This photo, taken in 2015 and posted on The Weather Network's site, shows a broken puck. I've only seen a puck break in a hockey game inside an arena once, so having something like this happen usually requires some pretty special circumstances. I have seen, however, a puck shatter on an outdoor rink during a particularly cold day where the puck hit the crossbar flat and landed on the ice in two distinct pieces. Seeing this makes legends out of the players who shot the puck for a few days, so what is the moral of this story? Pucks are frozen for use in rinks during games, and it seems the vulcanized rubber loses its ability to absorb abuse when they freeze at colder, more extreme temperatures.
I posted a video of a hydraulic press crushing a puck to see what kind of force the puck can withstand, and that video showed that the puck can withstand some pressure, but had some rather scary results once the press really kicked in. Safety tip: don't crush a puck unless you know what you're doing, ok?
With that warning in mind, what would happen if one were to cryogenically-freeze a puck and then submit it to the abuse of the hydraulic press? This may seem elementary after the unofficial science in the first paragraph and the knowledge gained via the video link in the second paragraph, but let's humour the Hydraulic Press Channel with this experiment. Here is their video of the hydraulic press crushing a regular puck and a cryogenically-frozen puck. AGAIN, DO NOT TRY THIS ANYWHERE UNLESS YOU KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING!
2200 pounds of pressure is all it took to crush a cryogenically-frozen puck in an experiment that literally no one would have questioned had one just stated "cryogenically-frozen puck shatters under pressure". I guess it makes good viral video, but I don't think anyone would have second-guessed these results.
Science is cool, though. You can quote me on that.
While it's hard to be excited for a team who doesn't yet have a name nor an arena to play in, the Seattle NHL franchise seems to be laying the foundation for what they hope is a solid team. Seattle NHL scouts at current NHL games is nothing new as the team has been visiting rinks, reviewing video, and doing their due diligence on current NHL and AHL players, but their efforts may go a long way in determining whether they'll be the next Vegas Golden Knights in terms of first-year success or the current version of the Ottawa Senators. In hearing what they're up to, it seems the former is a more likely scenario than the latter.
According to an Associated Press report, "Seattle's primary goal for the first year is building the database of information that existing franchises already have in hand. Some of that info is readily available, but there are specific things Seattle is looking to build into its player profiles tied in with Mandrycky's focus on analytics."
"Mandrycky" is director of hockey strategy and research Alexandra Mandrycky, and it appears that Seattle is looking beyond the normal analyses and building the analytics into their database of information on players. This should give the Seattle group some very good insight on players made available to them when the expansion draft takes place, but also allow them to possibly pursue players that have gone undrafted or playing in college who have aged out of the draft.
Last week, Seattle's five pro scouts - John Goodwin, Dave Hunter, Stu Barnes, Cammi Granato, and Ulf Samuelsson - got together with Mandrycky, Seattle GM Ron Francis, and Seattle assistant general manager Ricky Olczyk to discuss who they had seen, what they had seen, and begin work on the database from which they'll base their player decisions. Whether it be an NHL player, an AHL player, an amateur player, or a player at some other level, the Seattle team sounds like they'll know as much as any other NHL team - maybe more? - when it comes to assembling their initial NHL and AHL rosters.
"With what you're doing for an existing franchise, you're looking for perhaps a specific player in a specific role. Whereas now we're looking, I wouldn't say for specific players, but players with skills and abilities and characteristics that we want," Hunter told the AP. Those characteristics include how specific players interact with teammates, how they play away from the puck, and both offensive and defensive zone awareness. Each of those players who have been on Seattle's radar will have their own detailed report on the key things that the team is looking for in building that roster, and the management staff will undoubtedly lean on that information.
"We have a base of nothing right now when you talk about compiling data of NHL players, AHL players, amateur players," Mandrycky said to the AP in September. "So a lot of the two years has to be spent making sure you have the right infrastructure in place so as we get to making decisions on the expansion draft and free agency, we can do that with as much education about the players as possible."
Five months later, the database is growing and the Seattle management team and scouts are running mock drafts. Is it realistic? For now, it's as real as the Seattle group can get, but it's pretty clear that they're testing the database of information as much as working through versions of a fantasy draft.
What is real is that the hard work being done now will translate into reports on more than 2000 players when the day finally comes to selecting their first player in the expansion draft, their first player in the entry draft, and signing their first free agent. Whether or not they'll end up in the Stanley Cup Final in their first year will remain to be seen, but expect Seattle to be much more competitive than Ottawa was in their expansion year thanks to the building of their database that's happening now.
Saturday was the big day for the 2020 Female World Sport School Challenge as the majority of teams would finish their tournaments on that day with the bronze- and gold-medal games being played on Sunday. Sixteen teams would be reduced to four over one day as consolation games were played out while the top team in each of the four pools advanced to the medal round. The final results for the tournament are found below, so let's get started because there's a lot to go over.
Here are the results from the consolation games on Saturday.
15th-Place Game - Pilot Mound Buffaloes defeat the Vancouver Island Seals 3-1. Sydney Odowichuk scored twice before this game was called with 12:19 left in the third period due to a scary incident. I'll have more on this below.
13th-Place Game - Minnesota Ice Cougars downed the Thompson Okanagan Lakers 6-4. Abby Promersberger scored four goals for Minnesota in the victory to overcome two goals and an assist by Makenna Howe of the Lakers.
11th-Place Game - Eastman Selects beat the Calgary Fire 5-4 in a shootout. Kylie Lesuk had two goals and an assist to power the Selects to victory.
9th-Place Game - Red Deer Sutterfund Chiefs defeat the Westman Wildcats 4-1. Kylie Perry had two assists while Ridleigh Hansen made 20 saves for the win.
7th-Place Game - Thunder Bay Queens downed the Rocky Mountain Raiders 4-3 in a shootout. Defender Kendra Fortin had a goal and two assists for the Queens while Kaia Borbandy scored twice for the Raiders.
5th-Place Game - Lloydminster PMW Steelers defeat the Winnipeg Ice 4-2. Jadynn Morden had two goals while teammate Avery Gilby had a pair of helpers for the Steelers.
As mentioned above, there was a very scary incident in the game between the Buffaloes and Seals as forward Andrea Olafsdottir from the Buffaloes suffered a major leg injury. On behalf of the tournament, the fans, the coaches, and the players, I want to pass along our good wishes for a speedy recovery for Andrea, and our thoughts are with her in what appears will be a long recovery. The good news, on behalf of the Buffaloes, is that she was in good spirits and was back to her chatty self once settled at the hospital. We're with you on this journey, Andrea, and we hope to see back on the ice stronger, faster, and with the same passion for the game as before!
Before we get to the semifinals and the bronze- and gold-medal games, the 2020 Female World Sport School Challenge All-Stars were announced at the banquet, and these six players were key in the successes of their teams at the tournament.
From left to right, your 2020 Female World Sport School Challenge All-Stars are Rocky Mountain Raiders goaltender Ali Kieran, Winnipeg Avros defender Rachel Gottfried, Thunder Bay Queens forward Brenna Nicol, St. Mary's Academy Flames forward Ashley Keller, Northern Alberta X-Treme forward Abby Soyko, and Northern Alberta X-Treme defender Andie Proulx. Congratulations to these six players on their outstanding performances at the tournament!
The first semifinal game was an all-Winnipeg match-up as the St. Mary's Academy Flames were looking for their second-straight trip to the gold-medal final against the MFMHL's best team in the Winnipeg Avros! It was a rather chippy affair at times between the two teams as the referee seemingly was content to allow the teams to decide who would win either through goals or last-player-standing rules, but Ashley Keller opened the scoring with a shorthanded marker that beat Jordan Mackow. Katrina Tobin would tie the game on a shot that Emily Shippam should have had, but she deflected it up and over her and it landed in the net behind her. The game-winning goal would come via a great rush that saw Aimee Patrick find some room past Mackow, and the St. Mary's Academy Flames would move on to compete for the gold medal via the 2-1 score while the Winnipeg Avros would have to regroup in the bronze-medal game.
*please note that due to technical issues, first period action is not available.
The second semifinal was an all-Edmonton match-up as the Northern Alberta X-Treme met the Edmonton Pandas with a berth to the gold-medal game on the line. The Pandas got goals from defender Alexandra Black, forward Jacquelyn Fleming, and forward Natalie Buttle while Pandas netminder Elise Hugens stopped all shots except for one off the stick of Robyn Short as the Pandas continued their undefeated play at the tournament with a 3-1 win to advance to the gold-medal game while Northern Alberta would move to the bronze-medal game in the defeat.
The bronze-medal game saw the Winnipeg Avros meet the Northern Alberta X-Treme as the two teams looked to finish the tournament on a high note with a win and some hardware. The Avros carried a 3-1 lead into the third period in what looked like a game the Winnipeg club had a hold on, but three third-period goals by the X-Treme and one more by the Avros sent this game into overtime tied up at 4-4! In the extra frame, the X-Treme would find the back of the net to claim the bronze medal via the 5-4 overtime victory!
Brooklyn Moore had herself a day for the X-Treme, contributing on all five NAX goals with a pair of lamp-lighters to go along with three helpers while Abby Soyko had a goal and two assists and Allie Soyko had three assists. Paige Ring and Hannah Prinsen rounded out the scoring for Northern Alberta. On the Winnipeg side, Trinity Grove, Taylor Wuirch-Coombs, Norah Collins, and Hayley Johnson all had singles for the Avros who finished fourth in the tournament.
The gold-medal game pitted the St. Mary's Academy Flames - last year's silver medalists - against the Edmonton Pandas in a game that was played at an incredible pace from start to finish. The teams were squared at 1-1 - goals from Edmonton's Sage Taylor and St. Mary's Reese Chuback - heading into the third period when Sage Taylor broke the tie with a great shot from the right hash marks that found the inside of the far post just over the pad of netminder Meagan Relf to put the Pandas up 2-1. Moments later before the buzz had worn off over Taylor's goal, the Pandas scored again as it appeared that Rian Santos scored on the deflection, but the goal was credited to Jacquelyn Fleming. Jessica Haner would pull the Flames within one goal late in the game, but an empty-net goal by Emerson Jarvis - incorrectly credited to Chloe Reid - would ice this game and give the Pandas the gold medal in a 4-2 victory! The St. Mary's Academy Flames would earn their second-straight silver medal at this tournament!
*please note that due to technical issues, first period action is not available.
An incredible tournament came to a close early Sunday afternoon, and I have to say that the future of Canadian women's hockey is bright with the performances seen at the tournament's four days of play. To all sixteen teams, I thank you for providing an amazing weekend of hockey action that kept me entertained all weekend, and I hope to see a pile of you next season either in Canada West or back here for the 2021 Female World Sport School Challenge!
Playoff lives were on the line this week as UBC needed a pair of wins to eliminate both Lethbridge and Manitoba, leaving the remaining six teams to battle it out for playoff seeding. The three teams at the top - Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Calgary - were looking for one of the top-two spots to get that all-important first-round bye and home ice in the semifinals and beyond while the remaining three teams - Regina, Mount Royal, and UBC - were trying to determine the fourth-place spot to see who would host a first-round game assuming that UBC could hold off the other two teams. With the scenes set for the various teams, let's find out who is in, who is out, and who may still have a chance at improving their playoff statuses on this week's edition of The Rundown!
We'll start with the Thursday night game as the two Calgary-based women's teams played the late draw in the Crowchild Classic! The Mount Royal Cougars and Calgary Dinos entertained a Canada West-record 10,002 fans in this game, so you know there was electricity in the air with that many people in the stands. Cassie Shokar got the start for Mount Royal while Calgary went with their ace in Kelsey Roberts.
Fans didn't have to wait long to cheer for a goal as Calgary struck quickly. Rebecca Clarke took a pass just outside the blue line, skated into the high slot area, and let a wrist shot go that found the top corner glove-side on Shokar just 3:23 into this one as the Dinos jumped out to the early 1-0 lead! That seemed to wake up the Cougars as they pressed after surrendering the goal, but Roberts was solid in the opening frame. Two penalties through the latter half of the period slowed the Cougars' attack, but the horn would sound on a 1-0 Calgary lead through 20 minutes despite the Cougars outshooting the Dinos by a 6-4 count.
The second period saw Shokar and Roberts build their own highlight packages with some solid saves through the first half of the frame. Three minutes past the midpoint of the period, Sara Craven fed Elizabeth Lang down low as she cut towards the net off the left wing, and she outwaited Shokar as the netmindr sprawled to defend the net as Lang skated across the crease and deposited the puck inside the right post to make it 2-0 for the Dinos at 13:29! With less than two minutes, though, Nicolette Seper forced a turnover by Rachel Paul on the half-boards in her own zone that Breanne Trotter recovered and skated into the slot only to be surrounded by Dinos. The good news? Seper had broke back towards the net, Trotter fed her the puck, and her shot found a hole through Roberts to make it 2-1 at 18:17! That score would hold through to the break despite the Cougars outshooting the Dinos 16-8 at that point and despite the Dinos being assessed five minor penalties in the frame.
The third period saw both teams tighten up the defence while trying to find seams in the opposition defensive coverage, but it was a chess match through the first half of the period. Things opened up a little past the ten-minute mark as the Cougars began to press for the equalizer. A Breanne Trotter penalty would slow that momentum slightly before the Dinos brought it to a screeching halt. Brooke Dennett picked up the puck outside the Mount Royal blue line before going one-on-one with Laura Cook, and Dennett cut across the slot and fired a shot from the left hash marks that went over Shokar's right shoulder and under the bar for the power-play goal and the 3-1 Dinos lead! And 2:10 later, Dennett slid the puck from center ice down into the vacated net as Shokar had left for the extra attacker, and the Dinos would prevail by that 4-1 score over the Cougars! Kelsey Roberts picked up her 14th win of the season with a 20-save effort while Cassie Shokar took the loss after stopping nine shots.
Highlights of this game are below!
The weekend series would shift back to Flames Community Arena as the Dinos checked into the home of the Cougars for Friday night's game. After dropping the game at the Saddledome, the Cougars needed points if they wanted a shot at hosting a playoff game for the first time in their history in Canada West. Calgary, meanwhile, was looking to solidify their playoff position with the hopes of catching Alberta. Kelsey Roberts was in net for Calgary while the Cougars started rookie Kaitlyn Ross.
The two teams found scoring chances in the first period that saw the defences bend, but not break as both Roberts and Ross were solid in their respective creases. Calgary killed off an early power-play after MRU was given the first good opportunity, and they killed off a second penalty late to keep the Cougars from building momentum. Through one period, the 0-0 score remained intact with Mount Royal leading 8-5 in shots.
Early in the second period, a weak clearing attempt by Erin Armstrong ended up on the stick of Kate Hufnagel, and Hufnagel ripped a wrist shot past Roberts on the glove side from the left face-off dot to put Mount Royal up 1-0 just 2:40 into the period! This seemed to build confidence in the Cougars as they controlled the remaining 17 minutes of hockey on the frame, but Roberts wasn't surrendering another goal. Calgary had a couple of chances thanks to a late power-play on Ross, but they couldn't solve the Cougars netminder on their attempts. After 40 minutes, Mount Royal led 1-0 on the scoreboard and 22-11 in shots!
It was more of the same in the third period until a bad bounce ruined the shutout bid for Ross. Off a dump-in by Merissa Dawson, the puck hit the glass in the corner and caromed out in front of the net that Ross had vacated to play the puck after she assumed that it would follow the path of the boards. Instead, Sara Craven raced in and capitalized on the bad hop as she potted the puck into the empty net before Ross could recover, and the Dinos had tied the game at 1-1 at the 5:10 mark! That unfortunate break didn't seem to shake Ross' confidence as she continued to deny the Dinos through the remaining 15 minutes of hockey while Roberts was just as good in the Calgary end. At the end of regulation time, the game was still tied 1-1 with Mount Royal holding a 30-20 advantage in shots. We'd need some free hockey to settle this one!
The four-on-four overtime period solved nothing, so we'd move to the three-on-three overtime period where Breanne Trotter picked up a puck dug out of a puck battle along the boards by Tianna Ko, and Trotter would skate from the left-wing half-boards across the crease as Roberts slid across to try and stop her only to have Trotter slide the puck five-hole for the game-winning goal at 2:09 of overtime! Trotter's goal gave the Cougars the 2-1 overtime win over the Dinos! Kaitlyn Ross was good on 22 of 23 shots to earn her sixth win of the season while Roberts suffered the overtime loss despite making 33 saves on the night.
Highlights of this one are below!
Speaking of Cougars, the Regina Cougars headed northwest to Edmonton for a weekend series with the Alberta Pandas. Alberta was looking to strengthen their hold of first-place in the conference while Regina wanted to put some distance between them and both of Mount Royal and UBC. Jane Kish would get the nod for Regina while Kirsten Chamberlin kicked things off in this series for Alberta.
Just as they always seem to do at home, the Pandas came out flying while testing Kish. However, the Cougars would be the first to strike when Jaycee Magwood picked Abby Benning's pocket as she came around the net, and went high glove-side on Chamberlin to put Regina up 1-0 just 4:58 into this game! That goal seemed to be the jolt that the Pandas needed as they turned up their play by a couple of notches at both ends of the ice, but they couldn't solve Kish in the first period. The Cougars wouldn't get many more chances like Magwood got, but the few shots they did have were stopped by Chamberlin. After 20 minutes, Regina held the 1-0 lead, but trailed in shots as Alberta posted a 10-3 margin.
The second period saw Regina get some better looks on Chamberlin, but she was just as good in making the saves. Alberta was efficient once again in ensuring that they controlled possession, and that would benefit them two minutes past the midpoint of the period. The long point shot from Taylor Anker was stopped by Kish, but Kennedy Ganser got a stick on the rebound and put the puck under the outstretched pad of Kish at 12:38 to tie the game at 1-1! 4:22 after that, a knuckler from the point off the stick of Brooklyn Tews would elude sticks out front and the blocker of Kish to find the top corner to give the Pandas their first lead of the game at 2-1 at the 17:00 mark! That score would hold into the break with Alberta holding a 19-9 advantage in shots.
Alberta controlled the final period thanks in large part to the three minor penalties that were assessed to Regina, but Kish looked good in keeping the Pandas off the board while up a skater. She couldn't stop them all in this period, though, as Tews broke down the left side and threw a puck towards the net that appeared to go off defender Shaelyn Vallotton's skate and past Kish at 13:38 as the Pandas skated to the 3-1 victory over the Cougars! Chamberlin was solid in earning her tenth win of the season in a 12-save performance while Kish took the loss despite stopping 28 shots on this night.
Highlights are below!
SATURDAY: In knowing Calgary's standing coming in and needing some help from Manitoba in holding off Saskatchewan, Alberta could make things very difficult for both of Calgary and Saskatchewan to catch the Pandas in the race for top seed and home-ice advantage throughout the Canada West playoffs with a victory against the Cougars today. While Calgary does hold the tie-breaker against Alberta, a six-point stretch over the Dinos would make any points against Manitoba next week a clinch situation for Alberta, so they were looking for the win. Regina, meanwhile, needed points to try and clinch a spot or needed some help from UBC to keep Lethbridge from potentially ruining their playoff hopes. In knowing all that, Jane Kish was back in net for Regina while Halle Oswald got the start for the Pandas.
The first period might have been the slowest I've seen the Pandas start on home ice in terms of finding scoring chances in some time as the Regina defence was excellent right from the drop of the puck. The Pandas, however, did manage to find a handful of good scoring chances on Kish, but she was equal to the task. Regina, at the other end, had a few good looks on Oswald, but the netminder wasn't allowing anything by. In a period that featured just 10 shots, zero penalties, and zero goals, we'd go to the second frame with the score tied at 0-0 and Regina holding a 6-4 edge in shots.
The second saw both teams ramp up the offence, but Regina would be stifled by a penalty at the eight-minute mark that gave Alberta the opportunity they needed to jump ahead. On the power-play, Cayle Dillon's point shot was stopped by Kish, Kennedy Ganser's rebound attempt was stopped by Kish, but the puck ended up in the air where baseball star Madison Willan bunted it out of the air into the net for the 1-0 Alberta lead at 10:07! The teams would alternate penalties after that power-play with two apiece for the remainder of the period, but no other goals were found as Alberta took the 1-0 lead into the second intermission while holding a 16-13 edge in shots!
The parade to the sin bin continued into this period as the teams combined for six minor penalties, four of which were assessed to Regina. That would be important because after Madison Willan got out of the box to provide Alberta with a short power-play with Jaycee Magwood sitting in the Regina sin bin, Willan assisted on a goal by Autumn MacDougall from the slot area that went past a mob of players and Kish for a goal that I don't believe Kish ever saw coming at 3:14 of the third period to make it 2-0 in Alberta's favour! The Pandas continued to use the power-play to prevent chances on their own net while eating up time as they tried to add to their lead, but the Regina penalty-killing units and Kish were good on the remaining power-plays awarded to Alberta. When the final horn blared, the Cougars couldn't muster any goals of their own as the Pandas skated to the 2-0 victory! Halle Oswald picked up her ninth win and fourth shutout with the 18-save blanking of Regina while Jane Kish absorbed the loss on a night where she made 21 saves.
Highlights - without audio? - are found below!
There was no denying that Manitoba's fate hung in the balance of this weekend. They had to win at least one of the games and get some help in order to stay mathematically alive in the playoff race. Saskatchewan, riding a six-game winning streak, was looking to leap past Calgary back into second-place in the conference while possibly eliminating Manitoba at the same time. Wins were all that mattered for both teams! Erin Fargey was in net for the Bisons while the Huskies started Camryn Drever.
As it has been all season, a slow start to this game in terms of offensive zone pressure plagued Manitoba once more as chances were few and far between on Drever when they desperately needed to get the engine running early. At the other end, the Huskies had early chances on Fargey, but the Bisons netminder stood tall. A penalty midway through the period assessed to the Bisons was the catalyst for the game's opening goal as Isabelle Pozzi fed Emma Nutter with a pass at the edge of the right face-off circle, and her one-timer found a seam under Fargey and ended up in the back of the net for the power-play marker at 10:27 and the 1-0 Saskatchewan lead! The Huskies continued to press, but would find nothing else over the last ten minutes of the period as they'd go to the break up 1-0 and leading 10-3 in shots.
The second period saw the two teams come out and turn up the offensive pressure at both ends, but Fargey and Drever were just as good in their creases. A Saskatchewan penalty midway through the period gave Manitoba a number of chances, but the Saskatchewan penalty-killing units were good on this advantage as they stopped Manitoba from finding a goal. The horn would sound on two periods, and the Saskatchewan 1-0 lead held intact while the Huskies led in shots by a 18-12 count.
The third period in this chess match felt like more of the same from the second period as the teams traded chances back and forth. Late in the period, however, a centering pass by the Huskies missed its intended target, but Kennedy Brown had a step on Sarah Dennehy as she got to the puck first and wired it high on the blocker side to make it a 2-0 game for Saskatchewan with 2:58 to play. Fargey would head to the bench in a late effort to get the extra attacker on, but, moments after vacating the net, Jordyn Holmes found the back of the net with 1:51 to play after intercepting a cross-ice pass in the Bisons zone, giving the Huskies the 3-0 victory over the Bisons. Camryn Drever earned her fifth win and third shutout of the season after blanking the Bisons on all 22 shots she faced while Erin Fargey took the loss in a 25-save effort.
Highlights of this game are below!
SATURDAY: After the setback on Friday, the Bisons were literally in must-win territory while needing a pile of help to keep their playoff hopes alive. Saskatchewan, knowing the results of the Dinos-Cougars game on Friday, had a chance to jump back into second-place with a victory as they looked to extend their winning streak to eight games. Amanda Schubert was in net for the Bisons while Jessica Vance took to the crease for the Huskies.
The teams started this game a little more tentatively as neither seemed interested in giving up the first goal. That first goal, however, would come before the five-minute mark when Elizabeth Salyn took a pass that was slightly behind her with Megan Neduzak in tight coverage, and Elias managed to get the puck to a good shooting spot by pulling it forward, firing a shot through Neduzak's legs, and denting the twine behind Schubert at 4:58 for the 1-0 Huskies lead! Despite the early outburst by the Huskies, the remaining 15 minutes yielded a couple of power-plays for the Bisons that were unsuccessful as the Huskies took the 1-0 lead into the intermission with the teams tied 5-5 in shots.
The second period saw more chances for both sides, but only one made good on those opportunities. At the 5:08 mark, Rachel Lundberg would out-muscle Brielle Dacquay-Neveux in front of the net to chip the Isabelle Pozzi rebound past Schubert to up the Huskies' lead to 2-0! Kara Kondrat would make it a 3-0 game at 16:34 when she beat Schubert, and it seemed like there might be yet another shutout hung around the necks of the Bisons after they failed to score on two power-play opportunities in this period. At the end of two periods, Saskatchewan led 3-0 and held a 15-13 advantage in shots.
A four-minute penalty assessed to Lundberg in the second period carried over into the third period, and Manitoba finally figured out the Saskatchewan penalty-killing system as Katie Chartyrbok beat Vance at 1:42 to make it a 3-1 game! The Bisons were assessed their own four-minute double-minor penalty as Camille Enns was guilty of a check to the head, but the Bisons killed off that extended power-play. Using that momentum and confidence-building penalty kill, the Bisons would strike again as Jordy Zacharias set up Sheridan Oswald at 10:44 for a goal, and the Bisons were within one at 3-2!
Late in the period, the Bisons were pressing to find the equalizer when Schubert headed to the bench, but the extra attacker wouldn't be needed as Zacharias picked up a puck on the left-wing half-boards, took it to the middle, and got a backhander away that Vance stopped. The only problem? None of the Huskies picked up the rebound, allowing Zacharias to gain control and put the second backhanded attempt past Vance at 18:34 to tie the game at 3-3! With overtime looming, Zacharias wasn't about to let points slip through her or her teammates collective fingers as she won the ensuing face-off, poked the puck past Leah Bohlken to start a 2-on-1 with Kate Gregoire before sending the pcuk over to Gregoire who completed the most improbable comeback by sliding the puck through Vance's five-hole to make it 4-3 Bisons with 1:19 to play! Saskatchewan would press for an equalizer of their own, but Schubert and the Bisons held the fort as they escaped this game with a 4-3 victory when it appeared that their season was over! Amanda Schubert made 20 saves for her fourth win of the season while Jessica Vance saw a win stolen away from her after making 16 stops.
Highlights of this game are below!
If there was one series where both teams held their playoff hopes in their hands, along with one other team's playoff hopes, the Lethbridge Pronghorns travelled over the Rocky Mountains to visit Vancouver and the UBC Thunderbirds. It was easy for the T-Birds - six points kills any hope of both Lethbridge and Manitoba being in the playoffs. Anything less gets a little messier, so "win and you're in" was in full effect for the home side. Lethbridge, meanwhile, could keep their hopes and Manitoba's hopes alive with a weekend sweep of the Thunderbirds, so they were playing for their lives this weekend. Alicia Anderson got the start for the Pronghorns while Tory Micklash was in the UBC crease.
The teams started slowly, but UBC built momentum as the period progressed as they found more paths to the net to get shots on Anderson only to be denied by the Lethbridge netminder. The first break in the game came when Lethbridge's Katelyn Breitkreuz broke down the left side and cut to the net with Madison Porter joining to make it a 2-on-1. Breitkreuz elected to keep and her shot was stopped up high by Micklash, but the puck came loose and Breitkreuz knocked it through Micklash at 14:53 to make it a 1-0 game for the visitors! Less than two minutes later, the Thunderbirds would pull even on a power-play when Rylind MacKinnon got some room at the top of the right face-off circle to get a shot away with all sorts of traffic in front that found the inside of the far post at 16:48, and we'd head to the intermission with the teams tied up at 1-1, but UBC leading in shots by a 10-4 count.
The second period saw Lethbridge's visits to the sin bin continue after three first-period minor penalties and two to start the second period. Once again, the power-play of UBC would capitalize with a Pronghorn watching from the penalty box as Mathea Fischer took a pass at the right of the net, and made a spin move as a fake while throwing a no-look, cross-crease pass to Hannah Clayton-Carroll who simply chipped it up and over the pad of Anderson at 6:05 to give UBC the 2-1 lead! The teams would trade power-plays later in the period with neither being successful, but the Thunderbirds continued their relentless attacks on the Pronghorns. The only problem was between the pipes as the T-Birds could not solve Anderson again in this period as they went to the break up 2-1 and leading 24-8 in shots.
The third period seemed to be the shutdown period for the Thunderbirds as they dialled back the offence in an effort to lock down the victory. With 1:01 to play, Anderson went to the bench, and the Pronghorns looked to find the equalizer with the extra attacker. Mila Verbicky picked up a loose puck in the UBC zone at the top of the right face-off circle, skated to the bottom of the circle, and threw a centering pass to Tallon Stephenson who got a stick on it, but was denied by Micklash. However, the round came directly to Kyra Greig who fired home a quick shot inside the left post to tie the game at 2-2 with 59 seconds remaining, and we'd need some extra time to decide this game!
The first overtime, while entertaining, provided no clear winner, so we'd hop to the three-on-three overtime where a penalty shot was awarded to Breitkreuz with 1:19 remaining! She made a couple of moves before deciding on a shot on the five-hole that Micklash stopped, so we'd continue on! 17 seconds later, Erin Johansen would feather a backhanded pass through to Kyra Greig who redirected it past Micklash for the game-winning goal as the Pronghorns kept their season alive with a 3-2 double-overtime victory over the Thunderbirds! Alicia Anderson picked up her ninth win of the season in a 30-save performance while Tory Micklash stopped 16 shots in the loss.
Highlights are below!
SATURDAY: Based on Friday's results, the script for both teams remained the same. Win and you're likely in if the tie-breakers go your way if you're cheering for UBC. Win and you keep the drive for the playoffs alive for one more week of hockey action if you're the Pronghorns. Just as they did on Friday, the Pronghorns started Alicia Anderson while the Thunderbirds opted for Tory Micklash once more.
This game started in favour of the visitors once again as the Pronghorns got in over the UBC line on the left side with Eva Debaie throwing a cross-ice pass to an open wing. Alli Borrow swooped in and fired a shot toward the net that bounced off a UBC defender in front and got by Micklash at 5:15 as Lethbridge used the lucky break to take the 1-0 lead! That goal seemed to wake the T-Birds up as they had a couple of chances on Anderson, but found nothing off those thanks to some strong play from the Lethbridge netminder. However, they would get to her on the power-play with five minutes left in the period. Anderson overplayed Hannah Koroll coming out from behind the net, and Koroll spotted Hannah Clayton-Carroll out front who one-timed Koroll's pass past Anderson at 15:08 to even the game at 1-1! The teams would retire to the dressing rooms at that score, but UBC held a slight edge in shots at 7-4.
The second period saw UBC continue their efforts in trying to earn a full three points, but they found themselves killing penalties early in the period and an unwilling goalie who shared their desire for goals in Anderson. Lethbridge, for their part, were unsuccessful on those early power-plays and spent the latter half of the period trying to defend the attacks by the Thunderbirds while looking for chances of their own. Neither goaltender would surrender a goal in this period as the 1-1 tie held firm, and we'd go to the third period with that score and the T-Birds leading 15-9 in shots.
The third period saw both teams tighten the screws defensively in order to not give up a goal, but Lethbridge would use a couple of power-plays to find some shooting lanes that Micklash was only too happy to deny. Late in the period, Mathea Fischer fired a shot on Anderson from the top of the left circle that Anderson stopped, but she kicked a bouncing puck into the slot area where Jadeon Cooke jumped on the loose puck and fired it blocker side past Anderson for the 2-1 UBC lead with 5:11 remaining! Lethbridge, needing a goal desperately to keep their season alive, pulled Anderson with 45 seconds remaining in the game, but the UBC defence would hold strong as the Thunderbirds claimed the 2-1 victory over the Pronghorns. Tory Micklash scored her ninth win of the season in a 13-save effort while Alicia Anderson suffered the loss on a day where she stopped 16 shots.
Highlights from this game are below!
CWUAA WOMEN'S HOCKEY
School
Record
Points
GF
GA
Streak
Next
Alberta
18-7-1-0
56
75
28
W2
@ MAN
Calgary
15-7-1-3
50
49
37
L1
@ LET
Saskatchewan
14-7-2-3
49
51
38
L1
@ REG
Regina
9-13-4-0
35
44
50
L3
vs SAS
Mount Royal
10-14-2-0
34
39
43
W1
@ UBC
British Columbia
9-11-1-5
34
40
55
W1
vs MRU
Lethbridge
7-14-2-3
28
46
69
L1
vs CAL
Manitoba
7-16-2-1
26
31
57
W1
vs ALB
*teams in yellow have clinched a playoff spot
The Last Word
Let's look at each team's situation individually here as we try to find the best finish for each team.
Officially eliminated. As much as I want to say that Manitoba has a chance to leap Lethbridge and out of the cellar, the reality is that Alberta is looking to clinch top-spot in the conference and home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs. No one wants to go into the playoffs on a loss either, so it's likely that Alberta will do whatever it takes to win both games. Do your best, have fun, maybe shock the Pandas with an upset, but this weekend's games are all about evaluation for next season if you're a member of the Bisons.
Officially eliminated. I went through every tie-breaker scenario on the Canada West books, and the Pronghorns come out on the wrong side with both UBC and Mount Royal even if they beat the Dinos twice in regulation. We'll have a deeper look at the Pronghorns' struggles in the second halves of seasons along with some staggering numbers this week on The Hockey Show, but the best that Lethbridge can do is trip up Calgary which would help Saskatchewan's efforts. Like Manitoba, do your best, have fun, maybe shock the Dinos with an upset, but this weekend's games are all about evaluation for next season.
With Mount Royal visiting, UBC has some control in terms of where they finish. If the Thunderbirds win twice and get a little help from Saskatchewan, they can finish as high as fourth-place and would host the Regina Cougars in the quarterfinal. If they split with Mount Royal and Regina loses twice, UBC would finish in fifth-place based upon Mount Royal winning the tie-breaker scenario, and would travel to Calgary to play the Cougars in a best-of-three series. If UBC loses both, they would travel to either Saskatoon for a quarterfinal date with the Huskies or to Calgary for a quarterfinal date with the Dinos. In short, UBC can finish anywhere from fourth-place to sixth-place depending on what happens in their series against Mount Royal and in the Saskatchewan-Regina weekend series. Regina also holds the tie-breaker over UBC, so UBC must finish higher than both Cougars teams in all situations.
In visiting UBC, the Cougars have some control over their finish. If the Cougars win twice and get a little help from Saskatchewan, they can finish as high as fourth-place and would host the Regina Cougars in the quarterfinal. If they split with UBC and Regina loses twice, Mount Royal would finish in fourth-place based upon having won the tie-breaker scenario against UBC, and would host UBC in the best-of-three quarterfinal. If MRU loses both, they would travel to either Saskatoon for a quarterfinal date with the Huskies or to Calgary for a quarterfinal date with the Dinos. In short, MRU can finish anywhere from fourth-place to sixth-place depending on what happens in their series against UBC and in the Saskatchewan-Regina weekend series.
It should also be noted that the tie-breaker against Regina is still up in the air based on the number of wins MRU and Regina have after they split the season series 2-2. Regina has one more win in total (regulation and extra-time wins combined - tie-breaker rule #4) than Mount Royal, but Mount Royal currently has one more regulation win than Regina (tie-breaker rule #5). If Regina was to win one game in regulation (14 wins total and 10 regulation wins) while Mount Royal won both games in extra time (14 wins total and 10 regulation wins), the teams would be tied with 38 points and need to go to the sixth tie-breaker of goal differential head-to-head which Mount Royal would win 9-6. I'm not begging for an advanced math degree here, but let's hope this scenario isn't necessary.
I'm sure Regina would like an easier scenario, but winning at least five of six points from the Huskies this weekend will guarantee that Regina hosts a playoff game in the quarterfinal. As stated above, they hold the tie-breaker scenario against UBC, so they'd only need five points to prevent UBC from overtaking them, and two wins of any kind would win tie-breaker #4 against Mount Royal if both teams were tied at 40 points. Depending on the MRU-UBC series, Regina could potentially finish anywhere from fourth-place to sixth-place based on their results against Saskatchewan. If they earn four points or less, they have to hope that UBC or Mount Royal don't sweep that weekend series nor get caught in the advanced-math scenario above with Mount Royal. With one team earning at least three points in the Mount Royal-UBC series, that means that Regina will have to earn a minimum of three points against their provincial rivals this weekend in order to have a shot at hosting a playoff series. Anything less would open the door for both Mount Royal and UBC to overtake them in the standings.
The Huskies are guaranteed no worse than third-place and hosting a quarterfinal series, and can potentially move ahead of Calgary if they get a little help from the Pronghorns. Saskatchewan swept Calgary in their season series this year, so they hold any tie-breaker over the Dinos meaning that they simply need to gain one point in the standings compared to the Dinos' results this weekend. Again, they'll need a little help, but six points against Regina would do wonders for making a first-round bye a very real possibility for the Huskies. If they can't overtake the Dinos, they'll host a series against one of Regina, Mount Royal, or UBC based on the results from this weekend and the aforementioned scenarios for each of those three teams.
There's a very real possibility that two Alberta-based teams could host semi-final games this year if the Dinos can maintain their one-point advantage over the Huskies. As stated above, Saskatchewan wins any tie-breaker situation if Calgary finishes tied with the Huskies, so they have match the results by the Huskies this weekend at the very least. And while it's still mathematically possible for Calgary to finish first with two regulation wins over Lethbridge combined with Manitoba beating Alberta twice in regulation, that scenario seems unlikely. In the event that the stars aligned and that did happen, the Dinos won the season series 3-1 over Alberta, so they'd win the tie-breaker at 56 points. Realistically, though, Calgary is likely going to earn a first-round bye or host one of Regina, Mount Royal, or UBC in a quarterfinal based on the results from this weekend and the aforementioned scenarios for each of those three teams.
The Pandas need just one single, solitary point against Manitoba this weekend to earn a first-round bye and home-ice advantage throughout the Canada West playoffs as the top-seeded team. Unless Kennedy Ganser goes ballistic this weekend while Autumn MacDougall watches from the sidelines, MacDougall will likely win the scoring and goal-scoring titles as well as she lead the conference with 16 goals and 30 points. Depending on what Alberta does this weekend and how the Bisons respond, she could hit the 20-goal mark. The bigger picture for the Pandas, though, is earning at least one point as they'll get themselves ready for the playoffs and a semi-final series at Clare Drake Arena as they can finish no lower than second-place in the conference.
With another regular season schedule about to close in Canada West, I'll still be tracking games throughout the playoffs and into the U SPORTS National Championship happening in Charlottetown, PEI. If I were a betting man, I'd say that we're looking at Alberta and Saskatchewan as the Canada West representatives at Nationals based on the season's results, but anything can happen in the playoffs. We'll see what happens this weekend and beyond as six teams jockey for playoff seeding and more!
Day Two began early with it not being so bright outside thanks to the winter season still being upon us. An 8:00am start got everything kicked off on the busiest day of the tournament as every team would play twice on Friday to round out the four pools of play in determining who would play whom and at what time on Saturday. There are four games that will happen on the Canadian Tire rink at the BellMTS IcePlex that I'll be calling, so my day has a break in it where my voice can find some rest, but it also gives me a chance to check out some of the teams I won't get to see. As stated above, the busiest day of the tournament starts early and ends late, so let's check out the results of the games!
Here are all of the results of Friday's games.
Red Deer Sutterfund Chiefs defeated the Minnesota Ice Cougars by a 3-2 score. Defender Julie Wagner had a goal and an assist for the Chiefs.
Edmonton Pandas hammered the Pilot Mound Buffaloes 6-0. Asia Kachuk recorded the shutout while Sage Taylor had two goals and a helper.
Winnipeg Avros defeated the Lloydminster PMW Steelers 4-3 in overtime. Taylor Wuirch-Coombs had a goal and two assists for the Avros.
Thunder Bay Queens demolished the Eastman Selects 8-0. Mykaila George picked up the shutout while Alexis Paddington had a hat trick and helper.
Northern Alberta X-Treme downed the Winnipeg Ice 3-2 in a shootout. Abby Soyko scored a pair of shootout goals including the winner.
St. Mary's Academy Flames shutout the Vancouver Island Seals 5-0. Emily Shippam recorded the blank sheet while Aimee Patrick had a goal and two assists.
Rocky Mountain Raiders downed the Westman Wildcats 1-0. Hali Lawrence earned the shutout while Jordyn Matthews scored the lone goal.
Calgary Fire defeated the Thompson Okanagan Lakers 3-2. Defender Payten Evans scored two goals for the Fire.
Edmonton Pandas downed the Eastman Selects by a 5-2 score. Sage Taylor picked up another goal and an assist for the Pandas.
Winnipeg Avros blankied the Minnesota Ice Cougars 3-0. Liv Svenne picked up the shutout while Aliya Baker and Trinity Grove both had a goal and an assist for the Avros.
Lloydminster PMW Steelers shut out the Red Deer Sutterfund Chiefs 3-0. Molly Mitchell earned the shutout while forward Bryn Pollard had a goal and an assist.
Thunder Bay Queens trounced the Pilot Mound Buffaloes 7-1. Five players from the Queens recorded two points each in the victory.
Winnipeg Ice downed the Calgary Fire by a 3-2 score. Forward Reagan Yewdall had a goal and two assists for the Ice.
Rocky Mountain Raiders defeated the Vancouver Island Seals 1-0. Hali Lawrence earned her second shutout of the day while forward Hailey Wiltshire scored the only goal of the game.
Westman Wildcats downed the St. Mary's Academy Flames 4-3. Forward Brynn Tosh had a pair of goals for the Wildcats.
Northern Alberta X-Treme defeated the Thompson Okanagan Lakers 4-1. Defender Andie Proulx scored two goals and added a helper for the X-Treme.
Ok, so there weren't 30-or-so games today, but it felt like it with all the hockey I watched and called today. On a funnier note, you can hear my voice slowly getting hoarser and hoarser throughout the day as I called four games today. I'm not sure how a guy like Gord Miller does it at the World Junior Championship every year, but he's simply a machine... unlike me whose voice is dying on Day Two.
In any case, there were some impressive performances today by the above teams and individuals to force tie-breakers and some advanced calculus for the tournament organizers, so I'll have the results of who finished where and who they played on Saturday and Sunday as the tournament wound down ON MONDAY'S ARTICLE due to The Rundown being set for tomorrow. Look for the final tally from this tournament then, and I hope you'll make it down to the IcePlex for these games or listen in on the Female World Sport School Challenge website!
Pilot Mound Buffaloes vs. Edmonton Pandas
Northern Alberta X-Treme vs. Winnipeg Ice
Red Deer Sutterfund Chiefs vs. Lloydminster PMW Steelers
St. Mary's Academy Flames vs. Westman Wildcats
In some late-breaking news, there was word out of the Northern Alberta X-Treme camp that the twin threats in Abby and Allie Soyko had verbally-agreed to commit to the Mount Royal Cougars next season! That's a huge get for the Cougars as Abby and Allie are dangerous together on the same line for NAX, so congratulations to the Soyko sisters and to the Cougars on getting this commitment! It's always great news to hear about these young ladies getting a chance at the next level! UPDATE: Before I get ahead of myself here, my good friend Dave pointed out a wee bit of an issue when it comes to the Soykos having been recruited.
I will say, in my defence, there was no recruiting info on the Soykos listed in the program at the Female World Sport School Challenge so perhaps this was just someone mixing up the Alberta-based post-secondary institutions (likely) when it comes to the Soykos and their futures. That being said, I can say that the Pronghorns did retweet the All-Star Selections from the tournament to which Abby Soyko was named, so it seems that they're still headed to Lethbridge and not to Mount Royal. Huge thanks to Dave for pointing that out, and I apologize for leading anyone astray with that misinformation above!
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