Hollywood

June 12: Schedule Is Out The schedule is out! Most teams had announcements, with their team highlights, as linked. The league schedule link still goes to 2018-19. The 2019-20 schedule link brings up an XLS document. One nice feature on the team schedules is a "history" link at which they post trivia and stats about the match-up going back to February 2008 (for Manitoba). This feature is on the Manitoba, Calgary, Sask, and UBC schedule pages. The exhibition games should now be announced by bits and drabs. Regina's story contained this tidbit: The Bisons are not affected by the new WHL franchise. They have two Saturday night-Sunday afternoon series, two Friday night-Saturday night series, and three Friday night-Saturday afternoon series. Links: ➤ CW: story : XLS schedule ➤ Manitoba: story : schedule ➤ Alberta: story : schedule ➤ Calgary: schedule ➤ Lethbridge: nothing yet ➤ MRU: story ➤ Regina: story ➤ Sask: story : schedule ➤ UBC: story : schedule

June 10: Bisons Land a Hat-Trick of Forwards The Bisons announced the recruitment of three more players, all forwards who finished last season in the MJHL where they enjoyed all-star status. Bradly Goethals - C - Swan Valley Stampeders (MJHL) / Saskatoon Blades (WHL) At 6'1" and only 170 lbs, I can't help but think that some bulking up would help Goethals find that next level. I am sure that he can locate many fine cooks in his home town of Île-des-Chênes. He had just one full season in the WHL, where he scored 15 goals. The Blades replaced his overage spot with a defenceman early last year, so he came back to the MJHL, landing with Swan. In 50 games he went 34-45-79, which landed him on the first all-star team. He also racked up 12-13-25 in 17 playoff games. Links: ➤ GoBisons.ca: Bisons add scoring punch for 2019-20 season with three MJHL recruits ➤ Elite Prospects: Bradly Goethals Career Stats ➤ MJHL: Bradly Goethals Stats ➤ Stampeders: Bradly Goethals Named RBC Player of the Month ➤ Stampeders: Bradly Goethals Named MLLC Player of the Month ➤ Saskatoon Star-Phoenix: Blades add veteran D-man Schuldhaus, part ways with forward Goethals ➤ Winnipeg Free Press: Stampeders have title in sight Josh Tripp - F - Swan Valley Stampeders (MJHL) At 5'9" and 165 lbs. Tripp will not be adding a physical presence to the line-up. However, this Swan River boy edged Goethals (his team-mate) for the MJHL scoring title, 36-48-84 in 57 games. Both were on the league's first all-star team. He was also 11-10-21 in 21 playoff games. Links: ➤ Elite Prospects: Joshua Tripp Career Stats ➤ MJHL: Joshua Tripp Stats ➤ MJHL: Stamps’ Tripp hoping scoring crown pays off in playoffs ➤ Stampeders: Josh Tripp Named Finalist For CJHL MVP Award ➤ Windspeaker: Tripp racking up the points in his hometown ➤ Winnipeg Free Press: Local star wants to see Swan Valley Stampeders become a 'championship team' ➤ Game On: Josh Tripp Collects Major MJHL Player of the Year Award Chase Brakel - C - Cornell Big Red (NCAA) / Portage Terriers (MJHL) Brakel's three full seasons with the Terriers ended in 2017-18, when he was the team captain. He started last season at Cornell, but left after just six games. He was a deadline addition to the Terriers' playoff roster. In 21 regular season games, his scoreline was 9-11-20 and in 20 playoff games he was 11-17-28. His peak season was in 2016-17, where he racked up numbers of 34-46-80 in 58 games. Also, he was an MJHL second team all-star in 2017 and 2018. Links: ➤ Elite Prospects: Chase Brakel Career Stats ➤ MJHL: Chase Brakel Stats ➤ Graphic Leader: Already surging Terriers add to arsenal ➤ Portage Terriers: 20 Questions with Captain Chase Brakel ➤ Winnipeg Sun: Portage Terriers snare fourth MJHL title in five years ➤ Portage Online: Brakel Declares For Cornell Meanwhile, another Evil Monkey has turned pro. Jason Fram is off to the KHL to join Kunlun Red Star, based in China. He's been voted Canada's best USports defenceman in 2018 and 2019. Links: ➤ UofA: Jason Fram signs with Kunlun Red Star of the KHL

June 10: Odds & Ends The CW is going to be using AI to generate highlights this year. Here's what they claim: If you need a part-time job, the U of M is looking for game day staff. Details are in the links. Serge Lajoie is one ape headed for the Evil Monkeys' Wall of Fame. He won awards at every level: The BCIHL musings on the impact of Holy Trinity's shift to the CW in 2020-21 are in the linked story. They brought up that TWU may operate a varsity team in the CW and a club side in the BCIHL. Maybe UBC would follow suit! Links: ➤ CW: Canada West partners with REELY for AI-powered highlights ➤ UofM: Bison Sports hosting a Game Day Job Fair on June 11 ➤ UofA: Serge Lajoie added to Sports Wall of Fame ➤ BCIHL: BCIHL statement on TWU's successful bid to join Canada West conference

June 3: TV passes & odds and ends The on-line product has been getting better but there is a steep price increase. All sports pass is $100. Early bird pricing exists and is now scaled in. Here's the price list: ALL-ACCESS PASS - includes playoffs Tier 1 (June 3-30) - $79.99 Tier 2 (July 1-31) - $84.99 Tier 3 (August 1-31) - $89.99 Full price (Sept. 1) - $99.99 SPORT PASS - for one of football, soccer, hockey, volleyball, or basketball, regular season only Tier 1 (June 3-30) - $31.99 Tier 2 (July 1-31) - $33.99 Tier 3 (August 1-31) - $35.99 Full price (Sept. 1) - $39.99 SINGLE EVENT PASS: $6.99 Links: ➤ Press release: CW rp@ UofM rp@ UofL There are more stories about the on-going renovations of the Wayne Fleming Arena on the UofM Campus and about previously announced recruits. The old scoreboard has been removed from centre ice as in this picture. The new one should be nice. The CW schedule has not been released. However, at the UND site we see that the Herd will have an exhibition game there on October 6th. Links: ➤ Winnipeg Sun: Paul Friesen: Ice pretty themselves up for Winnipeg debut ➤ The Manitoban: Jason Pchajek: Getting ready for opening day ➤ Chris D: Bisons Stay Local in Latest Pair of Hockey Recruits (re Apetagon & Harris) ➤ Chris D: Bisons Sign Former Regina Pats Defenceman Brady Pouteau ➤ Winnipeg Free Press: Sports briefs (re Pouteau) ➤ UND: Hockey Schedule

May 26: Where's the News? It has now been two weeks without news in the CW. The Bisons announced some recruits (per the last post) but no other team has an official announcement of recruits. So we need to look at news from other areas for now. One of UBC's assistants is leaving the nest. Kelvin Cech is leaving to coach the Winkler Flyers in the MJHL. Believe it or not, this is the only new news on a CW team page, other than the Bisons. Last year UBC was laying on the announcements. Links: ➤ UBC: Kelvin Cech joining the MJHL’s Winkler Flyers as new head coach Perhaps you saw the just-ended IIHF World Championship. For me, one game of interest was at the end of the round-robin when Great Britain beat France for 7th place and the right to return next year. There were two USports grads on the Team GB roster - Tim Billingsley (from the Cartoon Ravens) and Mike Hammond (from the Lakehead Thundermutts). Both played from 2011-12 to 2014-15. Links: ➤ Elite Prospects: Billingsley : Hammond : Team GB ➤ Ice Hockey UK: RUSSELL NAMES 25-MAN WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP SQUAD The AUS is the first conference to release a schedule. The story doesn't say too much about it. I do not see it uploaded as yet to the USports site. (Although the way that site is run, that may not happen until January anyhow.) Links: ➤ AUS: 2019-20 AUS men's hockey schedule announced ➤ AUS: Schedule MacEwan's shift from the ACAC to the CW was already posted. However there is additional discussion of the topic our in Saudi Alberta. The story at the Red Deer Advocate claims that the ACAC will be down to 9 men's and 4 women's teams after the move. Did I miss two new men's programs being added to the ACAC? Links: ➤ Red Deer Advocate: RDC set for new hockey reality with Griffins departing for USports ➤ Edmonton Sun: MacEwan University hockey programs heading to another level rp @ Sherwood Park News

May 12: Recruits, Renovations, and Expansion RECRUITS The Bisons have announced five recruits who, when combined with last year's red shirt and post-Christmas acquisitions, cover most of the team's pressing needs for the upcoming season. Of the eight players profiled, seven are from every corner of Sunny Manitoba. One more solid major junior goal-scorer would be nice! Here are the details: Brady Pouteau - D - Regina Pats (WHL) Pouteau fits what was once the prototype for a Bison recruit: A local boy (from Oak Bank, BTW) who went off to play in the WHL, wore a letter, and is coming back home to go to school. He is 6'3" and 203 lbs and plays some physical D. That was one big item on the Bison shopping list. He played five years in the Dub, in Regina, Lethbridge, and back to Regina for their Memorial Cup run. Of great local interest is that the Pats gave him the Rick Rypien Memorial Award. Rypien was the captain of the Pats and, though undrafted, was recruited to the Manitoba Moose where he established himself as a legit prospect and was offered a 2-way deal by the Vancouver Canucks. When the Jets were revived, he was signed by the team but unfortunately took his own life whilst suffering from depression before training camp. Links: ➤ GoBisons.ca: Bisons recruit Oak Bluff native Brady Pouteau for the 2019-20 season ➤ ChrisD.ca: Bisons Sign Former Regina Pats Defenceman Brady Pouteau ➤ Regina Leader-Post: Pats playing for pride on final weekend of season ➤ Elite Prospects: Brady Pouteau Career Stats Riley Lamb - G - Swift Current Broncos (WHL) Lamb, from Rivers, is coming home. He finished his WHL career with Swift Current, but started with Red Deer. He had two years with Red Deer (2016-17 and 2017-18) before heading to the SJHL in 2018-19 for his "overage" year. After stints in Weyburn and Yorkton, he was added by Swift Current for their late-season drive. His numbers are solid (just over .900 save % the last three years). After the departure of the three goaltenders the Herd has had in recent years (Byron Spriggs, Justin Paulic, and Dasan Sydora) they needed somebody to partner with last year's redshirt, Tyler Brown (also a WHL grad). I expect them to add a local recruit from the MJHL or even MMJHL to act as a #3. Links: ➤ GoBisons.ca: Bisons add veteran goaltender Riley Lamb for the 2019-20 season ➤ WHL: Broncos clarify crease, sign overager Lamb to WHL Standard Player Agreement ➤ CHL: Rebels’ Riley Lamb named Vaughn CHL Goaltender of the Week (2018) ➤ Swift Current: Page of Video Links ➤ Elite Prospects: Riley Lamb Career Stats Matthew Stanley - D - Swift Current Broncos (WHL), Jacksonville Icemen (ECHL) Stanley is from Balmoral and is another sizeable country boy on D, just what the Bisons need. In 2015-16 he started his career with Steinbach in the MJHL. He then spent three seasons in the WHL, from Swift Current to Lethbridge then back again. Last year was his "overage" year and Swift Current picked him up after Lethbridge let him go. He also had a cup-of-coffee with Jacksonville at the end of 2019. If only they had fighting in the CW! The Bisons have more than their share of capable pugilists. Links: ➤ GoBisons.ca: Bisons recruit WHL defenceman Matthew Stanley for the 2019-20 season ➤ YouTube: Matthew Stanley vs Tristyn DeRoose Mar 7, 2018 ➤ Lethbridge: Hurricanes Waive Stanley ➤ Swift Current: Broncos welcome back pair of familiar faces ➤ Elite Prospects: Matthew Stanley Career Stats Tony Apetagon - F - Winnipeg Blues / OCN Blizzard (MJHL) Brian Harris - F - Swan Valley Stampeders (MJHL) / Edmonton Oil Kings (WHL) The Bisons had a joint press release for these two MJHL forwards. Apetagon is a 6'2" forward from Norway House. It is tough to come up through the ranks up north. Distances are long and travel is rough. In 2016-17 he started with the OCN Storm (Junior B), then in 2017-18 he went to the OCN Blizzard (Junior A). Last year he was OCN's captain but was traded to the Blues late for their playoff run. He finished 3rd in league scoring (29-45-74 in 59 games) and was on the 1st all-star team. He was also OCN's captain. Harris is a 6' 1" forward from Wawanesa. He helped lead Swan within a game of their first-ever MJHL title. Last year he was 16-36-52 in 59 regular season games, and 4-11-15 in 17 playoff games. The linked YouTube video shows he can throw 'em like a good old Manitoba boy! Links: ➤ GoBisons.ca: Bisons recruit local talent in Tony Apetagon and Brian Harris for 2019-20 season ➤ ChrisD.ca: Bisons Stay Local in Latest Pair of Hockey Recruits ➤ Elite Prospects: Tony Apetagon Career Stats : Brian Harris Career Stats ➤ Winnipeg Blues: Apetagon's Player Card ➤ MJHL: Apetagon expected to boost the Blues’ scoring attack ➤ Swan Valley: Former Stampeder Brian Harris Found A Home In The WHL ➤ YouTube: Brian Harris vs Ty Ettinger Jan 9, 2018 In addition to the five recruits, the Bisons have a redshirt and two post-Christmas recruits of note from 2018-19. Tyler Brown - G - Saskatoon Blades (WHL) Last year Brown was a redshirt after having surgery in the off-season. Reports at the time had him coming to the team in the new year, but that never happened. Links: ➤ Eliteprospects.com: Tyler Brown Career Stats ➤ WHL: Tyler Brown Player Page Ryan Carlson - D - Wisconsin-Superior Yellowjackets (NCAA) / Steinbach Pistons (MJHL) Carlson is a Minnesota boy but played three seasons for Steinbach in the MJHL from 2014-15 to 2016-17. He then played a season and a half down south before transferring at Christmas last year. He is 6'3" but not very physical. He does handle the puck well, though. He was one of those guys who was better than expected. He was on the NCAA Scholastic Honour (or Honor as they say) Roll! Links: ➤ Eliteprospects.com: Ryan Carlson ➤ MJHL: Former Pistons Defender Carlson Commits to University of Wisconsin Superior Colton Veloso - F - Jacksonville Icemen (ECHL)/Kootenay Ice (WHL) Veloso is a Winnipeg boy who left Steinbach and went far west to play for the Portland Winterhawks in the WHL in 2015. He wound up his WHL career with the Kootenay Ice (now the Winnipeg Ice), where he scored 25 goals in 2017-18. He went to play for the Jacksonville Icemen at the end of the 2018 season and then in 2018-19 he played until Christmas. He then came to the Bisons so he could cash in his WHL scholarships. He posted stats of 2-5-7 in 12 games. Links: ➤ Eliteprospects.com: Colton Veloso ➤ Game On: Winnipeg's Colton Veloso to Attend Manitoba Moose Camp (2018) ➤ WHL: Player Page ➤ Steinbach: Former Pistons forwards sign in ECHL (2018) ➤ Jacksonville: Pair of Rookie Forwards Join Icemen RENOVATIONS The Winnipeg Ice of the WHL will play their first two seasons at the Wayne Fleming Arena whilst their new arena is being built about a 15-20 minute drive from the U of M. We knew that renovations would be coming but the place is in for a massive face-lift. Highlights are: - increased capacity from 1,400 to 1,600, with a balcony on the east side; - party lounges are being installed; - upgraded concessions; - VIP lounge; - video scoreboard; - miscellaneous improvements to the media area, glass, boards, safety netting, dressing rooms, etc. Here are some artist renderings: To orient yourself on the pictures, the seating is in a "C" shape, going behind both nets and on one side (the one with the penalty box). The nets are at the north and south ends and the seats are on the west side. The player benches are on the east side. The new loges are going on the east side. Links: ➤ WHL: 50 Below Sports + Entertainment announces upgrades to Wayne Fleming Arena ➤ ChrisD.ca: Winnipeg Ice Spending $1.2M on Upgrades to Wayne Fleming Arena ➤ Winnipeg Sun: FRIESEN: Ice pretty themselves up for Winnipeg debut ➤ CJOB/Global: Moore’s Morning Sports Briefing for Friday, May 10 EXPANSION Two new teams will be joining the CW in 2020-21. The Trinity Western Spartans will join from the BCIHL and the MacEwan Griffins will join from the ACAC. This will bring the CW up to 10 teams. However, the downside is that unless new schools join, the BCIHL will be down to four teams and the ACAC down to seven. So, seen globally, this would not improve the status of university/college hockey very much. However, there are rumours of significance coming from UQAM, of all places. They have never had a team before. They have a million dollar donation from the Molson's! Maybe the other UQ's can also have teams. UQTR has a new logo. Maybe UQAC can come back! TRINITY WESTERN Holy Trinity was a founding member of the BCIHL in 2005, operating a team known as the "Titans". In 2010-11 the hockey team was elevated to varsity status, and adopted the "Spartans" moniker, as used for their other varsity teams. They have finished first and won the playoffs in each of the last two seasons. They last an exhibition game to UBC 6-2 last September. Jeff Gamache (AD) had this to say in the link: I suspect that TWU will be able to recruit on a continent-wide basis, which might compensate for them being at a disadvantage against UBC and other CW schools due to their strict code of conduct. MACEWAN The Peter Griffins had a prolonged period of mediocrity in the ACAC (5 straight seasons of quarter-final eliminations preceded by 3 straight years out of the playoffs), however they have now won three titles in a row. In all three seasons they finished second to NAIT in the regular season before rallying in the playoffs. MacEwan has only just begun to add non-conference games with the CW to their schedule. This contrasts to NAIT, who have loads of games every year against CW and NCAA teams, both inside and outside Alberta. Last year they were hammered twice by the Bedrock Dinosaurs, 6-2 and 9-0. Links: ➤ CW: New sport applications approved for TWU, MacEwan, UFV ➤ TWU: SPARTANS JOIN CANADA WEST IN MEN’S & WOMEN’S HOCKEY ➤ UBC 6 TWU 2: SPARTANS LOSE TO UBC IN HARD-FOUGHT CAPTAINS CUP CONTEST ➤ MacEwan: MacEwan hockey programs accepted into Canada West conference, starting in 2020-21 ➤ MacEwan: Three latest recruits - Gable, Miller and Harris - bring tons of championship, leadership experience ➤ MacEwan: Quickly back to work after third-straight title, Griffins add talented new recruits Taupert, Chalifoux ➤ UQAM: Towards the creation of a hockey team at UQAM ➤ Quartierlibre.ca (translated): One million dollars for hockey at UQAM The CW is getting a Hall of Fame! Links: ➤ CW: Canada West launches Hall of Fame ➤ UofM (rp): Canada West launches hall of fame

U-SPORTS/CIS BOOKMARKS The Bisons are off to a much faster start with recruiting news than last year, so time to start the 2019-20 thread! Hopefully last years health issues are behind me so I can keep on top of my favourite hobby this season. As usual, the opening post has the links needed to follow USports/CIS hockey. The next one will have the news. League Sites: USports Mens Hockey Site - Tw - FB ... sub-links : Standings : Schedule/Results : Playoffs : U-Cup Canada West Mens Hockey Site - Tw - FB ... sub-links : Schedule/Results/Links : History and Records : Media Stats OUA Mens Hockey Site - Tw - FB ... sub-links : Schedule/Results AUS Mens Hockey Site - Tw - FB ... sub-links : Schedule/Results ACAC Mens Hockey Site - Tw - FB ... sub-links : Schedule/Results : CCAA History : ACAC Hockey BCIHL Site - Tw - FB ... sub-links : Schedule Canada West Team Sites: Alberta Golden Bears - Tw - FB Calgary Dinos - Tw - FB Lethbridge Pronghorns - Tw - FB Manitoba Bisons - Tw - FB Mount Royal Cougars - Tw - FB Regina Cougars - Tw - FB Saskatchewan Huskies - Tw - FB UBC Thunderbirds - Tw - FB AUS Team Sites: Acadia Axemen Dalhousie Tigers Moncton Aigles Bleus- Google Translate New Brunswick Varsity Reds UPEI Panthers St. Francis-Xavier X-men Saint Marys Huskies OUA-West Team Sites: Brock Badgers Guelph Gryphons Lakehead Thunderwolves Laurier Golden Hawks Ryerson Rams Toronto Varsity Blues Waterloo Warriors - Tw - FB Western Ontario Mustangs Windsor Lancers York Lions OUA-East Team Sites: Carleton Ravens Laurentian Voyageurs Nipissing Lakers Ottawa Geegees Queens Golden Gaels RMC Palladins - Team Site UOIT Ridgebacks RSEQ (OUA-East) Team Sites: Concordia Stingers McGill Redmen UQTR Patriotes - Google Translate - Tw - FB ACAC Team Sites: Augustana Vikings Briercrest Clippers Concordia Thunder MacEwan Griffins - joining the CW in 2020-21 NAIT Ooks Portage Voyageurs Red Deer Kings SAIT Trojans BCIHL Team Sites: Eastern Washington Eagles - withdrew in 2018-19 Selkirk Saints Simon Fraser Clan - Tw Trinity Western Spartans - joining the CW in 2020-21 Vancouver Island Mariners Victoria Vikings Media Sites/Blogs: Canadian University Sports Network Breakin News N Crackin Brews (online radio) TSN CIS Page SportsNet CIS Page - SNU The Attacking Zone CISblog.ca ChrisD.ca MyToba.ca Winnipeg Hockey Talk Boxscore News - CIS Hockey Page Independent Sports News Hockey Scene - AUS UNBHockeyFans.com AcadiaAxemenHockey.com Ryerson Rams Hockey Alumni Horns Hockey Alumni (Lethbridge) RedmenHockey.com (McGill) Bison Mens Hockey (Manitoba unofficial) Golden Bears Hockey Alumni (Alberta) Hockey Blog in Canada (includes Manitoba) The Manitoban (student paper) The Varsity (Toronto student paper) Regina Cougar Hockey Alumni Bison Mens Hockey Twitter (Manitoba unofficial) Online video/audio: CanadaWest.tv - YareTV link sportscanada.tv AUSTV.ca OUA.tv CITR.ca - UBC radio Rock 94 FM - Lakehead away games UMFM.com - all Bison home games SSN Canada Canada West stats and data: CW LeagueStats - Media Stats CW LeagueStats - Standings CW LeagueStats - Daily Schedule CW LeagueStats - Rosters CW LeagueStats - Skaters Stats CW LeagueStats - Goalies Stats CW LeagueStats - Team Schedules CW Website Season Schedule - links to summaries CW Website Stats CW Hockey Tech Daily Schedule CW Hockey Tech Stats Stats: Elite Prospects - USports Page - individual player stats on everybody Internet Hockey Data Base (IHDB) : CWUAA Page - like Elite Prospects USports/CIS Stats - 2009-10 to 2019-20 USports/CIS Schedule/Results - 2009-10 to 2019-20 USports/CIS Standings - 2010 to 2020 USports/CIS Playoff Schedule/Results - 2010 to 2019 AUS Archive OUA LeagueStat ACAC LeagueStat (inactive link) Bob Adams Archives - CIS hockey from 1995-96 to 2008-09 Wikia - U Sports ... sub-links : University Cup Wikia - CWUAA ... sub-links : GPAC : WIAA : WCIAU Wikia - OUA/OUAA ... sub-links : QUAA : OSLC : OIAA : QOAA : CIAU Central Wikia - AUS/AUAA/AIAA/MIAA Wikia - North American Championship Wikia - Universiade Atlantic Canadian Hockey History Old threads: OHT34 2009-10 OHT34 2010-11 OHT34 2011-12 OHT35 2012-13 OHT36 2013-14 OHT36 2014-15 OHT36 2015-16 OHT36 2016-17 OHT35 2017-18 Manitoba Bisons 2007-08 Manitoba Bisons 2008-09 Manitoba Bisons 2009-10 Manitoba Bisons 2010-11 Manitoba Bisons 2011-12 Manitoba Bisons 2012-13 Manitoba Bisons 2013-14 Manitoba Bisons 2014-15 Manitoba Bisons 2015-16 Manitoba Bisons 2016-17 Manitoba Bisons 2017-18 Manitoba Bisons 2018-19 2018-19 Exhibition Schedule 2018-19 OHT35 Note: The 2019-20 links may not yet be active on some sites.

I found some more stories on the CIS, mostly on the format change for the nationals. Links: :. [Halifax Chronicle-Herald: CIS hockey tourney gets makeover] :. [Halifax Chronicle-Herald: CIS priority should be all about promotion] :. [Yahoo: CIS introduces Super Championship Weekend for basketball and hockey: here’s the pros and cons] :. [SportsNet.ca: CIS tweaks hockey, basketball championships] The first C-H story has quotes from two AUS coaches. IMO they miss the mark. Their concern is that after an opening loss, teams are eliminated after one game under the new format. Duh! The present format ensured that at least 3 teams were eliminated with one loss each year. The second C-H story dealt with the usual cost/benefit arguments and then turned to the marketing aspect. IMO this is where having SportsNet committed could be a big thing. But with NHL hockey dominating their Saturday nights, adding eight semi-final games might make it hard to squeeze it all in. Maybe a Monday night men's hockey final? The Yahoo story covers the ups and downs but adds some stats about the football viewership. IMO it might be better for hockey (at least) if TSN held the rights. For one thing, the same show on TSN doubles its ratings over SportsNet, and even more from SportsNet 360. Plus with TSN lacking a national hockey product they might have incentive to promote. Then again, SportsNet showd their commitment to the CIS by forking over the money.

Mar 31: Post-Season News The speculation on the format changes for national championships is true. SportsNet wanted, and got, a "Super Championship Weekend". Men's and women's basketball and hockey will hold their championships on the same weekend, with Saturday's semi-finals and Sunday's finals shown on live TV. That means 8 games on Saturday and 4 games on Sunday. I assume that SportsNet 1 will be used in addition to SportsNet 360 for this massive undertaking. I like the format change. However, I am not sure if moving everything onto one weekend is a good idea. If spread of 3 or 4 weekends one event would stimulate interest in the next. But they pay people to devise a marketing strategy for all this, so I'll wait and see. Also, will conference hockey playoffs remain best-of-three (or best-of-five on occasion in the AUS)? Since conference finalists are assured places in the nationals, the conference final is perhaps of lesser importance. Links: :. [CIS Story] :. [Reposted Story at CW] : [Reposted Story at U of M] After rallying for a playoff berth, beating the Saskatchewan Mutts, and even beating potential NCAA champion UND Fighting Farmers, UBC has fired the coach. Milan Dragicevic is now looking for work. This is awkward, since he was leading the fund-raising charge to save the program. Hmmmm. Links: :. [UBC Story]

Mar 27: Post-Season Exhibition Game TEAM ISRAEL 6 RYERSON RAMS 13 Links: :. [Preview Story] :. [Game Story] :. [Video] I heard about this game at the International Hockey (.net) boards but could not find anything at Ryerson's site, nor from any news link updates I get. But Thursday afternoon they played this game. For real! For Israel the game was in preparation for the World Group 2A tournament where they will face Serbia, Australia, Belgium, Estonia, and Iceland. Quite a diverse pool, I must say. Israel is coached by former Montreal and Moose coach Jean Perron. He did not make he trip, but assistant Pat Flatley did. CIS teams are not strangers to the international game. On February 10, 2010, Team Norway beat UBC 4-1 in a pre-Olympic warm-up game. [Link]

Mar 23: Monkeys beat the Mutts [CIS Playoff Schedule/Results] [CIS Hockey Site] [CIS-SIC.tv: Watch On-line] [SportsNet U - Stories on Every Game] ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 3 SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 1 Links: :. [LS Summary] :. [CIS Boxscore] : [CIS Recap/Photos] :. [SportsNet U Game Story] : [CW Game Story] The Monkeys have won yet another title. Woop-de-do. They dominated their opponents yet could not score. A year ago, that formula resulted in an opening game loss to a mediocre Waterloo team. This year, they barely escaped the so-so Cartoon U and McGilligutties. And then came Sask. So how would it go in Saskatown? A rink full of people who drove their tractors to the rink and haven't had a bath or shower in months, possibly years. Well, the Banjo-Mutts did show that they were the second best team in the tournament. They were outshot (36-21) but not dominated the way Cartoon U and the McGilligutties were. In fact, it looked like they might pull an upset. They were trailing 1-0 and were awarded a 5-minute powerplay. But instead of scoring, they gave up a short-handed goal. And that was your TSN turning point, even though the game was on SportsNet. What does the tournament tell us about the CIS in general? Well, it confirms that the OHT36 rankings were basically correct. Although Acadia fell flat on their faces, that reflects solely upon them. The AUS were not allowed to send another rep. If they had, I have every reason to believe that the SMUskies would have done better. And how many ADs would want to play UNB for a $100,000 winner-take-all challenge? Does this mean the CW suddenly got better? No. But it does show that Calgary was well within their rights to claim elite status, that Manitoba could have been good enough to win the OUA, and that MRU, UBC, and maybe even Regina could be one of those Brock/Waterloo/Windsor teams that go on a playoff roll and claim an OUA 2nd or 3rd berth. And what about the OUA? The OUA West is competitive but the best (and worst) teams are in the OUA East. The OUA East's elite teams do seem to put together challenging pre-season schedules. But it seems to me that they could benefit by having more tough games throughout the season. When I saw the 3 OUA teams play, I was not thinking "here's an A level team". To me they were all B level. And it is hard to become an A level team by playing B level opposition. During the SportsNet coverage of the Waterloo-Sask game the commentator said Waterloo had just 9 CHL Major Junior grads, whereas Sask had 20. Now, I have seen first-hand how the Bisons have cultivated Junior A players over the course of a couple of seasons to be top class players who have become captains (e.g. Workman and Wild), all-stars (e.g. Wood), and major award-winners (e.g. Christie). However, a steady flow of Major Junior talent is required if you want to produce a top level team. Even the 4th place Bisons had 18 players who came from either Major Junior, pro, or other universities. When we look ahead to 2014-15, we hear that the CIS is considering making the hockey nationals an 8-team event, just like volleyball and basketball. I like that. Now we have to ask how teams will qualify. The current six teams are allocated like this: 1 - host 2 - AUS winner 3 - CW winner 4 - OUA winner 5 - OUA runner-up (theoretically getting the RSEQ berth) 6 - wild card to rotate between AUS, CW, and OUA This year Sask was the host and the conference qualifiers were Acadia, Alberta, Windsor, and McGill. Carleton got the OUA's rotating wild-card berth. Bedrock U and the SMUskies would have qualified had it been their turn. In fact the SMUskies qualified last year on this basis. I would bet that the CIS will simply stop the wild-card rotation and give one such spot to each conference. That would mean 3 spots to the OUA and 2 each to the AUS and CW, with only the host berth rotating. Given this year's results, both Bedrock U and the SMUskies would have qualified. I would like to see the conferences capped at 3 berths in the nationals. This would mean that when an OUA team hosts the tournament there would be a playoff between the semi-final losers in the AUS and CW. But I doubt that will happen. Anyhow, happy off-season everybody!

Mar 22: Welcome to the West! [CIS Playoff Schedule/Results] [CIS Hockey Site] [CIS-SIC.tv: Watch On-line] [SportsNet U - Stories on Every Game] ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 3 MCGILL REDMEN 2 (in overtime) Links: :. [LS Summary] :. [CIS Boxscore] : [CIS Recap/Photos] I saw most of the 1st period and the end of the 3rd and overtime. Here's the story: Monkeys get puck into McGill zone, come close but miss, McGill either ices puck or in a fit of offence skate to centre and dump it in for a line change. Repeat. The final shot count was 55-20. Yet the McGilligutties were one shot away from the final. If one of those 3 shots in the 3rd period had gone through .... To me, McGill was just Regina with a hot goalie. They have some good players but they did not really challenge the Apes. The were not trying to win. They were trying to get the Monkeys to lose. WINDSOR LANCERS 0 SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 9 Links: :. [LS Summary] :. [CIS Boxscore] : [CIS Recap/Photos] Until today I had no nickname for Windsor. Now, I do: The Fire Hydrants. This was an exceptionally disappointing game. It made me long for the Lethbridge H0rny Ones. Still, Windsor must be happy that they won the OUA title and qualified for this tournament. A big step up for their hockey program. Looking ahead, the final is Sunday at 2:30 CDT and will be shown on SportsNet nationally (i.e. on Pacific, West, Ontario, and Atlantic feeds). That means channel 47 in Winnipeg. The Mangy Ones were severe undermutts coming into the tournament. However, I thought they were much improved in the 2nd half of the season. I expected them to beat UBC. However, the depth in the CW is under-rated. UBC barely scraped out 6th place yet they beat two NCAA teams (North Dakota and Princeton) during the Christmas break. This is why I don't like seeing te host team get a berth in a national tournament. I know, they do it to sell tickets. Still, two conference champions were knocked out by a team that lost a quarter-final playoff series. C'est la vie! The Evil Monkeys are prohibitive favourites. They won all 4 regular season games against the Banjo-Mutts, and also beat them in pre-season. However, only one regular season game was more than a one-goal deficit. Here are the results, and links: Head-to-head statistics: http://www.leaguestat.com/canadawest/mens/en/media/index.php?step=4⊂=14&season_id=38&format=HTML&team=1&second_team=7 Oct. 18: Alberta 3-2: http://www.leaguestat.com/canadawest/mens/en/stats/game-summary.php?game_id=1572 Oct. 19: Alberta 4-2: http://www.leaguestat.com/canadawest/mens/en/stats/game-summary.php?game_id=1577 Jan. 10: Alberta 3-2: http://www.leaguestat.com/canadawest/mens/en/stats/game-summary.php?game_id=1626 Jan. 11: Alberta 4-3: http://www.leaguestat.com/canadawest/mens/en/stats/game-summary.php?game_id=1629 In 3 of the 4 games the shots were close, and in only one did Alberta dominate the way they did against Cartoon U and the McGilligutties.

Mar 21: Cartoon U and Cajuns sent packing [CIS Playoff Schedule/Results] [CIS Hockey Site] [CIS-SIC.tv: Watch On-line] [SportsNet U - Stories on Every Game] CARLETON RAVENS 2 MCGILL REDMEN 3 Links: :. [LS Summary] :. [CIS Boxscore] : [CIS Recap/Photos] I could not watch this one but judging by the stats and reports it was as close as one would expect between these two rivals. The McGilligutties now meet the Monkeys on Saturday at 3:00 pm CDT on SportsNet 360. SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 3 ACADIA AXEMEN 2 Links: :. [LS Summary] :. [CIS Boxscore] : [CIS Recap/Photos] I called it. I suspected that despite a layoff the Mangy Ones would win their game against the game 1 loser. Tough exit for Acadia. The last time they qualified they also went 0-2 at the nationals. So Saturday night on SportsNet 360 at 8:00 CDT we will see the Mutts v Windsor.

Mar 20: Monkeys, Lancers win openers [CIS Playoff Schedule/Results] [CIS Hockey Site] [CIS-SIC.tv: Watch On-line] ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 3 CARLETON RAVENS 2 Links: :. [LS Summary] :. [CIS Boxscore] : [CIS Recap/Photos] I saw a good chunk of this one on-line. Why do the Primates seem to have a close opening game at the nationals despite out-shooting their opponent by a mile? This time it was 41-17 and Cartoon U looked like a Regina-calibre team. But when it stays close, anything can happen. The McGilligutties will play Cartoon U on Friday, then meet the Monkeys on Saturday at 3:00 pm CDT on SportsNet 360. ACADIA AXEMEN 2 WINDSOR LANCERS 4 Links: :. [LS Summary] :. [CIS Boxscore] : [CIS Recap/Photos] I saw the 1st period and was expecting to see a convincing Cajun victory when I looked up the final score. But, lo-and-behold, Windsor turned things aroiund dramatically. Acadia must have run out of gas. Acadia outshot Windsor 10-4 in the 1st period, and Windsor turned the bales to outshoot Acadia 10-4 in the 3rd. The Saskabush Banjo-Mutts will now face the Cajuns on Friday night, and Windsor Saturday night on SportsNet 360. After losing to UBC about a month ago, will they be rested or rusted? I believe they have a shot to win thus pool.

Mar 15: Windsor wins Cup, Carleton gets wild-card Links: [LeagueStat Daily] MCGILL REDMEN 2 WINDSOR LANCERS 3 Links: :. [LS Summary] :. [CIS Boxscore] The OUA East and West winners play a one-game final for the Queen's Cup. When a Quebec team qualifies, the Ontario team is automatically the home team. So this game was in Windsor. The Lancers had a 3-0 lead after 55 minutes before the McGilligutties rallied to make it close. McGill outshot Windsor 52-38. Giving up 52 shots is not a formula for success in the nationals. The win means Windsor is a seeded team for the nationals. LAKEHEAD THUNDERWOLVES 4 CARLETON RAVENS 7 Links: :. [LS Summary] :. [CIS Boxscore] This was the OUA's bronze medal game. When the OUA gets a 3rd spot at the nationals, their losing division finalists have a one-game bronze playoff like this. IMO, this wild-card playoff should also include Bedrock U and the SMUskies, the losing finalists from the CW and AUS. Or, better yet, making the nationals an 8 team event (like basketball and volleyball) and allow the host, 3 OUA, 2 CW, and 2 AUS teams to qualify each year. Lakehead must be happy that they rebounded as much as they did this year, albeit in a situation where they fell one win short of a trip to Saskatown. Cartoon U dominated the game, meaning that after starting so hot the Thundermutts lost 3 straight. [CIS Playoff Schedule/Results] [CIS Hockey Site] Probable pools for the University Cup: Daytime pool: Alberta, McGill, Carleton Evening pool: Acadia, Windsor, Saskatchewan Each pool will play a round-robin from Thursday to Saturday with the pool winners facing each other Sunday for the title.

Mar 9-10: Eastern finals wrap up CONFERENCE/DIVISION FINALS Links: [AUS Post-Season Schedule/Results] ACADIA AXEMEN 6 SAINT MARY'S HUSKIES 3 (Acadia wins AUS final 3-1) Links: :. [AUS Game 3 Summary] : [CIS Game 3 Boxscore] :. [AUS Game 4 Summary] : [CIS Game 4 Boxscore] I was about to write-up the OUA conclusion when I noticed I had not concluded matters after the CW was done and dusted. So here we go, starting with the AUS. The series shifted to SMU for games 3 and 4. In game 3 the SMUskies dressed just 19 bodies, a victim of the AUS roster limits. The game was very defence-oriented, with just 47 combined shots on goal. A late Cajun goal broke a shut-out. In game 4 the SMUskies were short two more healthy bodies. The game was slightly more offensive (59 combined shots) but still very tight. An empty-netter put the game away for the Cajuns. Links: [LeagueStat Daily] MCGILL REDMEN 2 CARLETON RAVENS 1 (McGill wins OUA East final 2-1) Links: :. [LS Summary] :. [CIS Boxscore] This was a "too-close-to-call+ series all along and game 3 was, as expected, a tight one. The McGilligutties held a 2-1 lead after 2 periods and managed to kill the 3rd. Cartoon U thus misses a chance to move the OUA East title out of Quebec yet again. McGill now faces Windsor for the Queen's Cup, with both sides headed to the nationals) and Cartoon U will face Lakehead for the OUA's wild-card spot at the nationals. [CIS Playoff Schedule/Results] [CIS Hockey Site]

Mar 7-8: Monkeys win the West Last weekend I posted the Calgary-Manitoba results before most of the links had been uploaded. Here are the full links. Links: :. [AUS Game 2 Summary (not uploaded)] : [CIS Game 2 Boxscore] The Cajuns got off to a big jump in game 1, scoring a lot of goals on not many shots. Game 2 was back to normal for the SMUskies. It was 1-0 until late in the 3rd period when the Cajuns scored two empty net goals. The series shifts to Halifax for games 3 and 4 on Sunday and Monday. I suspect the Cajuns should be able to wrap this up by then. If not, game 5 goes Wednesday night. MCGILL REDMEN 2 CARLETON RAVENS 5 CARLETON RAVENS 2 MCGILL REDMEN 3 (OUA East final tied 1-1) Links: :. [LS Summary Game 1] : [LS Summary Game 2] :. [CIS Boxscore Game 1] : [CIS Boxscore Game 2] The OUA East final is a much anticipated event. For one thing, Carleton is seeking to be the first Ontario team to win the title in years. For another, these two teams and UQTR were on the recipice of breaking into the upper echelons of the OHT36 rankings all season. The rubber match goes Sunday night and the winner will be off to the nationals. LAKEHEAD THUNDERWOLVES 1 WINDSOR LANCERS 7 WINDSOR LANCERS 6 LAKEHEAD THUNDERWOLVES 2 (Windsor wins OUA West final 2-0) Links: :. [LS Summary Game 1] : [LS Summary Game 2] :. [CIS Boxscore Game 1] : [CIS Boxscore Game 2] After the Thundermutts rolled past York and Ryerson it was hard to imagine them losing decisively in two straight games to a solid but unspectacular Windsor team. But that's what happened. The Mutts gave up 6 goals on 22 shots in game 2. Yikes. Windsor will now face the OUA East winner for the Queen's Cup, but are nevertheless assured of a berth in the University Cup. Lakehead could still get in as the OUA wild-card if they can win on the road against either Cartoon U or the McGilligutties. [CIS Playoff Schedule/Results] [CIS Hockey Site]

Mar 2: Bisons Downed in OT MANITOBA BISONS 1 CALGARY DINOSAURS 2 (in overtime) (Calgary wins CWUAA semi-final 2-1) Links: :. [CIS Boxscore (to follow)] :. [U of C Game Story (to follow)] : [U of C Boxscore (to follow)] :. [U of M Game Story (to follow)] : [U of M Boxscore (to follow)] :. [CW Story (on all games)] I was following this game on-line. I am leaving my computer shortly so the links are waiting to be added. For now, suffice it to say the Bisons lost a tough series that could have gone either way. OUT EAST AUS Links: [AUS Post-Season Schedule/Results] NEW BRUNSWICK VARSITY REDS 0 SAINT MARY'S HUSKIES 1 (SMU wins AUS semi-final 3-1) Links: :. [AUS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore] ACADIA AXEMEN 3 MONCTON AIGLES BLEUS 2 (Acadia wins AUS semi-final 3-1) Links: :. [AUS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore] The AUS produced one huge upset with the SMUskies dispatching the Squirrels. Unlike some other games, where the shots were one-sided in favour of UNB, this appears to have been a tight battle throughout. The Cajuns shut down the Blue Eggs in their own arena, with only 21 shots on goal. All four teams are coming off 4 games in 5 nights. Tough to blend in any school work with that schedule. OUA Links: [LeagueStat Daily] QUEEN'S GOLDEN GAELS 0 CARLETON RAVENS 2 (Carleton wins OUA East semi-final 2-1) Links: :. [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore] A credible performance by Her Majesty, I would say. They wobbled in the 2nd half of the season once they started playing better teams. But this series showed them to be a solid opponent, if not yet a contender. Now it is up to Cartoon U to see oif they can bring back that elusive OUA East title to the Province of Ontario. WINDSOR LANCERS 3 WESTERN ONTARIO MUSTANGS 1 (Windsor leads OUA West semi-final 2-1) Links: :. [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore] This will raise a lot of eyebrows across the CIS. However, there was only a 9 point gap between the teams so it is not what one would call a stunning upset. UP NEXT: Canada West final: Alberta v Calgary OUA West final: Lakehead v Windsor OUA East final: Carleton v McGill AUS final: Acadia v Saint Mary's Schedules are TBA. [CIS Playoff Schedule/Results] [CIS Hockey Site]

Mar 2: Pre-game stories Some interesting stories popped up so I am sharing those links, as well as your on-line viewing and listening options for the evening: Bisons v Dinos Links: Game 1: [Examiner.com] Game 2: [Calgary Sun] These media links supplement the stories posted by the Dinos, and reposted at the U of M and CW as per prior links. In a nutshell: UBC Hockey Program Links: By Cam Charron: [Yahoo.ca] By Tony Gallagher: [The Vancouver Province] One could suggest that there is a bit nore clarity in the standing of the UBC hockey team. Looks like they will need to do some fund-raising. Here are two quotes from the Yahoo story, followed by one from Tony Gallagher back in the fall. Makes you winder what is up out in British California. On-line streaming links: Manitoba v Calgary: http://client.stretchinternet.com/client/canadawest.portal# Both AUS games: http://www.austv.ca/ Windsor v W. Ontario audio: http://chrwradio.ca/stream Windsor v W. Ontario video: http://www.ssncanada.ca/game/5819/

Mar 1: Bisons win in OT, Game 3 goes Sunday MANITOBA BISONS 3 CALGARY DINOSAURS 2 (in overtime) (CWUAA semi-final tied 1-1) Links: :. [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore] :. [U of C Game Story] : [U of C Boxscore] :. [U of M Reposted Story] : [U of M Boxscore] :. [U of M Friday Boxscore] :. [CW Story (on all games)] With their backs to the proverbial wall, the Bisons responded with a nail-biting overtime road win. Lee Christensen was back on the Bison blueline but the deleted player was forward Jon Gaudet. It looks like defenceman Kyle Rous was used as a 4th line forward in the game. The Dinos opened scoring in a defensive 1st period when defenceman Davis Vandane scored the only goal from the 12 combined shots the two teams generated. Luke Paulsen evened the game in the 2nd period with his 2nd goal of the series. He was out wioth the 4th line (Coates-Scott-Rous) at the time. It was 1-1 at the 2nd intermission. The Dinos regained the lead when Cory Pritz scored the game's only powerplay goal. (The teams went a combined 1-for-15 on the PP.) Dylan Kelly tied the game on the 1st goal by a forward in the game, and the 1st goal by a Bison forward in the series. It was set up by a nice pass from Luke Cain. Jordan DePape continued his hot streak with a goal in overtime. After two losses to the Dinos during the regular season in overtime, the Bisons were due for one. Joe Caligiuri was again in the Bison goal, and Kris Lazaruk continued the Dino goaltender rotation. Game 3 goes Sunday at 6:00 MST or 7:00 CST and will be streamed at CanadaWest.tv. OUT OF TOWN SCOREBOARD UBC THUNDERBIRDS 2 ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 6 (Alberta wins CWUAA semi-final 2-0) Links: :. [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore] :. [U of A Game Story] :. [UBC Game Story] : [UBC Boxscore] Once again UBC was overmatched by the Evil Monkeys. The scoreline is a bit deceptive because the Apes scored two empty net goals as UBC fought desperately to even the score. Despite the loss, UBC must feel good that they rallied just to make the playoffs and finally won a playoff series. However, it is apparent that though may be able to play even-up against NCAA teams and lower end CW teams, they don't quite have that extra gear to win games without their goaltender making 50-60 saves. One step at a time. Hopefully the program will secure funding and sponsorship so they can attempt to take the next steps in the coming years. OUT EAST AUS Links: [AUS Post-Season Schedule/Results] NEW BRUNSWICK VARSITY REDS 1 SAINT MARY'S HUSKIES 2 (in overtime) (SMU leads AUS semi-final 2-1) Links: :. [AUS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore] ACADIA AXEMEN 1 MONCTON AIGLES BLEUS 4 (Acadia leads AUS semi-final 2-1) Links: :. [AUS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore] The AUS is considered by most to be the toughest conference and the fact that the 3rd and 5th seeds could knock off the 1st and 2nd seeds should come as no great shock. The SMUskies were significantly outshot (43-30), yet they are now one home win away from the conference finals. And to see the Blue Eggs bounce back after their choke in game 2 was nice to see. Here's a nifty note: the SMUskies dressed two players short. OUA Links: [LeagueStat Daily] UQTR PATRIOTES 1 MCGILL REDMEN 4 (McGill wins OUA East semi-final 2-0) Links: :. [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore] The McGilligutties have taken Quebec! They still await their opponent for the OUA East final, either Cartoon U or The Queens. WESTERN ONTARIO MUSTANGS 1 WINDSOR LANCERS 3 (OUA West semi-final tied 1-1) Links: :. [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore] Windsor put this away with an empty-netter after 77 combined shots produced only 3 goals. There must have been some great saves down in Detroit's civilized suburb. Sunday's winner will be facing Lakehead for the IUA West title. UP NEXT: Mar. 2 Manitoba at Calgary (6:00 PM MST) New Brunswick at Saint Mary's Acadia at Moncton Queen's at Carleton Windsor at W. Ontario Mar. 4 Saint Mary's at New Brunswick * Moncton at Acadia * * if required [CIS Playoff Schedule/Results] [CIS Hockey Site]

Feb 28: Bisons lose in Bedrock MANITOBA BISONS 1 CALGARY DINOSAURS 5 (Calgary leads CWUAA semi-final 1-0) Links: :. [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore] :. [U of C Game Story] : [U of C Boxscore] :. [U of M Reposted Story] :. [CW Story (on all games)] The game was on CanadaWest.tv but the picture was so fuzzy it was hard to make out at times. Not like the nice picture you get from Saudi Alberta. Still, it was something and all games are being shown. Bedrock U got off to a fast start. The 1st goal was controversial but the officials conferred and let it stand. Then Joe Caligiuri missed a non-screened shot from the blue line a few seconds later, and it was suddenly 2-0. Another committee confab allowed one more controversial to stand, and it was 3-0 at intermission. The play turned around completely in the 2nd period. Luke Paulsen scored the only Bison goal of the frame, but there were numerous other high quality chances from all their lines, and especially the Paradis-Duval-Lewadniuk combo. The Bisons came out in the 3rd period like they did in the 2nd. Ian Duval just missed a golden chance and Bedrock turned around and scored at the other end. That put a damper on the period as the Bisons basically just played out the string. In the end the Dinos outshot the Bisons 30-27. I am sure the Bisons would like to believe that Caligiuri's save percebtage will get back to normal and their scorers will be able to find the net. Game two is Saturday at 6:00 Bedrock time and 7:00 in Manitoba. OUT OF TOWN SCOREBOARD UBC THUNDERBIRDS 1 ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 5 (Alberta leads CWUAA semi-final 1-0) Links: :. [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore] :. [U of A Game Story] :. [UBC Game Story] : [UBC Boxscore] This one had the look of a total mismatch for two periods. At that point the Evil Monkeys had a 4-0 lead and a 34-5 lead on the shot clock. Yes 34 shots for the Monkeys, and only 5 for the Tweety Birds. The 3rd was more even with UBC outshooting Alberta 13-11 and each team scoring once. Was that a case of Alberta holding back or UBC finding their form after some playoff jitters? OUT EAST OUA Links: [LeagueStat Daily] CARLETON RAVENS 1 QUEEN'S GOLDEN GAELS 2 (OUA East semi-final tied 1-1) Links: :. [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore] Was anybody thinking Cartoon U would lose this series? Maybe the Queens deserve a little more attention. Big win for them. RYERSON RAMS 1 LAKEHEAD THUNDERWOLVES 5 (Lakehead wins OUA West semi-final 2-0) Links: :. [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore] The Thundermutts become the first side through to the next round with this win. They now await the winner of Windsor and the Urban Cowboys. UP NEXT: Mar. 1 UBC at Alberta (6:00 PM MST) Manitoba at Calgary (6:00 PM MST) New Brunswick at Saint Mary's Acadia at Moncton UQTR at McGill W. Ontario at Windsor Mar. 2 UBC at Alberta (6:00 PM MST) * Manitoba at Calgary (6:00 PM MST) * New Brunswick at Saint Mary's * Acadia at Moncton * McGill at UQTR * Queen's at Carleton * Windsor at W. Ontario * Mar. 4 Saint Mary's at New Brunswick * Moncton at Acadia * * if required [CIS Playoff Schedule/Results] NOTE: It is now 10 days since the CIS page released a daily round-up.

Feb 27: meanwhile, out east .. The AUS went with 2-games-in-2-days because out there school attendance is not such a big deal, and the OUA completed their opening games of this round. Links: [AUS Post-Season Schedule/Results] SAINT MARY'S HUSKIES 2 NEW BRUNSWICK VARSITY REDS 5 (AUS semi-final tied 1-1) Links: :. [AUS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore] MONCTON AIGLES BLEUS 5 ACADIA AXEMEN 6 (Acadia leads AUS semi-final 2-0) Links: :. [AUS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore] The Squirrels bounced back and picked up a thorough victory over the SMUskies. It was 3-0 after the 1st and 5-1 after the 2nd. In the 3rd it was all D as SMU outshot UNB 6-3. That is not the stuff of a comeback. Meanwhile, the Blue Eggs blew a lead which may be their death knell. They were up 4-0 early in the 2nd, and in fact they were up 5-2 with 7 minutes left in the game. Hard to envision the Cajuns blowing this series now. Both series take Friday off before playing a Saturday-Sunday doubleheader played at the home of the underdog. Links: [LeagueStat Daily] WINDSOR LANCERS 2 WESTERN ONTARIO MUSTANGS 3 (UWO leads OUA West semi-final 1-0) Links: :. [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore] This was a tight game for two periods during which Windsor held a 2-1 lead. The Urban Cowboys outshot Windsor 20-7 in the 3rd period and picked up the two goals they needed for the win. UP NEXT: Feb. 28 UBC at Alberta (7:00 PM MST) Manitoba at Calgary (7:00 PM MST) Ryerson at Lakehead Carleton at Queen's Mar. 1 UBC at Alberta (6:00 PM MST) Manitoba at Calgary (6:00 PM MST) New Brunswick at Saint Mary's Acadia at Moncton UQTR at McGill W. Ontario at Windsor Ryerson at Lakehead * Mar. 2 UBC at Alberta (6:00 PM MST) * Manitoba at Calgary (6:00 PM MST) * New Brunswick at Saint Mary's * Acadia at Moncton * McGill at UQTR * Queen's at Carleton * Windsor at W. Ontario * Mar. 4 Saint Mary's at New Brunswick * Moncton at Acadia * * if required Links: :. [CIS Playoff Schedule/Results] :. [Canada West Schedule/Results] :. [OUA LeagueStat] : [AUS Playoffs]

Weekend preview: Bisons at Bedrock MANITOBA BISONS (14-12-5, 19-17-6, OHT36 #12) CALGARY DINOS (21-4-3, 28-9-4, OHT36 #3) Friday, February 28th, 7:00 MST/8:00 CST @ U of C Saturday, March 1st, 6:00 MST/7:00 CST @ U of C Sunday, March 2nd, 6:00 MST/7:00 CST @ U of C Live Links: :. Live Stats: [Friday] : [Saturday] : [Sunday] :. [Live Video (all games)] Manitoba Links: :. [U of M Preview Story] :. [LS Stats] : [LS Schedule/Results] :. [Twitter] : [Facebook] Calgary Links: :. [U of C Preview Story] :. [LS Stats] : [LS Schedule/Results] :. [Twitter] : [Facebook] Other Links: :. [CW Weekend Preview] :. [CIS Site] : [Playoff Schedule/Results/Links] : [Standings] :. [CW Site] : [Schedule/Results/Links] : [Standings] :. [CW Weekly Media Notes #18 (pdf)] :. [CIS Top Ten Story] :. [Every Link Re: CIS Hockey] :. [Manitoba Hockey News Story] :. [Winnipeg Hockey Talk Story] :. [Shawn Coates Photography - Bisons v Cougars] Prior games: Oct. 25: Cal 4 Man 3 (ot): [U of M Story] : [LS Summary] Oct. 26: Cal 5 Man 3: [U of M Story] : [LS Summary] Jan. 17: Cal 5 Man 4: [U of M Story] : [LS Summary] Jan. 18: Cal 4 Man 3 (ot): [U of M Story] : [LS Summary] Before the last Bison trip to Bedrock I pointed out that these teams like overtime, and then they had one more overtime game. The Dinos won that game, and the overtime game they had in Winnipeg as well. Add in a one-goal win and an empty-netter win and the Dinos won all 4 games. Yet with a break or two, the Bisons could have swept the series. After their come-from-behind overtime win over the Bisons in January, the Dinos were 19-0-1. That was amazing. The pundits had them ranked nowhere near a first place contender. Then their luck may have worn out. They finished the season on a 2-4-2 downward spiral. Included in that was a 10-2 loss in Saskatown against the now-eliminated Banjo-Mutts. I noted back in October that the Dinos were prone to taking dives. That tends to catch up to a team. There is, however, no doubting their overall performance. They were 2nd in goals for and 3rd in goals against. The Bisons were 4th in both categories. They had 5 of the top 20 goal scorers, and the Bisons had 2. Yet the Bisons are trending upwards. They got the split they needed against UBC to wrap up 4th place and a home playoff series. They then won a quarter-final against a physical MRU team. In both series Joe Caligiuri posted a shutout in the decisive game. The key for the Bisons would be to get continued strong performances from their senior graduating players: Caligiuri, Dane Crowley, Ian Duval, Luke Cain, and Darren Bestland. They would like to add Jeremy Schappert to that group but he is injured and won't be returning. All three main lines have been effective and have that elusive chemistry. As the picture shows, the Bisons do have some fans in Bedrock! ELSEWHERE: UBC THUNDERBIRDS (13-16-2, 17-18-2, OHT36 #20) ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS (25-2-1, 38-4-1, OHT36 #1) Links: :. [Live Video (all games)] :. [U of A Preview Story] :. [UBC Preview Story] The Tweety-Birds are riding high on their biggest series win since, well, The Beatles were around. I beleive that the last series between these teams was in 1990, where Alberta won 8-1 and 4-3. UBC is seeking their first championship since 1971, when they beat Manitoba 5-3 and 7-6 in the final. Yes, there have been several decades of lean times in British California. Meanwhile, Saudi Alberta have 50 titles in 100 years of hockey. This year, UBC was riding 7th place most of the season, and only snuck in ahead of Regina on the final weekend. Alberta racked up another convincing 1st place finish, rallying from a 3-point deficit to waltz past Calgary. So does UBC stand a chance? Well, I believe that the Monkeys will thrash them at least once in the first two games, and the other game could be a tight one. The Monkeys lack the big gorillas to stand in front of the net and capitalize on territorial advantage. If UBC's defence, which stymied North Dakota and Princeton, can turn the trick just once on the Monkeys then they could force a 3rd game. And that 3rd game in three nights is a crap shoot. Don't forget, Sask fored 61 shots at UBC in game 3 of their series, yet lost.

Feb 26: Semi-finals start in OUA and AUS We are two days away from the Canada West semi-finals. ITM, they have started the round out east. Links: [AUS Post-Season Schedule/Results] SAINT MARY'S HUSKIES 2 NEW BRUNSWICK VARSITY REDS 1 (in double overtime) (SMU leads AUS semi-final 1-0) Links: :. [AUS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore] MONCTON AIGLES BLEUS 2 ACADIA AXEMEN 5 (Acadia leads AUS semi-final 1-0) Links: :. [AUS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore] Since the AUS plays a best-of-five this round, an opening game loss does not create the same sense of urgency as in the other conferences. In the SMUskies' win over the Squirrels they dubbed it "double overtime", but in fact it was just 15 minutes. The Squirrels were foiled by a hot goaltender, Anthony Peters, who made 50 saves. The Cajuns' win was not so dramatic. I will be interested to see how the Blue Eggs handle this. Links: [LeagueStat Daily] QUEEN'S GOLDEN GAELS 2 CARLETON RAVENS 6 (Carleton leads OUA East semi-final 1-0) Links: :. [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore] MCGILL REDMEN 4 UQTR PATRIOTES 3 (in overtime) (McGill leads OUA East semi-final 1-0) Links: :. [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore] Cartoon U scored twice per period and easily handled the Queens. Remember when the Queens were the darlings of the Top Ten? They are in tough now. The Championship of Quebec series looks like a tough one, as usual. UQTR had a 2-goal lead after the 1st period. LAKEHEAD THUNDERWOLVES 7 RYERSON RAMS 0 (Lakehead leads OUA West semi-final 1-0) Links: :. [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore] Even though Lakehead crushed the Booze Hounds they surrendered 45 shots in the process. Goaltender Jeff Bosch stopped them all. It seems like an extraordinary number of teams are yielding enormous shots on goal in the OUA playoffs thus far. Right now the Thunder Mutts have had the best playoff performance in the OUA. This game was in Ryerson and games 2 and 3 will be in T-Bay due to travel distances. UP NEXT: Feb. 27 Saint Mary's at New Brunswick Moncton at Acadia Windsor at W. Ontario Feb. 28 UBC at Alberta (7:00 PM MST) Manitoba at Calgary (7:00 PM MST) Ryerson at Lakehead Carleton at Queen's

Looking back ... And looking ahead Links: :. [series previews: Winnipeg Sun] : [ChrisD Video] : [Calgary Sun] :. [Game 1 stories: Winnipeg Sun] : [ChrisD] :. [Game 2 stories: Winnipeg Sun] : [ChrisD] :. [Game 3 stories: Winnipeg Sun] : [ChrisD] :. [series stories: Winnipeg Free Press] : [The Manitoban] I cam across a host of links to stories about the Bison-Cougar quarter-final series and have posted the links. Some good stories are there, and a tip of the hat to Kirk Penton at the Winnipeg Sun for the stories he posted. On one photo caption they misidentified Dane Crowley as "captain Darren Bestland", but what the heck. Links: :. [U of M Semi-Final Announcement] :. [Winnipeg Sun: Calgary series preview] :. [Vancouver Province: UBC Report] :. [CanadaWest.tv] There has been some news on the semi-final round, including an announcement from the U of M. The Vancouver Province story is worth a read. Coach Drago seems really excited about the big win over Sask, and who can blame him? I'll have the full weekend preview later this week. But the schedules have been released, and all the CW semi-final games will be shown on CanadaWest.tv. Friday will be at 8:00 CST, Saturday and Sunday will be at 7:00 CST. CIS Links: :. [CIS Playoff Schedule/Results] :. [Canada West Schedule/Results] :. [OUA LeagueStat] : [AUS Playoffs] Canada West: Alberta v UBC Calgary v Manitoba OUA West: W. Ontario v Windsor Lakehead v Ryerson OUA East: Carleton v Queen's UQTR v McGill Atlantic: New Brunswick v Saint Mary's Acadia v Moncton (AUS series are best-of-five, others are best-of-three) SEMI-FINAL SCHEDULE: Feb. 26 Saint Mary's at New Brunswick Moncton at Acadia McGill at UQTR Queen's at Carleton Lakehead at Ryerson Feb. 27 Saint Mary's at New Brunswick Moncton at Acadia Windsor at W. Ontario Feb. 28 UBC at Alberta (7:00 PM MST) Manitoba at Calgary (7:00 PM MST) Ryerson at Lakehead Carleton at Queen's Mar. 1 UBC at Alberta (6:00 PM MST) Manitoba at Calgary (6:00 PM MST) New Brunswick at Saint Mary's Acadia at Moncton UQTR at McGill W. Ontario at Windsor Ryerson at Lakehead * Mar. 2 UBC at Alberta (6:00 PM MST) * Manitoba at Calgary (6:00 PM MST) * New Brunswick at Saint Mary's * Acadia at Moncton * McGill at UQTR * Queen's at Carleton * Windsor at W. Ontario * Mar. 4 Saint Mary's at New Brunswick * Moncton at Acadia * * if required