overtime to win the game based on the visual evidence shown.

Of course, the NHL could simply pull its head out of the sand and start looking around when it comes to solving these kinds of problems. The Swiss National League solved this issue a while ago when they introduced a second, smaller line inside the net that's exactly the diameter of one regulation-sized puck away from the goal line. If any puck touches the second line, there is no controversy because it has to be a goal based on simple math and geometry. This two-line system has never failed in Switzerland when it comes to reviewing goals because the premise is simple: did the puck touch the second line at any point? If the answer is yes, the goal is awarded.

People will double-down on the idea that humans are falliable when it comes to judging whether a puck touched a line, but the system works. Reviews are quick and easy because it's a simple question to answer: did the puck touch the second line? If you want to blame human eyesight for a wrong call at that point, we might as well just stop playing the games and simulate them all through EA Sports' NHL video games. Athletes are people, officials are people, and people make mistakes. The goal here is to limit the number of mistakes by giving officials clear ways to determine if a goal is scored or not.

Whatever your feelings are towards the disputed goal, the fact remains that Anaheim leads 3-1 in their series over Edmonton with three chances to close out the series. You can say this goal changed the dynamics of the series which is debatable, but there are bigger problems that the Oilers need to address if they're going to make a third-straight Stanley Cup Final. One goal awarded correctly is not going to be the sole reason they're golfing earlier this year.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

The Rundown - Week 9

With the MacEwan Griffins having Black Friday and the weekend off, there were eight teams who in action across the three provinces this weekend. The only province not to have hockey action was Saskatchewan, both both teams were playing elsewhere. There were some intriguing matchups this week as playoff positions could be solidified while other teams could climb back into races if they were to win games. Officially, everyone still has a shot at the playoffs, but it's the ability to capitalize on opportunities that are given that will determine if a team is in or out in February. Let's see if anyone answered when opportunity knocked this week on The Rundown!

FRIDAY: The Battle of Calgary was back for another weekend as the Munt Royal Cougars dropped in at Father David Bauer Arena looking to weave their magic against the Calgary of Dinos. The Cougars came into this game with points in eleven-straight games, and they were looking to keep that going in an effort to jump into first-place in the East Division and to help the school in its effort to win the Crowchild Classic. The Dinos had won four-straight games coming into the weekend, and they wanted to remain atop the division while gathering points for the Crowcild Classic as well. These teams split games in October with the road team winning each game, so a sweep by either side this weekend could prove important in the standings.


Cougars goals: Jordyn Hutt (2), Sydney Benko (7), Kaia Borbandy (1), Jerzey Watteyne (5)
Cougars assists: Gabby Lindsay (1), Kaia Borbandy (3), Jordyn Hutt (2), Breanne Comte (4)
Cougars netminder: Scout Anderson (20/22)

Dinos goals: Hannah Reagh (4), Evelyn Lawrence (4)
Dinos assists: April Klarenbach (2), Alex Spence (9), Hannah Reagh (2)
Dinos netminder: Amelia Awad (32/35)

Result: 4-2 victory for Mount Royal over Calgary.

SATURDAY: With their win one night earlier, Mount Royal went up 2-1 in the season series against Calgary and, more importantly, moved ahead of the Dinos in the standings. They came home to Flames Community Arena looking for the sweep, but the Dinos were looking to take a second game off the Cougars in the Mount Royal barn. Would the Cougars take a commanding 3-1 lead in the series or could the Dinos even things up for the always-circled-on-the-calendar Crowchild Classic game on January 29 at the Saddledome?

Dinos goals: Eden Carius (2)
Dinos assists: Josie McLeod (3)
Dinos netminder: Alyssa Barrette (20/22)

Cougars goals: Sydney Benko (8), Julia Duke (6)
Cougars assists: Jordynne Hojnocki (1), Kiana McNinch (6), Isa McPhee (6)
Cougars netminder: Scout Anderson (21/22)

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

FRIDAY: There's always some narrative that says that two teams that battle hard over the course of a number of games tend to develop animosity towards one another. I don't buy that narrative mainly because the results on the scoreboard usually speak the loudest, but there's no denying that the Saskatchewan Huskies and UBC Thunderbirds will give as much as they get from each other. The Huskies were in Vancouver for a weekend set with the Thunderbirds with both teams looking to add points in the standings.

Huskies goals: Kahlen Wisener (3)
Huskies assists: Avery Gottselig (2), Jacquelyne Chief (3)
Huskies netminders: Colby Wilson (37/40)

Thunderbirds goals: Mia Bierd (5), Grace Elliott (14), Annalise Wong (4), Kailee Peppler (1)
Thunderbirds assists: Presley Zinger (5), Vanessa Schaefer (7), Annalise Wong (14), Hanna Perrier (4), Jaylyn Morris (7)
Thunderbirds netminder: Elise Hugens (19/20)

Result: 4-1 victory for UBC over Saskatchewan.

SATURDAY: We'll talk about what happened at the end of Friday's game down below, but these two teams reconvened at Thunderbird Arena on Saturday to close out this weekend. UBC was one step closer to securing a playoff spot with their win on Friday while the Huskies were trying to hold on their playoff spot with a win on Saturday. Both teams wanted to close out the weekend with a win, and my hope was that we wouldn't get the same ending as Friday.

Huskies goals: none
Huskies assists: none
Huskies netminders: Clara Juca (39/40)

Thunderbirds goals: Grace Elliott (14)
Thunderbirds assists: Annalise Wong (15), Jaylyn Morris (8)
Thunderbirds netminder: Mya Lucifora (8/8)

Result: 1-0 victory for UBC over Saskatchewan.

FRIDAY: The Trinity Western Spartans headed to Alberta looking to squash the Pandas' hopes of catching them in the standings. A sweep by the Spartans would almost guarantee a second-place finish in the West Division, but the Pandas knew the stakes as well. Two wins would put them right back in the thick of things for that second-place finish, so they knew what they had to do against the Spartans.

Spartans goals: Presleigh Giesbrecht (4), Kara Yackel (6), Ella Boon (1)
Spartans assists: Kyra McDonald (6), Ella Boon (4), Kyra McDonald (6)
Spartans netminders: Kate Fawcett (8/13)

Pandas goals: Hailey Crothers (2), Annie King (3), Raegan Yewdall (2), Abby Soyko (6), Raegan Yewdall (3)
Pandas assists: Janay Williams (2), Taylor Breen (1), Natalie Kieser (4), Abby Soyko (5), Leighanna Rizarri (1), Holly Magnus (8), Holly Magnus (9), Holly Magnus (10), Riley Smith (1)
Pandas netminders: Mackenzie Dojahn (22/25)

Result: 5-3 victory for Alberta over Trinity Western.

SATURDAY: With the gap between the Spartans and Pandas a little smaller, both teams know the importance of a win on Saturday. I'm not sure that either coach was excited about the third period turning into a track meet where the Spartans, at one point, led 3-2 with just over 12 minutes to play, but that's hockey. In any case, the Spartans were looking for a split on Saturday while the Pandas were aiming for a sweep to close out November and the gap between the two teams.

Spartans goals: Sadie Isfeld (1)
Spartans assists: Chloe Reid (7)
Spartans netminders: Olivia Davidson (19/21)

Pandas goals: Jadynn Morden (5), Natalie Kieser (3)
Pandas assists: Natalie Kieser (5), Abby Soyko (6), Holly Magnus (11)
Pandas netminders: Grace Glover (27/28)

Result: 2-1 victory for Alberta over Trinity Western.

FRIDAY: If Manitoba has any hope of joining the playoff picture in the West Division, they need to start winning games in regulation. They had yet to do that this season, but they were playing the only team they had beaten this season in the Regina Cougars after beating them on the opening night of the season in a shootout. The Cougars could jump back into a playoff spot with a couple of wins and some help, so they were looking for a good ending to their November. Would we see an underperforming team finally snap its losing streak or would we see a team grab the opportunity to jump into a playoff spot?

Cougars goals: Pippy Pritchard (3), Cassidy Peters (2)
Cougars assists: Cassidy Peters (2), Kaylee Dyer (2), Kaylee Dyer (3)
Cougars netminder: Amy Swayze (38/43)

Bisons goals: Sarah Harbus (2), Aimee Patrick (3), Julia Bird (3), Kelsey Huibers (2), Brenna Nicol (1)
Bisons assists: Aimee Patrick (5), Izzy Mann (1), Dana Goertzen (4), Sophia Anderson (2), Aimee Patrick (6), Sadie Keller (1)
Bisons netminder: Emily Shippam (24/26)

Result: 5-2 victory for Manitoba over Regina.

SATURDAY: Manitoba's performance on Friday may have restored hope for the faithful that there was a shot at a third-straight year for playoffs, but they still had work to do on Saturday. Regina started the game slow and paid for it in the end, but they had a shot a splitting the weekend series and improving on their 1-1-1 record in Winnipeg for tie-breaking purposes. Would we see the first Bisons sweep of the season or could the Cougars restore the gap between them and Manitoba in the East Division standings?

Cougars goals: Olivia Leggett (1), Shaylee Scraba (2), Kaitlyn Gilroy (4)
Cougars assists: Kaylee Dyer (4), Felicia An (1), Pippy Pritchard (4)
Cougars shootout scorers: Makena Kushniruk
Cougars netminder: Natalie Williamson (26/29) in 65:00 plus 1/3 in the shootout

Bisons goals: Aimee Patrick (4), Julia Bird (4), Aimee Patrick (5)
Bisons assists: Louise Fergusson (4), Alyssa Rasmuson (3), Hanna Bailey (3), Julia Bilous (1)
Bisons shootout scorers: Julia Bird, Alyssa Rasmuson
Bisons netminder: Emily Shippam (21/24) in 65:00 plus 2/3 in the shootout

Result: 4-3 shootout victory for Manitoba over Regina.

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	14-1-1-0	30	49	13	W2	@ TWU
Mount Royal	8-2-5-1	27	39	21	W3	@ MAN
Calgary	10-4-1-3	25	39	27	L2	BYE
Trinity Western	3-7-5-1	17	36	33	L3	vs UBC
Alberta	6-6-0-4	16	33	40	W3	vs MAC
Saskatchewan	3-6-3-2	14	21	31	L3	vs REG
Regina	3-6-2-3	13	22	31	L4	@ SAS
Manitoba	1-7-2-4	10	22	39	W2	vs MRU
MacEwan	2-11-1-2	8	14	40	W1	@ ALB

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 some solid performances from a handful of players, but no one had a bigger weekend that Manitoba Bisons forward Aimee Patrick who had a five-point weekend in helping Manitoba pick up four points! Her third goal of the weekend may have been the biggest as she scored with 34 seconds to play to force overtime, helping Manitoba earn a 4-3 shootout. Aimee Patrick led the Bisons to two big wins over a rival, and that's how she adds her name to the list!

The fourth-year forward had a solid season with 21 points last season where it seemed like she was breaking out as a star in Canada West. She started off slow this season with a goal and four assists in her first nine games, but she's responded with four goals and two assists in her last five games. The Bisons need her leadership and scoring, but Patrick is the proof in the pudding that going to the net results in goals. Her play around the net has resulted in more goals for both her and her teammates as the nopower forward is finding her groove!

The key here is that Manitoba only has three wins on the season, and all three wins have come against the Regina Cougars. However, Manitoba is 3-1-2 at home, Patrick has seven points at home, and the Bisons have three wins and eight points at home. I'm not saying there's a direct correlation between her play and how the Bisons fare, but the Bisons haven't earned points in only one game where Patrick had multiple points. This weekend was the most productive of her career so far, it ended with the Bisons picking up four points, and that's why Aimee Patrick made the Honour Roll this week!

Not A Good Look

I've been accused on social media before of having a bias against the UBC Thunderbirds, but I might be the only person not affiliated with the school who has celebrated their accomplishments this season while also scouring the stats to find that their players are doing better than what their recorded stats say. I can honestly say the accusations don't bother me all that much. I know the truth.

What does bother me is this kind of behaviour at the end of a game.

There was a scrum in the corner as the horn sounded and the final whistle blew, and things escalated from there as both Saskatchewan's Bronwyn Boucher and UBC's Kailee Peppler were singled out for two counts of head contact as punches were thrown. Full cages and helmets won't allow for much damage, but the calls were made in any case. Everyone else on the ice received a ten-minute misconduct for their parts in the scrum, but you may notice something on the UBC side of the image that requires some discussion.

At the very top of the penalty summary, you can see the coach, Graham Thomas, being assessed a game misconduct while #77, Olivia Buckley, was given a two-minute minor for leaving the bench and a game misconduct for that decision. Buckley was in the penalty box when she exited the box and beelined for the scrum. That's a problem for the vast majority of hockey leagues around the world, and Canada West is no different as they use Hockey Canada's rules.

Hockey Canada's Rule 10.4 states right at the top that "Players may only leave the Penalty Bench at the conclusion of their penalty or at the end of a period, as directed by the Timekeeper or Referee" which is what should have happened here considering that time had expired. Let's go to the rulebook to ensure the officials got it right.

It seems they missed a minor penalty assessed to Buckley, but the officials got this one right. Because both Buckley and Thomas were assessed game misconducts, Canada West also suspends them for the next game as well. As such, Saturday night saw both Buckley and Thomas in street clothes as neither were on the bench for UBC.

I'm going to guess that Buckley learned her lesson about staying in the box with the suspension imposed to both her and Graham Thomas, but this kind of behaviour from both teams is just a bad look. I get that emotions run high and frustration can set in, but there's no need for anything close to this sort of extracurricular activity. Every single player has to be back in class on Monday, and I'm thankful no one was seriously hurt with all the sparring on the ice.

Let's be better, Huskies and T-Birds. You're both good teams that don't need to be starting a street fight every game despite the animosity.

A Scary Moment

Regina Cougars forward Cassidy Peters had a good night on Friday with a goal and an assist against Manitoba in their 5-2 loss to the Bisons. It's always nice to see a second-year player having a good day at the office, and it seems like Peters will have a solid Canada West career... if she's able to return to the ice this season and beyond.

Early on Saturday night, Peters fell head-first into the boards at Wayne Fleming Arena and it didn't look good. Trainers and medical personnel worked on securing her head and neck before she was finally moved off the ice after a considerable amount of time. My thoughts are with Cassidy today as she recovers from this injury, and my hope is she is back in action sooner than later. She's a good player, a better person, and this was a setback no one wanted to see.

At the time of writing this article, no updates had been given.

One Of Us

If you missed the news, former Calgary Dinos head coach and current Ottawa Charge and Czechia national team head coach Carla MacLeod has been battling a medical issue. She released a statement about it.

I'm a big fan of Carla for her work both as a player and as a coach, but she's an incredible human being on top of being an exceptional hockey person. I'm pulling for Carla in her battle against cancer, and I'm glad she's not going to miss any coaching for treatments for breast cancer. I know she's going to beat it as much as she loves beating the USA in hockey, but I can't wait to see Carla kick cancer's ass as well!

Technology Upgrade?

There were two key moments in the Saskatchewan-UBC game on Saturday where goals were called back. I'm not here to call out the officials who worked this game for the decisions they made with respect to those goals, but there are goals every year in Canada West hockey that should be reviewed as they could have big effects on scores and points in the standings. We need a review system!

The two goals this weekend in question both were scored by the Huskies, and one was wiped out for apparent goaltender interference where it was hard to see any interference while the other was waved off as the Huskies scored with time expiring. On review, the interference committed by a Huskies player looked like contact initiated by the netminder long before the goal was second, and the second goal appeared to have been scored with 0.1 seconds remaining. The end result was a 1-0 UBC win and two points for UBC.

Again, no one is faulting UBC as they have nothing to do with the calls made by the officials, but how much longer will this conference operate without something like video review for goals? We all know how hard it is to score goals in Canada West, so why are we taking them off the board if they appear to be legitimately good goals?

Finding Scoring Spots

I made a big deal about the Bisons shooting just 4.0% this season when it came to their success and it was showing in their total wins and points as they were generating shots on net, but getting nothing to show for those shots. This week, the Bisons shot an impressive 11.1% over their two games, and they won both. I'm not saying that they need to shoot about 10% for the rest of the season, but finding the back of the net more often seems to have a positive effect on both the number of wins and points they have. Imagine that!

In all seriousness, what I liked from the Bisons this weekend is they went to the net with purpose. Passes were being completed to players driving to the net, and the recipients were burying those chances. Players creating screens were battling to get second chances, and they were causing chaos all weekend for the Regina goalies. This is how all teams score the majority of their goals, and it seems the Bisons bought into this idea with 8 goals on 72 shots.

Credit to both the coaching staff and the players for attacking the net this weekend, but one weekend of good hockey won't make up for earlier in the season if this doesn't continue. The Bisons could find themselves in the thick of a playoff race if they continue to play as they did against Regina. Both games saw the Bisons score three or more goals for the first time since opening night, so replicating this weekend's efforts moving forward should be the goal!

Another Record Rewritten

Grace Elliott's impressive season continued with her 15th goal in 16 games this season, but that 15th goal scored on Saturday put her alongside two of the best to have ever worn the UBC jersey. That goal was her 116th point in her career, putting her at the same total as UBC program record holders Tatiana Rafter and Chanreet Bassi!

Knowing how much she enjoys scoring against Trinity Western, it seems inevitable that Grace Elliott will be the top scorer in UBC Thunderbirds women's hockey history next weekend... unless the Spartans can find some way or any way to slow her down!

The Last Word

There's one weekend left in the first half of the Canada West season. All teams will have passed the midway points of their season, and the only team who has a head start on preparing for January are the Calgary Dinos who have the bye next week. Mathematically, the UBC Thunderbirds can clinch a playoff spot in the West Division next weekend against Trinity Western. Mathematically, both Calgary teams could clinch playoff spots by mid-January. For the other six teams, the marathon of the season is now going to be a sprint to the finish.

We'll see who goes into the holiday and exam break with festive spirits! Will it be your team closing out 2025 on a winning note?

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

TBC: Certified Beauties

It has been a pleasure to have had the opportunities to read some great books over the last week that has allowed us to interview great authors on The Hockey Show. While I'm completely aware of the need for these authors to promote their books to help sales, it's been a better experience getting to know the people writing these books through our conversations. That holds true for today's book review as Teebz's Book Club is proud to review Certified Beauties: More of Hockey's Greatest Untold Stories, written by James Duthie and published by HarperCollins Publishers Ltd. If you were a fan of James Duthie's book, Beauties, this is the second book that he's written that deals with all the stories that hockey players trade behind the scenes about their craziest experiences and often hard-to-believe moments off the ice. If you need a good hockey story, Certified Beauties has a pile of them from the players themselves!

You already know James Duthie from his hockey work on TSN, but there's a lot more to James Duthie than just his TV work. James is an eight-time Canadian Screen Award winner, he has co-hosted Olympic Daytime coverage, he'll be heading to Milano-Cortina for men’s hockey coverage at another Olympic Games, he is an Ottawa Sports Hall of Fame inductee, he holds the key to city in Ottawa, he hosts TSN's coverage of The Masters and the CFL, he appeared in Goon 2 as some character named "James Duthie", he's a Carleton University grad, and he's the author of of a number of books including two that I have reviewed here on HBIC in The Guy on the Left and Beauties, and a third book today. James and his family live in Aurora, Ontario.

For everyone that has sat through a hockey interview where the same clichés and statements have been made by countless players, you know it gets a little repetitive. That's where Certified Beauties comes in because I'm quite certain the stories told by the players in this book haven't been heard by fans anywhere. Some may be known, but there are so many entertaining, funny, and heartfelt stories in Certified Beauties that you'll likely find yourself wanting to read the next one as soon as you finish a story! That happened to me!

The players who contributed stories are many with the likes of Kevin Bieksa, Darcy Hordichuk, Blake Coleman, Sam Gagner, Emma Maltais, Brady and Matthew Tkachuk, and Ray Whitney to name a few, but there were some amazing chapters about Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau and Gardiner MacDougall and the UNB Reds that truly illustrate how good the game of hockey can be when great people set their minds on making the world a better place. For all the laughs that are contained within the covers of Certified Beauties, the chapters that tugged on the heart strings will remain with you.

I do want to make a special mention of the chapter that is entirely devoted to Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau because it's their family and friends who contribute the stories about them to Certified Beauties. From these stories, you can tell that these two men were special in their own ways. It's hard to know that these two incredible men who cherished their time away from the game with the people they loved more the game of hockey were taken from us at such a young age, but the words used to describe them by their families and friends will give you new persepctive on these two wonderful men.

You might be wondering what kind of stories are found in Certified Beauties, and I'm here to say that the stories you'll read range from funny to "that couldn't possibly have happened". For example, Duthie has a funny story from current Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving about his time playing in the now-defunct Western Professional Hockey League for the Waco Wizards. He writes,

"The lights go out for the opening night introductions. Dramatic music plays. High above the rink, the wizard is hooked up to a wire and descends dramatically toward ice. He's waving his wand, pumping up the crowd. And then, 20 feet above centre ice, he passes out."

Can you imagine seeing a mascot descending from the rafters, pumping the crowd up, and then he just passes out? And the show must go on, so the opening night ceremony just continues until they finally realize that the wizard, lying at centre ice, has suddenly stopped being a willing participant! What did Brad do? What did his teammates do? Thankfully, there's a happy ending to Treliving's story, but Certified Beauties is packed with fun stories like this!

Overall, Certified Beauties can be rated as a beauty as the chapters are short with funny and heartfelt stories, so it makes it easy to put the book down if one needs a break. Duthie doesn't editorialize in the book often if at all, allowing the players' stories to shine through as though they were telling them to readers themselves. As such, it's an enjoyable read with some chuckles and the occasional tug at the heart strings, and, for these reasons, it's easy to award Certified Beauties with the Teebz's Book Club Seal of Approval!

Certified Beauties was released on October 21, 2025, so you can find it on bookstore shelves and library shelves right now, assuming that there are copies remaining. This book would be a perfect Christmas gift for your older hockey fan as it does contain some strong language at times. Due to this, Certified Beauties is strongly recommended for older teens and adult hockey fans. However, the book is an excellent read with great stories, and Certified Beauties by James Duthie is highly recommended for your hockey fans and your bookshelf!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

The Hockey Show - Episode 685

The Hockey Show, Canada's only campus-produced radio show that strictly talks hockey, jumps back into the studio tonight after an incredible interview with Pittsburgh's Dave Molinari last week. It's always fun speaking with people who are far more knowledgeable about subjects than we are, and that will only continue this month as we have more interviews coming up! Tonight, however, our hosts are back to chatting about hockey news stories from the last week and a bit, so get ready for a pile of hockey noise, laughter, and opinions from the UMFM studios tonight on The Hockey Show at 5:30pm CT!

Tonight, Teebz and Jason are going to follow the money for the big story they discuss as Ottawa Senators forward Arthur Kaliyev has come under fire for his specific spending habits that got himself and his former girlfriend in trouble. This is a crazy story of how money corrupts, but it's a good example of why young players need financial guidance. Beyond that story, our hosts will chat about Dallas getting another outdoor game in 2027, ESPN and Sports Illustrated failing to read the room, Alexander Ovechkin setting a new milestone, the KHL banning a referee for life, the two PWHL expansion teams get names, a new painting will remind Winnipeggers of its hockey history, and there's a big announcment about next week's show! It should be a busy hour with lots of chatter tonight on The Hockey Show at 5:30pm CT on one of 101.5 FM, Channel 718 on MTS TV, or via UMFM.com!

If you live outside Winnipeg and want to listen, we have options! The UMFM website's streaming player works well if you want to listen online. We also recommend Radio Garden if you need an easy-to-use online stream. If you're more of an app person, we recommend you use the TuneIn app found on the App Store or Google Play Store. It's a solid app.

If you have questions, you can email all show queries and comments to hockeyshow@umfm.com! Tweet me anytime with questions you may have by hitting me up at @TeebzHBIC on Twitter! I'm here to listen to you, so make your voice heard! And because both Teebz and Jason are on the butterfly app where things are less noisy, you can find Teebz here and Jason here on Bluesky!

Tonight, Teebz and Jason chat big money, bad decisions, financial ruin, outdoor games, media stupidity, new records, lifetime bans, new names, new artwork, big guests, and much more exclusively on 101.5 UMFM and on the UMFM.com web stream!

PODCAST: November 6, 2025: Episode 685

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

From Ineligible To Suspended?

I'll be honest when I say that I didn't think that Niko Mikkola, pictured to the left, was a player who deserved an eight-year contract. Normally, you see players who are extremely valuable signed to contracts of that length, but the Florida Panthers apparently see him as that type of player on their team after they agreed to terms on an eight-year, $40 million deal on Thursday. However, that's not what I'm here to discuss, though, because Niko Mikkola might be getting a call from the NHL about his involvement and being excused against the Tampa Bay Lightning tonight. If he's not suspended, I'm not sure why the NHL even has a rulebook.

As Florida was laying a beating on Tampa Bay tonight, frustrations grew between the two in-state rivals. Penalties started to turn uglier, skirmishes began to result in fights, and the referees began dismissing players from the game. There's nothing overly surprising about any of that description other than the 7-0 final score that Florida recorded, but the third period saw something that I can't recall ever happening.

At 4:01 of the third period, one of the many skirmishes seen in this game erupted. Oliver Bjorkstrand was given a match penalty before Mackie Samoskevich and Max Crozier were tossed from the game for fighting, and both Connor Geekie and Niko Mikkola were both given game misconducts for their parts in the brouhaha. As I said above, the referees were simply trying to maintain some sort of order in this game that got out of hand, so these misconducts shouldn't surprise anyone at this point with the clearly lopsided score in favour of Florida.

What did suprise everyone, though, was Florida's eighth goal when Jesper Boqvist scored at 8:52 with an assist going to Niko Mikkola - the same Niko Mikkola who had been assessed a game misconduct nearly five minutes earlier. Apparently. no one noticed that Florida's #77 should have been in the locker room and not on the bench or ice until 14:55, a full six minutes after Boqvist's goal and more than ten minutes after he had been excused from the game!

I'm not sure who caught the error, but one has to think the official scorers would have noticed as they were documenting all the penalties and the scoring plays. Again, I can't speak for what was happening behind the scenes, but allowing 10:54 to elapse where a player removed from the game assists on a goal scored is a huge error on the officials' parts. That simply can't happen in any hockey game at any level, so we'll see what the NHL does when they review this.

Here is how the Boqvist goal involving Mikkola was eliminated.

It seems the officials got it right, albeit ten minutes too late, when they removed the goal from Florida's total after discovering that Mikkola had been on the ice after he was tossed from the game as per Rule 5-2. And I am quite sure the Commissioner and a number of other league officials will be reading the officials' reports on how this whole ordeal unfolded. Again, I expect the NHL to be busy on Monday when it comes to calling the front offices of both the Panthers and Lightning over the total violence exhibited along with this matter.

Where there may be more concern is what becomes of Mikkola.

Rule 70-10 clearly states that Mikkola should be suspended for ten regular season games for returning to the bench and ice after being assessed a game misconduct. I'm not sure how the NHL will handle this due to this game being a preseason contest, but that shouldn't matter in the grand scope of what Mikkola did. He broke a clear rule, and he should start the season in the pressbox for the first ten games. If the NHL doesn't enforce this, why have the rule at all?

Look, I understand that this game was chaos. The Panthers and Lightning clearly have an intense rivalry with one another, and the work done by referees Michael Markovic and Jean Hebert and linesmen Jonny Murray and Jonathan Deschamps isn't in question here. You cna make the case that someone should have noticed that Mikkola was still on the bench and taking regular shifts, but it's also on the Panthers to ensure they have the right personnel on the bench at all times. If there was any uncertainty, head coach Paul Maurice should have waved an official over and asked more questions.

As it stands, Niko Mikkola should be suspended for ten games to start the season. There is absolutely no way that he can be allowed to avoid punishment for breaking Rule 70-10 despite him avoiding further penalties, but this is one of those moments where the rulebook is clear. Does it suck for Mikkola? It absolutely does, but this entire debacle over an ineligible player could have been avoided had the Panthers simply asked for clarification. They did not, though, so Mikkola should suspended for breaking a clearly-defined rule.

You don't have to like the rule, but rules are made to avoid chaos and there was enough chaos tonight between the Panthers and Lightning.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Reviews Have To Be Better

I know the final score wouldn't have been less lopsided had the goal been counted, but I'm still baffled how Cole Perfetti's shot that ended up in the glove of Jordan Binnington wasn't ruled a goal. With the Jets trailing 3-0 and on the power-play midway through the second period, Perfetti's one-timer seemingly was saved by Binnington, but reviews showed that the puck may have crossed the goal line while inside Binnington's glove. The long delay upheld the no-goal call on the ice despite several angles seemingly showing Binnington's glove behind the post with the puck in the pocket of the glove. In the end, the no-goal call was upheld by the Situation Room in Toronto and the Jets and Blues resumed play with the 3-0 score in favour of the Blues intact.

Again, I'm not here to debate whether it was a goal or not. That debate can be had on another day, but I am here to discuss the lengthy process it takes for the NHL to determine whether or not the call on the ice was correct. It took the NHL more than four minutes to decide that there wasn't enough evidence to overturn the call on the ice, and that break seemingly took the life out of the building until the call was upheld. Why on earth did it take more than four minutes to make that call? What could possibly be discussed?

The NHL really needs to adopt what the KHL does for its review process. This makes so much more sense in how it's done.
As you can see in the clip above, the referees ask to see the various angles on the play so they make the final call on the play. The two referees work together to determine the correct call, the angles they use to make the call arevisible on the broadcast, and the discussion the two officials have allow you to understand what they're seeing and why they're making the call. Everything is transparent with respect to these decisions at the Spengler Cup. That's how the NHL should be doing reviews so everyone knows why the call was made.

The officials shouldn't just stand around while Toronto replay after replay back in the Situation Room. The two referees should be making the call as they see fit on the ice based on the video evidence available to them. All Toronto should be doing is sending the different angles to the monitors or iPads or whatever technology is made available to the officials for review. All interpretation and discussion about the call should be between the two referees on the ice.

If the process was more transparent, Jets fans may have heard why the officials denied the goal. I get that the reasoning would still be "there was not enough conclusive evidence to determine that the puck crossed the line", but at least there would be clear evidence as to which replays the referees were using and the discussion between them about the call. Why is this so hard for the NHL?

The Hubble Telescope is taking pictures of stellar events that are light years away. The Mars Rover is sending high-definition pictures back to NASA. We have developed the electron microscope and we can put cameras virtually anywhere on the planet. The one thing we can't do? Get a definitive answer or a clear picture on whether a puck crossed a goal line or not. It might be time for the NHL to fix that.

If they aren't willing to develop that technology, the least the NHL can do is make the review process more transparent because I still don't know how the Jets weren't awarded a goal when puck was inside Binnington's glove and behind the goal post. That seemed obvious, but I guess the only thing that I do know is there's enough conclusive evidence to prove that NHL video review is terrible.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

The Rundown - Week 9

I may have mentioned that this weekend's games are a bit of a playoff preview last week as there were some great games scheduled for this weekend, and the only team who could sit back and watch were the Regina Cougars who were on the bye week. For a lot of the teams, this weekend also represented the last week of games before the December break, so everyone was looking to pick up wins heading into the month-long pause. Hitting the halfway point was the big story this week as eight teams looked for points on The Rundown!

FRIDAY: The rivalry between the Mount Royal Cougars and the Alberta Pandas has only ramped up over the years as the Cougars have improved, and both teams can now be considered as potential favorites to win the conference. That means these games this weekend may reveal more than just who won this weekend as weaknesses can be exploited. Would we see any when these two teams clashed? The short answer is no because there are no highlight reels being produced, so let's just jump into the scoring summary.

Pandas goals: Madison Willan (4)
Pandas assists: Payton Laumbach (5), Abby Soyko (3)
Pandas shootout scorers: none
Pandas netminder: Grace Glover (19/20) in 65:00 plus 1/2 in the shootout

Cougars goals: Kiana McNinch (1)
Cougars assists: Jerzey Watteyne (2), Breanne Comte (3)
Cougars shootout scorers: Aliya Jomha
Cougars netminder: Kaitlyn Ross (34/35) in 65:00 plus 3/3 in the shootout

Result: 2-1 shootout victory for Mount Royal over Alberta.

SATURDAY: The home-and-home series would move south after Mount Royal won the skills competition over Alberta on Friday, so you knew the Pandas wouldn't be a content bunch with that result. As stated above, this rivalry has become one of the best in all of hockey, not just Canada West, so we were being treated to a great game to close out November. I'd like to show you, but highlights are rarer than actual pandas in Canada. Instead, here's the scoring summary.

Cougars goals: Kiana McNinch (2), Abigail Borbandy (1)
Cougars assists: Summer Fomradas (2), Alexandria Spence (5), Kiana McNinch (6), Sydney Benko (6)
Cougars netminder: Kaitlyn Ross (24/27)

Pandas goals: Payton Laumbach (1), Allison Reich (1), Natalie Kieser (3)
Pandas assists: Taylor Anker (5), Abby Soyko (3)
Pandas netminder: Misty Rey (21/23)

Result: 3-2 overtime victory for Alberta over Mount Royal.

FRIDAY: UBC flew east to Winnipeg where Manitoba waited in what could be a preview for the playoff crossover. The Bisons had a chance to leap past the idle Regina Cougars for second-place in the Canada West East Division while the Thunderbirds were looking to solidify their hold on top spot in the West Division. There's no option to show you what happened because the Bisons won't do highlight reels, so here are the scorers from this game.

Bisons goals: Evangeline Hill (1)
Bisons assists: Louise Fergusson (4)
Bisons netminder: Emily Shippam (18/21)

Thunderbirds goals: Meadow Carman (1), Grace Elliott (10), Makenzie McCallum (4)
Thunderbirds assists: Kailee Peppler (6), Chanreet Bassi (9), Ashton Thorpe (4), Chanreet Bassi (10), Mackenzie Kordic (7), Karine Sandilands (5)
Thunderbirds netminder: Elise Hugens (19/20)

Result: 3-1 victory for UBC over Manitoba.

SATURDAY: Manitoba's effort was solid on Friday, specifically in the final forty minutes where they outshot the Thunderbirds by a 17-13 count. That doesn't happen often to UBC, so I'm sure the Thunderbirds would be ready for Saturday's game. Manitoba needed to bring that effort again on the back-half of this series, but there are no highlights to show you those efforts. Here's the summary.

Bisons goals: Kylie Lesuk (1), Norah Collins (9)
Bisons assists: Hannah Bailey (1), Dana Goertzen (4), Ashley Keller (5), Seanna Price (2)
Bisons netminders: Emily Shippam (13/18) in 30:15; Paige Fischer (13/18) in 29:45

Thunderbirds goals: Karine Sandilands (6), Mackenzie Kordic (4), Jacquelyn Fleming (4), Chanreet Bassi (3), Mia Bierd (3), Chanreet Bassi (4), Mackenzie Kordic (5), Karine Sandilands (7), Mackenzie Kordic (6), Chanreet Bassi (5)
Thunderbirds assists: Kennesha Miswaggon (2), Mackenzie Kordic (8), Grace Elliott (12), Grace Elliott (13), Meadow Carman (3), Ashton Thorpe (5), Grace Elliott (14), Jacquelyn Fleming (5), Jaylyn Morris (6), Sophia Gaskell (4), Kasundra Betinol (7), Madisyn Wiebe (3), Meadow Carman (4)
Thunderbirds netminder: Mya Lucifora (17/19)

Result: 10-2 victory for UBC over Manitoba.

FRIDAY: The Calgary Dinos headed west to Langley for a weekend series against the Trinity Western Spartans with both teams sitting at 14 points in the West Division. Trinity Western held the tie-breaker as they had one more regulation win, but both teams were looking at that third-place spot in the standings as their spot based on results this weekend. Trinity Western will show their goals, but not Calgary's goals, so here's the link for that half-effort. The summary is below.

Spartans goals: Kara Yackel (4), Kailey Ledoux (1), Chloe Reid (1)
Spartans assists: Kyra Anderson (3), Olivia Leier (7), Kyra Anderson (4)
Spartans netminder: Kate Fawcett (21/22)

Dinos goals: April Klarenbach (3)
Dinos assists: Emma Tait (4), Miri Licis (3)
Dinos netminder: Amelia Awad (20/22)

Result: 3-1 victory for Trinity Western over Calgary.

SATURDAY: The Spartans took a step forward to claiming a playoff spot with a big win over the Dinos, but a sweep would give them a little wiggle room in case they falter. The Dinos were looking to pull even in points again with a win on Saturday, and they were looking to end the first half on a winning note. You can catch Trinity Western's goals here, but the summary is below.

Spartans goals: Kyra McDonald (3), Kyra Anderson (4), Kyra McDonald (4)
Spartans assists: none
Spartans netminder: Kate Fawcett (25/26)

Dinos goals: Brooklin Fry (3)
Dinos assists: Caitlyn Perlinger (3), Solana Cooper (2)
Dinos netminder: Amelia Awad (36/39)

Result: 3-1 victory for Trinity Western over Calgary.

FRIDAY: One could make the case that this weekend series between the visiting Saskatchewan Huskies and the host MacEwan Griffins was a "build for the future" series as both teams sat more than ten points back of third-place Manitoba. Mathematically, both can still get into the playoffs, but, realistically, it will take a minor miracle to do so. Wins this weekend would be the start of that potentially miraculous run, but there are no highights to show you. Instead, here's the summary.

Griffins goals: none
Griffins assists: none
Griffins netminder: Brianna Sank (35/36) in 64:25

Huskies goals: Jayde Cadieux (2)
Huskies assists: Kendra Zuchotzki (5)
Huskies netminder: Colby Wilson (27/27) in 64:25

Result: 1-0 overtime victory for Saskatchewan over MacEwan.

SATURDAY: The Huskies snapped their 14-game winless streak with the overtime winner last night, and they were looking to double the number of wins they had on the season on Saturday. MacEwan gained a point and stayed ahead of Saskatchewan in the standings, and they were looking to make it a three-point spread between the two teams. No highlights once more, but the summary is below.

Griffins goals: none
Griffins assists: none
Griffins netminder: Brianna Sank (25/28)

Huskies goals: Brooklyn Stevely (1), Paris Oleksyn (2), Jayde Cadieux (3)
Huskies assists: McKenna Bolger (2), Bronwyn Boucher (4), McKenna Bolger (3), Jayde Cadieux (4)
Huskies netminder: Colby Wilson (23/23)

Result: 3-0 victory for Saskatchewan over MacEwan.

No, I'm not doing the stupid East and West Divisions on the standings board. One conference, nine teams, let's see who is best.

CANADA WEST WOMEN'S HOCKEY

School	Record	Points	GF	GA	Streak	Next
UBC	11-2-2-1	27	56	25	W2	@ TWU
Mount Royal	9-2-2-3	25	41	24	L1	JANUARY
Alberta	8-3-4-1	25	37	19	W1	JANUARY
Trinity Western	8-7-1-0	18	35	27	W2	vs UBC
Regina	3-3-4-4	18	23	27	L1	vs MAN
Manitoba	6-5-2-1	17	32	34	L2	@ REG
Calgary	5-8-1-2	14	32	40	L4	JANUARY
Saskatchewan	1-10-1-4	8	18	40	W2	JANUARY
MacEwan	0-11-2-3	7	12	50	L2	JANUARY

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 Honour Roll candidate is a player who likely won't be at the top of any scoring lists, but she's constantly proving that she has the talent and work ethic to be an effective player in Canada West as Jayde Cadieux adds her name to the list!

The Cold Lake, Alberta native played with both the Lloydminster Steelers and St. Albert Slash in the AFHL, so she certainly had a ton of success in her pre-university days. She joined Lakeland College in the Alberta Female Junior Hockey League where she recorded 32 points in 24 games before jumping into Canada West with the Huskies. In 53 games, she's recorded five goals and eight assists in her career, but she's found her stride this season where she has three goals and four assists already in 16 games for the Huskies.

Putting up half her points in one season is one thing, but Cadieux had a game-winning overtime goal this week followed by a two-point night on Saturday as she now has six points - three goals and three assists - against MacEwan in her career. Moreover, Cadieux has scored all three goals and two assists of those six points in Edmonton! Maybe it's the home cooking, but Jayde always seems to have big games when the Huskies visit the Griffins! She added another chapter in the two victories this weekend, and that's how Jayde Cadieux added her name to the Honour Roll!

Shameless (Self)Promotion

We're back this week with another interview from The Hockey Show featuring a specific Canada West personality. As stated, Canada West hockey is more than just hockey; it's joining a new school, finding new friends, discovering one's passions, and playing a little puck. On The Hockey Show, we talk about all this cool stuff going on in athletes' lives, but we're going to introduce you to another great person as this woman is responsible for keeping the peace!

Often called upon by Hockey Canada to work major international tournaments and by the PWHL to work their games, referee Amy Martin has a unique perspective on the game! She's worked hundreds of Canada West games in her career in Manitoba where she's always mentioned among the province's best officials, she's been invited to work games at the U SPORTS National Women's Hockey Championship, and we were honoured to have her as a guest on The Hockey Show on May 9, 2019 to speak about her experiences as an official! We chat with Amy about her officiating career, how she got started, some of the abuse she deals with, and a number of her accomplishments up to that point, and we certainly need to have her back to discuss all the new opportunities she's taken in her illustrious career! For anyone thinking about donning the stripes, Amy's interview will give great perspective about the job!

The Top Panda

There's no question that Howie Draper has amassed a pile of wins in his long career coaching the Alberta Pandas, but Sunday's win over the Mount Royal Cougars bumped Draper into top spot at the University of Alberta! You may be wondering what record Howie hasn't broken already, but he set the new mark for conference wins with 441 in his career! Congratulations, Coach Draper!

When you consider that the Canada West season has routinely been 30-or-less games for the better part of his career, that shows the longevity and the dedication he's had to the Pandas program. Add in the success he's had in recruiting, teaching his players, and winning championships, and Howie Draper should already be a lock for a number of Hall of Fames including the Hockey Hall of Fame. There's nothing that's not remarkable about 441 wins in conference play, and Alberta should be pretty proud of Draper's accomplishments.

Congratulations once more to Alberta head coach Howie Draper for hitting that 441-win total, and I'm sure there will be many more before he even considers the word "retirement"!

Missed Honours

The Mount Royal Cougars had a couple of players hit important program milestones last week as goaltending and goal-scoring took centerstage. I'm always one to appreciate the hard work and dedication it takes to get to some of these numbers, and these two women certainly have been keys not only to their team's success, but have shown a dedication to being the best in their careers.

The first woman who earned some distinction is goaltender Kaitlyn Ross as she hit the 50-win mark with her Friday night win last week over Trinity Western. That accomplishment is already impressive, but Ross earned those 50 wins in just 70 games with Mount Royal which would make her the fastest goaltender to hit 50 wins in the least number of games! How impressive is that? Hint: VERY.

On top of that, Ross also set the Mount Royal mark for shutouts in her Week 7 shutout of the Manitoba Bisons on Friday two weeks ago! Ross picked up her 16th Canada West regular-season shutout which is tops for all MRU goalies, and she still has half a season to improve on that mark! Two impressive program and conference records were set by Ross, and she deserves a pile of congratulations for those new marks!

The other woman who is doing great things in Cougars colours is Aliya Jomha, and she set the program record for all-time goals by a Mount Royal Cougars women's hockey player with 28 when she scored against Trinity Western last Friday! Jomha, who has already been named as an Honour Roll honouree this year, has shown an incredible offensive touch this season with seven goals and eight assists, and it appears she's well on her way to setting new personal bests. She did score ten goals and 26 points in 2022-23, so Jomha will need to be a key player down the stretch for the Cougars this season!

When you consider some of the great goal-scoring talent the Cougars have had over the years in Purschke, Amy, Kollman, Weninger, Ko, and Harrison, Jomha stands atop the mountain when it comes to lighting the lamp. She may want to continue denting twine as often as she can because players like Athena Hauck, Jerzey Watteyne, and Kiana McNinch may all try to take a run at the new mark set by Jomha. She's hardly done scoring goals, though, and she absolutely deserves congratulations for setting the new program mark!

Scouting Ontario

On Sunday last week, I spent some time in a rink watching the OUA's York Lions host the Waterloo Warriors. Normally, I'm not overly concerned about either of these teams, but Waterloo is hosting the National Championship this year so it was a chance to scout at least one of the eight teams who will compete for the Golden Path Trophy. With them losing in the bronze medal game last season, I wanted to see if they looked as dangerous as they did in Saskatoon.

I can say that Waterloo does look fast compared to York, and they certainly moved the puck well at times. York, though, figured out to how to break the forechecking pressure of the Warriors by the second period which allowed them to escape their zone fairly easily at times. It should be stressed that Waterloo still has a very quick forecheck that they use and with which they will force turnovers against careless breakouts. They did force Yrk to commit a few turnovers which saw Emma Wedgewood make key saves to keep the score low, but Waterloo's forecheck is one of their strengths.

Defensively, they are not as polished as they were one year ago, and that may be their downfall as York hemmed them in their own zone at times. If the Lions had any sort of finishers on their roster there may have been goals scored against Waterloo, but the Lions simply couldn't get a puck past third-year netminder Kara Mark. The Warriors have enough good players to relieve pressure at most points, but they were vulnerable when they were running around in their own zone.

The final score in this game was 2-0 for Waterloo over York with Kassidy McCarthy and Nikki McDonald scoring the goals for Waterloo. McCarthy's goal came off a rush where she crossed to her right before letting a shot go that Wedgewood got a piece of, but not all of, as it went into the net. McDonald's goal came late where she deked around Wedgewood and slid a puck home as Wedgewood was down. While there were chances for the Warriors to add more, good goaltending thwarted chances on this day.

Overall, I'd say Waterloo has the potential to be dangerous, but they'll need to play better defensively if this game was a true showing of how they'll look in March.

The Last Word

Four teams will play next weekend while five will prepare for exams, holidays, and the hockey schedule to resume in January. The light schedule will give me some time to start looking at some fun things - all-star game selections, weird stats, etc. - but I do want to say that the hockey in the first half of the season has been incredible from all nine times. Yes, wins and losses will matter at the end of the season, but there have been some incredible efforts and plays made in the first half of the Canada West season.

For players at Mount Royal, Alberta, Calgary, Saskatchewan, and MacEwan, I know there will be charitable work done over December. That's where you can convince people to come and watch games, so take a pile of tickets with you and hand them out as freebies to get people through the door. The best thing about having that access to people is that you can use it to sell your programs! if nothing else, though, you're helping people who need a hand up, not a hand out, so please don't take that work for granted. Doing good should be easy, and free tickets put a smile on people's faces!

For UBC, Trinty Western, Regina, and Manitoba, The Rundown will cover your scores next week, so be prepared for one more week of work. The battle of BC is always a feisty affair while the Cougars and Bisons are one point apart in the standings. If we're finishing off the first half of the season with your games, send Canada West into 2025 with a bang with your best efforts!

If you're reading this and you still haven't been to a game, what are you waiting for? Make it a priority to see these women play. If not next week, go in January 2025. Whatever the case may be, you're missing some of the best hockey in Canada about which seemingly only I'm talking. Let's get some more voices talking about these amazing women and this great hockey!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!