2013-14 Manitoba Bisons / CIS

Hollywood · January 4, 2014

Jan 3: Mutts Win Shootout

MANITOBA BISONS 4
SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 5
(in shootout)

Links:
:. [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
:. [U of S Preview Story] : [U of A Game Story]
:. [U of M Reposted Story] : [U of M Boxscore]
:. [CW Story (on all games)]
:. [CIS Friday Roundup (to be uploaded)]
:. [Jon Gaudet at Elite Prospects]

Rather than watch games on the internet I chose to go out and watch some live MMJHL action. So I followed alomg on LeagueStat's live updates.

The Banjo-Mutts built a 3-0 lead. In the 1st period they scored twice on 6 shots on Joe Caligiuri. Craig McCallum and Jesse Ross were the goalscorers.

Zak Stebner's PP goal almost mid-way through the 2nd period gave the Mutts what ought to have been an insurmountable lead. But the Bisons were just starting to pour it on. Jory Coates notched his 3rd goal of the season in a period where the Bisons threw 17 shots at Ryan Holfeld.

The Herd also controlled the 3rd period, with a 12-8 edge in shots. They scored 3 goals in 3 ½ minutes from 11-14 minutes in, two from Aaron Lewadniuk (his 7th and 8th) with one by Jesse Paradis (his 6th) sandwiched in between.

However, with just over 2 minutes left Matthew Spafford tied the game to force overtime. Both the 4-on-4 session and the 3-on-3 session settled nothing. In the shootout the Bisons were blanked and the Mutts scored once.

The Bison line-up sported one new addition, right winger Jon Gaudet. He formerly played for Brandon in the WHL and the Blues, Saints, Oil Caps, and Kings of the MJHL. Last season he scored 37 goals in 61 games, and another 7 goals in 19 playoff games for the Dauphin KIngs.

In other roster notes, Dane Crowley was back in the line-up, but Jeremy Schappert and Darren Bestland remain out of the line-up. The scratched forwards were Luke Cain and Justin Dalebozik,

The result makes Sask 9-7-1 and Manitoba 7-8-2. Game 2 goes Satutrday at 2:00 p.m. and can be seen on-line at CanadaWest.tv. A win there would put Manitoba on the inside track to a 3rd place finish.

OUT OF TOWN SCOREBOARD

REGINA COUGARS 3
LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS 0

Links:
:. [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
:. [U of L Game Story] : [U of L Boxscore]
:. [U of R Game Story] : [U of R Boxscore]

Another game, another loss for the H0rny Ones. Andrew Hayes picked up the shutout for the Banjo-Cats. The 1st period was dominated by Regina. The shots were 12-4 and the score was 2-0. Then it was cruise control all the way to tidy win. Regina is now 9-8-0 and Lethbridge is 1-15-1.

UBC THUNDERBIRDS 3
NORTH DAKOTA 2
(in overtime)

SIMON FRASER CLAN 1
PRINCETON TIGERS 8

Links:
:. [Great Northwest Showcase Site (to be updated)] : [Event Preview]
:. [UBC Preview Story] : [UBC Game Story]
:. [UND Game Story]

The Tweety-Birds beat the North Dakota Fighting Farmers in an overtime thriller. Too bad for UBC that this wasn't a league game, where they desperately need all the points they can get if they want to rally for a playoff berth. There is no summary posted as yet but the shots were 28-25 for UND. Joe Antilla (The Hun) scored the tieing goal in the final minute then set up Jason Yee for the winner. Matt Hewitt got the W in goal.

In the early game the Clown got whacked by Princeton, and there is no report nor stats on that one.

MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS 1
CALGARY DINOSAURS 4

Links:
:. [MRU Lanigan Story] : [U of C Kearns Story]

This was a non-conference game so neither team reported anything at all about the game, other than the score. MRU did announce the recruitment of another goaltender. And Bedrock U has a story on Bracken Kearnes' NHL scoring streak.

ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 4
NAIT OOKS 2

Links:
:. [U of A Linescore]

This ACAC v CW encounter was hosted by the Ooks and all their site has is a score. The Monkeys' site has a linescore, and that is it.

OUT EAST:

OUA Links: [LeagueStat Daily]

Jan. 3
McGill 2 Carleton 3
Waterloo 9 Brock 5
Queen's 3 UOIT 2 - OT
Toronto 1 Lakehead 3
Ryerson 3 Laurier 1
W. Ontario 3 Laurentian 2

AUS Links: [AUS Schedule/Results]t

Jan. 3
Moncton at St. F-X - re-scheduled for Jan. 5 at 3pm
Acadia 9 St. Thomas 1
UNB at Saint Mary's - ppd - tba
Dalhousie at UPEI - re-scheduled for Jan. 5 at 6pm

UP NEXT:

Jan. 4
Manitoba at Saskatchewan
Regina at Lethbridge
Dalhousie at St. Thomas
Moncton at Saint Mary's
New Brunswick at St. F-X
Acadia at UPEI
Ottawa at Carleton
Guelph at Laurentian
Queen's at Laurier
Ryerson at Windsor
Toronto at Lakehead
McGill at UOIT
x Mount Royal at Calgary
x NAIT at Alberta
x North Dakota (NCAA) at Simon Fraser (BCIHL)
x Princeton (NCAA) v UBC (at Burnaby)
x York at Arizona

Jan. 5
Ottawa at RMC
Guelph at Nipissing

x denotes exhibition game

[CIS Schedule/Results]

Hollywood · January 5, 2014

Jan. 4: Two Short-haned Goals Make the Difference

MANITOBA BISONS 2
SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 3

Links:
:. [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
:. [U of S Game Story]
:. [U of M Reposted Story] : [U of M Boxscore]
:. [CW Story (on all games)]
:. [CIS Saturday Roundup]
:. [Saskatoon Star-Phoenix Friday Game Story]
:. [Island Sports News Friday Game Story]
:. [Island Sports News Saturday Game Story]
:. [Saskatoon Star-Phoenix McCallum Story]

This was a very evenly matched matinee performance played in cavernous emptiness. The Mutts want to get in some games at Credit Union Place since that is the venue for the UNiversity Cup. Evidently, they did not do much in the way of promotion for this. They usually jam the Rutherdump full of hillbillies for their home games, and the Huskies have been know to sell a football ticket or two. I know it is the end of holidays and students are not yet back. But this was not a good sign.

Turning to the game, the Bisons lament will be their power play. Not that they went 1-for-6, after all the Mutts went 0-for-6. It is the fact that they gave up two short-handed goals in the 2nd period to turn a 2-1 lead into a 3-2 deficit.

The Mutts will no doubt enjoy the two points. They now have a 5 point lead on the Bisons and the inside track on 3rd place.

Taylor Dickin opened scoring on the PP (his 6th of the season) to give the Bisons a 1-0 lead at the 1st intermission. Josh the Roach tied it with the Mutts' 1st short-handed goal. Jon Gaudet's 1st as a Bison restored the lead. Andrew Bailey thens cored twice for the Mutts to give them a 3-2 lead which held through the 3rd period. Joe Caligiuri and Ryan Holfeld once again went the distance in goal.

Next weekend the Bisons host Mount Royal whilst the Mutts visit the Evil Monkeys.

OUT OF TOWN SCOREBOARD

REGINA COUGARS 1
LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS 4

Links:
:. [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
:. [U of L Game Story] : [U of L Boxscore]
:. [U of R Game Story] : [U of R Boxscore]

GLORY BE!

The H0rny Ones have racked up a 2nd victory. They are a hard-working team, so most people will be happy to see them be rewarded with a win. Of course, Regina must feel the disappointment. They now fall to 9-9-0. Even though they have an edge over Manitoba in points, the fact that they lost 2 points in Lethbridge is due to come back and haunt them. The BAnjo-Cats now sit 3 points behind Sask and 2 points ahead of Manitoba. I think if they want to hold onto 4th they are going to need some wins against the A teams.

Next weekend Lethbridge has a home-and-home against Bedrock U, whilst the Kittens host UBC.

PRINCETON TIGERS 0
UBC THUNDERBIRDS 1

NORTH DAKOTA 4
SIMON FRASER CLAN 3

Links:
:. [SFU Day 2 Recap]
:. [UBC Game Story] : [UBC-PU Boxscore]
:. [UND Game Story - with summary]
:. [UBC-UND Boxscore] ; [PU-SFU Boxscore]

Steven Stanford and Mark Hewitt shared the shut-out in the UBC goal, and Nat Fleming scored the only goal of the game to lead UBC to the sweep of their NCAA opponents. With a sweep by a 7th place team, it may well be 30-40 years before an NCAA team ventures into Western Canada for another game.

A win by UBC is a rare treat, but still to see them beat some Ivy Leaguers should be no big shock. Thurston Howell III may have played for the Tiggers at one time. But for The Clown to come within a goal of UND is a big shocker. In fact, The Clown scored in the 3rd period to take a 2-1 lead. Had UND lost they may have had heart attacks.

I am sure UBC would trade those two wins for a pair of wins in Regina next weekend. At 5-10-1, and having already played Lethbridge in the 2nd half, UBC has a very tough road ahead of them if they want to catch up to either set of Cougars.

CALGARY DINOSAURS 3
MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS 6

Links:
:. [U of C Schedule/Results] : [MRU Schedule/Results]

Neither team made any report at all of these games so I have no way of knowing if this result for MRU is a sign of better things to come. IAE, this would serve as a warning to the Bisons in advance of their weekend series against the New-Kittens-on-the-Block next weekend. I believe it is safe to say that Bedrock U will suffer some losses in the new year. But how many?

NAIT OOKS 1
ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 6

Links:
:. [U of A Linescore]

All we have on this one is the U of A linescore, which at least is something. They enjoyed 3-1 and 4-1 period leads. Next weekend it will be Mutts at Monkeys. The Primates need to make up 3 points on Bedrock U and this is one series where they could do so. I fully expect Bedrock to drop some points to teams like Sask and Manitoba in the 2nd half.

OUT EAST:

OUA Links: [LeagueStat Daily]

Jan. 4
Ottawa 2 Carleton 5
Guelph 1 Laurentian 4
Queen's 3 Laurier 1
Ryerson 4 Windsor 1
Toronto 2 Lakehead 5
McGill 4 UOIT 2
x York 7 Arizona 1 : [Link]

AUS Links: [AUS Schedule/Results]t

Jan. 4
Dalhousie 4 St. Thomas 6
Moncton 5 Saint Mary's 3
UNB 2 StFX 7
Acadia 5 UPEI 2

UP NEXT:

Jan. 5
Moncton at St. F-X
Dalhousie at UPEI
UNB at Saint Mary's
Ottawa at RMC
Guelph at Nipissing

Jan. 7
McGill at UQTR

Jan. 8
Dalhousie at Saint Mary's
York at Brock

Jan. 9
Toronto at Laurier
Ryerson at Guelph

Jan. 10
Mount Royal at Manitoba
UBC at Regina
Lethbridge at Calgary
Saskatchewan at Alberta
Saint Mary's at Acadia
St. F-X at Dalhousie
St. Thomas at Moncton
UPEI at New Brunswick
McGill at Ottawa
Nipissing at UQTR
UOIT at RMC
Lakehead at Brock
York at Waterloo
Laurentian at Concordia
Carleton at Queen's
Laurier at W. Ontario

[CIS Schedule/Results]

Edited January 5, 2014 by Hollywood

Hollywood · January 10, 2014

Weekend Preview: Mount Royal at Bisons

MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS (6-9-1, 8-12-1, OHT36 #21)
MANITOBA BISONS (7-9-2, 12-14-3, OHT36 #12)

Friday, January 10th, 7:00 CST @ Wayne Fleming Arena (U of M)
Saturday, January 11th, 1:00 CST @ Wayne Fleming Arena (U of M)

Live Links:
:. [Live Stats Friday] : [Live Stats Saturday]
:. [No Live Video]

Manitoba Links:
:. [U of M Preview Story]
:. [LS Stats] : [LS Schedule/Results]
:. [Twitter] : [Facebook]

Mount Royal Links:
:. [MRU Preview Story]
:. [LS Stats] : [LS Schedule/Results]
:. [Twitter] : [Facebook]

Other Links:
:. [CW Weekend Preview (this series not yet added)]
:. [CIS Site] : [Schedule/Results/Links] : [Standings]
:. [CW Site] : [Schedule/Results/Links] : [Standings]
:. [CW Weekly Media Notes #11 (pdf)]
:. [CIS Top Ten Story]
:. [Every Link Re: CIS Hockey]
:. [Chrisd.ca Story]

Prior games:
Oct. 18: Manitoba 1 MRU 0: [U of M Story] : [LS Summary]
Oct. 19: Manitoba 2 MRU 3: [U of M Story] : [LS Summary]

Finally, the Bisons have a home game! It has been a long time coming. The odd thing is that their remaining home series are against both sets of Cougars and UBC. Winning these series will likely result in a 4th place finish and a home playoff series against the 5th place team.

The Bisons opened the new year last weekend in Saskatown. The games were very close, but in the end all they got was one point from a shoot-out loss. MRU had a bit of a surprising first half, and last weekend split a non-conference series against Bedrock U. It is hard to gauge how serious that series was. However, it could be a sign that the New-Kittens-on-the-Block will remain a serious threat to the CW mid-powers. They did split series against the Bisons, Sask, UBC, and Regina in the first half. However, they were swept aside by Sask. to start the second half.

MRU is a big team and seem to be able to have at least one good game each weekend. IMO, their objectiove would be to continue splitting series with the mid-powers.

I noticed that the Bisons were still missing Schappert and Bestland on the blueline last weekend. I am also wondering if Caligiuri will remain the starter in both games this weekend.

ELSEWHERE:

LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS (2-15-1, 2-21-1, OHT36 #34)
CALGARY DINOSAURS (15-0-1, 22-5-2, OHT36 #1)

Links:
:. [Live Video (both nights)]
:. [No Live Video]
:. [U of L Preview Story] : [U of C Preview Story]

This is the theoretical mis-match of the weekend. First v Worst. But the H0rny Ones found their Viagra supply last weekend when they managed a split against the pesky Banjo-Cats. Have they reached their monthly quota of wins?

Lethbridge is basically last in every stat. Bedrock U is either first or second in every stat. Only the Evil Monkeys will be watching the out-of-town scoreboard for this series, in the vain hope that maybe Bedrock U will get less than 4 points.

UBC THUNDERBIRDS (5-10-1, 9-12-1, OHT36 #24)
REGINA COUGARS (9-9-0, 12-13-0, OHT36 #15)

Links:
:. [Live Video (both nights)]
:. [U of R McNulty Story] : [UBC Preview Story]

This is an interesting match-up. UBC had a disappointing first half, sitting in 7th place and looking like a team with only a faint hope of catching up to MRU for the final playoff berth. In the pre-season, they were ranked ahead of the Banjo-Cats. The first series between these two produced a 5-4 win for UBC and a 1-0 win for Regina. Those betting on a sweep in this rematch probably have a fairly safe bet.

However, UBC needs more than splits against the mid-ranked teams in this conference if they want to avoid the embarassment of early elimination. They did manage a surprise sweep of two NCAA teams last weekend in non-conference play. That performance won't mean a thing if they lose this series.

The linked U of R story is about a new recruit from the SJHL.

SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES (10-7-1, 13-9-1, OHT36 #6)
ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS (14-2-0, 27-4-0, OHT36 #2)

Links:
:. [Live Video (both nights)]
:. [U of A Preview Story] : [U of S Site]

The Evil Monkeys need to gain 3 points on Bedrock U and this series will provide a rare opportunity for them. It is possible that Sask could beat Calgary so a Monkey sweep here would potentially cause them to gain ground. Of course, by losing to the Bisons in their last conference action, they have put themselves in a very tight spot right now. IMO the 4-1 sweep of the Bisons gives the Mutts the inside track on 3rd place regardless of the results of this series.

OUT EAST:

OUA Links: [LeagueStat Daily]

Tue. Jan. 7
McGill 4 UQTR 6

Wed. Jan. 8
York 3 Brock 4 - SO

Thur. Jan. 9
Toronto 3 Laurier 2
Ryerson 3 Guelph 2 - OT

Fri. Jan. 10
McGill at Ottawa
Nipissing at UQTR
UOIT at RMC
Lakehead at Brock
York at Waterloo
Laurentian at Concordia
Carleton at Queen's
Laurier at W. Ontario

Sat. Jan. 11
Laurentian at UQTR
Nipissing at Concordia
Waterloo at Ryerson
RMC at Carleton
UOIT at Ottawa
McGill at Queen's
Windsor at Guelph
Lakehead at W. Ontario

Sun. Jan. 12
Windsor at Toronto

AUS Links: [AUS Schedule/Results]

Wed. Jan. 8
Dalhousie 3 Saint Mary's 4

Fri. Jan. 10
Saint Mary's at Acadia
St. F-X at Dalhousie
St. Thomas at Moncton
UPEI at New Brunswick

Sat. Jan. 11
UPEI at St. Thomas
Acadia at St. F-X
New Brunswick at Moncton

:. [CIS Schedule/Results] : [Tuesday Round-Up]
:. [Wednesday Round-Up] : [Thursday Round-Up]

Hollywood · January 11, 2014

Jan 10: Big 3rd Period Paces Bisons to Win

MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS 2
MANITOBA BISONS 5

Links:
:. [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
:. [U of M Game Story] : [U of M Boxscore]
:. [MRU Reposted Story] : [MRU Boxscore]
:. [CW Story (on all games)]
:. [CIS Friday Roundup]
:. [Kyle Rous at Elite Prospects]

The Bisons' first home game of 2014 was a hard-earned victory. The game was tied at 2-2 after two periods, and MRU was well into the game at that point. However, 3 unanswered 3rd period goals resulted in a comfortable win.

It was also a chance to see the home debut of two new players - forward Jon Gaudet and defenceman Kyle Rous. Rous was the captain of the MJHL champion Steinbach Pistons last year and was playing with the Fayetville FireAntz of the SPHL earlier this season.

Here's how they lined up:

Manitoba

Goal:
1 Caligiuri (34 Dubyk)

Defence:
5 Christensen - 2 Crowley
3 Landry - 24 Bobbee
28 Rous - 6 Paulsen

Forwards:
16 Paradis - 19 Duval - 20 Lewadniuk
8 Coates - 10 Rowinski - 27 DePape
29 Cain - 25 Ciarelli - 18 Kelly
17 Lauder - 15 Scott - 26 Gaudet

Scratches:
4 Schappert - 12 Sutherland
21 Dickin - 22 Bestland
35 Rewucki

Mount Royal

Goal:
35 Flette (30 Moore)

Defence:
26 Beech - 4 Hrynyk
6 McKay - 3 Renaud
24 Marshall - 20 Tresierra

Forwards:
27 Cartier - 22 Brown - 9 Gannon
18 Kirsch - 23 Fiddler - 16 Galbraith
14 Burns - 8 Turnbull - 28 Knopp
12 Eskesen - 25 Jewitt - 19 Huisman

Scratches:
1 Lanigan - 5 Scott
11 Zarazun - 13 Brown
15 Chagnon - 17 Barrett
21 Strong

That list of Bison scratches is perhaps the hiughest quality list of scratches they have ever had. It contains arguably 3 of their top 5 defencemen and their #6 scorer (6-6-12 in 18 games so far).

The Bisons had the only goal in the 1st period. Leading scorer Aaron Lewadniuk converted an astounding pass from Ian Duval. The Bisons had controlled the 5-on-5 play and it was only when shorthanded that MRU was able to turn the tables.

The New-Kittens-on-the-Block turned the tables in the 2nd period, outscoring the Bisons 2-1 and out-shooting them 13-8. Cody Cartier tied it for MRU when the Bisons failed to backcheck after a scoring chance. Jordan DePape restored the Bison lead by banking one off the hip of MRU d-man Curtis Beech. One less piece of pie over Christmas and that shot was stopped. MRU once again tied it up when Justin Kirsch converted a mad scramble.

The Bison powerplay notched a pair of goals in the first 8 minutes of the 3rd period to put things away. Ian Duval scored on a nifty wrap-around after 4 minutes. Luke Paulsen pinched in from the point and slammed home a one-timer after 7 minutes. At 13 minutes the Bisons went down 2 men for a full 2 minutes. Once they killed that they basically had the game in the bag. An empty netter by DePape put a bow on it.

The Bisons improve to 8-9-2 and MRU falls to 6-10-1. Saturday's rematch goes at 1:00 p.m.

Lewadniuk opens the scoring.

OUT OF TOWN SCOREBOARD

UBC THUNDERBIRDS 4
REGINA COUGARS 2

Links:
:. [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
:. [U of R Game Story] : [U of R Boxscore]
:. [UBC Game Story] : [UBC Boxscore]

Each of these sides has experienced a loss to Lethbridge, so truly they could never take anybody lightly.

The Tweety-Birds got off to a 3-1 lead because they tot they taw a puddy-tat, then got a little old lady to pound the Banjo-Cats with an umbrella. They were then able to hang for the win.

These teams usually rotate goaltenders and Friday it was Spafford v Hayes. Regina is now 9-10-0 and UBC is 6-10-1. Saturday's remtch can be seen on CanadaWest.tv at 7:00 CST.

SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 2
ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 3

Links:
:. [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
:. [U of A Game Story]
:. [U of S Reposted Story]

After two periods the Monkeys found themselves trailing the Mutts 1-0, despite outshooting them 26-8. Torrie Dyck scored a naturalhat-trick in the 3rd period to give the Monkeys a 3-1 lead. A late goal boosted the scoreline for the Banjo-Mutts.

The Monkeys are now 15-2-0 and have kept pace with the Dinos. Sask falls to 10-8-1. Saturday's rematch will be on CanadaWest.tv at 6:00 MST or 7:00 CST.

LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS 2
CALGARY DINOSAURS 14

Links:
:. [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
:. [U of C Game Story] : [U of C Boxscore]
:. [U of L Team Site]

Lethbridge's one game winning streak is over. I have never before seen such a one-sided scoreline in a CW game. In the 1st period Bedrock held a 15-2 lead in shots on goal and a 5-0 lead on the scoreboard. The H0rny Ones rallied a bit in the 2nd, bein outshot 15-12 and outscored 4-2. Gruesome, indeed.

The scene shifts from Bedrock to Lethbridge for Saturday's return match.

OUT EAST:

OUA Links: [LeagueStat Daily]

Jan. 10
McGill 6 Ottawa 2
Nipissing 1 UQTR 5
UOIT 2 RMC 4
Lakehead 3 Brock 4 - OT
York 3 Waterloo 2 - OT
Laurentian 1 Concordia 5
Carleton 4 Queen's 1
Laurier 3 W. Ontario 2

AUS Links: [AUS Schedule/Results]

Jan. 10
Saint Mary's 1 Acadia 5
St. F-X 3 Dalhousie 5
St. Thomas 2 Moncton 6
UPEI 2 New Brunswick 4

UP NEXT:

Sat Jan 11
Mount Royal at Manitoba
Saskatchewan at Alberta
UBC at Regina
Calgary at Lethbridge
New Brunswick at Moncton
Acadia at St. F-X
UPEI at St. Thomas
Nipissing at Concordia
Laurentian at UQTR
Waterloo at Ryerson
UOIT at Ottawa
Lakehead at W. Ontario
RMC at Carleton
McGill at Queen’s
Windsor at Guelph

Sun Jan 12
Windsor at Toronto

[CIS Schedule/Results]

Edited January 11, 2014 by Hollywood

Hollywood · January 12, 2014

Jan 11: Bisons Get the Sweep

MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS 3
MANITOBA BISONS 5

Links:
:. [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
:. [U of M Game Story] : [U of M Boxscore]
:. [MRU Reposted Story] : [MRU Boxscore]
:. [CW Story (on all games)]
:. [CIS Saturday Roundup]

I do not care for matinee hockey, and neither do the vast majority of fans. This Saturday afternoon encounter had the sparsest crowd I have ever seen at a Bison hockey game, and most fans there arrived after the 1st period already started.

In any event, the Bisons had a fairly soldi game. And I must say that Mount Royal is a pretty decent side. They are solid playoff contenders, and it will likely come down to either them or UBC getting that lost playoff spot.

Each side made one line-up switch from Friday night, and here's how they lined up:

Manitoba

Goal:
1 Caligiuri (34 Dubyk)

Defence:
5 Christensen/28 Rous - 2 Crowley
12 Sutherland - 24 Bobbee
3 Landry - 6 Paulsen

Forwards:
16 Paradis - 19 Duval - 20 Lewadniuk
8 Coates - 10 Rowinski - 27 DePape
29 Cain - 25 Ciarelli - 18 Kelly
15 Scott - 26 Gaudet

Scratches:
4 Schappert - 17 Lauder
21 Dickin - 22 Bestland
35 Rewucki

Mount Royal

Goal:
35 Flette (30 Moore)

Defence:
24 Marshall - 20 Tresierra
26 Beech - 4 Hrynyk
6 McKay - 11 Zarazun

Forwards:
27 Cartier - 22 Brown - 9 Gannon
18 Kirsch - 23 Fiddler - 16 Galbraith
12 Eskesen - 25 Jewitt - 19 Huisman
14 Burns - 8 Turnbull - 28 Knopp

Scratches:
1 Lanigan - 3 Renaud
5 Scott - 13 Brown
15 Chagnon - 17 Barrett
21 Strong

With Sutherland in for Lauder, the Bisons had 7 defence and 11 forwards. Christensen and Rous usually played with Crowley but there was much shuffling of the pairs. Up front, Gaudet played a lot with Cain and Ciarelli in the 3rd period.

Although the Bisons had only 4 shots on goal in the 1st period, the play was fairly even. The Bisons had exceptionally inaccurate shooting. There was stretch of less than 30 seconds where no fewer than 4 shots hit the glass. The only goal was scored by Craig Scott after a mad scramble where two prior shots were stopped in the crease by a Cougar defenceman pretending to be a goaltender.

MRU evened the score right off the bat in the 2nd period when Mark Fiddler scored his first goal as a Cougar. He is just now eligible to play for them after transferring from the U of C to MRU.

With the score 1-1 it was time for a powerplay and the always entertaining Ian Duval show. First he came in on the left wing, made some deft moves, then held off his pass to Aaron Lewadniuk just long enough to leave him with a gift-wrapped scoring chance. Lewadniuk cashed in for the 10th time this season, and the Herd was ahead to stay.

Then it was time for a Cougar PP. Duval jumped on a loose puck and scooted downthe right wing. The defenceman thought he had successfully defended a drive to the net, but Duval circled the net and slam-dunked the wrap-around into the net. Jesse Paradis converted another nice passing play and Fiddler notched his second on a textbook display of stickhandling so that at mid-period it was 4-2 for the Bisons.

Last year these teams had a crazy game and I feared a repeat. Instead, things calmed down a lot. Devin Gannon had a 3rd period goal for MRU and then Luke Cain scored into an empty net to finish the scoring.

The Bisons are now at .500 for the first time this season, at 9-9-2. MRU falls to 6-11-1. Both sides hit the road next weekend. The Bisons are off to Bedrock to face the Dinos, and Regina is ready for a Cougar fight. After a bye week, the Bisons will return home to face Regina on January 31 and February 1.

OUT OF TOWN SCOREBOARD

To be updated once the evening games are played.

Hollywood · January 12, 2014

Jan. 11 ... Part 2

Since the Bisons played in the afternoon, the Saturday report on the remainder of the games

OUT OF TOWN SCOREBOARD

UBC THUNDERBIRDS 4
REGINA COUGARS 3
(in a shoot-out)

Links:
:. [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
:. [U of R Game Story] : [U of R Boxscore]
:. [UBC Game Story] : [UBC Boxscore]

This was a painful loss for the Banjo-Cats. After losing in regulation on Friday night they needed to hang on to their 3-1 3rd period lead in this one. Instead, UBC rallied with two goals to tie the game before winning the shoot-out. These teams usually manage a split, so the sweep is a big deal for UBC.

Regina falls to 9-10-1 and 5th place. UBC is now 7-10-1 and has leap-frogged MRU into 6th place. Next weekend Regina will host the Battle of the Cougars and UBC will host the Evil Monkeys.

SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 3
ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 4

Links:
:. [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
:. [U of A Game Story]
:. [U of S Reposted Friday Story]
:. [U of S Reposted Saturday Story]

The Banjo-Mutts had a strong outing but in the end a pair of one-goal losses adds up to exactly zero points on the weekend. The Monkeys built a 4-1 lead and seemed to have the game well in hand. But the Mutts scored late in the 2nd and early in the 3rd to make it a 4-3 game. They outshot the Monkeys 10-5 in the 3rd period, but could not level the scores.

Sask is now 10-9-1, good for 3rd place, one point ahead of Manitoba and two ahead of Regina. The Monkeys are 16-2-0, yet are only a 2nd place team. Both sides are off on the road next weekend, Sask visiting Lethbridge and Alberta off to British California.

LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS 1
CALGARY DINOSAURS 2
(in overtime)

Links:
:. [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
:. [U of C Game Story] : [U of C Boxscore]
:. [U of L Team Site] : [U of L Boxscore]

Different teams on different days. Friday in Bedrock, the Dinos win 14-2. 24 hours later they need overtime to fend off the same H0rny Ones. Lethbridge relied heavily upon goaltender Alex Sirard. Through two periods the shots were 41-15, yet the score was 0-0. The 3rd period was much the same. The shots would up being 21-9, yet Bedrock U did not score until Chris Collins connected over 11 minutes into the period. But then David McMullen tied it for the H0rny Ones less than 4 minutes later. Fortunately for Bedrock, it took barely a minute for Kevin King to put away a win for the Dinos.

Now riding a 17-0-1 record, the Dinos will host the Bisons next week. Lethnridge 2-16-2, but can at least say they have points in consecutive weekends.

OUT EAST:

OUA Links: [LeagueStat Daily]

Jan. 11
Laurentian 3 UQTR 12
Nipissing 2 Concordia 5
Waterloo 1 Ryerson 5
RMC 1 Carleton 7
UOIT 1 Ottawa 3
McGill 4 Queen's 3
Windsor 2 Guelph 4
Lakehead 1 W. Ontario 5

AUS Links: [AUS Schedule/Results]

Jan. 11
UPEI 4 St. Thomas 3 - OT
Acadia 2 St. F-X 1
New Brunswick at Moncton - postponed to Jan. 12

UP NEXT:

Sun Jan 12
Windsor at Toronto
New Brunswick at Moncton

Wed Jan 15
Moncton at UPEI
Ryerson at W. Ontario

Thu Jan 16
Brock at York
Guelph at Laurier
RMC at UOIT

Fri Jan 17
Mount Royal at Regina
Saskatchewan at Lethbridge
Manitoba at Calgary
Alberta at UBC
UPEI at St. F-X
Dalhousie at Moncton
St. Thomas at Saint Mary's
Acadia at New Brunswick
Ryerson at Lakehead
UQTR at Laurentian
Queen's at McGill
Ottawa at Nipissing
Laurier at Windsor
York at Guelph
Carleton at Concordia
Toronto at Waterloo

[CIS Schedule/Results]

Hollywood · January 14, 2014

The Home Stretch

After half the league has hit the 20 game mark it is time to look at the home stretch. In a couple of weeks we can start thinking about who will be playing whom come playoff time.

```````````` Pts J17-18 J24-25 J31-F1 F6-8`` F14-15
Calgary``````35``ḫ Man``@ UBC``@ Sask ½ MRU``½ Alta
Alberta``````34``@ UBC``½ MRU``ḫ Leth @ Reg``½ Cal
Saskatchewan 21``@ Leth````````ḫ Cal``@ UBC``½ Reg
Manitoba```` 20``@ Cal```````` ḫ Reg``@ Leth ḫ UBC
Regina`````` 19``ḫ MRU```````` @ Man``ḫ Alta ½ Sask
UBC``````````15``ḫ Alta`` Cal``@ MRU``ḫ Sask @ Man
Mount Royal``13``@ Reg``½ Alta ḫ UBC``½ Cal``½ Leth
Lethbridge`` 06``ḫ Sask````````@ Alta ḫ Man``½ MRU

ḫ indicates home series
@ indicates away series
½ indicates half & half series

Hollywood · January 14, 2014

News Update

There have been some new stories posted at some CIS news sites that have been relatievly silent in the first half of the season.

SportsnetU had in-depth football coverage and have now turned their attention to hockey and basketball. They now have the broadcast rights to the nationals so it is in their interests to boost their coverage. Hopefully they will have at least weekly stories. The linked story reviews the official top ten hockey teams.

The CIS Blog has a mid-season report on the OUA and a first week of the new year story on the Capital Region. They are going to feature an OUA match-up each week. The unique aspect of the OUA this year is that the West has dominated the East, however the top half of the East is doing very well.

Links:
:. [sportsnetU: CIS hockey rankings: Dinos open 2nd half at No.1]
:. [CIS Blog: OUA Mid-Season Wrapup]
:. [CIS Blog: Ravens Survive Gee-Gees in Capital Battle]

Hollywood · January 16, 2014

Weekend Preview: Bisons at Bedrock

MANITOBA BISONS (9-9-2, 14-14-3, OHT36 #12)
CALGARY DINOS (17-0-1, 24-5-2, OHT36 #1)

Friday, January 17th, 7:00 MST/8:00 CST @ U of C
Saturday, January 18th, 6:00 MST/7:00 CST @ U of C

Live Links:
:. [Live Stats Friday] : [Live Stats Saturday]
:. [No Live Video]

Manitoba Links:
:. [U of M: Paradis Athlete of the Week]
:. [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] : [Schedule/Results/Links] : [Standings]
:. [CW Site] : [Schedule/Results/Links] : [Standings]
:. [CW Weekly Media Notes #12 (pdf)]
:. [CIS Top Ten Story] : [Major Danny McLeod: CIS pioneer passes away]
:. [Every Link Re: CIS Hockey]
:. [LeagueStat Head-to-Head Stats]

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]

Over the past 10 games between these teams, exactly half have gone to overtime. In the games decided in regulation, Manitoba holds a 3-2 lead. In the games decided in overtime, Bedrock U holds a 3-2 edge. So the points edge goes to Manitoba, 13-12.

When these teams met in Winnipeg in October, the Dinos swept with one game going to OT. My impression at the time was that the Dinos were flopping and the refs were getting sucked in. I have not seen the Dinos since then, but clearly they have been having a surprisingly good season. They have outscored their opponents 92-28. Both of those are the best numbers in the league.

So how did the Dinos jump ahead so much, so fast? They had a solid base of returning players and some decent recruits, to be sure. But the pre-season coaches' poll had them down as #3, barely haead of the Bisons and well behind Sask. Their pre-season started pretty much as usual, with wins, losses, and close games happening precisely when one would expect. Then at the end they swept the previously unbeaten Primates.

The Dinos have shown some cracks. In the new year, they split a non-conference series with MRU and then needed overtime to subdue the pesky Pronghorns. So, will the Bisons take advantage?

The Dinos have the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th leading scorers in the conference (Chris Collins, Taylor Stefishen, and Kevin King) and 3 more in the top 20 (Adam Kambeitz, Giffen Nyren, and Spencer Edwards). In goal they have rotated Jacob Deserres and Kris Lazaruk all year. They rank 1st and 2nd in both goals against average and save percentage.

The Bison lines have fallen into place and they are generating much more offence than they were early in the year. The top line of Jesse Paradis-Ian Duval-Aaron Lewadniuk create anxiety in their opponents almost every shift. All 3 of them are in the top ten scorers in the CW.

In goal, Joe Caligiuri appears to have taken over as the #1. His 3.16 GAA and .903 save percentage are not horrible, but below average. Devin Dubyk did have a stretch as the starter early in the season, and his numbers are fairly comparable to Caligiuri's.

After this series the Bisons will be playing ony teams behind them in the standings for the rest of the regular season. So even two points here would serve them very well.

ELSEWHERE:

SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES (10-9-1, 13-11-1, OHT36 #7)
LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS (2-16-2, 2-22-2, OHT36 #34)

Links:
:. [Live Video (both nights)]
:. [U of S Site] : [U of L Site]

Everybody outside the Doghouse will be cheering for the H0rny Ones. They have been so outclassed all year, yet continue to fight bravely on. And last week they rode a strong goaltending performance to take Bedrock U to overtime. Could they go one better against the Banjo-Mutts? Everybody hopes so, but I doubt it. The Bisons and Banjo-Cats would no doubt be thrilled to Sask escape the series with anything less than 4 points.

ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS (16-2-0, 29-4-1, OHT36 #2)
UBC THUNDERBIRDS (7-10-1, 11-12-1, OHT36 #23)

Links:
:. [Live Audio - Friday]
:. [UBC Preview Story] : [U of A Site]

The Tweety-Birds have rebounded after a bad start and are now ahead of MRU and in 6th place. Appearances can be decieving, however. Their wins have come over Lethbridge, two NCAA teams in exhibition games, and Regina. The hard-fought wins over Regina were of significance. But the Evil Monkeys rank several levels higher than the Banjo-Cats in hockey's pecking order. Any points UBC can pick up this weekend would come in very handy when the race with MRU comes down to the end of the season.

MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS (6-11-1, 8-14-1, OHT36 #24)
REGINA COUGARS (9-10-1, 12-14-1, OHT36 #16)

Links:
:. [Live Video (both nights)]
:. [U of R Site] : [MRU Preview Story]

Cougar vs Cougar. No, this is not the sidewalk in front of the Palomino after closing time. It is the New-Kittens-on-the-Block vs the Banjo-Cats. The Blue Cats will want to skip past UBC and back into a playoff position. Meanwhile, the Green Cats will want to jump past Manitoba and into 4th place. I thought MRU had a decent enough team last weekend in losing to the Bisons. Regina had a rather heady first half of the season and I would guess that most observers are nt expecting them to keep their pace. This one is available for on-line viewing.

OUT EAST:

OUA Links: [LeagueStat Daily] : [Sunday Roundup]

Jan. 12
Windsor 3 Toronto 4

Jan. 15
Ryerson 2 W. Ontario 3

Jan. 16
Brock at York
Guelph at Laurier
RMC at UOIT

Jan. 17
Ryerson at Lakehead
UQTR at Laurentian
Queen's at McGill
Ottawa at Nipissing
Laurier at Windsor
York at Guelph
Carleton at Concordia
Toronto at Waterloo

Jan. 18
Queen's at Concordia
Ottawa at Laurentian
RMC at McGill
W. Ontario at Brock
Waterloo at Windsor
UQTR at UOIT
Ryerson at Lakehead

AUS Links: [AUS Schedule/Results]

Jan. 12
UNB 4 Moncton 2

Jan. 14
x St. F-X 1 Maine 4

Jan. 15
Moncton 4 UPEI 3 - OT

Jan. 17
UPEI at St. F-X
Dalhousie at Moncton
St. Thomas at Saint Mary's
Acadia at UNB

Jan. 18
St. Thomas at St. F-X
UPEI at Saint Mary's
Dalhousie at UNB
Acadia at Moncton

[CIS Schedule/Results]

Hollywood · January 17, 2014

Supplementary Weekend Preview

After I posted my preview there was a smattering of news from here and there. So a Supplementary Weekend Preview is in order, and here it is.

The Bisons released their list of Mike Ridley Scholarship winners. It is nice have an alum who made some big money in the NHL! 19 players get $750 each. That would come in handy, especially for those who don't have WHL scholarships. The awards are based on maintaining a certain level of academic standing. The beneficiary players are:
Darren Bestland
Travis Bobbee
Luke Cain
Lee Christenson
Dane Crowley
Taylor Dickin
Deven Dubyk
Ian Duval
Dylan Kelly
Pierre Landry
Austin Lauder
Aaron Lewadniuk
Jesse Paradis
Luke Paulsen
Joey Rewucki
Brendan Rowinski
Jeremy Schappert
Craig Scott
Brock Sutherland

Everybody has to love those pesky Pronghorns. This has been a long year so far, yet they keep plugging along. And their staff has issued a preview story. One point they brought up is that Banjo-Mutt goaltender Ryan Holfeld has played every minute of every game so far. If Sask wants to get ice time for a backup, this would be the series for that to happen. Otherwise, their backup may as well leave school and apply to Maytag for a job.

The OUA got the weekend off to an early start with a trio of Thursday night games. They were all decided by one goal. The CIS has also released Wednesday and Thursday round-ups for the games played out east. Here are the scores:

Brock 3 York 2
Guelph 3 Laurier 4 (so)
RMC 3 UOIT 4 (so)

Links:
:. [2013-14 Mike Ridley Annual Awards presented to Bison hockey players]
:. [Lethbridge Preview Story]
:. [OUA LeagueStat Thursday Daily Results]
:. [CIS Wednesday Round-up]
:. [CIS Thursday Round-up]

Hollywood · January 18, 2014

Jan 17: Big Bison Rally Falls Short

MANITOBA BISONS 4
CALGARY DINOSAURS 5

Links:
:. [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
:. [U of C Game Story] : [U of C Boxscore]
:. [U of M Reposted Story] : [U of M Boxscore]
:. [CW Story (on all games)]
:. [CIS Friday Roundup]

Last Friday night Bedrock U scored 5 goals in the 1st period in their game against Lethbridge, then pounded at them all night long en route to a 14-2 victory. This Friday, things seemed pretty much the same. It was 5-0 for the Dinos as the teams went for 1st intermission popcorn. The shots were 14-6 for the Dinos, and two goals came on the powerplay.

However, rather than just throw in the towel, the Bisons rallied and dominated Bedrock U for the remainder of the game. The Bisons only managed one goal in the 2nd period, despite holding a 12-2 lead in shots. Aaron Lewadniuk scored his 11th, with linemates Duval and Paradis assisting.

The 3rd period was again very one-sided. The shots were 13-6 and the Bisons scored 3 powerplay goals, two by Ian Duval(his 9th and 10th) sandwiched around one by Taylor Dickin (his 7th).

The rally must sirely give the Bisons confidence in Saturday night's rematch. Unfortunately, it is not available on-line. The Bisons are now 9-10-2 and Bedrock is 18-0-1.

OUT OF TOWN SCOREBOARD

MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS 5
REGINA COUGARS 4
(in overtime)

Links:
:. [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
:. [U of R Game Story] : [U of R Boxscore]
:. [MRU Game Story] : [MRU Boxscore]

The Banjo-Cats are now in full-fledged slump mode. In their 2nd lap around the league they have but one win (1-4-2), and that was against Lethbridge. This was a very back and forth game. Regina led 2-1 and 4-3, MRU lead 3-2 and 5-4. This loss was made more painful by virtue of the fact that MRU tied the game with only 33 seconds left. The winning goal was then scored on a powerplay.

The point improves Regina to 9-10-2 and MRU rises to 7-11-1. Saturday's remtch can be seen on CanadaWest.tv at 7:00 CST.

SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 7
LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS 1

Links:
:. [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
:. [U of L Game Story] : [U of L Boxscore]
:. [U of S Reposted Story]

The Banjo-Mutts did what they needed to do and put the boots to the H0rny Ones. Sask outshot them 16-4 in the 1st period and grabbed a 3-1 lead. It was then time to cruise to a comfy win.

The Mutts improve to 11-9-1, 3 pints ahead of the Bisons. Saturday's rematch will be on CanadaWest.tv at 7:00 MST or 8:00 CST.

ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 4
UBC THUNDERBIRDS 3

Links:
:. [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
:. [UBC Game Story] : [UBC Boxscore]
:. [U of A Reposted Story]

This one featured a near comeback which was perhaps less impressive than the Bisons', but still showed some ositive signs for the the British Californians. The difference here was that the lead was only 4-1 heading into the 3rd period, and in that period UBC were still outshot by a 12-5 margin. Two goals on 5 shots?

OUT EAST:

OUA Links: [LeagueStat Daily]

Jan. 17
Ryerson 3 Lakehead 4
Queen's 1 McGill 2
Ottawa 2 Nipissing 4
W. Ontario 5 Brock 2
UQTR 4 Laurentian
Laurier 3 Windsor 6
York 2 Guelph 1
Carleton 6 Concordia 0
Toronto 4 Waterloo 8

AUS Links: [AUS Schedule/Results]

Jan. 17
UPEI 3 St. F-X 0
Dalhousie 1 Moncton 5
St. Thomas 0 Saint Mary's 4
Acadia 3 New Brunswick 5

UP NEXT:

Jan. 18
Queen's at Concordia
St. Thomas at St. F-X
UPEI at Saint Mary's
Dalhousie at UNB
Acadia at Moncton
RMC at McGill
Ottawa at Laurentian
Waterloo at Windsor
UQTR at UOIT
Ryerson at Lakehead
Manitoba at Calgary
Mount Royal at Regina
Saskatchewan at Lethbridge
Alberta at UBC

[CIS Schedule/Results]

Hollywood · January 19, 2014

Jan 18: Bedrock claims OTW on Wild West Night

MANITOBA BISONS 3
CALGARY DINOSAURS 4
(in overtime)

Links:
:. [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
:. [U of C Game Story] : [U of C Boxscore]
:. [U of M Reposted Story] : [U of M Boxscore]
:. [CW Story (on all games)]
:. [CIS Saturday Roundup]

This was one crazy Saturday night in the CW. Following along on the internet there were ups and downs all night. This was not a weekend where the Bisons expected to gain ground on Sask, yet Lethbridge came within an ace of a major upset, Regina and UBC were swept, and the Bisons came oh-so-close.

The Bisons had to play one man short when Ian Duval was unable to play. We'll be awaiting a report on that injury to be sure. The Herd got off to a good start, leading the game 1-0 after the 1st on Luke Cain's 5th goal of the season.

The Dinos took charge of the 2nd period, taking a 2-1 lead on a pair of powerplay goals (by Pritz and Wintoneuk). However, the Bisons levelled the game on their own late powerplay goal by Jesse Paradis. So, 2-2 after two.

Travis Bobbee scored his 2nd of the season to give the Bisons an early 3-2 3rd period lead, to which they were clinging for almost the whole period. However, Bedrock U tied the game with goaltender Jacob Deserres on the bench in favour of an extra attacker, on a goal by Taylor Stefishen.

After the 4-on-4 overtime produced no goals, the teams went 3-on-3. With only 8 seconds left, Chris Collins scored the winner for the Dinos.

While the Bisons fall to 9-10-3, they have completed their schedules against the top 3 teams. They definitely have the inside track on a top 4 finish and home ice advantage in the quarter-finals. Next week is a bye week for them.

The Dinos are now 19-0-1 and are 3 points ahead of the Evil Monkeys. The Dinos are off to UBC next weekend.

OUT OF TOWN SCOREBOARD

MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS 3
REGINA COUGARS 0

Links:
:. [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
:. [U of R Game Story] : [U of R Boxscore]
:. [MRU Game Story] : [MRU Boxscore]

Since this one was on CanadaWest.tv I focused on it. MRU really took it to their fellow Cougars in this one to sweep the series. This sweep puts Regina's playoff hopes in jeopardy. Although Regina leads MRU by 3 points, and UBC by 5, both of those teams have two games in hand. The games in hand will be made up next weekend whenRegina has a bye. However, after their bye Regina has to face Manitoba, Alberta, and Saskatchewan. Regina went 7-7-0 their first time through the league. So far they are 1-5-2 their second time through.

The New-Kittens-on-the-Block look well-positioned for a playoff run. They looked solid in losing to the Bisons last weekend, and while not a big threat to unseat the top 4 they are perhaps the best of rest right now. Cody Cartier scored his 9th and 10th goals of the season and Calgary Christmas transfer Tyler Fiddler scored his 2nd.

SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 2
LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS 1
(in overtime)

Links:
:. [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
:. [U of L Game Story] : [U of L Boxscore]
:. [U of S Reposted Story]

Like last weekend, the H0rny Ones were blitzed on Friday night and then lost in overtime on Saturday. However, unlike last Saturday, this one was a very evenly played contest and not just the case of a hot goaltender bailing out his team. Nursing a 1-0 lead heading into the 3rd period, the 'Horns went from carrying the play to hanging on. The Banjo-Mutts did tie the game in the 3rd and then won in the 2nd period of overtime, in 3-on-3.

Sask is now 4 points ahead of the Bisons as they enter a bye week.Their next series will be against Calgary.

ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 5
UBC THUNDERBIRDS 2

Links:
:. [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
:. [UBC Game Story] : [UBC Boxscore]
:. [U of A Reposted Story]

In the end, the Evil Monkeys are always going to beat the Tweety-Birds, aren't they? UBC needed wins to get a playoff spot, they knocked off some NCAA teams, but still they are nowhere near the Monkeys. It was close (3-2) after two periods. But 38-28 shots pretty much tell me it was a tidy road win for Saudi Alberta.

Next weekend, Alberta plays home and away against Mount Royal and UBC hosts Calgary. These series were moved from the January 3-4 weekend to accommodate non-conference games.

OUT EAST:

OUA Links: [LeagueStat Daily]

Jan. 18
Queen's 4 Concordia 0
RMC 2 McGill 7
Ottawa 3 Laurentian 2
Waterloo 2 Windsor 4
UQTR 5 UOIT 1
Ryerson 7 Lakehead 1

AUS Links: [AUS Schedule/Results]

Jan. 18
St. Thomas 2 StFX 4
UPEI 3 Saint Mary's 2
Dalhousie 1 UNB 4
Acadia 5 Moncton 6 - OT

UP NEXT:

Jan. 21
Queen's at RMC

Jan. 22
Saint Mary's at Dalhousie

Jan. 23
York at Laurier
W. Ontario at Guelph

Jan. 24
St. Thomas at UNB
Saint Mary's at StFX
Acadia at Dalhousie
Moncton at UPEI
Queen's at Carleton
UOIT at UQTR
Concordia at Nipissing
Laurier at Brock
Ryerson at Waterloo
Toronto at W. Ontario
Lakehead at Windsor
McGill at Laurentian
Alberta at Mount Royal
Calgary at UBC

[CIS Schedule/Results]

Hollywood · January 24, 2014

Weekend Preview: Bisons' Bye Week

This is the CW bye week. Due to non-conference games played on January 3rd and 4th, UBC, Alberta, Calgary, and MRU are playing this coming weekend. So, no Bison preview.

The Bisons have an upcoming fundraising banquet featuring guest speaker Barry Trotz, former Bison coach and current coach of the Nashville Predators. Details are at the link.

In other news, the University Cup organizing committee announced that Marty McSorley and Kelly Hrudey will be the guest speakers at the U-Cup banquet in March. The story is also in the links.

Weekend Links:
:. [Live Stats Friday] : [Live Stats Saturday]
:. [Bison ... hold annual fundraiser dinner ...]
:. [CW Weekend Preview]
:. [CIS Site] : [Schedule/Results/Links] : [Standings]
:. [CW Site] : [Schedule/Results/Links] : [Standings]
:. [CW Weekly Media Notes #13 (pdf)]
:. [CIS Top Ten Story]
:. [CW: McSorley & Hrudey headline 2014 University Cup CIS Gala]
:. [Every Link Re: CIS Hockey]

THE SERIES:

CALGARY DINOSAURS (19-0-1, 26-5-2, OHT36 #1)
UBC THUNDERBIRDS (7-12-1, 11-14-1, OHT36 #21)

Links:
:. [Live Audio (Friday only)]
:. [UBC Preview Story] : [Wudrick Story]
:. [UBC announces initial sport review results]
:. [TSN: Future ... in Question]
:. [U of C Preview Story]
:. [Crowchild Classic Story] : [reposted at CW]

In the past two seasons a late season battle between Bedrock U and British California was a battle for 4th place and the right to host a quarter-final series. This season was widely expected to produce a similar confrontation. Not to be. Bedrock has yet to lose in regulation, while UBC is sitting in 7th place.

So are the Dinos due for a loss? They started the new year with a split of non-conference games against MRU, needed overtime to sweep Lethbridge, and barely escaped a pair of games against Manitoba.

Meanwhile, during the same period UBC swept two NCAA teams, needed a shoot-out to sweep Regina, then wsre swept aside by the Evil Monkeys.

The addition of Geordie Wudrick (a former WHLer, German pro, and UNB player) could be what UBC needs. The 'Birds have delivered spotty performances so far this year. I suspect that they may get 2 points here and end the Dino streak.

This is also a tense time for UBC. Their intention is to drop a slew of sports, and men's hockey never made the first cuts. Only 8 teams did, and only in basketball did both men and women's teams survive. The other men's teams with good news were football, rugby, and soccer. Women survived in field hockey, volleyball, and hockey. Seems like an odd assortment.

ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS (18-2-0, 31-4-1, OHT36 #2)
MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS (8-11-1, 10-14-1, OHT36 #17)

Links:
:. [Live Video (both nights)]
:. [U of A Preview Story] : [U of A Ostman Story]
:. [MRU Preview Story] : [MRU Crowchild Classic Story]

In a unique scheduling twist, both series being played feature a team fighting for 1st with a team fighting for 6th. This battle between the New-Kittens-on-the-Blcok and the Evil Monkeys is a home-and-home affair. Saturday's game in Edmontown will start at an unusual 3:00 p.m. local time, or 4:00 p.m. CST.

The Apes are 3 points behind Bedrock and face them on the final weekend. They need to pick up two points on them somehow in advance of that rematch. Now that Calgary escaped their Manitoba series, the opportunities to gain ground are growing very slim.

Mount Royal sit just two points ahead of UBC. They would be satisfied to leave this weekend in the same relative position.

The links contain a story from Alberta about Joel Ostman, a new defenceman they have recruited from Sweden. He has played in the Swedish Elite League and for Sweden's U17 and U18 teams.

The Crowchild Classic is an all-sport series between MRU and Bedrock U patterned on the Bison-Wesmen Duckworth Challenge in Winnipeg. The game will be played before a huge crowd at the Saddledome. MRU won last year. For them, it was like winning the Stanley Cup. If I were the favourite I would not like this. In a normal game the Dinos would be heavy favourites. But in a game like this anything can happen.

OUT EAST:

OUA Links: [LeagueStat Daily]

Jan. 21
Queen's 3 RMC 0

Jan. 23
York at Laurier
W. Ontario at Guelph

Jan. 24
Queen's at Carleton
Concordia at Nipissing
Laurier at Brock
Ryerson at Waterloo
Toronto at W. Ontario
Lakehead at Windsor
McGill at Laurentian
UOIT at UQTR

AUS Links: [AUS Schedule/Results]

Jan. 24
St. Thomas at New Brunswick
Saint Mary's at St. F-X
Acadia at Dalhousie
Moncton at at UPEI

[CIS Schedule/Results]

Hollywood · January 25, 2014

Jan 24: The Night of the Upsets

The Bisons are enjoying their bye week, hoping to get completely healthy for next week's games at home against Regina. But from the sidelines could be seen two remarkable performances from the teams desperately chasing down playoff berths in the CW.

Links:
:. [CW Story (on all games)]
:. [CIS Thursday Roundup]
:. [CIS Friday Roundup]

OUT OF TOWN SCOREBOARD

ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 3
MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS 4
(in overtime)

Links:
:. [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
:. [MRU Game Story] : [MRU Boxscore]
:. [U of A Reposted Story] : [U of A Linescore]

The Evil Monkeys made a quick trip south to face Cowtown's little guys, the New-Kittens-on-the-Block, to pick up an easy two points so that they could chase down Cowtown's big guys, Bedrock U, for 1st place. Didn't quite turn out that way. You see, the Kittens are in their own race with UBC (and maybe Regina) for the 6th and final playoff berth.

This was not a case of a goaltender holding in his over-matched teammates whilst an opportunistic goal-scorer capitalizes on a rare chance to snatch a fortunate victory. In fact the Kittens outshot the Monkeys 35-30 on the night, and Alberta needed a late 3rd period goal to at least escape with a point. Eric Galbraith picked up a hat-trick (his 7th, 8th, and 9th goals of the season), which included ghe winner. Kurtis Mucha was in the Monkey goal as per their usual rotation, and Dalyn Flette was as always in the Kitty Litter.

The Kittens are a decent sized team, IMO the type of team to which the Monkeys are vulnerable. We'll see how the rematch goes Saturday at 3 MST, 4 CST, on CanadaWest.tv.

Alberta is 18-2-1 and remain 3 points behind Bedrock U. MRU is now 9-11-1 and are within 1 point of idle Regina.

CALGARY DINOSAURS 2
UBC THUNDERBIRDS 3
(in overtime)

Links:
:. [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
:. [UBC Game Story (with video)] : [UBC Boxscore]
:. [U of C Game Story] : [U of C Boxscore]

This game was only available in on-line audio from CITR.ca. The Tweety-Birds were playing with a bit of a pall hanging over their heads. It would seem they used it as incentive for a good performance. Bedrock U got off to a 2-0 lead in the 1st period. However, UBC scored once each in the 2nd, 3rd, and OT periods to claim 2 points and remain 2 points behind MRU in the race for 6th.

Cole Wilson had his 11th and 12th goals of the year, including the OT winner. Steven Stanford and Kris Lazaruk were the goaltenders, as per their team rotations.

The rematch goes Saturday at 5 PST, 7 CST.

OUT EAST:

Links: [LeagueStat Daily]

Jan. 23
York 5 Laurier 2
W. Ontario 4 Guelph 0

Jan. 24
Queen's 2 Carleton 3
Concordia 3 Nipissing 2
Laurier 2 Brock 3 - OT
Ryerson 0 Waterloo 3
Toronto 1 W. Ontario 7
Lakehead 2 Windsor 1
McGill 6 Laurentian 5
UOIT 0 UQTR 7

Links: [AUS Schedule/Results]

Jan. 24
St. Thomas 4 New Brunswick 6
Saint Mary's 4 StFX 3 - SO
Acadia 7 Dalhousie 2
Moncton 1 UPEI 2

UP NEXT:

Jan. 25
Mount Royal at Alberta - 3:00 PM MST [video]
Calgary at UBC - 5:00 PM PST
St. F-X at Acadia
Moncton at St. Thomas
New Brunswick at UPEI
UQTR at Ottawa
McGill at Nipissing
Guelph at York
UOIT at Carleton
Brock at Toronto
Lakehead at Windsor
Concordia at Laurentian

[CIS Schedule/Results]

Hollywood · January 26, 2014

Jan 25: Back to Normal Night

The bye week ends for the Herd and now every team has hit the 22 game mark. The Bisons remain in 4th place, 4 points behind 3rd place Sask and 1 point up on 5th place Regina.

Links:
:. [CW Story (on all games)]
:. [CIS Saturday Roundup]

OUT OF TOWN SCOREBOARD

MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS 1
ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 6

Links:
:. [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
:. [MRU Game Story] : [MRU Boxscore]
:. [U of A Game Story/Linescore]

After a Friday night loss one would have expected the Evil Monkeys to come out like big ugly apes in the rematch, and that they did. I was unable to catch this game on-line due to my son's hockey, but the stats speak for themselves. The Monkeys do have to a bit concerned that they gave up 16 shots on goal in the 1st period. Luke Siemens was in goal as per the usual Monkey rotation, and he held the fort. Dalyn Flette was pulled from the Kittens' goal after 35 minutes and 4 goals against, in favour of seldom-used Kris Moore.

Alberta is now 19-2-1 and MRU is now 9-12-1. Alberta continues their desperate chase of Bedrock U next weekend when they host Lethbridge. Meanwhile, MRU hosts UBC in a series which may determine the final playoff berth.

CALGARY DINOSAURS 3
UBC THUNDERBIRDS 1

Links:
:. [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
:. [UBC Game Story (with video)] : [UBC Boxscore]
:. [U of C Game Story] : [U of C Boxscore]

Like the Primates, Bedrock U needed to bounce back with a strong performance. They got the win but were far from dominant. In fact, UBC had a slight edge in shots (25-23). Steven Stanford started once again in UBC's goal, and Bedrock U switched to Jacob DeSerres in their goal.

Calgary is now 20-0-2 and are off to Sask next weekend, nursing a 3 point lead over Alberta. UBC is now 8-13-1 and remain 2 points behind MRU, who they play next weekend.

OUT EAST:

Links: [LeagueStat Daily]

Jan. 25
UQTR 3 Ottawa 1
McGill 4 Nipissing 2
Guelph 2 York 5
UOIT 1 Carleton 4
Brock 5 Toronto 3
Lakehead 0 Windsor 3
Concordia 6 Laurentian 2
x Army 5 RMC 2 [Story and Summary]

Links: [AUS Schedule/Results]

Jan. 25
St. F-X 3 Acadia 4
Moncton 5 St. Thomas 1
New Brunswick 5 UPEI 4 - OT

UP NEXT:

Jan. 28
Saint Mary's at Dalhousie
Waterloo at Laurier

Jan. 29
UPEI at Moncton
Concordia at UQTR

Jan. 30
Laurier at York
Waterloo at Guelph
Brock at Ryerson
Laurentian at UOIT

Jan. 31
Regina at Manitoba
UBC at Mount Royal
Calgary at Saskatchewan
Lethbridge at Alberta
St. Thomas at Dalhousie
Saint Mary's at Moncton
St. F-X at New Brunswick
UPEI at Acadia
Windsor at McGill
Nipissing at RMC
Carleton at UOIT
Ottawa at Lakehead
W. Ontario at Waterloo
Queen's at Concordia

[CIS Schedule/Results]

Hollywood · January 30, 2014

Weekend preview: Cougars at Bisons

REGINA COUGARS (9-11-2, 12-15-2, OHT36 #17)
MANITOBA BISONS (9-10-3, 14-15-4, OHT36 #11)

Friday, January 31st, 7:00 CST @ Wayne Fleming Arena
Saturday, February 1st 1:00 CST @ Wayne Fleming Arena

Live Links:
:. [Live Stats Friday] : [Live Stats Saturday]
:. [Live Video (both games)]

Manitoba Links:
:. [U of M Preview Story] : [Corfield & Grimson to Hall of Fame]
:. [LS Stats] : [LS Schedule/Results]
:. [Twitter] : [Facebook]

Regina Links:
:. [U of R Site]
:. [LS Stats] : [LS Schedule/Results]
:. [Twitter] : [Facebook]

Other Links:
:. [CW Weekend Preview]
:. [CIS Site] : [Schedule/Results/Links] : [Standings]
:. [CW Site] : [Schedule/Results/Links] : [Standings]
:. [CW Weekly Media Notes #14 (pdf)]
:. [CIS Top Ten Story]
:. [Every Link Re: CIS Hockey]
:. [LeagueStat Head-to-Head Stats]

Prior games:
Sept 20: Man 6 Reg 3: [LS Summary]
Sept 21: Man 4 Reg 1: [LS Summary]
Nov 8: Reg 2 Man 1: [U of M Story] : [LS Summary]
Nov 9: Reg 7 Man 4: [U of M Story] : [LS Summary]

Yee-haw! The Banjo-Cats is leaving Hillbillyland for a trip to Friendly Manitoba. Time to strap a big trailer to the tractor, load up with moonshine, and hit the Trans-Canada. In this weather, they will truly appreciate the indoor plumbing once they arrive.

The Kittens were at one time in serious contention for 3rd place in the CW. But they have hit the skids. They are only 1-5-2 in the second half of the season. And their remaining games are against Manitoba, Alberta, and Saskatchewan. They'll be the underdog in every game. With UBC and MRU showing signs of life, Regina could be in 6th by Sunday and teetering on the brink of 7th if they lose twice to the Bisons.

However, the Kittens are only 1 point behind the Bisons. This is on the strength of a first half where they went 8-6-0. In that first half run they managed to sweep the Herd. The first game was a 2-1 close-fought battle which could have gone either way. The second game was a weird one. Goaltender Deven Dubyk was pulled after giving up 6 goals on 26 shots through two periods. Joe Caligiuri came on and has been #1 in goal since then. The Bisons bombarded the Cats with 53 shots on the night.

Last season, the Bisons beat the Cats 7 times in 8 games (including pre-season and playoffs). In fact, Regina has not come close to beating the Bisons at the U of M for a very long time.

Both sides are coming off a bye week. The Bisons needed it to hopefully get some players back from sick bay, including Ian Duval.

You will note a link to a story about Stu Grimson and Stacy Corfield being inducted into the Bison Hall of Fame. The Grim Reaper is a former Bison who went on to the NHL and is now a lawyer. Corfield is a former goaltender who led the Bison Broads to a conference title and is now a fabulous babe.

Note that Saturday's game is Minor Hockey Day and as such starts at 1:00 p.m. Bring your kid in their team jersey and he/she gets in free.

ELSEWHERE:

CALGARY DINOSAURS (20-0-2, 27-5-3, OHT36 #1)
SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES (12-9-1, 15-11-1, OHT36 #6)

Links:
:. [No Live Video]
:. [U of S Preview Story] : [U of C Preview Story]

This series should be interesting, however it is the onoy one not available on CanadaWest.tv. The Banjo-Mutts are holding this series at the Credit Union Centre, home of this year's University Cup. Bedrock U has yet to lose in regulation time. However, I view them as living on borrowed time. The Dinos have a 3 point lead on Alberta atop the standings. If the Monkeys want to gain ground before they play on the final weekend, this is the weekend where it could happen.

LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS (2-17-3, 2-23-3, OHT36 #34)
ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS (19-2-1, 32-4-1, OHT36 #2)

Links:
:. [Live Video (both nights)]
:. [U of A Preview Story] : [Clare Drake appointed to Order of Hockey in Canada] : [reposted at CW]
:. [U of L Site]

This series is the mismatch of the week. In the last 5 years Alberta has a 20-2 edge over Lethbridge. Although the H0rny Ones have shown some spunk in recent weeks, one has to believe that one game will be a whipping and the other modest win for the Monkeys.

The linked story about Clare Drake is interesting. He joins very select company with his appointment. On Hockey Day in Canada a suggestion was made that he should be included in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

UBC THUNDERBIRDS (8-13-1, 12-15-1, OHT36 #18)
MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS (9-12-1, 11-15-1, OHT36 #15)

Links:
:. [Live Video (both nights)]
:. [MRU Preview Story] : [UBC Preview Story]
:. [Canucks star Kevin Bieksa to enlist teammates in helping save UBC men’s hockey]

As far as playoff implications go, this is the feature series of the weekend. #6 v #7. The New-Kittens-on-the-Block have a 2 point edge over the 'Birds. And MRU closes with a nicer schedule (Bedrock and Lethhbridge as opposed to Sask and Manitoba). Regina will just be hoping that only 4 points are awarded. Saturday's game in this series is also a matinee.

OUT EAST:

OUA Links: [LeagueStat Daily]

Jan. 28
Waterloo 2 Laurier 3 - SO

Jan. 29
UQTR 4 Concordia 1

Jan. 30
Laurier at York
Waterloo at Guelph
Brock at Ryerson
Laurentian at UOIT

Jan. 31
Windsor at McGill
Nipissing at RMC
Carleton at UOIT
Ottawa at Lakehead
W. Ontario at Waterloo
Queen's at Concordia

AUS Links: [AUS Schedule/Results]

Jan. 28
Saint Mary's 3 Dalhousie 0

Jan. 29
UPEI 2 Moncton 4

Jan. 31
St. Thomas at Dalhousie
Saint Mary's at Moncton
St. F-X at New Brunswick
UPEI at Acadia

[CIS Schedule/Results]
:. [Tuesday Roundup] : [Wednesday Roundup]

Hollywood · February 1, 2014

Jan 31: Kittens Claw Way to Victory

REGINA COUGARS 3
MANITOBA BISONS 1

Links:
:. [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
:. [U of M Game Story] : [U of M Boxscore]
:. [U of R Story] : [U of R Boxscore]
:. [CW Story (on all games)]
:. [CIS Friday Roundup]

The Kittens scratched and clawed their way to an unlikely win over the depleted Bison squad on Friday night. The Bisons were still missing Jeremy Schappert on D but are now also missing Ian Duval and Paul Ciarelli. This caused a massive shuffling of the forward lines. In fact, the returning Darren Bestland and newcomer Kyle Rous were switched from the blue line to the forward line for the game. Here's how the teams aligned:

<

The 1st period was even and scorelesss. The Bisons then took control as the 2nd period wore on. However, Regina scored on both forays into the Bison zone to take a 2-0 lead into the 3rd period.

The 3rd period was one-way traffic. The shots were 15-3 for the Bisons. Yet it took a last-minute goal by Craig Scott to break Andrew Hayes' shutout bid.

This allows the Cats to leap over the Bisons into 4th place. The Bisons now have the pressure on them to win Saturday's 1:00 p.m. rematch.

OUT OF TOWN SCOREBOARD

UBC THUNDERBIRDS 4
MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS 5
(in overtime)

Links:
:. [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
:. [MRU Game Story] : [MRU Boxscore]
:. [UBC Game Story]

The New-Kittens-on-the-Block took a hug step to securing a playoff berth. However, UBC was able to munt a 3rd period comeback to at least salvage a point. MRU had a 4-2 lead but UBC took over the 3rd and tied the game with 2 seconds left. CanadaWest.tv had only audio but it sounded like MRU was quite perturned at not holding the lead.

If UBC wants a playoff spot they must win Saturday afternoon's rematch, which is available on CanadaWest.tv at 2:00 MST or 3:00 CST.

CALGARY DINOSAURS 3
SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 4

Links:
:. [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
:. [U of S Game Story]
:. [U of C Reposted Story] : [U of C Boxscore]

Bedrock U suffered their first regulation loss. And this came from a 3-goal 3rd period by the Banjo-Mutts. IMO these teams are now on a collision course for a semi-final series. The Dinos have been dodging bullets lately and this was inevitable.

LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS 0
ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 13

Links:
:. [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
:. [U of A Game Story]
:. [U of L Reposted Story] : [U of L Boxscore]

Wow. The H0rny Ones are really bad on Friday nights. However, as we have seen, they have bounced back on Saturdays with some reasonable games.

OUT EAST:

Links: [LeagueStat Daily]

Jan. 30
Laurier 2 York    1 - OT
Waterloo 3 Guelph 7
Brock    5 Ryerson 4
Laurentian 1 UOIT 6

Jan. 31
Windsor 4    McGill    3 - SO
Nipissing 3    RMC    4 - OT
Carleton 3    UOIT    2 - OT
Ottawa 4    Lakehead 3 - SO
W. Ontario 3    Waterloo 2
Queen's 6    Concordia 2

Links: [AUS Schedule/Results]

Jan. 31
St. Thomas    8    Dalhousie    6
Saint Mary's    4    Moncton    6
StFX    2    UNB    3 - OT
UPEI    5    Acadia    2

UP NEXT:

Feb. 1
Regina        Manitoba    1:00 PM CST
York        Ryerson    2:30 PM EST
UBC        Mount Royal    2:00 PM MST
St. Thomas    Acadia        7:00 PM AST
Saint Mary's    UNB        7:00 PM AST
UPEI        Dalhousie    7:00 PM AST
StFX        Moncton    7:00 PM AST
UQTR        RMC        7:00 PM EST
Windsor    McGill        7:00 PM EST
Nipissing    Queen's    7:30 PM EST
Laurier    Toronto    7:30 PM EST
Ottawa        Lakehead    7:30 PM EST
Guelph        W. Ontario    7:30 PM EST
Lethbridge    Alberta    6:00 PM MST
Calgary    Saskatchewan    7:00 PM CST

[CIS Schedule/Results]

Hollywood · February 2, 2014

Feb 1: OT sweep leaves Bisons scrambling

REGINA COUGARS 3
MANITOBA BISONS 2
(in overtime)

Links:
:. [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
:. [U of M Game Story] : [U of M Boxscore]
:. [U of R Reposted Story] : [U of R Boxscore]
:. [CW Story (on all games)]
:. [CIS Saturday Roundup]

The Banjo-Cats came into town struggling seriously in the entire 2nd half of the season. But, though outplayed, they picked up 4 points to 1 for Manitoba and are now back in 3rd place. The result leaves Regina in 4th place, 2 points ahead of the Bisons and MRU and 4 points ahead of UBC. Before we look at what this means going down the home stretch, let us look at Saturday's game.

First, here's how the sides aligned:

Manitoba

Goal
1 Caligiuri (34 Dubyk)

Defence
22 Bestland - 2 Crowley
5 Christensen - 6 Paulsen
12 Sutherland - 24 Bobbee
3 Landry

Forwards
18 Kelly - 15 Scott - 29 Cain
27 DePape - 21 Dickin - 26 Gaudet
16 Paradis - 10 Rowinski - 20 Lewadniuk
8 Coates - 28 Rous

Scratches
D 4 Schappert
F 17 Lauder 19 Duval 25 Ciarelli
G 35 Rewucki

Notes:
Although Landry was listed, I did not see him play. Bestland returned to the defence. Rous stayed up front. Various centres were used between Coates and Rous, and Coates had seeral shifts on other lines as well.

Regina

Goal
35 Gore (30 Hayes)

Defence
4 Sonntag - 18 Luhning
7 Schneider - 2 Dech
8 Bourhuis - 5 Reeve

Forwards
10 Henry - 15 Murray - 22 Hunter
24 Szucki - 21 Hladun - 17 Selinger
16 Nargang - 12 Brennan - 27 Fowlie
13 Appleyard - 25 McNulty - 23 Magnus

Scratches
G 1 Kilgore
D 6 Turner 28 Niebrandt
F 9 Penny 11 Johnstone 14 Cuthbert
F 19 King 20 Sawka 29 Lange

The Bisons came out string and really carried the play in the 1st period. However, an inability to cash in bedevilled them once again.

Regina mounted very little in return until the Bisons took a series of 3 overlapping penalties which afforded the Cougars two stints of a 2-man advantage. It was basically the only time of the game where Regina generated a majority of the scoring chances. Both goals were scored by defencemen on shots from the blue line. No doubt Caligiuri would find those goals to be unacceptable. Schneider and Dech were the scorers.

The Bisons themselves scored on the powerplay within a couple minutes to close the gap. Jordan DePape, stopped pn 3 breakaways Friday night, finally cashed one in for the Herd.

The 3rd period was quite tight. Jesse Paradis tied the game with a short-handed goal. After that, Regina seemed pretty satisfied to take it into OT.

The 1st OT period was all-Bisons. The shots were 9-1 for the Bisons and many great chances were squandered, espceially Lee Christensen who had a wide open net at one point. However, Regina cashed in a 3rd goal from theor defence when John Sonntag converted another shot.

The Bisons next travel to Lethbridge while Regina hosts Alberta. One would expect the Bisons to at least close the gap in those games.

OUT OF TOWN SCOREBOARD

UBC THUNDERBIRDS 6
MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS 5
(in overtime)

Links:
:. [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
:. [MRU Game Story] : [MRU Boxscore]
:. [UBC Game Story]

This was like Friday's game, in reverse. This time UBC won the high scoring affair to give each side 3 points on the weekend. Cole Wilson scored a hattrick for the 'Birds, his 14th, 15th, and 16th goals of the season.

MRU moves into a tie with the Bisons for 5th place, with UBC two points behind. Next weekend MRU faces Calgary and UBC hosts Saskatchewan.

CALGARY DINOSAURS 2
SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 10

Links:
:. [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
:. [U of S Game Story]
:. [U of C Reposted Story] : [U of C Boxscore]

Bedrock U appears to have gotten the hang of losing. This scoreline was completely unexpected. Bedrock U also falls to 2nd place in the process.

LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS 1
ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 11

Links:
:. [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
:. [U of A Game Story]
:. [U of L Reposted Story] : [U of L Boxscore]

What can you say about the H0rny Ones? In recent weeks they at least rebounded to put up a fight on Saturday after being blitzed on Friday. The Bisons wlll be hoping that these teams repeat their performances next weekend.

OUT EAST:

Links: [LeagueStat Daily]

Feb. 1
York 7 Ryerson 5
UQTR 6 RMC 2
Windsor 2 McGill 6
Nipissing 1 Queen's 4
Laurier 0 Toronto 5
Ottawa 4 Lakehead 3 - OT
Guelph 7 W. Ontario 6 - OT

Links: [AUS Schedule/Results]

Feb. 1
St. Thomas 3 Acadia 8
Saint Mary's 5 UNB 6
UPEI 3 Dalhousie 7
St. F-X 2 Moncton 4

UP NEXT:

Feb. 2
Concordia at Carleton

Feb. 6
Laurier at Guelph
Calgary at Mount Royal

Feb. 7
Manitoba at Lethbridge
Mount Royal at Calgary
Alberta at Regina
Saskatchewan at UBC
Acadia at Saint Mary's
UNB at St. Thomas
UPEI at Moncton
Dalhousie at StFX
UOIT at McGill
UQTR at Carleton
Concordia at Ottawa
Nipissing at Laurentian
York at Toronto
Brock at Waterloo
RMC at Queen's
Lakehead at W. Ontario

[CIS Schedule/Results]

Hollywood · February 7, 2014

Weekend preview: Bisons at Lethbridge

MANITOBA BISONS (9-11-4, 14-16-5, OHT36 #12)
LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS (2-19-3, 2-25-3, OHT36 #35)

Friday, February 7th, 7:00 MST/8:00 CST @ U of L
Saturday, February 8th, 7:00 MST/8:00 CST @ U of L

Live Links:
:. [Live Stats Friday] : [Live Stats Saturday]
:. [Live Video (both games)]

Manitoba Links:
:. [U of M Site]
:. [LS Stats] : [LS Schedule/Results]
:. [Twitter] : [Facebook]

Lethbridge Links:
:. [U of L Preview Story]
:. [LS Stats] : [LS Schedule/Results]
:. [Twitter] : [Facebook]

Other Links:
:. [CW Weekend Preview]
:. [CIS Site] : [Schedule/Results/Links] : [Standings]
:. [CW Site] : [Schedule/Results/Links] : [Standings]
:. [CW Weekly Media Notes #15 (pdf)]
:. [CIS Top Ten Story]
:. [Every Link Re: CIS Hockey]
:. [LeagueStat Head-to-Head Stats]

Prior games:
Nov 15: Man 3 Leth 0: [U of M Story] : [LS Summary]
Nov 16: Man 7 Leth 0: [U of M Story] : [LS Summary]

The Herd is off on their final roud-trup of the regular season as they role into Lethbridge to face The H0rny Ones. This has been a tough season for the 'Horns. It is not just the record that is bad. They have scored 37 goals. Next lowest is Mount Royal with 67. They have given up 140 goals. Next worst are Mount Royal and UBC, tied with 93. Last weekend they lost twice to the Monkeys, 13-0 and 11-1. In their first series of the season, the Bisons shut them out twice, 3-0 (outshot 43-17) and 7-0 (outshot 46 - 23).

Yet the H0rny Ones have come really close in two recent games. Before the Alberta series, they faced Calgary and Saskatchewan. Both times they were hammered on Friday night before rebounding on Saturday night only to lose in overtime. The Bisons likely fear that there will be one toss-up kind of game on the weekend.

The standings speak for themselves. The Bisons need all 4 points on offer in this series. If they get them they will have the inside track on a 4th place finish. Otherwise they could be playing for their lives against UBC next weekend.

Last weekend the Bisons were still missing Jeremy Schappert and Ian Duval. However, Darren Betsland made his return to the lineup after an extended absence.

ELSEWHERE:

CALGARY DINOSAURS (20-2-2, 27-7-3, OHT36 #3)
MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS (10-12-2, 12-15-2, OHT36 #13)

Links:
:. [No Live Video]
:. [U of C Preview Story] : [MRU Preview Story]

This is the Crowchild Classic, a Duckworth Challenge copycat of the U of M v U of W series. The series goes Thursday at the Saddledome (MRU's home game) and Friday at Bedrock U.

After going all season without a regulation loss, Bedrock U was poised for a dream season. Then it all came crashing down in Saskatown, twice. They now find themselves a point behind the Monkeys innthe race for 1st. Meanwhile, the New-Kittens-on-the-Block are tied for 4th the Bisons and cling to a playoff spot. With Lethbridge on their horizon, even 2 points against the cross-town rivals could see them through to their first playoff berth.

ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS (21-2-1, 34-4-1, OHT36 #1)
REGINA COUGARS (11-11-2, 14-15-2, OHT36 #14)

Links:
:. [Live Video (both nights)]
:. [U of R Site] : [U of A Site]

The Banjo-Cats are riding high off their sweep of the Bisons. However, the Monkeys are on a roll. One has to think that the Primates will finish stromg so they can nail down 1st place.

SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES (14-9-1, 17-11-1, OHT36 #6)
UBC THUNDERBIRDS (9-13-2, 13-15-2, OHT36 #18)

Links:
:. [No Live Video or Audio]
:. [UBC Preview Story] : [U of S Site]

This is do-or-die week for the Tweety-Birds. If the Bisons and MRU sweep their series and Regina wins once, UBC could be eliminated from the playoffs with a split. Barring collapse, the Banjo-Mutts are pretty much assured if 3rd place. It will be interesting to see what sort ofc rowds the T-Birds can pull this weekend. It is their last home weekend of the season and their program needs to pull off a plan to stay afloat.

OUT EAST:

Links: [LeagueStat Daily]

Feb. 6
Laurier at Guelph
RMC at Queen's

Feb. 7
UOIT at McGill
UQTR at Carleton
Concordia at Ottawa
Nipissing at Laurentian
York at Toronto
Brock at Waterloo
Lakehead at W. Ontario

Links: [AUS Schedule/Results]

Feb. 7
Acadia at Saint Mary's
New Brunswick at St. Thomas
UPEI at Moncton
Dalhousie at St. F-X

[CIS Schedule/Results]

Edited February 7, 2014 by Hollywood

Hollywood · February 8, 2014

Feb 7: Herd Handles 'Horns

MANITOBA BISONS 8
LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS 2

Links:
:. [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
:. [U of L Game Story] : [U of L Boxscore]
:. [U of M Site - story to be posted]
:. [CW Story (on all games)]
:. [CIS Friday Roundup]

It was Friday, therefore the H0rny Ones were mercilessly pounded. It is the formula. Although Lethbridge was also pounded last Saturday, the Bisons should be aware that in the preceeding weeks the 'Horns rebounded and forced overtime against Sask and Bedrock. We'll see.

Jory Coates and Jordan DePape each had a hattrick for the Bisons. Coates now has 6 goals on the season and DePape has 8. Ian Duval, Paul Ciarelli, and Austin Lauder returned to the Bison line-up. (Schappert, Gaudet, Rous, and Landry were scratched.) Lauder played on a 4th line with Scott and Coates and they had loads of ice time. Joe Caligiuri went the distance in the Bison goal.

The Bisons are now tied for 4th. Saturday's rematch goes at 8:00 CST and can be seen on-line at CanadaWest.tv.

OUT OF TOWN SCOREBOARD

CALGARY DINOSAURS 3
MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS 4
(in overtime)

Links:
:. [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
:. [MRU Game Story] : [MRU Boxscore]
:. [U of C Game Story] : [U of C Boxscore]

MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS 2
CALGARY DINOSAURS 5

Links:
:. [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
:. [U of C Game Story] : [U of C Boxscore]
:. [MRU Reposted Story] : [MRU Boxscore]

These cross-town rivals played Thursday and Friday. The Thursday game was played at the Saddledomw and was dubbed The Crowchild Classic. MRU won last season and repeated the trick again this year. Bedrock U then broke their 3-game losing streak with a key win in the Friday night rematch.

MRU had a 3-1 lead on Thursday and were trying desperately to hang on. However, Bedrock U rallied with two 3rd period goals, including one with only 7 seconds left, to force overtime and salvage a point. Despite needing some offence to tie the game, the Dinos had only 6 shots on goal in the 3rd period, while MRU replied with only 3.

On Friday night, MRU took a 1-0 lead which must have made the Dinos antsy. However, they took control of the game and won going away. The teams scored 5 powerplay goals on the night.

The New-Kittens-on-the-Block are now tied with Manitoba and Regina for 4th place, 4 points ahead of UBC. The Dinos are tied with Alberta for 1st.

ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 5
REGINA COUGARS 0

Links:
:. [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
:. [U of R Game Story] : [U of R Boxscore]
:. [U of A Reposted Story]

The Monkeys are throwing feces and swing on the vines in their cages now. They dusted off those pesky Banjo-Cats with a tidy victory. In fact, Despite trailing going into the 3rd period, all the Kittens could must was a platry 3 shots on the Mu-u-u-cha in the Monkeys' net.

Both sides are now tied in their races. The rematch goes Saturday at 7:00 CST and can be seen on CanadaWest.tv.

SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 3
UBC THUNDERBIRDS 1

Links:
:. [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
:. [UBC Game Story (with video)]
:. [U of S Reposted Story]

This was a loss the Tweety-Birds could ill afford. With the results on the out-of-town scoreboard, they are now 4 points out of a playoff berth. This game was by all accounts a tough battle. But the Huskies are coming on and UBC has just not been able to beat good teams in big games.

Looking at possible tie-breakers, UBC lost their season series to MRU 6-5 on points, beat Regina 6-3 on points, and are down 4-0 to Manitoba with two games to come next weekend. A loss on Saturday would eliminate them if Manitoba beats Lethbridge and Regina upsets Alberta.

OUT EAST:

OUA Links: [LeagueStat Daily]

Feb. 6
Laurier 2 Guelph 4
RMC 2 Queen's 1

Feb. 7
UOIT 2 McGill 9
UQTR 3 Carleton 5
Concordia 3 Ottawa 4
Nipissing 6 Laurentian 1
York 0 Toronto 3
Brock 2 Waterloo 4
Lakehead 3 W. Ontario 4

AUS Links: [AUS Schedule/Results]

Feb. 7
Acadia 5 Saint Mary's 2
UNB 6 St. Thomas 1
UPEI 3 Moncton 1
Dalhousie 2 St. F-X 3

UP NEXT:

Feb. 8
Manitoba at Lethbridge 7:00 PM MST
Alberta at Regina 7:00 PM CST
Saskatchewan at UBC 7:00 PM PST
UOIT at Concordia 2:00 PM EST
Moncton at New Brunswick 7:00 PM AST
Dalhousie at Acadia 7:00 PM AST
St. Thomas at UPEI 7:00 PM AST
St. F-X at Saint Mary's 7:00 PM AST
Guelph at Waterloo 6:30 PM EST
RMC at Nipissing 7:00 PM EST
Lakehead at Brock 7:15 PM EST
Laurier at Ryerson 7:30 PM EST
Toronto at Windsor 7:30 PM EST
Carleton at Laurentian 7:30 PM EST
UQTR at Queen's 7:30 PM EST
York at W. Ontario 7:30 PM EST

[CIS Schedule/Results]

Hollywood · February 9, 2014

Feb 8: Short-Staffed Bisons Complete the Sweep

MANITOBA BISONS 6
LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS 3

Links:
:. [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
:. [U of L Game Story] : [U of L Boxscore]
:. [U of M Reposted Friday Game Story] : [U of M Friday Boxscore]
:. [CW Story (on all games)]
:. [CIS Saturday Roundup]

The first thing I noticed was that the Bisons were playing short by two players. I believe that they often travel with just 20 players so maybe the guys left home were playable. But Saturday night, the line-up was down Darren Bestland on D and Luke Cain up front.

Nevertheless, the Herd racked up an eesential victory in convincing fashion. The scoreline in fact flattered the H0rny Ones.

The Bisons got goals from 6 different players (Lewadniuk's 12th, Dickin's 8th, Christensen's 1st, Rowinski's 5th, Scott's 4th, and Kelly's 5th). Ian Duval created mayhem when he was out there, and his line could have really racked up some numbers with a few bounces.

The host team was not just mailing this one in, however. Although outshot 52-29 on the night, they did pull the game even at 2-2 as late as 12 minutes into the 2nd period. It was a 3-goals-in-3-minutes stint towards the end of the 2nd period that sealed the win for Manitoba. Joe Caliogiurir went the distance in goal for Manitoba, and Dylan Tait faced the firing squad in the Lethbridge net.

Next weekend marks the end of the CW regular season, and the Bisons will host the desperate UBC Thunderbirds. Meanwhile, Lethbridge will play home-and-home against MRU.

OUT OF TOWN SCOREBOARD

ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 5
REGINA COUGARS 2

Links:
:. [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
:. [U of R Game Story (with video)] : [U of R Boxscore]
:. [U of A Reposted Story and Linsecore]

I saw this one on-line before the puck dropped in Lethbridge. The Evil Monkeys looked several levels better than the Banjo-Cats. The Apes-on-Skates dominated the shot clock 43-21, including 17-4 in the 2nd period. Kurtis Mu-u-u-cha was once again in the Monkey net. I believe this was the first time all season that the Saudi Albertans gave one goaltender both starts.

Both sides wrap up the regular season next weekend in home-and-home series against their traditional rivals. The Monkeys will face Bedrock U with a 2-point lead in the fight for 1st place. And the Banjo-Cats will face the Banjo-Mutts where side bets for moonshine should abound.

SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 1
UBC THUNDERBIRDS 5

Links:
:. [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
:. [UBC Game Story]
:. [U of S Site - check for Reposted Story]

I guess nobody expected that the Tweety-Birds would be swept at home in their hour of desperation. This was not on-line, but going by the stats it is hard to see how they pulled out such a convincing scoreline. The Mutts held a wide edge on the shot clock in every period. The Mutts opened scoring 10 seconds into the 2nd period on a goal by Derek Hulak. Somehow, UBC managed to tie the game and then take a lead despite scraping a meagre 8 shots on goal per period. Ryan Holfeld has played every game for Sask, bar one against Lethbridge. In that game Blake Voth gave up 1 goal in 66 minutes while facing 29 shots. Could Holfeld be worn out? He still has a .918 save percentage.

Meanwhile, Steven Stanford turned in a great performance in UBC's goal. Geordie Wudrick scored 2 goals, giving him 4 in 6 games since being recruited at Christmas time. Cole Wilson also had his 17th goal of the season. Bison fans can look forward to those names next weekend.

Where does this leave the CW heading into the finale? Here it is:

``````````````W-L-OL``Pts``Opponent
Alberta``````23-2-1`` 47`` Calgary
Calgary``````21-2-3`` 45`` Alberta
Saskatchewan 15-10-1``31`` Regina
Manitoba```` 11-11-4``26`` UBC
Regina`````` 11-13-2``24`` Saskatchewan
Mount Royal``11-13-2``24`` Lethbridge
UBC``````````10-14-2``22`` Manitoba
Lethbridge````2-21-3`` 7`` Mount Royal

OUT EAST:

OUA Links: [LeagueStat Daily]

Feb. 8
UOIT 2 Concordia 4
Guelph 1 Waterloo 4
RMC 0 Nipissing 7
Lakehead 3 Brock 6
Laurier 2 Ryerson 3
Toronto 1 Windsor 5
Carleton 4 Laurentian 0
UQTR 2 Queen's 4
York 1 W. Ontario 3

AUS Links: [AUS Schedule/Results]

Feb. 8
Moncton 0 New Brunswick 4
Dalhousie 1 Acadia 6
St. Thomas 1 UPEI 3
St. F-X 3 Saint Mary's 7

UP NEXT:

Feb. 12
Toronto at Ryerson 11:30 AM EST
Carleton at RMC 7:00 PM EST

Feb. 13
W. Ontario at York 7:00 PM EST
Brock at Laurier 7:30 PM EST

Feb. 14
New Brunswick at Dalhousie 7:00 PM AST
St. F-X at St. Thomas 7:00 PM AST
Moncton at Acadia 7:00 PM AST
Saint Mary's at UPEI 7:30 PM AST
Laurentian at Ottawa 7:00 PM EST
Windsor at York 7:00 PM EST
Queen's at UQTR 7:00 PM EST
Concordia at RMC 7:00 PM EST
Nipissing at McGill 7:00 PM EST
Waterloo at Lakehead 7:30 PM EST
UBC at Manitoba 7:00 PM CST
Regina at Saskatchewan 7:00 PM CST
Lethbridge at Mount Royal 7:00 PM MST
Calgary at Alberta 7:00 PM MST

[CIS Schedule/Results]

Hollywood · February 13, 2014

Weekend Preview: Thunderbirds at Bisons: End of Regular Season

UBC THUNDERBIRDS (10-14-2, 14-16-2, OHT36 #19)
MANITOBA BISONS (11-11-4, 16-16-5, OHT36 #12)

Friday, February 14th, 7:00 CST @ Wayne Fleming Arena, U of M
Saturday, February 15th, 7:00 CST @ Wayne Fleming Arena, U of M

Live Links:
:. [Live Stats Friday] : [Live Stats Saturday]
:. [Live Video (both games)]
:. [UMFM 101.5]

Manitoba Links:
:. [DePape named Canada West Male Second Star of the Week]
:. [DePape Smitty's Bison Sports Athlete of the Week]
:. [LS Stats] : [LS Schedule/Results]
:. [Twitter] : [Facebook]

UBC Links:
:. [UBC Preview Story]
:. [LS Stats] : [LS Schedule/Results]
:. [Twitter] : [Facebook]
:, [Coach Drago floored by support]

Other Links:
:. [CW Weekend Preview]
:. [CIS Site] : [Schedule/Results/Links] : [Standings]
:. [CW Site] : [Schedule/Results/Links] : [Standings]
:. [CW Weekly Media Notes #16 (pdf)]
:. [CIS Top Ten Story]
:. [Every Link Re: CIS Hockey]
:. [LeagueStat Head-to-Head Stats]

Prior games:
Nov 22: Man 6 UBC 3: [U of M Story] : [LS Summary]
Nov 23: Man 6 UBC 4: [U of M Story] : [LS Summary]

The final weekend of the CW season is upon us and all we know for sure is that 3rd place will go the Saskatchewan Banjo-Mutts and 8th place will go to the Lethbridge H0rny Ones.

Remaining unknown are the race for 1st and 2nd places, which will go to the Alberta Evil Monkeys and the Bedrock Dinos, and the race for the 4th through 7th places, which will go to all of the rest.

The Bisons currently sit alone in 4th and therefore have their destiny in their own hands. Regina and MRU are both 2 points back, and UBC 4 points back. I have not seen anything official, but from the tie-breaking criteria listed in the standings, this is what I believe:
- Bisons would win a 2-way tie-breaker with Mount Royal
- Bisons would lose a 2-way tie-breaker with Regina or UBC
- in a 3-way tie with MRU and Regina, Regina gets 4th, MRU 5th, and Manitoba 6th
- in a 3-way tie with MRU and UBC, Manitoba gets 4th, UBC 5th, and MRU 6th (or all one place lower if tied behind Regina)
- in a 3-way tie with UBC and Regina, Regina gets 4th, UBC 5th, and Manitoba 6th (or all one place lower if tied behind MRU)
- in a 4-way tie, UBC gets 4th, MRU 5th, Regina 6th, and Manitoba 7th

Therefore, the Bisons could only miss the playoffs IF they lose both games in regulation time AND MRU gets 2 or more points AND Regina gets exactly 2 points.

Also, the Bisons would get 4th place and home ice advantage IF:

- they get 3 or more points; OR

- they get 2 points AND Regina gets 3 or fewer points; OR

- they get 1 point AND MRU gets 3 or fewer points AND Regina gets 2 or fewer points.

In recent years the Bisons have had some rough weekends against the T-Birds, but those have been series played in British California. The Bisons had two decisive wins at UBC and now one would have to expect that they are more likely to be hoping for 4th rather than fearing for 7th.

The last time the Bisons were at home they lost two games (albeit once in overtime) to the Banjo-Cats. That was the only positive weekend for Regina in the entire 2nd half so far. Otherwise, the Bison performances have generally been as expected, although the fact they only got one point each in their trips to Saskatchewan and Calgary remains a disappointment.

So, what should we expect on the weekend? Well, UBC has Cole Wilson, the 2nd leading scorer in the league. However, after him they have a lot of average and below average scorers. The goaltending has been slightly below average. Steven Stanford and Matt Hewitt have more-or-less split the duties, and usually they stick with one until he sputters.

Any way you slice it, the Bisons cannot expect anything other than UBC's best performance. They know they can make the playoffs for sure with two regulation-time wins. Anything else and they would need help. And help from a team (Sask or Lethbridge) which has nothing at stake.

Off ice, things are looking up for UBC's hockey program. Loads of donors have been coming through. Check the link for details.

ELSEWHERE:

LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS (2-21-3, 2-27-3, OHT36 #34)
MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS (11-13-2, 13-16-2, OHT36 #13)

Links:
:. [Live Video (Friday only)]
:. [U of L Site] : [MRU Preview Story]

The New-Kittens-on-the-Block need only two points to guarantee themselves a playoff berth, and my hunch is they'll get those points. However, I have a hunch that when this home-and-home series hits Lethbridge on Saturday we will see the 'Horns put up one last battle. They did so against Calgary and Saskatchewan, but were blown out twice by Alberta and Manitoba.

When these teams met earlier, although MRU swept, one game required a shoot-out. Last season, 3 of their 4 games went to overtime and in the end Lethbridge won the season series on points, 6-5.

CALGARY DINOSAURS (21-2-3, 28-7-4, OHT36 #3)
ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS (23-2-1, 36-4-1, OHT36 #1)

Links:
:. [Live Video (both nights)]
:. [U of C Preview Story] : [U of A Preview Story]

At one time, Bedrock U was riding high with no regulation losses. Now, they have hitb the skids. Meanwhile, the Monkeys have been racking up the wins and dominating everybody.

Both sides had a tough weekend on Jan 24-25, when Alberta lost to MRU and Bedrock lost to UBC. Alberta followed with 13-0 and 11-1 wins over Lethbridge and 5-0 and 5-2 wins over Regina. (Admittedly, those teams are made to be run over by the Monkeys.) Calgary went the other way, losing twice to Sask and splitting with MRU. Now they have only 2 wins in their last 6 games.

The Dinos need a sweep of the series to get 1st place, whether in regulation or overtime does not matter.

REGINA COUGARS (11-13-2, 14-17-2, OHT36 #14)
SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES (15-10-1, 18-12-1, OHT36 #5)

Links:
:. [Live Video (both nights)]
:. [U of S Preview Story] : [U of R Site]

The Battle of Banjoland is a home-and-home affair. Sask has 3rd place wrapped up. While it is true that the Canines have had a wonky season thus far and cannot afford to turn it "on" and "off" at will, the low-stakes weekend for them is a certain advantage for the Felines.

On the other hand, Regina is only 3-7-2 in the 2nd half of the season. Too bad for the Bisons that two of those wins were against them. The Cats also had a 3 point weekend against Lethbridge and a 1 point weekend against MRU.

OUT EAST:

OUA Links: [LeagueStat Daily]

Feb. 12
Toronto 4 Ryerson 3
Carleton 9 RMC 1

Feb. 13
W. Ontario at York
Brock at Laurier

Feb. 14
Laurentian at Ottawa
Windsor at York
Queen's at UQTR
Concordia at RMC
Nipissing at McGill
Waterloo at Lakehead

AUS Links: [AUS Schedule/Results]

Feb. 14
New Brunswick at Dalhousie
St. F-X at St. Thomas
Moncton at Acadia
Saint Mary's at UPEI

[CIS Schedule/Results]

Hollywood · February 15, 2014

Feb 14: Bisons Blow Opportunity to Clinch 4th

MANITOBA BISONS 2
UBC THUNDEBIRDS 5

Links:
:. [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
:. [U of M Preview Story] : [U of M Game Story] : [U of M Boxscore]
: [UBC Game Story]
:. [CW Story (on all games)]
:. [CIS Friday Roundup]

An odd game, this. The Bisons dominated the 1st and 3rd period, yet never scored a goal in either period. Both goals came during a stretch in the 2nd period where UBC amassed their only period of territorial advantage in the game.

I had to drop my son off at a gig then meet him there afterwards. So, I missed the 1st UBC goal, arriving just in time to hear the announcement. UBC added a 2nd goal when Aaron Lwadniuk for some unknown reason shot the puck towards his own boards after killing a penalty. It bounced off an offical to Antilla the Hun standing alone in the slot. Tough break. The Bisons outshot UBC 12-5, yet down 2-0.

Then came the 2nd period. Somebody coughed up the puck to Cole Wilson. (It was at the end of the ice away from me so I did not catch the number.) The 3-0 lead last only 18 seconds, when Lewadniuk cashed in a nice set-up. The Bisons barely did anything until Jordan DePape knocked a bouncing puck into the net to make it 3-2. UBC's Littlest Hoban made it 4-2 on the lone PP goal of the night. Until then there had barely been a scoring chance on the prior UBC PPs.

The 3rd period prtoduced nothing at all until UBC registered an empty-netter. The Bisons outshot UBC 16-7 in a desperate bid to tie the game.

Here's how they lined up:

MANITOBA

Goal:
1 Caligiuri (34 Dubyk)

Defence:
12 Sutherland - 2 Crowley
3 Landry - 24 Bobbee
5 Christensen - 6 Paulsen

Forwards:
16 Paradis - 19 Duval - 20 Lewadniuk
21 Dickin - 10 Rowinski - 27 - DePape
18 Kelly - 25 Ciarelli - 26 Gaudet
8 Coates - 15 Scott - 17 Lauder

Scratches:
4 Schappert - 22 Bestland
28 Rous - 29 Cain
35 Rewucki

UBC

Goal:
35 Stanford (30 Hewitt)

Defence:
5 Saip - 15 Yee
7 Wall - 24 Smith
18 Manning - 13 Schmidt
6 Underwood

Forwards:
9 Wilgosh - 17 McDonald - 27 Antilla
26 Wudrick - 11 Fleming - 16 Wilson
12 Buonassissi - 19 Fraser (often with 27)
33 Hilton - 10 Bandano - 20 Hoban

Scratches:
1 Wylde - 4 Vannieuwenhuizen
8 Cumberbirch - 21 Wray - 22 Toye
23 Lockhart - 29 - Wagner

So here's the deal. Bisons have 26 points, MRU 25, UBC and Regina 24 each. Here's what happens with each combo of wins and losses, both OT and regulation:

Manitoba 2, MRU 1/2, Regina 2, UBC 0/1
Manitoba 28
MRU 26/27
Regina 26
UBC 24/25

Manitoba 2, MRU 1/2, Regina 1, UBC 0
Manitoba 28
MRU 26/27
Regina 25
UBC 24

Manitoba 2, MRU 1/2, Regina 0/1, UBC 1
Manitoba 28
MRU 26/27
UBC 25
Regina 24/25

Manitoba 2, MRU 1/2, Regina 0, UBC 0/1
Manitoba 28
MRU 26/27
UBC 24/25
Regina 24

Manitoba 2, MRU 0, Regina 1, UBC 0
Manitoba 28
MRU 25
Regina 25
UBC 24

Manitoba 2, MRU 0, Regina 1, UBC 1
Manitoba 28
MRU 25
UBC 25
Regina 25

Manitoba 2, MRU 0, Regina 0, UBC 0/1
Manitoba 28
MRU 25
UBC 24/25
Regina 24

Manitoba 1, MRU 1/2, Regina 0/1/2, UBC 2
Manitoba 27
MRU 26/27
UBC 26
Regina 24/25/26

Manitoba 1, MRU 0, Regina 0/1, UBC 2
Manitoba 27
UBC 26
MRU 25
Regina 24/25

Manitoba 1, MRU 0, Regina 2, UBC 2
Manitoba 27
UBC 26
Regina 26
MRU 25

Manitoba 0, MRU 1, Regina 0/1, UBC 2
Manitoba 26
MRU 26
UBC 26
Regina 24/25

Manitoba 0, MRU 0, Regina 0/1, UBC 2
UBC 26
Manitoba 26
MRU 25
Regina 24/25

Manitoba 0, MRU 1, Regina 2, UBC 2
UBC 26
MRU 26
Regina 26
Manitoba 26

Manitoba 0, MRU 0, Regina 2, UBC 2
Regina 26
UBC 26
Manitoba 26
MRU 25

Manitoba 0, MRU 2, Regina 2, UBC 2
MRU 27
Regina 26
UBC 26
Manitoba 26

Manitoba 0, MRU 2, Regina 0/1, UBC 2
MRU 27
Regina 24/25
UBC 26
Manitoba 26
Regina 24/25

From the Bison POV, a win or an OTL gives them 4th place. And with a regulation loss they could get anything from 4th to 7th. Frankly, after a 1-point weekend at home to Regina, if they cannot at least get a 1-poiunt weekend at home to UBC they would not deserve a playoff spot.

OUT OF TOWN SCOREBOARD

REGINA COUGARS 2
SAKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 7

Links:
:. [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
:. [U of S Game Story]
:. [U of R Game Story] : [U of R Boxscore]

This game was 3-0 after the 1st and 7-0 after the 2nd. The Banjo-Mutts held off in the 3rd and the Banjo-Cats picked up two consolation goals. The Mutts have definitely picked it up in the 2nd half of the season. The question is how much motivation they will have in Saturday's return match.

LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS 6
MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS 5
(in overtime)

Links:
:. [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore (not uploaded)]
:. [MRU Game Story] : [MRU Boxscore]
:. [U of L Reposted Story] : [U of L Boxscore]

The H0rny Ones are doing their best to help all the teams in the log-jam. They were down 4-2 after the 1st and outshot throughout the game. Yet they managed to rally and tie the game. Down 5-4 entering the 3rd period, they were outshot 17-4 yet scored the only goal of the period. They then took it with only a minute left in the 3-on-3 2nd OT period.

CALGARY DINOSAURS 3
ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 6

Links:
:. [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
:. [U of A Game Story]
:. [U of C Game Story] : [U of C Boxscore]

Bedrock U scored two late goals to make the scoreline more respectable. The Monkeys dominated them and have clinched 1st place. Not so long agoi the MOnkeys trailed the Dinos by 3 points. Mr. Slate is going to be angry. The rematch has been changed to9 Sunday night, but now has little consequence.

OUT EAST:

OUA Links: [LeagueStat Daily]

Feb. 14
Laurentian 4 Ottawa 5 (so)
Windsor 3 York 1
Queen's 2 UQTR 3
Concordia 7 RMC 4
Nipissing 6 McGill 7 (ot)
Waterloo 4 Lakehead 6

AUS Links: [AUS Schedule/Results]

Feb. 14
UNB 7 Dalhousie 0
StFX 5 St. Thomas 3
Moncton 2 Acadia 5
Saint Mary's 5 UPEI 2

UP NEXT:

Feb. 15
UBC at Manitoba
Saskatchewan at Regina
Mount Royal at Lethbridge
Windsor at Ryerson
Nipissing at UQTR
Ottawa at Concordia
Laurentian at Carleton
UNB at Acadia
StFX at UPEI
Saint Mary's at St. Thomas
Moncton at Dalhousie
Brock at W. Ontario
UOIT at Laurier
Waterloo at Lakehead
Guelph at Toronto

Feb. 16
Alberta at Calgary

[CIS Schedule/Results]

Hollywood · February 16, 2014

Feb 15: Herd Nails Down 4th

MANITOBA BISONS 2
UBC THUNDEBIRDS 0

Links:
:. [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
:. [U of M Game Story] : [U of M Boxscore]
:. [UBC Game Story]
:. [CW Story (on all games)]
:. [CIS Saturday Roundup]

This game went through many phases, but in the end it was goaltending and trademark physical defensive play that landed the Bisons a victory and 4th place. Combined with the other results around the league, we now know that next week's quarter-final round will see Manitoba host Mount Royal in one series and Saskatchewan host British California in the other.

The opening period was fairly even. However, the Bisons established the physical side of the game early-on when Aaron Lewadniuk levelled The Littlest Hoban (see picture). Also, the Bisons were skating and forechecking aggressively. In the first 5 minutes UBC iced the puck 4 times. The die was then cast for the remainder of the game. UBC would have fairly even territorial play for most of the game but would be mostly confined to perimeter shots, handled safely by Joe Caligiuri.

The Bisons had the edge in play during he 2nd period. Lewadniuk scored on a pass from Ian Duval just 35 seconds into the period. They appeared to score another but the ref ruled it hit the post. Still, it was a 1-0 lead on a night when goals were at a premium.

The 3rd period was extremely cautious for the most part, including by UBC. Although the shots were 12-11, the play seldom could be described as frantic. The goaltenders made some good saves but the puck was usually cleared easily. The Bisons shortened their bench and always had at least 3 guys back. Depape's ENG sealed the deal.

Here's how they lined up:

MANITOBA

Goal:
1 Caligiuri (34 Dubyk)

Defence:
12 Sutherland - 2 Crowley
28 Rous - 24 Bobbee
5 Christensen - 6 Paulsen

Forwards:
16 Paradis - 19 Duval - 20 Lewadniuk
21 Dickin - 10 Rowinski - 27 - DePape
18 Kelly - 25 Ciarelli - 29 Cain
8 Coates - 15 Scott - 26 Gaudet

Scratches:
3 Landry - 4 Schappert
17 Lauder - 22 Bestland
35 Rewucki

UBC

Goal:
35 Stanford (30 Hewitt)

Defence:
5 Saip - 15 Yee
7 Wall - 24 Smith
18 Manning - 13 Schmidt
6 Underwood

Forwards:
9 Wilgosh - 17 McDonald - 33 Hilton
26 Wudrick - 11 Fleming - 16 Wilson
12 Buonassissi - 19 Fraser - 27 Antilla
10 Bandano - 20 Hoban (often with 33 Hilton)

Scratches:
1 Wylde - 4 Vannieuwenhuizen
8 Cumberbirch - 21 Wray - 22 Toye
23 Lockhart - 29 - Wagner

OUT OF TOWN SCOREBOARD

SAKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 4
REGINA COUGARS 1

Links:
:. [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
:. [U of R Game Story] : [U of R Boxscore]
:. [U of S Reposted Story]

The Banjo Cup is obviously going north yet again. The Mutts are clearly on the ascent and the Cats are clearly on the descent. Earlier this year Regina was seriously in contention for 3rd place. Now, on the last day of the season, they get dumped to 7th via a tie-breaker. The teams' 2nd half records: Sask 11-3-0, Regina 3-9-2.

Blake Voth got a rare appearance in the Mutt crease and must have turned in a solid performance, facing 27 shots.

MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS 2
LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS 4

Links:
:. [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore - Sat]
:. [CIS Boxscore - Fri]
:. [U of L Game Story] : [U of L Boxscore]
:. [MRU Non-Game Story]

Wow! The H0rny Ones got themselves a sweep! This game was in an odd spot in that MRU knew they had not only a playoff berth but 5th place sewn up well before this game was over, due to Manitoba's win over UBC. So, the New-Kittens-on-the-Block will be the Bison opponent next weekend.

Good for Lethbridge. They have had a terrible season. And have been demolished the last two weeks by Alberta and Manitoba. Now, in one weekend, they doubled their season win total!

OUT EAST:

OUA Links: [LeagueStat Daily]

Feb. 15
Windsor 3 Ryerson 4
Nipissing 6 UQTR 7 (so)
Ottawa at Concordia - Postponed
Laurentian 4 Carleton 10
Brock 4 W. Ontario 5 (ot)
UOIT 2 Laurier 1
Waterloo 2 Lakehead 3 (ot)
Guelph 2 Toronto 3

AUS Links: [AUS Schedule/Results]

Feb. 15
UNB 2 Acadia 0
St. F-X 1 UPEI 4
Saint Mary's 6 St. Thomas 1
Moncton 7 Dalhousie 3

UP NEXT:

Feb. 16
Alberta at Calgary

[CIS Schedule/Results]

Hollywood · February 17, 2014

Feb 16: Regular Season Over

OUT OF TOWN SCOREBOARD

ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 5
CALGARY DINOSAURS 4

Links:
:. [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
:. [U of A Game Story]
:. [U of C Game Story] : [U of C Boxscore]

Bedrock U had a 4-2 lead with 7 minutes left then sat back and watched the Evil Monkeys rub salt into their wounds. The game had no bearing on the standings since the Monkeys wrapped up first place on Friday. Both sides get byes in next week's quarter-finals.

PLAYOFFS:

Links:
:. [CIS Playoff Schedule/Results]
:. [Canada West Schedule/Results]
:. [OUA LeagueStat Daily]
:. [AUS Playoffs]

Canada West:
Byes: Alberta and Calgary
Saskatchewan v UBC
Manitoba v Mount Royal

OUA West:
W. Ontario v Guelph
Lakehead v York
Ryerson v Brock
Windsor v Toronto

OUA East:
Carleton v Nipissing
UQTR v UOIT
McGill v Concordia
Qieen's v Ottawa

Atlantic:
Byes: New Brunswick and Acadia
Moncton v St. F-X
UPEI v Saint Mary's

(all series are best-of-three)

UP NEXT:

Wed Feb 19 St. F-X at Moncton
Wed Feb 19 Saint Mary's at UPEI
Wed Feb 19 Lakehead at York
Wed Feb 19 Brock at Ryerson
Wed Feb 19 Carlton at Nipissing
Wed Feb 19 UQTR at UOIT
Wed Feb 19 Ottawa at Queen's
Wed Feb 19 Concordia at McGill

Thu Feb 20 Guelph at W. Ontario
Thu Feb 20 Windsor at Toronto

Fri Feb 21 UBC at Saskatchewan (7:00)
Fri Feb 21 Mount Royal at Manitoba (7:00)
Fri Feb 21 Moncton at St. F-X
Fri Feb 21 UPEI at Saint Mary's
Fri Feb 21 York at Lakehead
Fri Feb 21 Ryerson at Brock
Fri Feb 21 Nipissing at Carlton
Fri Feb 21 McGill at Concordia
Fri Feb 21 Queen's at Ottawa

Sat Feb 22 UBC at Saskatchewan (2:00)
Sat Feb 22 Mount Royal at Manitoba (7:00)
Sat Feb 22 York at Lakehead
Sat Feb 22 Brock at Ryerson
Sat Feb 22 Toronto at Windsor
Sat Feb 22 Nipissing at Carlton
Sat Feb 22 Ottawa at Queen's

Sun Feb 23 UBC at Saskatchewan (6:00)
Sun Feb 23 Mount Royal at Manitoba (3:00)
Sun Feb 23 St. F-X at Moncton
Sun Feb 23 Saint Mary's at UPEI
Sun Feb 23 Guelph at W. Ontario
Sun Feb 23 Toronto at Windsor
Sun Feb 23 Concordia at McGill

TBD W. Ontario at Guelph – game 2
TBD UOIT at UQTR – game 2
TBD UOIT at UQTR – game 3

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2013-14 Manitoba Bisons / CIS

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