Swiss hockey league fans will likely recognize the smiling face to the left as long-time Swedish star Fanny Rask who played with HC Ambrì-Piotta women's team in the PostFinance women's league in Switzerland. Fask had a solid season last year as she finished eleventh in Swiss League scoring, but the HC Ambrì-Piotta won't benefit from her presence on their roster or anyone else's presence on that roster after they decided to withdraw from the PostFinance Women's League for the 2026-27 season. As a result of that decision, the league will operate with seven teams this season after last season's fourth-place team cited a lack of prospects as the reason they would be unable to field a team.
As you may recall, SC Langenthal already shut down its program at the end of the 2025-26 season, and the SWHL-A league decided to promote Lausanne HC Féminin from the SWHL-B league to take Langenthal's spot. The eight-team schedule was released on July 3, 2026 with HC Ambrì-Piotta slotted in for the full season, but it seems things changed dramatically over the last month in Ambri.
"In recent weeks, the club has made every possible effort to complete the squad and create the necessary conditions to approach the season in a serious, sustainable manner that meets sporting expectations. Despite these efforts, it has not been possible to find a sufficient number of players to assemble a suitable squad."
I'm not saying that the growth of the PWHL is hurting European leagues, but seeing one of the better SWHL teams close the doors on this season isn't good. HC Ambrì-Piotta did note in their statement that this isn't the end for the Swiss women's club, stating,
"The club will immediately begin work to examine the sporting, organizational, and financial prerequisites necessary for a potential return to the National League B starting the following season. The goal will be to develop a solid and sustainable project that promotes the players and creates concrete prospects for the future of women's ice hockey in the blue and white."
Um, yay? The Ambrì-Piotta will voluntarily join the SWHL-B as they rebuild, but how do they attract talent to do that if they couldn't attract talent to play in Switzerland's top women's league? I'll let the powers-that-be who run HC Ambrì-Piotta answer that question, but I would guess that there are a pile of Canadian and American university graduates who would have jumped at the opportunity to join HC Ambrì-Piotta if given the chance. But we'll never know now.
As it stands, Lausanne HC's debut in the SWHL-A will be pushed back to September 13 thanks to HC Ambrì-Piotta's absence while the ZSC Lions will have their home-opener postponed until September 20 for the same reason. The full schedule can be found here, but it looks like two teams will have a bye every weekend this season with the empty slots once occupied by the HC Ambrì-Piotta squad.
Losing two teams in the span of four months doesn't make the SWHL-A stronger, and it appears that the SWHL-A will look to backfill these absences in their league by eliminating the relegation playoff between the PostFinance Women's League and the SWHL-B. It seems the top SWHL-B will only be promoted to bring the SWHL-A back to eight teams. Whether or not that relegation playoff is resumed in 2027-28 will have to be seen, but it feels like the SWHL-A is on shaky ground right now when it comes to the health of the league.
Here's hoping that HC Ambrì-Piotta can get their situation sorted out because the SWHL at all levels needs stable teams. Swiss hockey is good hockey and it shouldn't be overlooked, but eliminating teams makes finding roster spots that much harder. HC Ambrì-Piotta should have a full roster, but they'll reset and start over next season.
With the calendar flipping to August and the summer entering its later stages of the season, summer hockey leagues and camps will begin to give way to full seasons once more. When the seasons are flipped, though, teams who play through the winter in the southern hemisphere will get to look forward to warm summer days like we're experiencing now. That's the case for the New Zealand Women's Ice Hockey League as the NZWIHL crowned a champion today despite the game being televised during the wee hours of Saturday in North America! Which teams made the final and what were the storylines? Let's take a dive into the NZWIHL!
The two teams shown above were your finalists from the four-team NZWIHL as the Auckland Steel and Wakatipu Wild earned their way into the final game to determine the 2026 NZWIHL championship. The Wild beat the Dunedin Thunder on Saturday to book their spot in the final while the Steel dismissed the Canterbury Thunder earlier on Saturday to claim their berth as well. Dunedin, it should be noted, beat the Thunder in the bronze medal game on Sunday afternoon.
Auckland came into the final as the favorite thanks to posting an undefeated regular season where they went 11-0-1-0 for 35 points. That one overtime win came back on July 25 when the Steel needed 57 seconds beyond regulation time to win 2-1 over Dunedin. Jasmine Horner-Pascoe scored her 14th goal in overtime for that win, and she'd finish second in team and league scoring with 26 points. League leader Katya Blong had 35 points, third-place leader Lauren Askenazy had 21 points, and fourth-place leader Brooke Patron had 17 points all for Auckland. In short, they scored a lot and won a lot.
Wakapitu struggled to find their rhythm this season, posting a 2-6-1-3 record for 11 points and finishing in third-place. Kelli Burstein ha a good season with ten goals and 14 points, but no other Wild player scored more than seven points. New Zealand-born Jordan Wichman was 2-3-1-0 this season with a 2.75 GAA and a .921 save percentage, but it's hard to win games when the Wild only averaged 2.00 goals-per-game. However, a four-goal outburst by Burstein powered the Wild to a 5-1 win past the Thunder in their playoff game for an unexpected chance at Sunday's NZWIHL championship!
Would the Wild have enough left in the tank to upset Auckland?
That question was answered early in Sunday's championship game as Auckland scored three times in the opening ten minutes and five times in the first frame to pace the Steel to a 5-1 lead after twenty minutes. The teams would trade goals in the middle period before Auckland tacked on two more in third period to skate to the 8-2 championship win as the 2026 NZWIHL season came to a close!
Highlights from the NZWIHL championship game can be seen below!
What's fun in all of this is seeing a player like Katya Blong do well as she skates with McGill where she's earning her kinesiology degree. Blong looks like she's going to be one of New Zealand's best players for a long time, and it's awesome to her skating in the Canadian university circuit. Brooke Patron was a Saskatchewan Huskies defender for four seasons and she appears to be helping the NZWIHL and the Steel with her skills. Goaltender Alexa Gibson seems to be enjoying life in Auckland after skating for the Ottawa Gee-Gees!
Even cooler is that Lochlyn Hyde, who splits the goaltending duties with Gibson, has jumped into the NZIHL - the men's league - on occasion when teams have needed a goaltender. To date, Hyde has played three games in the top division where she has a 3.50 GAA and an .885 save percentage, and has helped out the second-division league twice where she's officially 1-1-0! How cool is that?
On the other side, Wakatipu had no players who suited up in U SPORTS, but Kelli Berstein did play for the University of Minnesota. However, the gap in skill between these two teams was evident in the final as Auckland outshot Wakatipu 38-22 and controlled the play a lot. I get that no one is going to tell Auckland to break their team up to disperse talent across the other three teams, but the 14-point gap between Auckland and second-place Dunedin is hard to fathom in a four-team league. Something has to change for New Zealand hockey to continue to develop good players for international competitions.
Congratulations to the Auckland Steel on winning their fourth-straight NZWIHL championship! It's their eighth championship overall in the NZWIHL, and I imaging they'll be gunning for a fifth-consecutive and ninth-overall championship in 2027 if everything goes well. Perhaps we'll see another team step in and claim victory, but another solid season is in the book for Kiwi hockey, the NZWIHL, and its players!
If you're looking at the image to the left and thinking "that looks like an eye", you're looking at the Helix Nebula which is nicknamed the "Eye of God" or "Eye of Sauron" due to its shape! The nebula gets its eye-like shape from the glowing, gaseous remains of a dying star that has begun shedding its outer layers into space. Frankly, it looks awesome, but it's appropriate today because you're going to want to keep your eye on the following players listed below. Today, I present to you the 2026-27 recruits for each Canada West women's hockey team with my thoughts on the incoming class!
I spent a lot of time digging around social media and looking over websites as I collected names and information about the players joining Canada West's nine teams. It took a while, but here we are today. I'm not going to waste any further time, so here are all the known or announced players joining the nine Canada West teams!
Canada West Recruits
Alberta Pandas
Name
Current
Prv.
Pos
G/GAA
A/SV%
Cassia Severin
Edge
AB
F
4
14
Samantha Baker
Edge
AB
F
8
23
Saya Earl
Delta
BC
F
4
7
Hudson Bradley
Balmoral Hall
MB
D
8
14
Elise Miller
North Shore
BC
F
11
23
Sarah McNabb
Battleford
SK
F
10
13
Daniella Martorana
Merrimack (NCAA)
MA
F
0
0
Scarlett Jones
Toronto (OUA)
ON
F
1
1
Jaylah Bottle
Ottawa (OUA)
ON
D
0
0
The Alberta Pandas recruited a pile of players long before Howie Draper announced his retirement, so I assume that this class will be the last of his era running the Pandas. With interim head coach Leah Copeland taking over, I would expect a similar brand of tenacious hockey that she played when suiting up for the Pandas, but don't expect her to replicate Howie's style. She has some high-end talent coming in along with a few players who have suited up at the university level elsewhere. Alberta's in a bit of a rebuild, but I expect them to still be a solid team as everyone settles in. Once again, the Pandas should be a playoff team in their temporary home in Nisku.
Calgary Dinos
Name
Current
Prv.
Pos
G/GAA
A/SV%
Madison Batch
Delta
BC
D
3
25
Brooklyn Blomquist
RINK Kelowna
BC
F
4
9
Katelyn Marshall
Regina
SK
F
9
11
The Calgary Dinos are playing their cards close to their chests when it comes to recruiting. I know this can't be the entire class they're bringing in, but they haven't posted their recruit information anywhere that I could find or have seen. In saying this, the three recruits listed above are solid, and they will contribute for head coach Josh Gosling. Calgary's going to have to battle after some of their veterans graduated, but they'll be a handful for any opponent this season. The Dinos could still have a number of weapons they haven't announced, so we'll have to see who lands in Calgary.
MacEwan Griffins
Name
Current
Prv.
Pos
G/GAA
A/SV%
Olivia Stewart
Red Deer
AB
D
3
4
Sawyer McKay
Lloydminster
AB
F
5
8
Peyton Mages
North Shore
BC
D
10
16
Tristan Todosichuk
Weyburn
SK
F
10
10
Shannon MacLeod
Calgary
AB
F
1
2
Haley Braun
OHA Mavericks
ON
F
12
10
Vayda Rigaux
Eastman
MB
D
8
17
Delainey Rigaux
Eastman
MB
F
25
16
Mya Magowan
Calgary
AB
F
2
3
Paige Smith
Bemidji (NCAA)
MN
F
0
1
The MacEwan Griffins will get a fresh start after Chris Leeming was replaced by interim head coach Izzy Cropper, and this recruiting class should give them a little more firepower and a little more tenacity on the ice. Cropper served as an assistant coach for the last two years, so she's going to have to find ways to get this squad to push the puck up the ice without abandoning their netminders. I like the scoring and grittiness in these new recruits, so we'll see if they can be the spark for the new-look Griffins this year as they get back on track.
Manitoba Bisons
Name
Current
Prv.
Pos
G/GAA
A/SV%
Addilyn Nohlgren
Winnipeg Avros
MB
F
5
21
Braya Kapusta
Winnipeg Avros
MB
F
23
12
Kadence Fleece
Calgary
AB
D
1
2
Brynn Hannula
Lovell
MA
F
11
20
Oda Austefjord
Stavanger
NO
D
3
33
Jamie Hensch
Lloydminster
AB
D
1
6
Addison Greve
Mt. Academy
PE
F
4
8
The first recruiting class done by Jordan Colliton and her team have some high-end talent joining the Herd. I'm curious to see how Oda Austefjord jumps into the team because she was excellent in Norway, and Colliton has seen other Norwegian defenders thrive in Canada West. That being said, the Bisons get a number of solid additions to their forward group that should make the attack that much more lethal. If the Herd are looking to build on their showing at Nationals this year, this class of recruits should help them do that.
Mount Royal Cougars
Name
Current
Prv.
Pos
G/GAA
A/SV%
Castilla Rubin
North Shore
BC
F
8
9
Ayden Kehrig
Battleford
SK
D
2
11
Peyton Carter
OHA Edmonton
AB
F
8
13
Danelle Steffen
Saskatoon
SK
D
9
10
Skylar Heinrichs
Lloydminster
AB
F
11
5
If there's one thing that head coach Scott Rivett gets with his recruits, it's talent and work ethic. All of his recruits will continue that trend for the Cougars this season, and I suspect we'll see the Cougars pushing for the top of their division. I am surprised that there isn't a Manitoban in Scott's recruits this year as he always seems to have one, but these five players will continue to keep the Cougars as one of the best teams in Canada West and across Canada.
Regina Cougars
Name
Current
Prv.
Pos
G/GAA
A/SV%
Summer Grenier
Edmonton
AB
F
5
14
Ivy Perkin
Westman
MB
F
26
34
Isabelle Luttmerding
Calgary
AB
F
10
6
Darby Marshall
Regina
SK
D
7
6
Aliyah Teixeira
Winnipeg Ice
MB
D
5
13
Aldawna Evers
Edmonton
AB
G
1.70
.921
Raela Packet
Swift Current
SK
F
11
19
Jade Pelland
OHA Mavericks
ON
F
7
13
Amy Dvernichuk
St. Thomas
NS
F
3
9
Head coach Brandy West-McMaster did a superb recruiting job with her class this season, bringing in fantastic scoring and solid defenders who will look to push the Cougars to new heights. Recruiting a third goalie was needed, but I don't know what West-McMaster has in store for them when it comes to playing time. What I do know is her team will benefit from these players' talents as there are a lot of solid additions to the Regina lineup. The Cougars could be scary good.
Saskatchewan Huskies
Name
Current
Prv.
Pos
G/GAA
A/SV%
Reese Dyky
Saskatoon
SK
D
2
11
Anna Benoit
Regina
SK
F
10
9
Addison Tomes
Eastman
MB
G
0.81
.958
Cambree Legge
Saskatoon
SK
F
3
5
Reese Overton
N. Capitals
BC
F
4
12
Cedar Swan
Saskatoon
SK
F
7
8
Alexa Roberts
North Shore
BC
F
14
13
Charlie Shearer
Westman
MB
F
2
6
Makayla Christmann
MacEwan (CW)
AB
G
3.75
.895
Head coach Steve Kook has done another marvelous job in recruiting high-end talent for his team, and it starts from the crease out again as he has one of Manitoba's best young netminders, a solid two-way defender, and a pile of forwards who can score, but will be defensively responsible in ensuring that the Huskies are successful. Don't expect a lot of high-scoring games from the Huskies in any season, but this group builds on the momentum that the Huskies were building last season. I don't expect them to win the division next season, but I do expect them to cause a lot of headaches for opposition coaches and players during the 2026-27 season.
Trinity Western Spartans
Name
Current
Prv.
Pos
G/GAA
A/SV%
Mika Higgins
Edge
AB
D
6
5
Jamie Sanford
Central York
ON
G
1.78
.923
Ella Newton
Regina
SK
D
5
5
Dyllan Nelson
Fraser Valley
BC
F
14
16
Haley Waugh
Delta
BC
F
6
5
Avaya McCann
Edge
AB
F
12
8
Kamryn Reiber
SAHA
AB
F
7
24
Audrina Freeman
Okanagan
BC
F
11
16
Shae Laprade
Carleton (OUA)
ON
F
4
5
Tori Evans
Ottawa (OUA)
ON
D
1
2
The evolution of the Trinity Western Spartans continues under Peter Hay, and they seem to be finding more and more fantastic players to add to their roster. Having another solid netminder joining the team is good for everyone, and I like the additions up front. The Spartans needed a little more defence from their blue line, and the players they recruited should be solid two-way players in their times. This year's group may not put Trinity Western over the top, but they'll be very close if they aren't there. Could this be the season for TWU?
UBC Thunderbirds
Name
Current
Prv.
Pos
G/GAA
A/SV%
Tayah Wallace
Barrie
ON
F
14
16
Cassie Carvalho
Winnipeg Ice
MB
F
19
15
Payton Henwood
Balmoral Hall
MB
F
13
30
Kate Chuback
Balmoral Hall
MB
F
25
16
Maggie Rauckman
Battleford
SK
F
15
14
Sophie Brecht
Battleford
SK
F
6
10
Isabel Gollop
OHA Edmonton
AB
F
13
6
Alyssa Worsley
Shawnigan Lake
BC
D
3
18
Emma Kohl
Delta
BC
F
10
22
Ella Dunham-Fox
Edmonton
AB
G
1.03
.948
Anslei Thistle
St. Albert
AB
D
2
6
Anna Rose
ECDC Memmingen
DE
F
6
15
Leila Sinclair
Toronto Leaside
ON
D
4
22
Adriana Almeida
Winnipeg Avros
MB
G
2.04
.939
Hannah Dods
Lindenwood U.
MO
F
5
2
This is what a complete rebuild looks like after half of one's team graduates. Head coach Graham Thomas is bringing in all sorts of talent who can push for roster spots immediately, and we'll likely see the same growth over the next five years as his previous core group of players did in the previous five years. This group has scoring, it has tenacity, it has goaltending, it has speed, and they'll move the puck, but it still needs some maturity when running into disciplined teams. We'll have to see how this group settles, but UBC looks like they're building another dynasty with the talent they recruited this year.
Now you might be saying, "Teebz, this is barely any insight on these players coming into these teams," and you're correct. There's a reason for me not spending a lot of time in crunching numbers and looking at who may emerge with the best class of rookies, and it starts and ends with one organization's specific actions towards me:
Some will say that I've been pretty rough on Canada West over the years, and that's likely true. I have tried over and over and over and over again to work with Canada West to help elevate the status of their conference, its member teams, and all of the coaches, players, and staff that make up their league. Not once have they responded to any interaction I've tried to have with them, so I'm done trying. If they don't want the help, so be it. I have zero obligation to continue to support Canada West women's hockey in any way, shape, or form.
To everyone who enjoyed The Rundown on a weekly basis, it will make an appearance every now and again when needed, but it's painfully obvious that Canada West thinks it's doing a fine job with its efforts in promoting women's hockey and requires no help. For all of the stastical analyses I did and for all of the fun segments I added to The Rundown, no one at Canada West sees that as beneficial or helpful to sell their product, so I'm off the case as of right now.
Unless a bunch of athletes and coaches comment down below, the nine women's hockey programs are on their own when it comes to promotion and chatter about all the good the players and coaches do and all the interesting stats that make Canada West women's hockey so good. It's not like Canada West helps them in any way, so, as the old saying goes, "You never know what you have until it's gone."
Thanks for letting me have some fun, folks. Best of luck in the future.
Tonight, the PWHL welcomed a pile of players into their ranks as the PWHL Draft took place in Detroit, Michigan. I'm not sure if there were any surprises when it came to the first dozen picks made, but the Seattle Torrent decided to give one woman a shot who has certainly earned a look when it comes to professional hockey as UBC Thunderbirds forward Grace Elliott was selected 38th-overall in the fourth round! There may have been some familiarity for Seattle when it came to picking Elliott which I'll look at below, but it was another night where a pile of very good, very capable U SPORTS players were left without a team when the draft concluded. I'm not surprised considering how little U SPORTS does to promote these exceptionally-talented women, and it makes me wonder what exactly U SPORTS does to help its athletes achieve their athletic goals and dreams.
Make no mistake that Grace Elliott deserved to be drafted tonight. She's a two-time Canada West Player of the Year and the 2025 U SPORTS Player of the Year after blowing away most of UBC's school scoring records and placing her among the best historically in both Canada West and U SPORTS. Grace was always a good player, but her size, her skill, and her smarts became quickly evident as her efforts helped the UBC Thunderbirds reach new heights each year.
If there's one woman who knows how good she was, it is new Seattle Torrent head coach Christine Bumstead who often watched Elliott work her magic from the University of Saskatchewan Huskies' bench. In 15 regular season and playoff games between the Huskies and Thunderbirds between 2021 and 2025, Elliott scored seven goals and seven assists. The catch, however, is that she scored three goals and four assists in the two games played between the two teams in 2024-25, so Coach Bumstead is very aware of how explosive she can be.
Elliott will likely get every chance to crack the Torrent roster, but I wouldn't expect that Bumstead will guarantee anything with the influx of talent she has at her fingertips. Elliott will need to earn every inch of ice and every second of ice time just like she did in Vancouver, but we've seen how good she can be when she's focused. Having her alongside Lexie Adzija gives Seattle two impact power forwards, but she has proven time and again that she has the scoring and skating to play with almost anyone on the Torrent roster.
If I were Bumstead, I'd be looking at Jenna Buglioni as her linemate. Buglioni was her high-scoring teammate with the Greater Vancouver Comets where Buglioni had 26 goals and 52 points in 29 games while Elliott had 27 goals and 50 points in 32 games during the 2020-21 BCFAAA U18 season! That was the only season they played together, but it seems pretty clear that they had an incredible season playing together! Could we see them reunited in Torrent colours?
What I do know is that Grace deserves all the kudos for being drafted and moving one step closer to her hockey dreams. Congratulations, Grace, and we'll be cheering for you as this season gets underway!
Erica Rieder, who played for the University of Manitoba, was selected 60th-overall in the fifth round by Montreal, but Victoire GM Danièle Sauvageau knows her very well from her U SPORTS days with the Montreal Carabins. Rieder, who was playing for Lulea in the SDHL, has always been an incredible two-way defender who can skate, but she'll get a chance to step into the Montreal lineup this season.
Gabriella Durante, who suited up for Italy in the Olympics and won their only game in that tournament, was picked by Seattle with the 62nd-overall pick, but there's an obvious tie there to Christine Bumstead again who saw her play with the Calgary Dinos. Durante earned her role as Italy's starter at the Olympics with her solid play, and she should be just as good on the west coast stopping pucks.
Montreal used the last pick of the draft to select Concordia Stingers forward Emilie Lavoie who had a solid season in the RSEQ, and she was even better playing in Kitchener at the U SPORTS National Championship. Lavoie is one of those players that Sauvageau loves - an engine that doesn't stop, the puck seems attracted to her stick, and she can finish. She'll need to work hard to crack that talented Montreal roster, but Lavoie is a steal for the Victoire at 72nd-overall.
If you're waiting for the other shoe to drop with the "But..." in the title, the conjunction has nothing to with the players above. These four players earned their accolades and opportunities, and equally deserve the celebration for their personal achievements.
It does, however, have to do with the fact that there was virtually zero promotion or hype done by U SPORTS to elevate the profiles of all the players who played in their conferences. I find it baffling that U SPORTS wants to be taken seriously as a viable option for women who want to chase their hockey and PWHL dreams, but they do little to help those women who have excelled at the U SPORTS level.
Maybe they produced a whole package that was distributed to all twelve PWHL teams and didn't mention it, but I can almost guarantee that didn't happen. I can say this because only four U SPORTS players were taken in the six rounds of the PWHL Draft that saw 72 players selected. Yes, the argument can be made that every player picked was chosen for a reason by each team, but dynamic players like Jessymaude Drapeau, Tatum James, and Courtney Kollman were all left watching rather than being selected by any of the teams.
Tory Mariano, who didn't play last season, was chosen by the Ottawa Charge 13 picks before Rieder despite having six goals and 25 assists in 131 games with Northeastern University over her four years of defence for the Huskies. I'm not saying she isn't good enough nor should she not be picked, but what qualities does she possess after sitting out last year that are better than a defender like Waterloo's Lyndsy Acheson or Olympian and former Toronto defender Gabrielle de Serres who weren't picked tonight? Did I miss something here?
The Ottawa Charge, Toronto Sceptres, Vancouver Goldeneyes, and Hamilton Whatevers took a grand total of zero U SPORTS players in this year's draft. I can understand the American teams not taking U SPORTS players due to a lack of scouting thanks to streaming paywalls, but Troy Ryan, San Jose's GM and head coach, is a former Dalhousie Tigers women's hockey head coach. Both Seattle and Montreal took two players each, and both of those teams have women in positions of leadership with strong U SPORTS ties.
I'm not saying that Seattle nor Montreal made their picks with a need to draft U SPORTS players, but they're drafting from a larger pool of players and talent by looking at U SPORTS players. We saw how important the U SPORTS players were for Montreal this season as Alexandra Labelle, Catherine Dubois, and Kaitlin Willoughby played key roles for the Victoire in their Walter Cup victory. I'm not saying that every U SPORTS player will bring that return, but teams like Vancouver and Toronto who missed the playoffs should be capitalizing on the talent found in their own backyards before other teams do.
In lamenting the above, I will admit that I have a significant bias when it comes to seeing U SPORTS players getting their fair shakes. Four players were chosen tonight, and that's entirely worth celebrating when it comes to competing in the best women's hockey league on the planet. I just struggle to understand why U SPORTS isn't putting all twelve teams on blast when it comes to how good these players are. Why is this a task that seemingly no one wants?
Congratulations to Grace, Erica, Gabriella, and Emilie who, I'm hoping, will be on the opening night rosters for the Torrent and the Victoire, respectively. These women deserve the accolades they've earned, and I'll be cheering for them with every career moment they reach. I just wish there were more players for whom I could cheer.
In a move that should surprise no one, Hockey Canada announced today that Canadian national women's team general manager Gina Kingsbury and head coach Troy Ryan will not return to continue their work with the national women's program. I have nothing against Kingsbury or Ryan personally, but it was hard to understand their personnel choices at the Milano-Cortina Olympics and the games leading up to the Olympics. Yes, they still brought home the second-best medal from the event, but it was hard to watch an older, slower team do everything they could to prevent losses rather than earning wins. Clearly, something had to give.
While there's no denying that Canada's veteran players have an immense amount of talent, it was hard watching the younger, faster Americans dismantle the Canadian squad in the Olympic preliminary round. Yes, Canada looked much better in the gold medal game when these two teams met a second time, but result was identical in that the Americans were celebrating and the Canadians were sobbing.
There has been a quiet chorus for years that has demanded that Hockey Canada should start looking at incorporating younger players into international competitions, but the leadership has always resisted that idea. With Canada's core players moving into the sunsets of their careers, it became more prominent with all of the young talent that Team USA was showcasing at each event. No one will deny that Marie-Philip Poulin and Hilary Knight are still big names, but the likes of Taylor Heise, Caroline Harvey, Hannah Bilka, and Laila Edwards stole the show in Italy. Canada had no answer for them.
In comments made today, Kingsbury indicated that it was time for someone else to step in and push Canada higher. She told reporters, "I'm good with the transition. I'm ready for it. It's time for someone to look at the landscape that has shifted in women's hockey and set out their own vision on what that could look like for the future."
Troy Ryan had already indicated in February that he was stepping down from his coaching position with the team, stating, "I think it's time for someone else to run with it and take it to new heights."
With both Kingsbury and Ryan moving on from their posts, this could open the door for a changing of the guard, so to speak, when it comes to Canada's roster. Players like Sarah Fillier, Emma Maltais, Daryl Watts, Jenn Gardiner, Sophie Jacques, Kati Tabin, and Julia Gosling could all play bigger roles moving forward while adding the likes of Nicole Gosling, Sarah Wozniewicz, Rebecca Leslie, Danielle Serdachny, and Raygan Kirk would all continue pushing the youth movement while challenging Canadian veterans for roster spots.
Let's not forget that all of Marie-Philip Poulin (34), Natalie Spooner (35), Brianne Jenner (34), and Jocelyne Larocque (37) are deep into Hall-of-Fame careers already while Laura Stacey (32), Renata Fast (31), Sarah Nurse (31), Erin Ambrose (32), Emerence Maschmeyer (32) and Ann-Renee Desbiens (32) likely only have one more Olympic run in them. When you consider that's nearly half the current roster, we're overdue in bringing in the next wave of players into the mix.
With four more teams being added to the PWHL next season, there will be lots of opportunity to see amazing young women show off their skills over the next few years if they choose to play professionally. Jade Iginla, Sara Manness, Kahlen Lamarche, Jocelyn Amos, Stryker Zablocki, and Chloe Primerano are just a handful of dynamic Canadians playing at the NCAA level, and Hockey Canada would be wise to keep an eye on U SPORTS when it comes to players like Grace Elliott, Courtney Kollman, Jessymaude Drapeau, and Gabrielle Santerre. There's an immense amount of Canadian talent playing across the planet. All Hockey Canada has to do is look for it.
That's the part that I never understood about Kingsbury and Ryan - they never seemed to look beyond the NCAA. Kingsbury had a handful of U SPORTS players in the lineup for the Calgary Inferno every game in the CWHL while Ryan coached the Dalhouse University Tigers women's program. Both of them are very aware that not all the best players play south of the border, but it's almost as if they forgot that some of Canada's best players learned the game here at home.
Who, you ask? Caroline Ouelette spent one year at Concordia University. Charline Labonte, Ann-Sophie Bettez, Catherine Ward, Kim St-Pierre, and Melodie Daoust all skated for McGill University. Brigette Lacquette spent a season with the University of Manitoba. Hayley Wickenheiser, Colleen Sostorics, and Danielle Goyette played with the University of Calgary. Vicky Sunohara and Jayna Hefford played for the University of Toronto. Delaney Collins played with both Concordia and Alberta. And Gina Kingsbury played with eight of these players mentioned above at the 2006 Olympics in Torino, Italy.
I want to be clear that this isn't about Hockey Canada's continued ignorance of U SPORTS, but it is about expanding the talent pool as far as one can when it comes to finding good, effective players. The preceding paragraph were examples of players that were key to Canada's dominance for so long which was a credit to Canada looking under every stone for good players. Canada needs to start doing that again by tapping into the NCAA, U SPORTS, and Europe where good, young, fast players would go through a wall to wear the maple leaf.
A new general manager and a new head coach is a fresh start for the Canadian women's program that was colloquially getting long in the tooth. We can still honour these long-serving women for their contributions, but Hockey Canada has to be forward thinking when it comes to putting the best team on the ice. Leaving younger players at home isn't the way to do that, so here's hoping that changes.
My hope is that we won't see the same dozen names in the running for these two positions as Hockey Canada begins its searches, but there's no denying that changes were long overdue for this program.
The Hockey Show, Canada's only campus-produced radio show that strictly talks hockey, returns tonight with a lot of hockey chatter from the last couple of weeks as exit interviews took up a chunk of time last week. We're going to push the exit interviews to next week so we can get everyone caught up on the big news stories from the hockey world, so Derek (Philadelphia) and Dave (Minnesota) can have a week to prepare their statements on their teams. Out hosts have all sorts of information to cover so this show will move quickly. Be ready to roll tonight for The Hockey Show at 5:30pm CT!
Tonight, Teebz and Jason look at the PWHL Final series that will be played by the Ottawa Charge and the Montreal Victoire as there are several U SPORTS, Canada West, and Manitoba tie-ins regarding who will win the first Walter Cup in Canada. Beyond that, there will be a serious discussion about the four new expansion locations that the PWHL chose, we have some Team Manitoba parahockey updates from Nationals to go over, Edmonton and Toronto are making changes, the USHL and SPHL are expanding, we'll finally get to a Spengler Cup discussion, and we'll tackle anything else that may come up. It's a big day of expansion and results 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.
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 about the Walter Cup, expansion, medals, coaches, management, bad decisions, and much more exclusively on 101.5 UMFM and on the UMFM.com web stream!
This is not a post about musicians in jerseys nor will I be talking about the former boy band in any way today, but it is about the team to the left as Spain made their IIHF Women's World Championship Division-1B debut today in Puigcerdà, Spain in front of 223 fans. Spain has never played at this level of women's hockey in the country's history, so this was a historic day for the nation and the national team as they took the ice against Netherlands. No one is expecting them to win against more experienced nations, but Spain is at this event because they have proven they belong by winning lower IIHF tournaments! Can they win this one as well or remain at this level?
Things didn't start off well for the home team today against a strong Dutch team as two power-play goals had Netherlands up 3-0 before the first break. That score would balloon to 5-0 by the end of the second period, and Natherlands would skate to the 6-0 win when the final horn sounded behind Kayleigh Hamers' two goals and two assists. The 28 year-old SDE defender always seems to play well when wearing the Dutch colours, and today's effort only reinforced that. Spain will look to bounce back on Monday against Great Britain who beat Korea 3-2 in a shootout in game where Korea held a 2-0 lead.
I don't think people understand how important it is to see countries like Spain and Netherlands building their hockey programs to become bigger players on the world stage. Hockey fans often lament the fact that Canada and the US end up in the gold medal final at every major tournament despite the rivalry between the two countries, so having more countries getting better is massive for the sport. We know Sweden and Japan are on the rise once again, so that will help at the top level of women's hockey, but getting countries like Spain, Netherlands, Great Britain, Latvia, Korea, and Kazakhstan more experience will push the teams at higher levels to be better as well.
Back to the action in Puigcerdà, Spain earned the promotion to Division-1B after defeating Poland in their final game of the Division-2A tournament last year, ending that tournament with a 4-1 record. Spain replaced Slovenia who were relegated after finishing at the bottom of the 2025 Division-1B standings, so they're looking for a strong performance to remain in this group or potentially move higher. Dropping their first game is a setback, but Spain can rally and still finish strong in this tournament as Kazakhstan and Latvia haven't jumped out ahead of anyone either. Just getting a goal on the scorebord for Spain would be a big moment in program history, so they have some work to do against Great Britain tomorrow.
To me, having teams showing improvement and growth from places where ice hockey isn't close to being a popular sport on the levels of football (soccer), field hockey, or handball means that these programs are making the sport stronger and better overall. It doesn't matter if Spain can't compete with Canada or the US at this point in time because they have shown they can compete with other countries who are all working towards the same goal of being able to compete at that level one day. This isn't an overnight solution, but it's one that will play out over years as long as programs are supported and funded and there is room for growth. As the tide rises, the teams will all get better in time, leaving us with more competitive hockey.
I don't know if Spain will win the tournament, but the Division-2A tournament starts tomorrow and one of Poland, Australia, Iceland, Slovenia, and Chinese Taipei will take the same step forward that Spain did last season. If that means bumping Spain back to the 2A tournament, so be it as only Spain can change that fate by winning games. What should be remembered, though, is that these five teams are looking to join the 1B tournament to prove that they belong among better teams thanks to their success in this year's tournament.
By having teams work to get better at every level, the IIHF will see countries catch the powerhouses. It might take decades for some of these teams to reach a IIHF Women's World Hockey Championship level, but the skill and talent is rising every year. Getting to see these women forge paths for the generations behind them is awesome!
The Hockey Show, Canada's only campus-produced radio show that strictly talks hockey, is back tonight with a full recap show of some of the events that happened last weekend in Elmira, in Halifax, and in Winnipeg. Honestly, it was a busy weekend of hockey action in those three cities, and our hosts will try to bring everyone up to speed on what happened in those cities. Frankly, it was a very entertaining weekend of hockey no matter which event one focused on, so we'll look at the two tournaments that determined university supremacy and the big game tonight on The Hockey Show at 5:30pm CT!
Tonight, Teebz and Jason will look back on a weekend where both the U SPORTS National Men's and Women's Hockey Championships were played and where the PWHL took over Winnipeg. They'll have thoughts, opinions, and discussion about each of the events including who won, who didn't win, and all of the incredible action seen from the two National Championships before spending a larger amount of time discussing the PWHL's arrival in Winnipeg, the viability of the PWHL in Winnipeg, and the results from that game. As a bonus, Teebz sat down with both Kendra Woodland and Kaitlyn Ross of the Ottawa Charge to chat about their careers, so don't miss those! There's lots to discuss, so tune in tonight to 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.
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 National Championships, winners and also-rans, women's hockey, PWHL action, and much more exclusively on 101.5 UMFM and on the UMFM.com web stream!
The cat to the left is not HBIC CEO Meg, but Meg is sleeping noisily next to me. I sit here and giggle quietly as she snores audibly enough that she's competing with the hockey game on TV, but I'm somewhat envious of her as I could use more sleep after what was a busy weekend. Between being up early to watch the U SPORTS National Championships to running around to watch PWHL hockey to just trying to get some stuff done around the house, I burned the candle at both ends this weekend so I'm taking the night off just to watch hockey and relax. And maybe nap.
By no means am I the average television viewer as I don't even have a cable subscription nor do I pay for streaming services. I happen to be somewhat tech savvy, however, so I do have ways of finding hockey on various streams that are broadcast free on the internet. One of those, as you likely know, is CBC Sports' website and YouTube channel, and I had wondered on Sunday why U SPORTS wasn't working more closely with CBC to bring U SPORTS hockey to their streams every week as some sort of "Hockey Night From Canada" broadcast.
Note the preposition change there. Trademarks matter.
Creative naming aside, hear me out on this because the numbers seem to indicate that there's a market for U SPORTS hockey. According to The Sport Information Resource Centre, U SPORTS broadcasts on streaming services increased in 2023-24 by 20% over 2022-23 thanks, in large part, to CBC's coverage of U SPORTS competitions. By sport, U SPORTS women's hockey saw an unreal 81% increase in viewership that year while men's hockey saw a modest 9% boost in online viewership. In short, people were watching games.
"U SPORTS has worked with our media partners TVA Sports, CBC Sports and Radio-Canada Sports, as well as iSi Live and Live U to give our student-athletes the best exposure of any amateur sports organization in the country," John Bower, U SPORTS Director of Marketing and Communications, said in 2024 in the SIRC article. "Our focus on digital broadcasting allows fans to watch our championships on any screen anywhere in Canada or worldwide. We're meeting consumers where they are, and that's how our exposure has grown so much over the past three years."
That's fine and dandy for 2024, but it's 2026 and we had Canada West hockey broadcasts on CBC streams all winter with almost no one knowing about it. I posted it a few times, but I'm not being paid to promote anything for U SPORTS, Canada West, or CBC. In saying that, it seems like that any momentum that was built in that 2024 season has relied almost exclusively on National Championships rather than looking to expand the coverage into any conference's regular season.
Consider the following scenario for a second: OUA women's hockey has a single game played every week on Thursday when no other conference is playing hockey regularly while the RSEQ has games being played on Sunday when no other conference is playing regularly. That would leave Friday and Saturday for Canada West and the AUS to broadcast games on CBC online streams, and you'd be able to schedule things appropriately for some of the bigger "featured" games each season like the Crowchild Classic in Calgary.
Just to prove my point, I looked at November 9 through November 23 for all four conferences. Here's what the schedule could look like if regular season games from all four conferences were on CBC streams:
Wednesday, Nov. 12: St. Thomas @ Mt. Allison - 7pm AT (AUS)
Thursday, Nov. 13: Toronto @ Brock - 6pm ET (OUA)
Friday, Nov. 14: Bishop's @ Montreal - 7pm ET (RSEQ)
Friday, Nov. 14: MacEwan @ UBC - 7pm PT (CW)
Saturday, Nov. 15: Toronto @ Waterloo - 2pm ET (OUA)
Saturday, Nov. 15: St. Thomas @ StFX - 7pm AT (AUS)
Sunday, Nov. 16: McGill @ Concordia - 2pm ET (RSEQ)
Wednesday, Nov. 19: StFX @ Dalhouse - 7pm AT (AUS)
Friday, Nov. 21: Mount Royal @ Trinity Western - 7pm PT (CW)
Saturday, Nov. 22: StFX @ Saint Mary's - 3pm AT (AUS)
Saturday, Nov. 22: UBC @ Alberta - 5pm MT (CW)
Sunday, Nov. 23: Bishop's @ Concordia - 1pm ET (RSEQ)
Imagine being able to see 21 of 35 U SPORTS women's hockey teams playing over two weeks without having to do anything other than logging onto CBC's online streams to watch games. Perhaps we'd see an uptick in the number of players drafted by the PWHL teams with this improved exposure as teams could do better scouting of players they're watching. Most importantly, it might give players a better idea of playing U SPORTS hockey rather than playing NCAA hockey.
I get that there's a significant margin of play when it comes to elite NCAA teams and elite U SPORTS teams and I'm not here to denigrate NCAA or ACHA hockey whatsoever. It's clear, though, that there's a significant margin between the exchange rates for the Canadian and US dollars. If players had a better appreciaton for how good U SPORTS hockey is, maybe some of them stay home to play hockey in Canada.
Some will say, "Teebz, you're competing against the NHL broadcasts on some of those nights", and I'd argue that U SPORTS programs already are. Add in the fact that paywalls prevent any easy accessibility to U SPORTS broadcasts, and you've now removed any chance of competing for viewers whatsoever. At that point, why go to the trouble of broadcasting at all since you can't attract casual fans?
Look, this is all just a fantasy right now anyway as CBC would need to agree to this grandiose plan to broadcast the streams before anything could even be scheduled. Based on the SIRC's data, however, there certainly appears to be a market for U SPORTS hockey in this country, and that market could grow by leaps and bounds if people just had access to games. CBC would just need access to the local feeds produced by the schools to put up on their streams, and this "project" would cost almost nothing while changing the landscape for Canadian university hockey. Someone just needs to get the wheels turning.
That person, however, won't be me. U SPORTS nor any of its conferences know I exist nor will they acknowledge my emails to them with any response. U SPORTS can steal this idea and claim it as their own if they like since I'm posting it publicly, but it's shocking that with the growth seen in 2024 that no one looked to capitalize on that interest in the game. U SPORTS was handed a winning lottery ticket in 2024 with SIRC's data, and U SPORTS basically tore it up.
There's still time to correct this error with the number of people that I believe tuned into the broadcasts this year, but ignoring the popularity of university hockey, specifically women's hockey, is something for which U SPORTS should be crucified if they squander yet another opportunity to improve the game for everyone.
There isn't much to say today other than "good luck" to the six teams who will close out the 2025-26 U SPORTS women's hockey season. One team from Quebec will celebrate loudly into the evening after capturing gold while an OUA team and an AUS team will duke it out for the bronze medal. A Canada West team and an OUA team have the chance to close out their seasons with a win in the consolation final, so let's not waste anymore time as we look at this last day of championship games from Elmira, Ontario here on The Rundown!
Consolation Final
The UBC Thunderbirds may have dropped their opening game against Montreal, but they bounced back with a win over Ottawa to earn a spot in the Consolation Final. On the other side, the Waterloo Warriors lost to the Guelph Gryphons before handing the Manitoba Bisons a loss to land in the Consolation Final. This was the first meeting between these two teams at a National Championship despite both being at the last three tournaments - who would prevail?
Warriors goals: Nikki McDonald (3), Keiara Raitt (1)
Warriors assists: Carly Orth (1)
Warriors netminder: Kara Mark (33/40)
The Guelph Gryphons found themselves in the bronze medal game after defeating Waterloo and falling to Concordia. The UNB Reds got by Ottawa in a shootout before Montreal scored more than they did. These two teams were meeting for the first time in a National Championship as Guelph attempted to win its second medal ever while UNB looked to capture its first medal in program history!
The Concordia Stingers advanced to the gold medal game by defeating the Manitoba Bisons and the Guelph Gryphons. The Montreal Carabins found themselves in the gold medal final after upsetting the UBC Thunderbirds and the UNB Reds. Montreal was trying to become the second eighth-seeded team to capture gold after the 2023 Mount Royal Cougars while Concordia was hunting for its fifth gold medal and third in five years. The first all-Quebec final since 2014 looked like it would be entertaining, so which Montreal-based team would be crowned as the 2026 U SPORTS champions?
There are no standings to worry about, but the there is one team who stood taller than the rest this weekend as U SPORTS champions!
Les Carabins de Montreal are your 2026 U SPORTS National Women's Hockey Champions after defeating the Concordia Stingers for the first time in eleven tries this season, and they become the second eighth-ranked team to capture the gold medal after starting the tournament as the lowest-seeded team. This is Montreal's third gold medal in program history, and its first gold medal since 2016. Netminder Maude Desroches was named the tournament MVP after the game!
Félicitations aux Carabins de Montréal pour avoir remporté la médaille d'or aux championnats U SPORTS! Savourez la victoire!
Words Of Gratitude
There's nothing to analyze here as the season is over, but I do want to show some gratitude to a handful of people and organizations. You may disagree with me on some of these, but that's your ball to kick. I'll be over here thanking these people for making the season fun and informative. They deserve some thanks for their efforts as well.
I want to thank CBC for their continued efforts in bringing amateur sports to Canadians via their online streams and network channels. I don't know if there will be regular airing of U SPORTS hockey anytime soon, but having all the games and features from both U SPORTS hockey championships available via their streaming options is simply awesome. CBC also had a number of Canada West games on their streams this past winter as well, so CBC gets a big "thank you"! Perhaps this could be the new "Hockey Night In Canada" on CBC?
The Waterloo Warriors and the Woolwich Memorial Centre in Elmira, Ontario deserve some thanks for putting on a second-straight U SPORTS National Women's Hockey Championship that seemingly went off without any issues. I'm sure there were some bumps along the road, but the games looked good and sounded good at every point. Hosting this event is a massive undertaking, and you've set the bar high for the UNB Reds and the city of Fredericton next year!
The parents, families, friends, and fans of U SPORTS players and teams are deserving of some gratitude as well. These are the people that sacrificed time, spent oodles of money, booked time off work, and were there to cheer on their daughters, sisters, granddaughters, nieces, best friends, former teammates, and the amazing women that make up the teams in U SPORTS women's hockey. They may not get enough thanks, but these people are there during the times of sadness, the times of frustration, and, ultimately, the time of joy in these women's lives. Thank you for helping these women achieve their dreams of getting a high-level education while playing hockey!
A big thank-you goes out to the coaches, athletic therapists, nutritionists, equipment people, and everyone behind the scenes that keep these women healthy, happy, and on the ice. All of these people invest their time and energy into their programs with the hope that it will pay off with a celebration at the end of games and seasons, and they put in countless hours preparing and making sure their teams are ready to go wherever a game is being played. Thank you for your dedication to women's hockey, to keeping players healthy in both mind and body, and for preparing them for any challenge they may face, both on and off the ice. The game is better because of you.
You can't play a game without officials, and, despite complaining or disagreeing with calls made, the effort these men and women put in to keep order in the game can't go unmentioned. Officiating means someone will always be unhappy with you, and these people have shown that they're willing to take a little heat to ensure the games remain safe for all to play. Thanks to the stripes on the ice and off-ice officials who do a great job in making sure the women's game remains awesome, and sports in general remain friendly competition.
A big shoutout goes to all the broadcasters who put in countless hours reading and memorizing facts and stats about players and teams to bring you the best broadcasts they can. Most of these broadcasts don't have a Sportsnet truck outside the arena and a dozen cameras inside, but the people who call the games make it sound just as good with their passion for and knowledge of the game. Thanks to everyone across the four conferences who picked up a microphone this year to add some chatter and insight to the games!
Finally, to the players, another season has come and gone and I know a lot of you will say that the time passed by too quickly. That's a truth about life: time is one of the most valuable commodities you'll have that will always seem like it's being spent too quickly, so I hope you used it wisely. I'm not talking about scoring goals or making saves, but about making life-long friendships and lasting memories. Every moment you spent in the community meant something to someone you met. Every second you spent on the bus rides complaining about school work was something over which you bonded with someone else. You made an impact on lives, especially with all the high-fives given to youth hockey players at your games. Those matter to them.
Thank you, players, for entertaining us every weekend. For always being good role models. For being brilliant students and better people. For your charitable work. For the time you spent making lives better. For being incredible teammates, cherished friends, and unforgettable icons. For being coachable and pushing your athletic limits. For sacrificing social opportunities to do homework. For welcoming challenges and embracing opportunities. For simply being awesome people that touched the lives of many. Thank you so much.
This game will push forward without reflection just as time does, but your impact on the game will be felt for years. History was made, victories were earned, friendships were forged, and smiles were seen. Yes, big goals and big saves will get remembered, but your legacy at your school and in the university game will be marked by the relationships and friendships formed over the time you played.
Thank you to everyone listed above who made the 2025-26 U SPORTS hockey season fun, and here's hoping next season is just as good!
The Last Word
That will close this chapter of The Rundown, and I don't know if it will return next season. I know I said that last year and I ultimately went ahead and did another season, but I can't be the only person talking about Canada West and U SPORTS women's hockey all the time. Making matters worse is that fact that no one who has the power to do so wants to see it get better. It's honestly frustrating.
There will be two new schools added in Quebec next season, so the number of women playing university hockey will grow. You would think that having options like CBC internet streams would be something that U SPORTS would want to capitalize on with the explosion of growth in women's hockey thanks to the Olympics this year, but I guess my lack of marketing and business degrees say that following an easily-sourced statistical trend is a bad idea.
I have been dedicated to this game, specifically in western Canada, for a long time. I have meticulous records for U SPORTS National Championships because that information isn't readily or easily found online anywhere. I have reached out to leaders in the university women's hockey game, and I haven't received a single response to my questions. I know I'm not the only person who cares, but I also feel like I can't keep doing this alone. I'm honestly frustrated.
What I do know is that a new wave of incoming students will join teams where renewed hope for immediate and long-term successes will be fostered. Teams will play, players will score, goalies will stop, and coaches will strategize as everyone aims to follow in Montreal's footsteps this season with a massive celebration in March. Just remember that time will fly by, so use your time as best as one can to build those friendships, foster those relationships, and create those life-long memories. And for heaven's sake, have some fun too!
Enjoy your summers, hockey fans. October is closer than you think!
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