The Hockey Show - Episode 637

The Hockey Show, Canada's only campus-produced radio show that strictly talks hockey, finally makes it back into the studio tonight as Teebz is back in snowy Winnipeg, Jason is set for another night of hockey chatter, and the sport gets ready for another set of thoughts and discussion about what happened over the last week. Honestly, with almost every league in the northern hemisphere running at maximum overdrive before the holiday break kicks in, there's a lot to discuss as we'll take a look across the oceans at some of the news there too. In short, get settled in with your radio or internet-connected device tonight for The Hockey Show at 5:30pm CT!

Tonight on the program, Teebz and Jason will look at the Four Nations rosters briefly and discuss why this tournament likely will miss the mark when it comes to being "must-watch hockey", the World Junior Championship roster was released by Canada and there were some surprises and omissions, the PWHL is back and Sarah Fillier is living up to her hype, and there was a suspension for a teddy bear toss that needs to be mentioned. Beyond that, Teebz and Jason will update everyone on what's happening in Europe with a focus on former U SPORTS players, and we'll squeeze in anything else we can within the hour we're given! It's another busy show as we jump across the globe, so make sure you're ready to travel 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 new UMFM website's online streaming player works well if you want to listen online. We also recommend Radio Garden if you need an easy-to-use online stream. If you're more of an app person, we recommend you use the TuneIn app found on the App Store or Google Play Store. It's a solid app.

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

Tonight, Teebz and Jason chat about international rosters, women's hockey, weird suspensions, European hockey, and much more exclusively on 101.5 UMFM and on the UMFM.com web stream!

PODCAST: December 5, 2024: Episode 637

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

The Manitoba Cossacks?

Far be it from me to tell anyone who owns a professional hockey team what to name their team, but the above name - Manitoba Cossacks - almost was a real thing. For those who may not be up to speed on their history, cossacks are "a predominantly East Slavic Eastern Christian people originating in the Pontic–Caspian steppe of eastern Ukraine and southern Russia" who were primarily partially-nomadic, but semi-militarized peoples. While there are a vast number of hockey players from that region of the world, I'm not certain the Manitoba IHL franchise wanted to tie itself to that history or that area of the world in 1996, but the team known as the IHL's Manitoba Moose had that name among those suggested by fans when it arrived in Winnipeg.

According to a May 2, 1996 article in the Winnipeg Free Press penned by Tim Campbell, the Moose officially became part of the IHL on May 1, 1996 as the franchise was transferred from Minneapolis-St. Paul to Winnipeg on that date. The sting of the Jets leaving the city for Phoenix would be somewhat tempered by the arrival of the Moose, but the die-hard Jets fans weren't about to lower their standards for IHL hockey. Nevertheless, the Moose thrived and survived in Winnipeg for a number of years until they and five other teams were absorbed by the AHL in the 2001 dissolution of IHL.

In 1996, though, the 19-team league was reshuffling struggling teams, and the Minnesota Moose were the first to go. The Atlanta Knights wouldn't be far behind them, relocating to Quebec City for the 1996-97 season to become the Rafales while the league was expanding into a new market with a franchise in Grand Rapids, Michigan - yes, that would be the Griffins. The Los Angeles Ice Dogs eventually would land in Long Beach, California, and the Peoria Rivermen annnounced they were leaving the league for greener pastures with a sale that saw them become the San Antonio Dragons while the Riverman name was resurrected in Peoria in the ECHL.

Yes, it was a league that was under great change during the mid-1990s, but the article written by Campbell contained the passage to the right that outlined a number of names considered by ownership as the Moose moved north. As Campbell wrote, the names in contention included "Cossacks, Minters, Snow Bears, Loons, Prairie Fire, Prairie Dogs, Sun Dogs, Ice Breakers, Blizzard, Terror, and Skeeters." Moose, however, won out over those names. Perhaps, thankfully.

The Winnipeg Snow Bears would have been interesting considering that "Manitoba Polar Bears" rolls off the tongue better, but it may also have killed any chance of the CEBL's Winnipeg Sea Bears taking their name. Skeeters and Prairie Dogs simply don't have the fear factor one would want in a name, and those mascots would likely have been very cartoonish. Loons would be a problem if it came to people referencing "crazy hockey games"; Prairie Fire can mean a wildfire which seems insensitive considering some of the emergencies seen nowadays; and, both Ice Breakers and Blizzard don't make me want to rise to my feet to cheer on the team.

The Manitoba Terror, however, could be very interesting considering the different forms of terror it could represent, but it feels kind of vague as it makes logos and mascots difficult to design. Of course, with Winnipeg being the murder capital of Canada at one point, it would seem to be in very poor taste to select that name, especially with Winnipeg's crime rate significantly higher than that of the rest of Canada in the mid-1990s. In short, the idea is good, but the reality of the name makes it a poor choice.

Frankly speaking, though, Moose is the best name of the ones that Campbell outlined in his article. It clearly has done well in Manitoba as it's still here and, despite an angrier Moose logo, the Moose name even came back when the St. John's Ice Caps relocated to Winnipeg in 2015-16. There have been some excellent players who have passed through Winnipeg thanks to the Moose's presence, and there was even an AHL affiliation with the Vancouver Canucks from 2001-2011 that allowed fans to see players like Ryan Kesler, Kevin Bieksa, and Corey Schneider find their way onto NHL rosters.

It's always fun to look back on what could have been had a name-the-team contest gone in a different direction, but the Manitoba Cossacks just doesn't seem like the kind of name that would guarantee longevity. When teams aim for popular names and fun mascots, Mick E. Moose certainly comes across better than Bohdan Khmelnytsky. I'd say Moose managing partner Mark Chipman made the right choice in keeping Moose when it came to his IHL team.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Light It Up

I don't care what team you cheer for, but you had to smile tonight as Patrik Laine skated out for his first game with the bleu-blanc-et-rouge in his first game in what was 11 days short of a full calendar year. The roar of the Montreal faithful with every Laine touch of the puck was enough to know that they appreciate the big Finn's presence in the lineup, and his power-play goal set off a thunderous cheer inside Centre Bell that likely could be heard outside the arena.

Considering everything he's been through in this last year, tonight will likely be a night that Patrik Laine doesn't soon forget after the Canadiens downed the Islanders by a 2-1 overtime score. I know these games are already special when the Islanders visit with Patrick Roy behind the bench, but Montreal fans got to see Laine do what he does best in denting twine and they repaid the effort with an ovation that hasn't been heard for some time in Montreal rinks.

"That was the most outrageous thing I've ever heard in my entire life," he told reporters after the game. "I don't deserve this, not at all. It'll be something, for sure, I'll remember forever. That was the coolest thing I've ever seen. Pretty humbling... and I'm just grateful and just thankful to be here."

Yes, it's exciting to see #92 flying down the wing for the Canadiens again, but let's not forget that this was a man who stepped away from the game for mental health reasons after a rather ugly incident on a Columbus Blue Jackets podcast. For a guy who struggling with injuries and inconsistency during his time in Ohio, that incident marked a low point for fans who made it clear they didn't agree with the podcaster's comments. While the relationship between Columbus and Laine was fractured, it eventually was resolved via a trade to Montreal where a fresh start was promised for Laine. On Tuesday, it seems he got that and more as the fans showered him with praise.

"It's obviously good after a win and, overall, I'm feeling good," Laine stated. "Just being back helps mentally. Just being around everybody and just being able to play here is a blessing, and I'm just super thankful to have this opportunity and I'm just trying to make the most out of it."

He certainly did as he picked up his first goal this season off a feed from Lane Hutson, and he made linemates Kirby Dach and Juraj Slafkovsky look pretty good with their play. With the Islanders focussing on the likes of Suzuki and Caufield on one line while Laine and his linemates were on another, it opened up the game for Montreal's third line of Christian Dvorak, Josh Anderson, and Brendan Gallagher who had a solid night at the office despite not scoring. Three balanced lines was the intention of adding a scorer like Laine, and we saw it for the first time this season as the Canadiens battled hard throughout the sixty minutes and beyond.

Anytime a player has lost the passion for the game, though, makes you wonder if that fire can be re-ignited. Tonight, it seemed like Laine found the spark needed as he was honoured as the first star of the game to another thunderous ovation from the Montreal crowd. It had me wondering if he had set any expectations for the night when it came to how he was going to play.

"I mean, I talked with my therapist about this — that I was a little nervous yesterday," Laine admitted, "and I just decided that putting this jersey on today is an achievement after everything. Everything that comes after that is a plus."

I know fans heap nearly-insurmountable expectations on star players at times, but seeing Laine find his smile again is pure hockey magic. Seeing the crowd support him like they did had to lift a weight off his shoulders when it comes to his own expectations, and scoring that goal to make it 1-0 must have been one of the most memorable goals he scored just because of what it meant in the bigger picture.

It's true for any of us that we need to enjoy what we're doing for it not to feel like work or a chore, and I would guess that hockey players seek that same enjoyment in their work to make it feel less like a grind. And after all the work that Patrik Laine did with his mental health, dealing with injuries, and landing in a new city to get back to a spot where he's smiling and enjoying hockey again is an achievement for which I'll cheer no matter what jersey Laine wears.

Congratulations on a big first game, Patrik Laine. Here's to a big season where you light the lamp again and again while being cheered by all fans because if there's one guy who deserves to find happiness in his work again, it's Patrik Laine in this writer's view.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Landing In Omsk

The last time this man stood behind a bench with the title of head coach was in 2018-19 with the Ottawa Senators before they fired him midseason. That's not to say that Guy Boucher hasn't been busy as he worked the 2023-24 season with the Toronto Maple Leafs as an assistant coach, but I'm pretty certain that once a coach reaches the pinnacle of running his team, that becomes his main focus. It appears that Boucher will get that opportunity again as he makes the jump to the KHL where he'll be calling the shots for Avangard Omsk after they hired him to be their head coach on November 27! And he'll find work to do there!

According to reports, Boucher's deal in Russia will run through to the end of the 2025-26 season, and it's expected that his systems and coaching will lead Omsk to a playoff spot after finding themselves in ninth-place in the KHL's Eastern Conference standings. The catch, however, is that Omsk has been retooling their roster over the last month to bring in some quality talent, and Boucher appears to be the latest piece in that talent pipeline coming into Omsk.

Former Winnipeg Jets goaltending prospect Mikhail Berdin is on the injured list right now while former Pittsburgh Penguins defensive prospect Alex Grant is also out with an injury. Add in the likes of defenders Sergei Boikov and Daniil Stepanov along with forwards Ilya Reingardt and Vladimir Tkachyov, and it's easy to see why Omsk needs some reinforcements. Boucher will have some solid talent at his disposal, however, as he settles into his new role, and some of that talent has NHL and AHL experience.

American and noted sex offender Reid Boucher leads the team with eleven goals and is second with 20 points while former Vancouver Canucks forward Linden Vey sits right behind Boucher with 19 points. Former Boston Bruins forward Ryan Spooner has only played 17 games thus far, but he sits sixth in scoring with 11 points. Former Edmonton Oilers first-overall pick Nail Yakupov joined Omsk earlier in November after being acquired from Kunlun Red Star while former San Jose Sharks defensive prospect Ryan Merkley joined the club last week.

Pavel Khomchenko has played the vast majority of games between the pipes, posting a 2.42 GAA and a .912 save percentage, but his 10-12-1 record in those games is indicative of their low-scoring ways. In 31 games to date, Omsk has scored just 72 goals while giving up 86, so they need to find the back of the net with more regularity. In the Eastern Conference, they're the fourth-lowest scoring team, so Guy Boucher will have to find a way to squeeze some more offence out of his newly-built roster.

Since the four years that Bob Hartley guided Omsk from 2018-2022, Omsk has seen four head coaches in the last two seasons including Boucher. That's not a great track record when it comes to coaching changes, but Boucher's NHL experience will likely give him some additional rope before Avangard management decides to remove him. Before we talk about the 53 year-old's dismissal, though, we'll see if he can move the 9-16-4-2 Avangard club past Lada Togliatti into eighth-place or even past Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk into seventh-place. As it stands, Omsk sits three points back of Lada for that eighth-place position.

Known for some of his defensive systems more than his offensive prowess, Boucher compiled a 191-186-46 record in the NHL while also being named as the 2009-10 AHL Coach of the Year with the Hamilton Bulldogs. He can be fiery behind the bench as well, but that might be something that Avangard management wanted when it comes to lighting a fire underneath the team. Either way, Boucher's the man in Omsk for the foreseeable future, so we'll have to keep an eye on the former McGill Redbirds assistant coach over in Russia!

I'm not sure Guy Boucher thought he'd be heading to Russia at the end of 2024, but he's got a deal that will keep him there for at least one more year. дом милый дом, I guess?

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

The Rundown - Week 9

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Result: 3-1 victory for UBC over Manitoba.

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

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

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

Result: 10-2 victory for UBC over Manitoba.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Result: 3-0 victory for Saskatchewan over MacEwan.

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

CANADA WEST WOMEN'S HOCKEY

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

Honour Roll

Each week on The Rundown, I highlight the best performances from the weekend's games. It won't always be the top scorer or the best goalie, but I'll have a reason for who gets picked each week. This week's Honour Roll candidate is a player who likely won't be at the top of any scoring lists, but she's constantly proving that she has the talent and work ethic to be an effective player in Canada West as Jayde Cadieux adds her name to the list!

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

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

Shameless (Self)Promotion

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

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

The Top Panda

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

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

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

Missed Honours

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

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

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

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

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

Scouting Ontario

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

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

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

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

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

The Last Word

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

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

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

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

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!