2016-17 Manitoba Bisons/CIS

[Hollywood]

Preview: Nov 4-5 Bisons at Calgary

BISONS OFF TO THE TOWN OF BEDROCK

MANITOBA BISONS (3-3-0, 10-5-0, OHT35 #17)
CALGARY DINOSAURS (4-2-0, 7-4-1, OHT35 #9)

Friday, November 4th, 7:00 MDT/8:00 CDT @ Calgary
Saturday, November 5th, 2:00 MDT/3:00 CDT @ Calgary

Live Links:
• [Live Stats Friday] ∞ [Live Stats Saturday]
• [Video: CanadaWest.tv]

Manitoba Links:
• [UM Weekend] ∞ [Blog #2]
• [LS Stats] ∞ [LS Schedule/Results]
• [Twitter] ∞ [Facebook]

Calgary Links:
• [Preview Story]
• [LS Stats] ∞ [LS Schedule/Results]
• [Twitter] ∞ [Facebook]

Other Links:
• [CIS Site] ∞ [Schedule/Links] • [Standings] ∞ [Top 10]
• [CW Site] ∞ [Schedule/Links]
• [WHL Scholarship Program continues to fuel Canada West men's hockey]

The last time these teams met it was in the playoffs and Bedrock U won 2 games to 1. Which was odd because the Bisons won all 4 regular season games in 2015-16. Over the last 4 years, the Bisons have a 7-5-4 record against the Dinos. That's a lot of overtime games, and this weekend is likely not going to be an exception.

The Bisons need to find out where they stand against teams like this one. I am interested to see if they will be getting any injured defencemen back in the line-up.

The CW link above has a summary of the WHL scholarships. Here are the numbers:

Summary: WHL Scholarships 2016-2017

Canadian Universities, Western Canada – 225
Canadian Universities, Eastern Canada – 50
Canadian Colleges and other institutions  – 71
U.S. Colleges, Universities – 9
Total WHL Scholarships – 355

WHL Graduates continuing to play hockey at the elite Canadian University or College level:

Canada West Conference – 142
Ontario University Athletics /Atlantic University Sport Conferences – 45
ACAC / BCIHL – 15
Total – 202

Note that I deleted "live links" from the CW and CIS sites. Last week none of those were updated once the entire weekend, hence they were not "live links". I may post them in later weeks if they become activated.

ELSEWHERE:

LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS (2-3-1, 8-3-1, OHT35 #20)
U.B.C. THUNDERBIRDS (2-6-0, 7-7-0, OHT35 #22)

Links:
• [UofL Preview]
• [UBC Preview]

This could be the series to decide the 6th and final playoff berth. Last year UBC was 6th and the H0rny Ones were 7th. And that's where these teams currently sit, albeit with Lethbridge out in front.

 
ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS (4-2-0, 10-4-2, OHT35 #4)
REGINA COUGARS (1-5-0, 1-11-0, OHT35 #33)

Links:
• [UofR Preview]
• [Crooks Grad of the Month] ∞  [rp @UofA]

The Evil Monkeys had a shaky start but rose to the occasion against the Bluegars last weekend. Are they now on a roll? Not sure the Banjocats are the measuring stick for that. Road sweeps are never easy but that is what would draw the most bets if the CW was on gambling sites.

SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES (6-1-1, 7-3-2, OHT35 #2)
MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS (4-2-0, 6-5-0, OHT35 #5)

Links:
• [MRU Preview]
• [UofS Site]

After a sweep by the Monkeys a week ago, the Bluegars have to show whether they are pretenders or contenders. This battle with the defending champs will do just that. Both sides have been reliant on goaltending. Let's see if that holds up.

OUT EAST:

OUA

Nov 02 Laurier 5 Waterloo 1
Nov 02 McGill 6 U.Q.T.R. 5
Nov 03 Brock 8 Laurier 4
Nov 03 Carleton 4 W. Ontario 1
Nov 03 York 6 Ryerson 2
Nov 04 Brock at Toronto
Nov 04 Carleton at Guelph
Nov 04 Laurentian at Concordia
Nov 04 Queen's at Windsor
Nov 04 R.M.C. at W. Ontario
Nov 04 U.O.I.T. at Lakehead
Nov 05 Concordia at Ottawa
Nov 05 Laurentian at McGill
Nov 05 Nipissing at U.Q.T.R.
Nov 05 Queen's at Windsor
Nov 05 R.M.C. at Guelph
Nov 05 Toronto at Ryerson
Nov 05 U.O.I.T. at Lakehead
Nov 05 York at Waterloo

AUS

Nov 02 Moncton 1 Dalhousie 5
Nov 04 Acadia at New Brunswick
Nov 04 Dalhousie at St. F.X.
Nov 04 Saint Mary's at U.P.E.I.
Nov 05 Acadia at U.P.E.I.
Nov 05 St. F.X. at Moncton
Nov 05 Saint Mary's at New Brunswick

[Hollywood]

Nov 4: Bisons Beaten in Bedrock

---

MANITOBA BISONS 3
CALGARY DINOSAURS 4

Links:
LeagueStat: [Summary] : [Report] : [Text]
Boxscores: [CIS] : [CW*] : [UofM]
Stories: [UofC] : [rp @CW] : [rp @UofM]

This was a weekend where I was at various musical venues and it is one where I have to update Friday and Saturday after-the-fact.

These teams generally play close games and this was no exception. Of note, Bison captain Jordan DePape was scratched after returning to the line-up for the last 2 weeks. From last weekend's line-up, he was the only player deleted and defenceman Rene Hunter was the only player added.

The Bisons were down 3-2 and pulled the goaltender. They gave up an ENG and then scored once he re-entered. D'oh.

Byron Spriggs started in goal and stopped 27 of 30 in taking the loss. Dino vet Steven Stanford stopped 23 of 26 to record the win. Elgin Pearce's 2 goals led the Dinos. Justin Augert continues to score lots, notching his 6th. Jonah Wasylak had his 1st of the season and rookie Shawn Bowles had his first as a Bison.

Scoring
1st             
7:12     Man Wasylak (1) ASST: Bresciani (1)     
2nd             
1:24     Cal Pearce (4) ASST: Gordon (2), Doucette (3)     
9:00     Man Augert (6) ASST: Merasty (5)     
3rd             
9:19     Cal Pearce (5) ASST: Walchuk (3)
17:16     Cal Doucette (1) ASST: Kambeitz (1), Franson (3) (PP)
18:29     Cal Gordon (1) ASST: Pearce (2), Walchuk (4) (EN)
18:45     Man S Bowles (1) ASST: Johnston (2), B Bowles (3)

OUT-OF-TOWN SCOREBOARD

LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS 3
U.B.C. THUNDERBIRDS 4
(in overtime)
 
Links:
LeagueStat: [Summary]
Boxscores: [CIS] : [CW*]
Stories: [UBC] : [rp @CW] : [UofL]

The H0rny Ones almost doubled up the shots (43-22) on the Tweety Birds but were stymied by rookie goalie Derek Dun. Veteran Damien Jetlo took the loss in double OT.

ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 5
REGINA COUGARS 2

Links:
LeagueStat: [Summary]
Boxscores: [CIS] : [CW]
Stories: [UofR] : [rp @CW] : [rp @UofA]

There were 7 different goal-scorers here. The Monkeys had a 5-0 lead early in the 3rd period, at which point starting Kitten goaltender Andy Desautels was yanked. He faced 25 shots. Dawson MacAuley came on to stop all 13 shots he faced. Veteran Luke Siemens stopped 29 of 31 to claim the W.

SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 0
MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS 6

Links:
LeagueStat: [Summary]
Boxscores: [CIS] : [CW*]
Stories: [MRU] : [rp @CW] : [rp @UofS]

This was an emphatic bounce-back win for the Bluegars. No celebratory banjo music for the Mutts this night. Just some sad harmonica sounds. The game was scoreless until MRU scored 4 goals on 9 shots in the 2nd period. The Mutt goaltender Jordon Cooke was yanked after stopping 18 of 23 shots. He has been a workhorse and all-star, so let's see what impact this has. Daniel Wapple stopped 6 of 7 in the mop up. Colin Cooper had the 25 save shutout.

OUT EAST

AUS

Nov 04 Acadia 1 New Brunswick 5
Nov 04 Dalhousie 1 St. F.X. 4
Nov 04 Saint Mary's 8 U.P.E.I. 6

OUA

Nov 04 Brock 2 Toronto 1
Nov 04 R.M.C. 2 W. Ontario 1 (ot)
Nov 04 U.O.I.T. 3 Lakehead 2 (ot)
Nov 04 Queen's 4 Windsor 3
Nov 04 Carleton 4 Guelph 5
Nov 04 Laurentian 3 Concordia 7

[CIS Schedule/Results]
[CIS Standings]

All CW games available at CanadaWest.tv.

* Indicates link not available at the time of posting.

[Hollywood]

Nov 5: Herd Rallies for a Split

---

MANITOBA BISONS 3
CALGARY DINOSAURS 2

Links:
LeagueStat: [Summary] : [Report] : [Text]
Boxscores: [CIS] : [CW] : [UofM]
Stories: [UofC] : [rp @CW] : [rp @UofM]

The Bisons started fast, scoring 3 goals in the 1st period. The Dinos responded by replacing rookie goaltender Coleman Vollrath with Matthew Greenfield. Vollrath faced just 7 shots, and Greenfield stopped all 11. Justin Paulic stopped 30 of 32 to get the win.

The Bisons took a 3-2 lead into the 3rd period where they were outshot 11-2. Going into a shell usually does not work.

Scoring
1st             
10:29     Man Merasty (2) ASST: Bresciani (2), B Bowles (4) (PP)
11:48     Man S Bowles (2) ASST: S Christensen (1)     
18:17     Man Augert (7) ASST: Merasty (6), Dudar (1) (PP)
2nd             
6:08     Cal Franson (3) ASST: Collins (4), Doucette (4) (PP)
12:34     Cal Gibb (1) ASST: Pearce (3), Dow (5) (PP)
3rd
No scoring

The Bisons host Lethbridge next weekend. Too bad the Friday night game conflicts with punk rock legends NOFX coming to town.

OUT-OF-TOWN SCOREBOARD

LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS 2
U.B.C. THUNDERBIRDS 3
(in overtime)
 
Links:
LeagueStat: [Summary]
Boxscores: [CIS] : [CW]
Stories: [UBC] : [rp @CW*] : [UofL]

Back-to-back OTLs is tough luck. But still the H0rny Ones emerge with 2 points on the weekend, the same as a split. Anthony Bardaro scored the winner, his 2nd goal of the game. The Birdies went back to veteran Mark Hewitt in goal, and he stopped 25 of 27. Damien Ketlo stopped 25 of 28 in taking the loss.

ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 4
REGINA COUGARS 0

Links:
LeagueStat: [Summary]
Boxscores: [CIS] : [CW]
Stories: [UofR] : [rp @CW] : [rp @UofA]

The stats would indicate a mundane yet proficient win for the Evil Monkeys. The Banjocats are good enough to lose without getting blown away in this league. Brendan Burke had a 21 save shutout and Dawson MacAuley stopped 28 of 32 shots.

SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 6
MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS 2

Links:
LeagueStat: [Summary]
Boxscores: [CIS] : [CW]
Stories: [MRU] : [rp @CW] : [rp @UofS]

This is hard to explain. The two teams exchanged one-sided wins on the weekend. The Banjomutts went back to starter Jordon Cooke and he stopped 24 of 26 shots. Meanwhile, Bluegar starter Colin Cooper was pulled after 2 periods, and stopping 23 of 27 shots. Cam Lanigan played the 3rd and stopped 5 of 7. Jordan Tkach had 2 goals for the Mutts.

STANDINGS

OUT EAST

AUS

Nov 05 Acadia 2 U.P.E.I. 3
Nov 05 St. F.X. 4 Moncton 2
Nov 05 Saint Mary's 0 New Brunswick 5

OUA

Nov 05 Concordia 1 Ottawa 2
Nov 05 Laurentian 2 McGill 6
Nov 05 Nipissing 2 U.Q.T.R. 7
Nov 05 Queen's 1 Windsor 0
Nov 05 R.M.C. 3 Guelph 4
Nov 05 Toronto 4 Ryerson 6
Nov 05 U.O.I.T. 2 Lakehead 7
Nov 05 York 1 Waterloo 2 (ot)

NEXT UP

Nov 08 Dalhousie at Acadia

Nov 09 St. F.X. at Saint Mary's

Nov 11 Calgary at Alberta
Nov 11 Lethbridge at Manitoba
Nov 11 Regina at Mount Royal
Nov 11 New Brunswick at St. F.X.
Nov 11 Saint Mary's at Moncton
Nov 11 U.P.E.I. at Dalhousie
Nov 11 Concordia at Brock
Nov 11 Guelph at Queen's
Nov 11 Lakehead at R.M.C.
Nov 11 McGill at Laurier
Nov 11 Nipissing at Ryerson
Nov 11 Ottawa at Waterloo
Nov 11 U.Q.T.R. at York
Nov 11 W. Ontario at U.O.I.T.
Nov 11 Windsor at Carleton

[CIS Schedule/Results]
[CIS Standings]

All CW games available at CanadaWest.tv.

* Indicates link not available at the time of posting.

[Hollywood]

Preview: Nov 11-12: Lethbridge at Bisons

---

THE H0RNY ONES ARE COMING TO TOWN

LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS (2-3-3, 8-3-3, OHT35 #22)
MANITOBA BISONS (4-4-0, 11-6-0, OHT35 #15)

Friday, November 11th, 7:00 CDT @ Wayne Fleming Arena
Saturday, November 12th, 1:00 CDT @ Wayne Fleming Arena

Live Links:
• [Live Stats Friday] ∞ [Live Stats Saturday]
• [Video: CanadaWest.tv]

Manitoba Links:
• [UM Recap Nov 6] ∞ [Team Site]
• [LS Stats] ∞ [LS Schedule/Results]
• [Twitter] ∞ [Facebook]

Lethbridge Links:
• [Preview Story]
• [LS Stats] ∞ [LS Schedule/Results]
• [Twitter] ∞ [Facebook]

Other Links:
• [CIS Site] ∞ [Schedule/Links] • [Standings] ∞ [Top 10]
• [CW Site] ∞ [Schedule/Links]

The Hørny Ones missed out on a golden opportunity last weekend when they were swept by UBC. However, they still got 2 points since each game went into overtime. This allows them to stay right in the thick of the race. They just missed out on the playoffs last season. Could they catch the Bisons? Well, they did go 3-1 against the Bisons last season, but are only 5-11 over the past 4 years.

The Bisons have been led by Justin Augert, with 7 goals in 8 games. He has "Cy Young" numbers, 7-1 on the G-A. Jordan DePape is next with 3 goals, in just 4 games. And there's a problem. A pre-season injury kept DePape on the sidelines on the opening weekend. After returning for 2 series, though, he was out of action last weekend. In point scoring, Shaq Merasty (2-6-8) is tied with line-mate Augert for the team lead. Those two have combined with rookie Remi Laurencelle (1-5-6) to form a formidable forward line.

The Hørns are led in goal scoring by Justin Valentino (5-1-6 for Cy Young stats in his own right) and point scoring by defenceman Tim Campbell (3-5-8).

The goaltending arrangements will also be of interest. The Bisons usually split the games between Byron Spriggs (3-2-0, .926 S%, 2.22 GAA) and Justin Paulic 1-2-0, .896 S%, 3.37 GAA). Lethbridge has a somehwat similar split by minutes with rookie Garret Hughson (2-2-1, .911 S%, 2.99 GAA) and 5th year Damien Ketlo (0-1-2, .887 S%, 2.79 GAA).

I cannot attend the Friday game due to a show by punk legends NOFX. But I will be there on Saturday.

ELSEWHERE:

Please note that Saskatchewan and UBC have bye weeks. Their series which would otherwise have been played here was instead played back in October a week before the rest of the league started.

CALGARY DINOSAURS (5-3-0, 8-5-1, OHT35 #8)
ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS (6-2-0, 12-4-2, OHT35 #3)

Links:
• [UofA Preview]
• [UofC Preview]

The traditional Battle of Alberta takes place. A good showing here by Bedrock U could make for a tight race. The Evil Monkeys often show vulnerability early. They impressed with a sweep of MRU. However they have otherwise been residents of splitsville.

REGINA COUGARS (1-7-0, 1-13-0, OHT35 #33)
MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS (5-3-0, 7-6-0, OHT35 #7)

Links:
• [MRU Site]
• [UofR Preview]

Who doesn't enjoy some Cougar-on-Cougar action? I have seen both teams. MRU is by far the more impressive team. However, Regina is not a poor team. They just are not as good as the others.

OUT EAST:

OUA

Nov 11 Concordia at Brock
Nov 11 Guelph at Queen's
Nov 11 Lakehead at R.M.C.
Nov 11 McGill at Laurier
Nov 11 Nipissing at Ryerson
Nov 11 Ottawa at Waterloo
Nov 11 U.Q.T.R. at York
Nov 11 W. Ontario at U.O.I.T.
Nov 11 Windsor at Carleton
Nov 12 Guelph at U.O.I.T.
Nov 12 Lakehead at R.M.C.
Nov 12 Laurentian at Ryerson
Nov 12 McGill at Waterloo
Nov 12 Nipissing at Toronto
Nov 12 Ottawa at Laurier
Nov 12 U.Q.T.R. at Brock
Nov 12 W. Ontario at Queen's
Nov 12 Windsor at Carleton
Nov 13 Laurentian at Toronto

AUS

Nov 08 Dalhousie 1 Acadia 4
Nov 09 St. F.X. 5 Saint Mary's 3
Nov 11 New Brunswick at St. F.X.
Nov 11 Saint Mary's at Moncton
Nov 11 U.P.E.I. at Dalhousie
Nov 12 Acadia at Moncton
Nov 12 New Brunswick at Dalhousie
Nov 12 U.P.E.I. at St. F.X.

[Hollywood]

Nov 11: Hørny Ones Claim Opener

---

LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS 4
MANITOBA BISONS 2

Links:
LeagueStat: [Summary] : [Report] : [Text]
Boxscores: [CIS] : [CW] : [UofM*]
Preview: [UofM]
Stories: [UofM] : [rp @CW] : [rp @UofL]

I was at NOFX so I can't say much. I can note that DePape was back in the line-up and Jesse Paradis and Lee Christensen were suited up for the first time in the regular season. Justin Paulic started in goal and was yanked after two periods, yielding 3 goals on 13 shots. Dasan Sydora played the 3rd, for his first regular season action. Usual starter Byron Spriggs was not dressed. Garret Hughson stopped 34 of 36 to get the win. Here's the scoring:

1st             
6:03     Leth  Maxwell (2) ASST: Hansen (4), Moser (5)
12:20     Man DePape (4) ASST: Merasty (7), Friesen (1) (PP)

2nd             
3:14     Leth White (3) ASST: Moser (6), Maxwell (1)
17:22     Leth Clowes (1) ASST: Valentino (2), Orban (2)

3rd
12:41     Leth Filbrandt (1) ASST: Kalashnikov (2), Moser (7)
17:14     Man Merasty (3) ASST: Augert (2), DePape (4) (PP)

OUT-OF-TOWN SCOREBOARD

REGINA COUGARS 0
MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS 7

Links:
LeagueStat: [Summary]
Boxscores: [CIS] : [CW]
Stories: [MRU] : [rp @CW] : [rp @UofR]

I knew the Cougars would win!

CALGARY DINOSAURS 4
ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 5
(in overtime)
Links:
LeagueStat: [Summary]
Boxscores: [CIS] : [CW]
Stories: [UofA] : [rp @CW] : [rp @UofC]

This one went to double OT, so 3 points awarded on the night.

OUT EAST

AUS

Nov 11 New Brunswick 7 St. F.X. 3
Nov 11 Saint Mary's 5 Moncton 1
Nov 11 U.P.E.I. 1 Dalhousie 3

OUA

Nov 11 Concordia 3 Brock 6
Nov 11 Guelph 2 Queen's 3
Nov 11 Lakehead 2 R.M.C. 1
Nov 11 McGill 3 Laurier 4 (ot)
Nov 11 Nipissing 1 Ryerson 5
Nov 11 Ottawa 2 Waterloo 1
Nov 11 U.Q.T.R. 2 York 3 (ot)
Nov 11 W. Ontario 0 U.O.I.T. 6
Nov 11 Windsor 4 Carleton 2

[CIS Schedule/Results]
[CIS Standings]

All CW games available at CanadaWest.tv.

* Indicates link not available at the time of posting.

[Hollywood]

Nov 12: Bisons Salvage a Split

---

LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS 4
MANITOBA BISONS 6

Links:
LeagueStat: [Summary] : [Report] : [Text]
Boxscores: [CIS] : [CW] : [UofM]
Stories: [UofM] : [rp @CW] : [rp @UofL]

The Bisons salvaged a split against the Hørny Ones in a game that will not be confused with a classic, and the highlights will not be used on many instructional films. However, there were more shots than in perhaps any CW game I have ever seen (84) and loads of action. It seems that a Saturday matinée often goes this way.

Here's how they lined up:

MANITOBA

Goal:
35 Spriggs (1 Paulic)

Defence:
20 Johnston - 2 Henry
4 Bresciani - 5 L Christensen
3 S Christensen - 19 Friesen

Forwards:
24 Augert - 25 Merasty - 10 Dudar
16 Paradis - 17 Callis - 23 Schreyer
15 S Bowles - 26 Lisoway - 27 DePape
21 Brooks - 12 Zajak - 8 Bilton

Scratches:
6 Heinrich (D) 9 Hunter (D) 13 Laurencelle (F)
14 Nault (F) 22 B Bowles (F) 28 Stovin (F)
29 Wasylak (F) 34 Sydora (G)

Friesen probably had more ice time as a forward. He generally played with Augert and Merasty when he did so.

LETHBRIDGE

Goal:
29 Hughson - 37 Shymko

Defence:
2 Hansen - 4 Orban
15 Campbell - 16 Aasman
17 Filbrandt - 7 Jensen

Forwards:
19 Valentino - 12 McKechnie - 18 Clowes
20 Millette - 34 Sanvido - 9 Sward
22 Moore - 47 Kalashnikov - 23 Gore
14 Moser - 6 R Maxwell - 21 White

Scratches:
8 Chynoweth (LW) 11 Merkley (RW) 13 M Maxwell (LW)
27 Wardley (D) 33 Ketlo (G) 44 Nikkel (D)

So for the Bisons, it was Dudar and Bilton coming in for Hunter and Stovin from Friday's line-up, along with Spriggs making the goaltending switch.

On the weekend, no fewer than 3 Bisons saw their first action of the regular season: Lee Christensen, Jesse Paradis, and Liam Bilton.

For gun enthusiasts, note that #47 on Lethbridge is Artsiom Kalashnikov. That's right, AK-47. #hgr

Here's how they scored:

1st
2:18     Leth Gore (1) ASST: Kalashnikov (3), Moore (1)
3:01     Man Callis (2) ASST: Johnston (3), Schreyer (1)
11:40     Man Zajac (1) ASST: Bilton (1), Brooks (1)
13:44     Man DePape (5) ASST: Lisoway (2), Bowles (3)
16:01     Leth Valentino (6) ASST: Sanvido (4), Hansen (5) (PP)

2nd             
4:57     Man L Christensen (1) ASST: Lisoway (3), Zajac (2)
9:51     Man Dudar (1) ASST: Augert (3), Merasty (8)
14:43     Leth Sward (4) ASST: Hansen (6), Orban (3)

3rd
5:06     Leth Valentino (7) ASST: None
19:15     Man S Bowles (3) ASST: DePape (5) (EN)     

The shot totals really illustrate the ebbs and flows in the game. The Bisons domninated the first two periods (18-13 and 16-12) whilst the 'Horns dominated the 3rd (16-9). In the end there were way more shots than typical.

Of concern for the Bisons is the extreme sloppiness of this win. They had many stints of out-and-out scrambling. This never happened in their previous home games. Although Spriggs had solid numbers on the night, he was often diving about and more than once with his back to the play. He had to do James Brown-style splits a couple of times. The defence is also not physical enough for my liking. A few seasons ago nobody just walked out into the slot on the Bisons.

Yet this was a relatively comfortable win. There were also a couple of times where each Lethbridge goaltender stymied the Brooks-Zajac combo. Hughson stopped both of them on a 2-on-0 breakaway, shortly before Dudar's goal chased hm from the crease.

Next weekend the Bisons are off to Edmontown to face the Evil Monkeys. The following weekend they host Sask. And that will mark the mid-point of the regular season. It gets late early in the CIS.

OUT-OF-TOWN SCOREBOARD

REGINA COUGARS 2
MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS 6

Links:
LeagueStat: [Summary]
Boxscores: [CIS] : [CW]
Stories: [MRU] : [rp @CW] : [UofR]

The poor little Banjocats. They started out with a win and have now lost 9 straight. And it looks like they might be having a hard time finding motivation, or confidence. They were outshot 33-11. Hard to win with 11 shots. This was close after one period, tied 202 and shots were only 6-5 in favour of MRU. Colin Cooper got the win and Mitch Kilgore suffered the loss.

ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 1
CALGARY DINOSAURS 3

Links:
LeagueStat: [Summary]
Boxscores: [CIS] : [CW]
Stories: [UofC] : [rp @CW] : [rp @UofA]

The Evil Monkeys walked into the Town of Bedrock and saw their win streak come to an end. Both sides switched their goaltenders and went with rookies. Matthew Greenfield stopped 23 of 24 for the win, and Brendan Burke stopped 13 of 15 for the loss. The final goal was an empty-netter.

STANDINGS

OUT EAST

AUS

Nov 12 Acadia 6 Moncton 5 (ot)
Nov 12 New Brunswick 4 Dalhousie 1
Nov 12 U.P.E.I. 4 St. F.X. 8

OUA

Nov 12 Concordia 3 York 2
Nov 12 Guelph 1 U.O.I.T. 3
Nov 12 Lakehead 1 R.M.C. 0
Nov 12 Laurentian 2 Ryerson 5
Nov 12 McGill 7 Waterloo 1
Nov 12 Nipissing 5 Toronto 3
Nov 12 Ottawa 4 Laurier 0
Nov 12 U.Q.T.R. 6 Brock 2
Nov 12 W. Ontario 3 Queen's 4 (so)
Nov 12 Windsor 1 Carleton 5

[CIS Schedule/Results]
[CIS Standings]

All CW games available at CanadaWest.tv.

* Indicates link not available at the time of posting.

[Hollywood]

THE OFFICIAL HOLLYWOOD TOP 35: #6

TO NOVEMBER 13, 2016

The season is very much in full swing now. There were a load of east-west matchups in the OUA this week and the east had the edge. The AUS looks odd this year. What's up with the SMUskies? Remember when Moncton was a national contender?

THE SCORES:

Nov 08 Dalhousie 1 Acadia 4

Nov 09 St. F.X. 5 Saint Mary's 3

Nov 11 Calgary 4 Alberta 5 (ot)
Nov 11 Lethbridge 4 Manitoba 2
Nov 11 Regina 0 Mount Royal 7
Nov 11 New Brunswick 7 St. F.X. 3
Nov 11 Saint Mary's 5 Moncton 1
Nov 11 U.P.E.I. 1 Dalhousie 3
Nov 11 Concordia 3 Brock 6
Nov 11 Guelph 2 Queen's 3
Nov 11 Lakehead 2 R.M.C. 1
Nov 11 McGill 3 Laurier 4 (ot)
Nov 11 Nipissing 1 Ryerson 5
Nov 11 Ottawa 2 Waterloo 1
Nov 11 U.Q.T.R. 2 York 3 (ot)
Nov 11 W. Ontario 0 U.O.I.T. 6
Nov 11 Windsor 4 Carleton 2

Nov 12 Alberta 1 Calgary 3
Nov 12 Lethbridge 4 Manitoba 6
Nov 12 Regina 2 Mount Royal 6
Nov 12 Acadia 6 Moncton 5 (ot)
Nov 12 New Brunswick 4 Dalhousie 1
Nov 12 U.P.E.I. 4 St. F.X. 8
Nov 12 Concordia 3 York 2
Nov 12 Guelph 1 U.O.I.T. 3
Nov 12 Lakehead 1 R.M.C. 0
Nov 12 Laurentian 2 Ryerson 5
Nov 12 McGill 7 Waterloo 1
Nov 12 Nipissing 5 Toronto 3
Nov 12 Ottawa 4 Laurier 0
Nov 12 U.Q.T.R. 6 Brock 2
Nov 12 W. Ontario 3 Queen's 4 (so)
Nov 12 Windsor 1 Carleton 5

Nov 13 Laurentian 4 Toronto 2

THE TABLE:

* indicates total includes a tie game
Conf. indicates overall conference record
Con-x indicates exhibition record within conference
CIS-x indicates exhibition record within CIS but outside conference
CIS indicates regular season and exhibition record against CIS teams
Other indicates record against non-CIS teams
Total indicates record against all teams

The B- teams remain “on the fence”. Queen's, Concordia, and Manitoba are at the top of C+ and could be promoted to B. Guelph was promoted from C to C+ a week ago, and return from whence they came this week. Western Ontario is “on the fence” between C+ and C.

[Hollywood]

Preview: Nov 18-19: Bisons at Alberta

BISONS OFF TO EDMONTOWN

MANITOBA BISONS (5-5-0, 12-7-0, OHT35 #15)
ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS (7-3-0, 13-5-2, OHT35 #2)

Friday, November 18th, 7:00 MST/8:00 CST @ Drake Arena
Saturday, November 12th, 6:00 MST/7:00 CST @ Drake Arena

Live Links:
• [Live Stats Friday] ∞ [Live Stats Saturday]
• [Video: CanadaWest.tv]

Manitoba Links:
• [UM Preview] ∞ [Blog #3]
• [LS Stats] ∞ [LS Schedule/Results]
• [Twitter] ∞ [Facebook]

Alberta Links:
• [Preview Story]
• [LS Stats] ∞ [LS Schedule/Results]
• [Twitter] ∞ [Facebook]

Other Links:
• [CIS Site] ∞ [Schedule/Links] • [Standings] ∞ [Top 10]
• [CW Site] ∞ [Schedule/Links]

The Bisons could pull even with the Evil Monkeys with a clean sweep. Easier said than done. The Monkeys ran away with the entire CIS in 2014-15 and won the nationals with ease. They were expected to be just as good last year, but it was not to be. They finished 2nd, and then lost the final, before making an early exit at the nationals. For most teams they had a pretty good year. But for them it was a disappointment.

Not that the Bisons could not handle them. The Herd took 3 out of 4 games head-to-head. However over the last 4 years the Bisons are 5-9-2 and the Apes are 11-5-0.

This year the Monkeys have split series against Sask, UBC, and Calgary. They swept MRU (which was impressive) and Regina. The only difference between them and the Bisons has been the teams' performance against MRU. The Bisons were swept in their series.

The Monkeys have 5 of the top 20 scorers in the league: Jamie Crooks (8-6-14), Jayden Heart (8-4-12), Luke Philp (7-5-12), Tyson Baillie (5-6-11), and Stephane Legault (3-7-10). The Bisons have just one, Jordan DePape (5-5-10 in just 6 games due to injury). Still, in total goals for and against the Monkeys are 39-28 and the Bisons are 32-31.

The Monkeys have used all 3 goaltenders quite a bit this year. Their goaltending has been an issue in recent years. Their numbers are:
Brendan Burke 2-2-0, 1.84, .909
Luke Siemens 4-0-0, 2.41, .918
Kenny Cameron 1-1-0, 4.05, .866

The Bisons look like they will be reliant upon Byron Spriggs (4-2-0, 2.52, .921). Justin Paulic (1-3-0, 3.58, .881) has had a rough start after being the starter, or at least a 50-50, most of last year.

The games are on canadawest.tv.

ELSEWHERE:

U.B.C. THUNDERBIRDS (4-6-0, 9-7-0, OHT35 #20)
REGINA COUGARS (1-9-0, 1-15-0, OHT35 #34)

Links:
• [UofR Preview]
• [UBC Preview]

The Tweety Birds are coming off a bye week. Before that they scored a pair of overtime wins over Lethbridge. Although road wins are never easy, they need a 4 point weekend in the capital of Hicksville. The Banjocats did not seem horrible when I saw them, but certainly not as good as the other teams. They could really use some home wins to keep up the team morale during what promises to be a tough season.

SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES (7-2-1, 8-4-2, OHT35 #3)
CALGARY DINOSAURS (6-3-1, 9-5-2, OHT35 #8)

Links:
• [UofC Preview]
• [UofS Site]

This is usually a pretty good matchup. The Banjomutts are the defending champs and have had a decent start, but do seem a bit vulnerable. The Bisons will want to catch up to the Bedrock Boys so they can host the quarter-final round.

MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS (7-3-0, 9-6-0, OHT35 #4)
LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS (3-4-3, 9-4-3, OHT35 #21)

Links:
• [UofL Preview]
• [MRU Preview]

This is the only home-and-home series of the weekend. The Bluegars have had a pretty good start but it seems the wheels fall off once in a while. They were swept on a pre-season tour of the NCAA and were rocked against the Monkeys. Otherwise they have looked like a potential contender. If they want that status they have to do really well against good sub-contenders such as the Hørny Ones. That will not be easy.

OUT EAST:

OUA

Nov 17 W. Ontario 2 Ryerson 5

Nov 18 Toronto at W. Ontario
Nov 18 York at McGill
Nov 18 Ryerson at Waterloo
Nov 18 Guelph at Lakehead
Nov 18 Queen's at UQTR
Nov 18 RMC at Nipissing
Nov 18 Laurier at Windsor
Nov 18 UOIT at Concordia
Nov 18 Brock at Ottawa
Nov 18 Carleton at Laurentian

Nov 19 UOIT at UQTR
Nov 19 Brock at McGill
Nov 19 Guelph at Lakehead
Nov 19 York at Ottawa
Nov 19 Carleton at Nipissing
Nov 19 Queen's at Concordia
Nov 19 Toronto at Laurier
Nov 19 Waterloo at Windsor
Nov 19 RMC at Laurentian

AUS

Nov 16 New Brunswick 6 UPEI 2
Nov 16 Acadia 2 St. FX 3 (OT)
Nov 18 UPEI at Moncton
Nov 18 Saint Mary's at St. FX
Nov 18 Acadia at Dalhousie
Nov 19 Moncton at New Brunswick
Nov 19 Dalhousie at Saint Mary's

[Hollywood]

Nov 18: Monkeys Rally to Win

---

 

 
MANITOBA BISONS 3
ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 6

Links:
LeagueStat: [Summary] : [Report] : [Text]
Boxscores: [CIS] : [CW] : [UofM]
Stories: [UofA] : [rp @CW] : [rp @UofM]

This was two separate games in one. In the first, the Bisons were the better team. In the second, the Evil Monkeys were by far the better team.

The final scoreline might be a bit deceiving. The Herd held leads of 1-0, 2-1, and 3-2. But the shots on goal trend really told the story:
UofM 12 6 4 = 22
UofA 8 17 11 = 36

Byron Spriggs went the distance for the Bisons whilst Luke Siemens did likewise for Saudi Alberta. And here's who scored:

1st             
1:06     Man DePape (6) ASST: Stovin (4)     
10:25     AB Linaker (2) ASST: Hart (5), Crooks (7)     
16:31     Man Callis (3) ASST: Henry (1), Lisoway (4)     

2nd             
10:49     AB Cox (4) ASST: Rehill (5)     
12:33     Man Wasylak (2) ASST: Brooks (2)     
15:11     AB Fiddler (1) ASST: Kieser (3), Rehill (6)     
17:09     AB Cox (5) ASST: Philp (6)     

3rd             
8:43     AB Hart (9) ASST: None     
17:35     AB Baillie (6) ASST: Bredo (8), Cox (5) (PP)     

The Monkeys did get the breaks via calls and bounces in order to stay within one goal for much of the first two periods. So it was quite a turn when they finally took the lead at the end of the 2nd period.

Scratches for the Bisons were: Heinrich, Laurencelle, Nault, S Bowles, Paradis, Friesen, Schreyer, and Sydora.

Saturday night's rematch should be fun!

OUT-OF-TOWN SCOREBOARD

U.B.C. THUNDERBIRDS 1
REGINA COUGARS 6

Links:
LeagueStat: [Summary]
Boxscores: [CIS] : [CW]
Stories: [UofR] : [rp @CW] : [rp @UBC]

Wow! The banjo music can be heard across the country tonight! This night there was no old lady with an umbrella to chase away these Puddy Tats as they pursued the Tweety Birds. Andy Desautels stopped 36 of 37 shots in Regina's goal to lead the way. Tristan Frei's 2nd and 3rd goals of the season were all Regina needed. Meanwhile, veteran Matt Hewitt took the loss, stopping 23 of 29.

SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 5
CALGARY DINOSAURS 0

Links:
LeagueStat: [Summary]
Boxscores: [CIS] : [CW]
Stories: [UofC] : [rp @CW] : [rp @UofS]

You know, I might have been tempted to bet on some overtime in this game. Tough loss for the Dinos in the Town of Bedrock. So save some moonshine for Banjoland's canines tonight! This was very one-sided on the stat sheet.nThe shots were 42-19. Jordon Cooke got the win, Steven Stanford got the loss, and Andrew Johnson scored twice for the Mutts.

MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS 2
LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS 3

Links:
LeagueStat: [Summary]
Boxscores: [CIS] : [CW]
Stories: [UofL] : [rp @CW] : [rp @MRU]

This was not as dramatic as Regina's upset, but still this is a big surprise. The Hørny Ones are not the 98 lb. weaklings of the past. This result should emphasize that fact. The Bluegars will now want to avoid a sweep. Such an occurrence could put them into a fight between 5 teams for 4 playoff spots. Garret Hughson stopped 35 of 37 shots for the win, including 18 of 19 in the opening period. Colin Cooper's 32 saves on 35 shoys was pretty good, too. The scene shifts to Calgary for Saturday's rematch.

OUT EAST

AUS

Nov 18 Acadia 5 Dalhousie 2
Nov 18 Saint Mary's 5 St. F.X. 1
Nov 18 U.P.E.I. 2 Moncton 4

OUA

Nov 18 Brock 3 Ottawa 4 (ot)
Nov 18 Carleton 1 Laurentian 3
Nov 18 Guelph 8 Lakehead 5
Nov 18 Laurier 2 Windsor 1 (so)
Nov 18 Queen's 2 U.Q.T.R. 5
Nov 18 R.M.C. 1 Nipissing 5
Nov 18 Ryerson 4 Waterloo 0
Nov 18 Toronto 7 W. Ontario 3
Nov 18 U.O.I.T. 3 Concordia 4
Nov 18 York 2 McGill 3 (ot)

[CIS Schedule/Results]
[CIS Standings]

All CW games available at CanadaWest.tv.

* Indicates link not available at the time of posting.

[Hollywood]

Nov 19: Bisons Swept

---

 

MANITOBA BISONS 2
ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 5

Links:
LeagueStat: [Summary] : [Report] : [Text]
Boxscores: [CIS] : [CW] : [UofM*]
Late Friday story: [rp @UofM]
Stories: [UofA] : [rp @CW] : [rp @UofM*]

The Bisons did bounce back effectively in Saturday's rematch. That is, after a slow start where they fell behind 2-0. By mid-2nd period the Herd had turned things around and were the better team. But in the end it was another loss. Here's the scoring:

1st             
10:54     AB Baillie (7) ASST: Cox (6), Philp (7)

2nd             
10:20     AB Hart (10) ASST: Crooks (8), Yadlowski (3) (SH)
14:27     Man Merasty (4) ASST: L Christensen (1), Dudar (2)
15:00     Man Augert (8) ASST: Bresciani (3)
17:51     AB Hart (11) ASST: Crooks (9) (SH)
19:28     AB Bredo (1) ASST: Cox (7), Derko (1)

3rd             
19:43     AB Crooks (9) ASST: Hart (6), Craig (5) (EN, SH)

The only change in the Bison line-up was in goal where Justin Paulic replaced Byron Spriggs. He stopped 26 of 30 shots. Luke Siemens was back in goal for the Monkeys and he stopped 27 of 29.

Well, after Alberta grabbed that 2-0 lead the Bisons turned the game around in the 2nd. Merasty and Augert teamed up and each got a goal. The intense pressure produced a late powerplay in which the Bisons seriously threatened to escape the period with the lead. Instead, they gave up a shorthanded goal, followed by one more just after the PP expired. The 3rd period produced a few good chances but Siemens shut the door until an empty-netter put it away.

The Bisons return home to play Sask next Friday and Saturday nights. Those will be their last home games in 2016 and mark the mid-point of the season.

OUT-OF-TOWN SCOREBOARD

U.B.C. THUNDERBIRDS 3
REGINA COUGARS 4

Links:
LeagueStat: [Summary]
Boxscores: [CIS] : [CW]
Stories: [UofR] : [rp @CW] : [rp @UBC*]

WTF!!!!!!!!! The Banjocats got a SWEEP! I had my doubts they would win 2 more games through January. They built a 3-0 and then clung to the lead like a kitten on the curtains. Andy Desautels was again the winner in goal, with 20 saves on 23 shots. Matt Hewitt stopped 21 of 25 in taking the loss. There were 7 different goal scorers in the game. There is unmitigated joy in the litterbox tonight.

SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 1
CALGARY DINOSAURS 2
(in shootout)
 
Links:
LeagueStat: [Summary]
Boxscores: [CIS] : [CW]
Stories: [UofC] : [rp @CW] : [rp @UofS]

This is what I was expecting. A close game and a split on the weekend. The shots were dead even at 29-29. Matthew Greenfield got the win and Jordon Cooke took the loss.

LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS 4
MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS 1

Links:
LeagueStat: [Summary]
Boxscores: [CIS] : [CW]
Stories: [MRU] : [rp @CW] : [UofL]

You know, I don't recall the last time Lethbridge and Regina both swept their series on the same weekend. From my POV the surprise is not that the Hørny Ones did well, it is that they managed to do so at the expense of the Bluegars. Garret Hughson stopped 27 of 28 to claim the win, and and the over-worked Colin Cooper stopped 22 of 26 in taking the loss. Oddly, MRU had a 1-0 lead.

STANDINGS

OUT EAST

AUS

Nov 19 Dalhousie 3 Saint Mary's 5
Nov 19 Moncton 1 New Brunswick 9

OUA

Nov 19 Brock 1 McGill 6
Nov 19 Carleton 3 Nipissing 1
Nov 19 Guelph 6 Lakehead 3
Nov 19 Queen's 2 Concordia 1
Nov 19 R.M.C. 1 Laurentian 2 (ot)
Nov 19 Toronto 4 Laurier 5
Nov 19 U.O.I.T. 1 U.Q.T.R. 5
Nov 19 Waterloo 3 Windsor 4 (ot)
Nov 19 York 3 Ottawa 2 (ot)

[CIS Schedule/Results]
[CIS Standings]

NEXT UP

Nov 23 St. F.X. at Dalhousie
Nov 23 Ryerson at Toronto

Nov 25 Alberta at Lethbridge
Nov 25 Mount Royal at U.B.C.    
Nov 25 Regina at Calgary
Nov 25 Saskatchewan at Manitoba
Nov 25 Dalhousie at Moncton    
Nov 25 New Brunswick at Acadia
Nov 25 U.P.E.I. at Saint Mary's
Nov 25 Concordia at Carleton
Nov 25 Lakehead at Laurier
Nov 25 Laurentian at W. Ontario
Nov 25 McGill at U.O.I.T.
Nov 25 Nipissing at Guelph
Nov 25 Ottawa at Queen's
Nov 25 R.M.C. at U.Q.T.R.
Nov 25 Windsor at Brock
Nov 25 York at Toronto

All CW games available at CanadaWest.tv.

* Indicates link not available at the time of posting.

[Hollywood]

Preview: Nov 25-26: Sask at Bisons

---

HUSKIES MUSHING THEIR WAY TO MANITOBA

SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES (8-2-2, 9-4-3, OHT35 #3)
MANITOBA BISONS (5-7-0, 12-9-0, OHT35 #16)

Friday, November 25th, 7:00 CST @ Fleming Arena
Saturday, November 26th, 7:00 CST @ Fleming Arena

Live Links:
• [Live Stats Friday] ∞ [Live Stats Saturday]
• [Video: CanadaWest.tv]
• [Audio: 101.5 UMFM]

Manitoba Links:
• [UM Preview] ∞ [Series Preview]
• [LS Stats] ∞ [LS Schedule/Results]
• [Twitter] ∞ [Facebook]

Sask. Links:
• [Team Site]
• [LS Stats] ∞ [LS Schedule/Results]
• [Twitter] ∞ [Facebook]

Other Links:
• [CIS Site] ∞ [Schedule/Links]
• [CIS Standings] ∞ [CIS Top 10]
• [CW Site] ∞ [Schedule/Links]

This weekend marks the mid-point of the CW schedule. At 5-7-0 the Bisons have some degree of urgency in this series. The Banjomutts are sitting at the top of the table tied with the Monkeys at 18 points. The Bisons are 6th with 10. A 4-point weekend would dramatically alter things.

Last year Sask won the conference, and swept the Bisons along the way. However, in the previous 3 seasons the Bisons held a 7-5 edge, with each side claiming one OTL.

There are many players to watch. Sask has 5 of the top 20 scorers. Michael Sofillas and Kohl Bauml each have 13 points, Logan McVeigh has 12 points, and Jesse Forsberg and Josh Roach have 11-a-piece. The Bisons have 3 at that level, Shaq Merasty (4-8-12), Justin Augert (8-3-11), and the captain Jordan DePape (6-5-11 in only 8 games).

Despite all their credentials, the Mutts would be nothing more than your typical pack of toilet water drinkers and butt sniffers without good goaltending. Jordon Cooke leads the league and has played all but about 10 minutes so far. He is 8-3-1, 1.97 GAA, and .926 S%.

In the Bison goal, Byron Spriggs is now 4-3-0, 3.02 GAA, and .907 S%. Decent numbers in this year's CW.

Both games can be seen on canadawest.tv. Both games can be heard free at UMFM.com, and Friday's game can be heard on 101.5 FM.

ELSEWHERE:

ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS (9-3-0, 15-5-2, OHT35 #2)
LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS (5-4-3, 11-4-3, OHT35 #15)

Links:
• [UofL Preview]
• [UofA Preview]

After a surprise sweep last weekend the 'Horns are in a pretty good place right now. 13 points is good for 5th place, and they are within 2 points of 3rd. Meanwhile, the Evil Monkeys are rounding into form. Their 50 goals in 12 games is by far the best in the CW. And the top 4 scorers in the league are all banana-eating båstårds. Big test for the Hørny Ones. They made need some extra Viagra.

REGINA COUGARS (3-9-0, 3-15-0, OHT35 #31)
CALGARY DINOSAURS (7-4-1, 10-6-2, OHT35 #6)

Links:
• [UofC Preview]
• [UofR Preview]

Those crazy Banjocats are on a roll! Last week the Kittens were purring after they devoured the Tweety Birds. Twice! Can they keep it going? Bedrock U have somewhat exceeded expectations this year, sitting in 3rd. But with local teams playing for the Vanier Cup on Saturday and the Grey Cup on Sunday, there may not be a lot of fretting about this series.

MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS (7-5-0, 9-8-0, OHT35 #7)
U.B.C. THUNDERBIRDS (4-8-0, 9-9-0, OHT35 #22)

Links:
• [UBC Preview]
• [MRU Preview]
 
These two teams had sobering experiences last weekend. The Bluegars were swept by Lethbridge and UBC was swept by Regina. Both sides must have had a tense week of preparation. Still, MRU is in 4th and could easily move up a notch or two. UBC could be left with little more than a wing and a prayer if they lose both of these home games.

OUT EAST:

OUA

Nov 23 Ryerson 5 Toronto 1
Nov 25 Concordia at Carleton
Nov 25 Lakehead at Laurier
Nov 25 Laurentian at W. Ontario
Nov 25 McGill at U.O.I.T.
Nov 25 Nipissing at Guelph
Nov 25 Ottawa at Queen's
Nov 25 R.M.C. at U.Q.T.R.
Nov 25 Windsor at Brock
Nov 25 York at Toronto
Nov 26 Lakehead at Laurier
Nov 26 Laurentian at Guelph
Nov 26 McGill at Queen's
Nov 26 Nipissing at W. Ontario
Nov 26 Ottawa at U.O.I.T.
Nov 26 R.M.C. at Concordia
Nov 26 U.Q.T.R. at Carleton
Nov 26 Waterloo at Brock
Nov 26 Windsor at York

AUS

Nov 23 St. F.X. 0 Dalhousie 2
Nov 25 Dalhousie at Moncton    
Nov 25 New Brunswick at Acadia
Nov 25 U.P.E.I. at Saint Mary's
Nov 26 Moncton at St. F.X.
Nov 26 New Brunswick at Saint Mary's
Nov 26 U.P.E.I. at Acadia

[Hollywood]

Nov 25: Overtime Night in the CW

---

SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 2
MANITOBA BISONS 1
(in overtime)
 
Links:
LeagueStat: [Summary] : [Report] : [Text]
Boxscores: [CIS] : [CW] : [UofM]
Stories: [UofM] : [rp @CW] : [rp @UofM]

On Overtime Night in the CW (all 4 games went past 60), the Bisons suffered another loss. More significantly, captain and leading scorer Jordan DePape went MIA at some point. Hopefully he is not on his 3rd injury stint of the season.

I will start with the teams' alignment:

MANITOBA

Goal
35 Spriggs (1 Paulic)

Defence
2 Henry - 20 Johnston
3 S Christensen - 9 Hunter
4 Bresciani - 5 L Christensen

Forwards
12 Zajac - 28 Stovin - 27 DePape
25 Merasty - 13 Laurencelle - 24 Augert
10 Dudar - 26 Lisoway - 22 B Bowles
19 Friesen - 23 Schreyer -17 Callis

Scratches
6 Heinrich (D) - 8 Bilton (F) - 14 Nault (F)
15 S Bowles (F) - 16 Paradis (F) - 21 Brooks (F)
29 Wasylak (F) - 34 Sydora (G)

SASKATCHEWAN

Goal
30 Wapple (32 Cooke)

Defence
4 Harmsworth - 2 McFaull
3 Cox - 6 Fransoo
5 Forsberg - 8 Lishchynsky

Forwards
15 Sofillas - 14 McVeigh - 7 Roach
22 Johnson - 19 Bauml - 10 Cable
18 Yakubowski - 23 Thomas - 28 Lawrence
20 Sutter - 9 Tkatch - 16 Stadnyk

Scratches
12 Gay (F) - 17 Blair (F) - 21 Stumborg (D)
25 Borstmayer (D) - 26 Johnson (F) - 29 Forsberg (F)

And here's a quick summary:

1st             
0:13     Man Zajac (2) ASST: Stovin (5), DePape (6)
8:32     Sask Forsberg (5) ASST: McFaull (2), McVeigh (9) (PP)

2nd             
No scoring

3rd             
No scoring

1st OT             
2:37     Sask Harmsworth (1) ASST: Cable (6), McFaull (3)

The Bisons were penalized 5 consecutive times in the late 1st and then 2nd periods. Most of those were for jay-walking, as Paul Maurice would say. Other than when penalized, the Bisons probably had a slight edge in play. They certainly had the most point-blank scoring chances.

On a positive note, Byron Spriggs suffered the loss but still stopped 33 of 35 shots. Sask gave Daniel Wapple his first start in goal and stopped 25 of 26 shots, including two breakaways.

Saturday's rematch is at 7:00, just like in the good ol' days.

OUT-OF-TOWN SCOREBOARD

ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 2
LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS 3
(in overtime)

Links:
LeagueStat: [Summary]
Boxscores: [CIS] : [CW]
Stories: [UofL*] : [rp @CW*] : [rp @UofA*]

Usually when the Hørny Ones upset somebody, or when the Evil Monkeys suffer an upset, it is because of a great goaltending performance. But this time Lethbridge won in style, outshooting Alberta 44-34. They bombarded losing goalie Luke Siemens with 17 shots in the 3rd period alone to score the goal they needed to tie the game. Garret Hughson picked up the win.

REGINA COUGARS 4
CALGARY DINOSAURS 5
(in overtime)

Links:
LeagueStat: [Summary]
Boxscores: [CIS] : [CW]
Stories: [UofC] : [rp @CW] : [UofR]

The Banjocats rolled into the Town of Bedrock and, although 2 game winning streak ended, they still picked up a valuable point. Nice turn-around for an unwanted litter of kittens if ever there was one. Despite the high score, the shots were only 28-23 in favour of Bedrock U. The 2nd period was wild. Regina outscored Calgary 4-3 and outshot them 10-6. That's almost a .500 shooting percentage. Steven Stanford got the win and Andy Desautels the loss.

MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS 6
U.B.C. THUNDERBIRDS 5
(in shootout)

Links:
LeagueStat: [Summary]
Boxscores: [CIS*] : [CW*]
Stories: [UBC*] : [rp @CW*] : [rp @MRU*]

The Tweety-Birds completely fell apart on home ice to blow this one. After two periods they held a 4-1 lead and were outshooting the Bluegars 21-12. The 3rd period saw MRU outshoot UBC 19-4. There was no weird avalanche of penalties to turn it around. There was just one minor penalty, and that to UBC. The west coast links are not up as I post.

OUT EAST

AUS

Nov 25 Dalhousie 2 Moncton 4
Nov 25 New Brunswick 1 Acadia 2
Nov 25 U.P.E.I. 3 Saint Mary's 6

OUA

Nov 25 Concordia 0 Carleton 4
Nov 25 Lakehead 4 Laurier 3 (ot)
Nov 25 Laurentian 3 W. Ontario 6
Nov 25 McGill 4 U.O.I.T. 2
Nov 25 Nipissing 1 Guelph 2
Nov 25 Ottawa 6 Queen's 3
Nov 25 R.M.C. 2 U.Q.T.R. 4
Nov 25 Windsor 4 Brock 1
Nov 25 York 5 Toronto 1

[CIS Schedule/Results]
[CIS Standings]

All CW games available at CanadaWest.tv.

* Indicates link not available at the time of posting.

[Hollywood]

Friday's late links:

 

ALBERTA v LETHBRIDGE

Links:
LeagueStat: [Summary]
Boxscores: [CIS] : [CW]
Stories: [UofL] : [rp @CW] : [rp @UofA]

 

MOUNT ROYAL v U.B.C.

Links:
LeagueStat: [Summary]
Boxscores: [CIS] : [CW]
Stories: [UBC] : [rp @CW] : [rp @MRU]

[Hollywood]

Nov 26: Herd Humbles Huskies

SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 2
MANITOBA BISONS 5

Links:
LeagueStat: [Summary] : [Report] : [Text]
Boxscores: [CIS] : [CW] : [UofM]
Stories: [UofM*] : [rp @CW] : [rp @UofS]

On a night when the whole CW hit the season's mid-point, the Bisons were faced with the prospect of having to scramble to just eek out a playoff berth. They responded with a strong effort and, though hardly ready to coast, at least have some breathing room, and a shot to move into the top 4.

The alignment shifted somewhat, a natural occurrence when the Bisons have loads of forwards and apparently an injury to Jordan DePape. It looked like this:

MANITOBA

Goal
35 Spriggs (1 Paulic)

Defence
2 Henry - 20 Johnston
3 S Christensen - 9 Hunter
4 Bresciani - 5 L Christensen

Forwards
12 Zajac - 13 Laurencelle - 28 Stovin
25 Merasty - 24 Augert - 10 Dudar
26 Lisoway - 22 B Bowles - 17 Callis
29 Wasylak - 21 Brooks - 8 Bilton

Scratches
6 Heinrich (D) - 14 Nault (F) - 15 S Bowles (F)
16 Paradis (F) - 19 Friesen (F) - 23 Schreyer (F)
27 DePape (F) - 34 Sydora (G)

SASKATCHEWAN

Goal
32 Cooke (30 Wapple)

Defence
4 Harmsworth - 2 McFaull
3 Cox - 6 Fransoo
8 Lishchynsky - 5 Forsberg

Forwards
15 Sofillas - 14 McVeigh - 7 Roach
22 Johnson - 19 Bauml - 10 Cable
18 Yakubowski - 23 Thomas - 28 Lawrence
20 Sutter - 9 Tkatch - 16 Stadnyk

Scratches
12 Gay (F) - 17 Blair (F) - 21 Stumborg (D)
25 Borstmayer (D) - 26 Johnson (F) - 29 Forsberg (F)

And here's a quick summary:

1st             
15:55     Man Lisoway (3) ASST: Callis (3), Bresciani (4)

2nd             
9:55     Man Zajac (3) ASST: Laurencelle (6), Bresciani (5)
10:37     Sask Thomas (3) ASST: Yakubowski (3)
12:56     Man Dudar (2) ASST: Bresciani (6), Merasty (9) (PP)

3rd             
5:57     Man Laurencelle (2) ASST: Zajac (3), Stovin (6)
14:14     Sask Tkatch (3) ASST: Thomas (5), Fransoo (4) (PP)
17:32     Man Hunter (2) ASST: Laurencelle (7), Zajac (4)

The shots on goal were 43-30 in favour of the Banjomutts, which is a bit misleading. The shots were pretty even throughout two periods. Sask piled on the shots by a 17-7 margin in the 3rd period, during which the Bisons had a 3 or a 4 goal lead most of the time.

Byron Spriggs appears to be the starting goaltender now. He had two very strong games over the weekend, stopping 74 of 78 shots. I would expect Spriggs to start at least next Friday.

On the other hand, Jordon Cooke did not look like the CW's leading goaltender. He stopped 25 of 30 shots.

One feature of the Bison scoring is that the goals were not scored by their leaders. DePape was injured. The Merasty-Augert combination threatened lots but did not score. The Zajac-Laurencelle-Stovin line sure had it going (even though they were the only line to give up an even-strnegth goal). Stovin had just the one point but was a force out there. His size was a big factor assisting his smaller linemates. He and Laurencelle centred the line at various times.

All the Bison lines did well. Of note was the line of players who did not suit up on Friday night, Wasylak-Brooks-Bilton, all put in a good effort. They never scored, but were not scored upon either. (No Bison was a "-" on the night.) The checking line was re-jigged so as to include Lisoway-Bowles-Callis. They got the opener.

The Bisons are off Calgary to face MRU next weekend before breaking for exams and Christmas. They return home in the new year to face the Regina Banjocats. Meanwhile, Sask had a drink from the toilets, ate some slop off the floor, peed on a fire hydrant, then hopped in the bus and rode home with their heads out the window.

No photos from Saturday (when Sask was wearing their awesome green jerseys) are up yet. But we have some with their blah blah black ones from Friday night.

OUT-OF-TOWN SCOREBOARD

ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 5
LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS 0

Links:
LeagueStat: [Summary]
Boxscores: [CIS] : [CW]
Stories: [UofL] : [rp @CW] : [rp @UofA]

A sweep of the Evil Monkeys may have been asking too much for the Hørny Ones. Graeme Craig scored twice and Brendan Burke had a 27 save shutout. Garret Hughson stopped 28 of 33 in the loss.

REGINA COUGARS 1
CALGARY DINOSAURS 6

Links:
LeagueStat: [Summary]
Boxscores: [CIS] : [CW]
Stories: [UofC] : [rp @CW] : [UofR]

The Pussycats strutted into Bedrock on a high after a sweep and had a good game Friday. But Saturday's 1st period brought them back to Earth. Four goals on 17 shots gave the Dinos an insurmountable lead. Coda Gordon scored twice and Matthew Breenfield stopped 33 of 34 shots to claim the win. Andy Desautels was yanked after 4 goals, Mitch Kilgore finished it off.

MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS 5
U.B.C. THUNDERBIRDS 3

Links:
LeagueStat: [Summary]
Boxscores: [CIS] : [CW]
Stories: [UBC] : [rp @CW] : [rp @MRU*]

The Bluegars secured a sweep in British California with a decisive win. Cam Lanigan stopped 17 of 20 shots for the win and Matt Hewitt stopped 25 of 29 in the loss.

STANDINGS

OUT EAST

AUS

Nov 26 Moncton 2 St. F.X. 6
Nov 26 New Brunswick 2 Saint Mary's 3
Nov 26 U.P.E.I. 2 Acadia 5

OUA

Nov 26 Lakehead 4 Laurier 3
Nov 26 Laurentian 3 Guelph 4 (ot)
Nov 26 McGill 0 Queen's 4
Nov 26 Nipissing 3 W. Ontario 1
Nov 26 Ottawa 1 U.O.I.T. 4
Nov 26 R.M.C. 1 Concordia 7
Nov 26 U.Q.T.R. 3 Carleton 1
Nov 26 Waterloo 6 Brock 1
Nov 26 Windsor 2 York 3 (ot)

[CIS Schedule/Results]
[CIS Standings]

All CW games available at CanadaWest.tv.

* Indicates link not available at the time of posting.

[Hollywood]

Preview: Dec 2-3: Bisons at MRU

---

HERD HIT THE ROAD TO END 1ST SEMESTER

MANITOBA BISONS (6-7-1, 13-9-1, OHT35 #16)
MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS (9-5-0, 11-8-0, OHT35 #6)

Friday, December 2nd, 7:00 MST/8:00 CST @ Flames Community Arena
Saturday, December 3rd, 2:00 MST/3:00 CST @ Flames Community Arena

Live Links:
• [Live Stats Friday] ∞ [Live Stats Saturday]
• [Video: CanadaWest.tv]

Manitoba Links:
• [UM Review] ∞ [UM Preview]
• [Blog #4: Zajac]
• [LS Stats] ∞ [LS Schedule/Results]
• [Twitter] ∞ [Facebook]

Mount Royal Links:
• [Team Site]
• [LS Stats] ∞ [LS Schedule/Results]
• [Twitter] ∞ [Facebook]

Prior Games:
Oct 14: MRU 3 UM 1: [LeagueStat] ∞ [CW] ∞ [UofM]
Oct 15: MRU 5 UM 1: [LeagueStat] ∞ [CW] ∞ [UofM]

Other Links:
• [CIS Site] ∞ [Schedule/Links]
• [CIS Standings] ∞ [CIS Top 10]
• [CW Site] ∞ [Schedule/Links]
• [USports v Canada Juniors]

This series marks the end of the 1st semester and the beginning of the 2nd half of the regular season. After this an all-star team from across the country will face the Team Canada Juniors on Dec 12-13 in Quebec while everybody else goes off for exams and then off for Christmas.

The Bluegars are on a 6-game wnning streak against the Bisons. Yet over the last 5 seasons that brings the teams to 9 wins each. The Bisons also won a playoff series 2-1. This match-up generally produces good hard games.

Hard to predict what the Bluegars will look like. Just two weeks ago they were swept by Lethbridge. The Bisons are coming off a 3 point weekend against the Mutts.

Both games can be seen on canadawest.tv.

ELSEWHERE:

ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS (10-3-1, 16-5-3, OHT35 #2)
SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES (9-3-2, 10-5-3, OHT35 #3)

Links:
• [UofS Story] ∞ [Series Preview] ∞ [Notes (pdf)]
• [UofA Site]

This is the feature match-up in the whole CIS. The winner will also head into the new year in 1st place.

LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS (6-5-3, 12-5-3, OHT35 #15)
REGINA COUGARS (3-10-1, 3-16-1, OHT35 #32)

Links:
• [UofR Preview]
• [UofL Preview]

Regina started he season on a positive note with a surprise win over the Hørny Ones. Then came disaster. Just when it looked like they would never win again, they swept UBC and followed that with an OTL. They desperately need a sweep here and there is they want back into the playoff hunt. Meanwhile, the Hørns are nicely tucked into 5th place, which must make them very happy.

CALGARY DINOSAURS (9-4-1, 12-6-2, OHT35 #5)
U.B.C. THUNDERBIRDS (4-9-1, 9-10-1, OHT35 #22)

Links:
• [UBC Preview]
• [UofC Story]
 
The Bedrock Dinos may be the CW's biggest surprise on the plus side, and the UBC Tweety-Birds may be the CW's biggest surprise on the down side. UBC was swept by Regina two weeks ago. 'Nuff said. Calgary has rocketed to 3rd place, and are ranked 5th in Canada. Wow!

OUT EAST:

OUA

Nov 30 W. Ontario 4 Laurier 3 (ot)
Dec 01 W. Ontario 2 Waterloo 4
Dec 02 Carleton at York
Dec 02 Concordia at U.O.I.T.
Dec 02 Laurentian at Queen's
Dec 02 Laurier at Brock
Dec 02 Nipissing at Windsor
Dec 02 Ryerson at McGill
Dec 02 Toronto at Ottawa
Dec 02 U.Q.T.R. at R.M.C.
Dec 03 Carleton at Brock
Dec 03 Nipissing at Windsor
Dec 03 R.M.C. at U.O.I.T.
Dec 03 Ryerson at Ottawa
Dec 03 Toronto at McGill
Dec 03 U.Q.T.R. at Queen's
Dec 03 Waterloo at York

AUS

Nov 30 Dalhousie 2 Moncton 4
Dec 01 Saint Mary's at U.P.E.I.
Dec 02 Acadia at U.P.E.I.
Dec 02 St. F.X. at Moncton
Dec 02 Saint Mary's at New Brunswick
Dec 03 Acadia at New Brunswick

[Hollywood]

Dec 2: Bison Rally Falls Short

---

MANITOBA BISONS 3
MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS 4

Links:
LeagueStat: [Summary] : [Report] : [Text]
Boxscores: [CIS] : [CW] : [UofM]
Stories: [MRU*] : [rp @CW] : [rp @UofM]

The Bisons fell behind 4-0 in the 1st period but rallied to make it close. Here is a quick summary:

1st             
2:42     MRU     Brown (7) ASST: Simpson (9), Amatto (2)
7:34     MRU     Rankin (8) ASST: Maclise (54) (PP)
11:28     MRU     Brown (8) ASST: Simpson (10), Baker (3) (PP)
17:09     MRU     Simpson (5) ASST: Brown (3)

2nd             
19:29     Man     Zajac (4) ASST: Laurencelle (8), Stovin (7)

3rd             
1:16     Man     B Bowles (2) ASST: Christensen (2)
19:27     Man     DePape (7) ASST: Laurencelle (9), Henry (2)

Good to see DePape back in the line-up. Byron Spriggs was in the Bison net and he stopped 29 of 33. Colin Cooper stopped 27 of 30 to claim the win. Saturday's rematch goes at 2:00 MDT or 3:00 CDT.

OUT-OF-TOWN SCOREBOARD

ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 1
SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 4

Links:
LeagueStat: [Summary]
Boxscores: [CIS] : [CW]
Stories: [UofS] : [rp @CW] : [rp @UofA]

This was the feature match-up of the evening and the Banjomutts stuffed it to the Evil Monkeys. The Mutts outshot the Monkeys 44-21. Carson Stadnyk paced the Mutts, scoring his first two goals of the season. Jordon Cooke was the winning goaltender and Luke Siemens took the loss.

LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS 6
REGINA COUGARS 3

Links:
LeagueStat: [Summary]
Boxscores: [CIS] : [CW]
Stories: [UofR] : [rp @CW] : [rp @UofL]

This was one crazy game in Canada's armpit. The Hørny Ones outshot the Banjocats 43-41. Garret Hughson got the win and Mitch Kilgore took the loss. Six different 'Horns scored.

CALGARY DINOSAURS 1
U.B.C. THUNDERBIRDS 2

Links:
LeagueStat: [Summary]
Boxscores: [CIS] : [CW]
Stories: [UBC] : [rp @CW] : [rp @UofC*]

The Tweety-Birds were in a must-win situation and responded with a win over Bedrock U. The game was scoreless until 4 minutes into the 3rd when UBC took the lead. They added an empty-netter before Bedrock U made the scoreline look better with a last minute goal of their own. Derek Dun stopped 32 of 33 to get the win, and veteran Steven Stanford stopped 23 of 24 in taking the loss.

OUT EAST

AUS

Dec 02 Acadia 5 U.P.E.I. 4 (so)
Dec 02 St. F.X. 2 Moncton 4
Dec 02 Saint Mary's 3 New Brunswick 8

OUA

Dec 02 Carleton 4 York 0
Dec 02 Concordia 5 U.O.I.T. 4 (ot)
Dec 02 Laurentian 3 Queen's 6
Dec 02 Laurier 4 Brock 1
Dec 02 Nipissing 3 Windsor 4
Dec 02 Ryerson 1 McGill 0
Dec 02 Toronto 1 Ottawa 7
Dec 02 U.Q.T.R. at R.M.C. ppd

[CIS Schedule/Results]
[CIS Standings]

All CW games available at CanadaWest.tv.

* Indicates link not available at the time of posting.

[Hollywood]

Dec 3: Bisons Collapse

---

 

MANITOBA BISONS 1
MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS 5

Links:
LeagueStat: [Summary] : [Report] : [Text]
Boxscores: [CIS] : [CW] : [UofM]
Stories: [MRU*] : [rp @CW] : [rp @UofM]

The Bisons were looking good in the first half of this game. The only goal was a shorthanded marker by MRU when Brett Stovin mishandled the puck in his own end. The Bisons suddenly ran into penalty trouble. The Bisons started getting a string of penalties out of thin air for no apparent reason. Two 5-on-3 goals, followed by one for good measure (all by Connor Rankin), put the game away.

Here's the skinny:

1st             
5:19     MRU King (2) ASST: None (SH)

2nd             
12:21     MRU Rankin (9) ASST: Maclise (6), Smiley (6) (PP)
13:24     MRU Rankin (10) ASST: Brown (4), Maclise (7) (PP)
17:38     MRU Rankin (11) ASST: Maclise (8)

3rd             
6:04     MRU Brown (9) ASST: Zarazun (8)
17:10     Man DePape (8) ASST: Stovin (8), Henry (3) (PP)

Goaltenders
Byron Spriggs (L) saves 26 shots 31
Wyatt Hoflin (W) saves 23 shots 24

The Bisons must be lamenting that they never played the Bluegars when they were laden with injuries. They are leading the conference in scoring, with a 7 goal lead over Alberta.

Play resumes on January 6th when the Herd hosts the Regina Banjocats.

OUT-OF-TOWN SCOREBOARD

ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 0
SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 4

Links:
LeagueStat: [Summary]
Boxscores: [CIS] : [CW]
Stories: [UofS] : [rp @CW] : [rp @UofA*]

I never expected the Monkeys to be skunked like this. Luke Siemens started in goal for the Apes but was ynaked when he allowed 3 goals on 27 shots mid-way through the 2nd. Brendan Burke came in and stopped 10 of 11 shots. Meanwhile, Jordon Cooke again started for the Mutts and picked up a 45 shot shutout.

LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS 7
REGINA COUGARS 2

Links:
LeagueStat: [Summary]
Boxscores: [CIS] : [CW]
Stories: [UofR] : [rp @CW] : [rp @UofL]

What a home ice disaster. Sure, the Hørny Ones are stronger than they once were. But two whippings in one weekend on home ice is a horrible sign. Lethbridge outshot them 40-27. Yikes. Garret Hughson got the win. Andy Desautels took the loss. Jay Merkley and Justin Valentino had two goals each to lead the way.

CALGARY DINOSAURS 4
U.B.C. THUNDERBIRDS 1

Links:
LeagueStat: [Summary]
Boxscores: [CIS] : [CW]
Stories: [UBC] : [rp @CW] : [rp @UofC]

The Dinos managed to salvage the only split of the weekend. Matthew Greenfield got the win and Derek Dun took the loss. The shots were sparse, just 23-22 in favour of Bedrock U.

STANDINGS

OUT EAST

AUS

Dec 03 Acadia 2 New Brunswick 5

OUA

Dec 03 Carleton 0 Brock 1 (ot)
Dec 03 Nipissing 1 Windsor 2
Dec 03 R.M.C. 2 U.O.I.T. 7
Dec 03 Ryerson 3 Ottawa 2 (so)
Dec 03 Toronto 1 McGill 6
Dec 03 U.Q.T.R. 1 Queen's 2
Dec 03 Waterloo 2 York 6

[CIS Schedule/Results]
[CIS Standings]

NEXT UP

Dec 12 CIS v Team Canada Juniors
Dec 13 CIS v Team Canada Juniors

Christmas Break Non-conference Games

Dec 28 R.M.C. at Nichols College
Dec 28 Ottawa at Yale

Dec 29 Nipissing at Lakehead
Dec 29 Concordia at U.Q.T.R.
Dec 29 R.M.C. at Johnson & Wales

Dec 30 Pete Kelly Challenge TBA at New Brunswick
Dec 30 Guelph at U.O.I.T.
Dec 30 Nipissing at Lakehead
Dec 30 Ottawa at U.Q.T.R.

Dec 31 Pete Kelly Challenge TBA at New Brunswick

Next Conference Games

Jan 03 Windsor at Guelph
Jan 04 Moncton at Saint Mary's
Jan 06 Lethbridge at Calgary
Jan 06 Mount Royal at Saskatchewan
Jan 06 Regina at Manitoba
Jan 06 U.B.C. at Alberta
Jan 06 Acadia at Saint Mary's
Jan 06 Dalhousie at U.P.E.I.
Jan 06 St. F.X. at New Brunswick
Jan 06 Brock at Lakehead
Jan 06 Carleton at R.M.C.
Jan 06 Laurier at Nipissing    
Jan 06 McGill at Windsor
Jan 06 Ryerson at U.Q.T.R.
Jan 06 Toronto at Concordia    
Jan 06 U.O.I.T. at Queen's
Jan 06 Waterloo at Laurentian
Jan 06 York at Western Ontario

All CW games available at CanadaWest.tv.

* Indicates link not available at the time of posting.

[Hollywood]

The next event on the agenda is the mini-series of U Sports v. Team Canada Juniors, to take place in Blainville-Broisbiand, Quebec on December 12th and 13th.

The U Sports team is not a true "all-star" team in that 11 spots were reserved for the OUA, and 6 each for the CW and AUS. Here's the roster:

Goaltenders
30 Kevin Bailie (Queen's)
1 Corbin Boes (Dalhousie)
29 Jordon Cooke (Saskatchewan)

Defencemen
9 Spencer Abraham (Queen's)
5 Tim Campbell (Lethbridge)
15 Nathan Chiarlitti (McGill)
22 Martin Lefebvre (UQTR)
2 Kendall McFaull (Saskatchewan)
4 Jordan Murray (UNB)
3 Geoff Schemitsch (Acadia)
6 Derek Sheppard (York)

Forwards
11 Guillaume Asselin (UQTR)
14 Holden Cook (St. FX)
10 Jamie Crooks (Alberta)
19 Jordan DePape (Manitoba)
20 Michael Fine (Ryerson)
18 Olivier Hinse (Concordia)
16 Philippe Maillet (UNB)
12 Michael McNamee (Carleton)
7 Elgin Pearce (Calgary)
21 Mathieu Pompei (McGill)
8 Allain Saulnier (Moncton)
17 Brett Welychka (Carleton)

After pounding the bejeebers out of a sub-standard team selected from the schools of the Big Lemon (i.e. Ryerson, Toronto, York), it was decided last year to draw a team from across the CIS. In the past teams from the CW, or a combination of teams, were capable of beating the Juniors. Here is a compendium of recent results:

Dec. 14, 2004 at Winnipeg: Manitoba Bisons 4 Team Canada 2
Dec. 15, 2004 at Winnipeg: Team Canada 6 Manitoba Bisons 3

Dec, 15, 2006 at Calgary: Cal/Leth 5 Team Canada 4

Dec. 15, 2009 at Saskatoon: Sask/Regina 4 Team Canada 2

Dec. 2010 at Toronto: Team Canada 6 OUA Selects 2

Dec. 17, 2011 at Calgary: Team Canada 7 Cal/Leth 4

Dec. 12, 2012 at Edmonton: Alberta Golden Bears 4 Team Canada 1
Dec. 13, 2012 at Calgary: Team Canada 2 Cal/Leth/MRU 0

Dec. 2013 at Toronto: Toronto Selects 3 Team Canada 0

Dec. 2014 at Toronto: Team Canada 10 Toronto Selects 3
Dec. 2014 at Toronto: Team Canada 3 Toronto Selects 0

Dec. 2015 at Toronto: CIS All-Stars 5 Team Canada 4 (SO)
Dec. 2015 at Toronto: Team Canada 5 CIS All-Stars 0

Links:
Roster announcement: [CIS] ∞ [CWUAA] ∞ [OUA] ∞ [AUS]
Jordan DePape stories: [UofM] ∞ [MyToba.ca]
Other stories: [WHL] ∞ [CHL]
More stories: [Cooke from Sask] ∞ [Bailie from Queen's]

OTHER NEWS

The other news contains a Christmastime feel-good story, a Top Ten story, and yet another story lamenting the place f university hockey in Canada.

Links:
¶ [CIS Top Ten]
¶ [ChrisD: Bisons, Manitoba Moose Lending a Hand at Siloam Mission]
¶ [University hockey one of Canada's best-kept secrets]

[Hollywood]

Dec 12: Juniors Beat U Sports

---

U SPORTS ALL-STARS 3
TEAM CANADA JUNIORS 5

Links:
¶ [CIS Game Story] ∞ [OUA LeagueStat Boxscore]
¶ [Hockey Canada Summary]
¶ [Sportsnet.ca Game Story]
¶ [Toronto Star Game Story]
¶ [TSN Crease Competition ...]
¶ [TSN Game Story (with video)]

This was a game marked by mediocre goaltending and a wild change of pace. The Juniors built a 4-0 early in the 2nd period, but by the intermission the lead was whittled down to 4-3. The shots were just 29-23 in favour of the Juniors (much lower than is typical in these games). In a twist, the U Sports team used goaltender Connor Ingram from the Junior camp. So Sask netminder Jordon Cooke got to wear a baseball cap, and two other U Keepers got to eat some popcorn. Sam Steel paced the juniors with two goals.

 

Game 2 goes Tuesday afternoon.

 

SCORING

1. CAN Strome (Chabot), 5:49 (PP)    
1. CAN Raddysh (Myers, Dube), 13:48     
2. CAN Steel, 3:06     
2. CAN Stephens (Senyshyn, Chabot), 4:09     
2. USPRT Maillet (Pearce), 13:23     
2. USPRT Welychka (Murray, Maillet), 15:31 (PP)    
2. USPRT Chiarlitti (Pearce, Crooks), 16:02     
3. CAN Steel (2) (Barzal, Myers), 11:31 (PP)

Goaltenders:
USports: Ingram: 24 saves, 29 shots
TC: McNiven: 10 saves, 13 shots
TC: Hart: 10 saves, 10 shots

[Hollywood]

Dec 13: Juniors Complete the Sweep

---

U SPORTS ALL-STARS 0
TEAM CANADA JUNIORS 3

Links:
¶ [CIS Game Story]
¶ [OUA LeagueStat Boxscore]
¶ [Hockey Canada Summary]
¶ [WHL.ca Game Story]

This was kind of a drab game. The U Sports goaltenders saw no action. Boes and Bailee suited up and Cooke was on popcorn detail.

SCORING

1. CAN Mete, (1) (Howden, Dubois), 7:35     
2. CAN Roy, (1) (Joseph , Speers), 13:50     
2. CAN Howden, (1) (Clague, McLeod), 18:05 (PP)    

Goaltenders:
USports: McNiven: 24 saves, 27 shots
TC: Ingram: 11 saves, 11 shots
TC: Hart: 4 saves, 4 shots

[Hollywood]

Dec 17: Denmark Stung by Concordia

---

DENMARK JUNIORS 2
CONCORDIA STINGERS 4

Links:
¶ [Concordia Preview Story]
¶ [Concordia Schedule/Results]

The Danes have been an ascendent team in the international rankings. However, for some smaller countries they manage promotion in a down year for the program. Having lost players like Ehlers they will be in a tough spot to stay in the top pool.

Must be a nice bonus game for the Stingers. This has been a better-than-usual season for them so far, being ranked #10 in the OHT35. They are 11-5-0 in conference play and with this win are 14-7-0 overall.

[Hollywood]

December 28, 1946

---

 

If you were in Winnipeg 70 years ago today you would have had the opportunity to watch a university hockey team from eastern Canada face one from the west, for the very first time. The University of Toronto Varsity Blues arranged a holiday trip to Winnipeg (where they would face the University of Manitoba Bisons in two games at Shea's Amphitheatre) and The Lakehead (where they would have an additional pair of games against the renowned Port Arthur Bearcats).

 

The game on December 28th was the best one for the Boys from the Big Lemon. They tied the Bisons 2-2. Two days later they were trounced 8-4 by the Herd. Things got no better in The Lakehead (Thunder Bay did not yet exist) as the Bearcats won 7-4 and 9-4 on January 1st and 2nd.

 

The Blues played in a grandiosely named "CIAU", which was not the national governing body of the same name which later came into being. It was a 4-team loop, which also included McGill, Montreal, and Queen's. The Family Compact, or Chateau Clique, of athletic conferences. A Trudeauesque national conference if ever there was one. I digress.

 

The U of T was a strong team. They went on to win the CIAU title that year with a 6-2-1 record. They faced Dartmouth University (NCAA, 16-2-2) in an international final. The game was tied 2-2 when they had to stop due to poor ice conditions.

 

The university game was struggling to get a foothold in the west. The WCIAU was never more than a 2- or 3-team competition until 1956-57. In 1946-47 Manitoba placed 2nd with a 2-2-0 record, whilst Alberta placed 1st and Saskatchewan 3rd. In any event, the tradition of an average team from the west defeating Ontario's best started with this series!

 

Nevertheless, it is worth noting that the Bisons won the 1928 Allan Cup. That championship gave them a ticket to the 1931 World Championship, which they also won. The University of Saskatchewan had earlier made it to the Allan Cup final, but lost with an Olympic berth at stake.

I could find no reportage of this series. However, it was played at Winnipeg's best facility of the day. Shea's Amphitheatre was designed for horse shows in summer, hockey in winter, and the usual host of indoor events all year round. It held 5,000 spectators and was located to the immediate west of the legislature on the present site of Great-West Life's building. Osborne Stadium (former home of the Blue Bombers) was also there. Both were torn down in 1955 when the Winnipeg Arena and Winnipeg Stadium were built. Any event at the Amphitheatre would have been quite a night out. Check out the pictures!

 

There was one other university league in Canada at the time, namely the Maritime Intercollegiate Athletic Association. The St. Dunstan's Saints (now part of UPEI) won that title in 1947.

 

Links:
¶ [Wikia: Tour Stub]
¶ [Wikia: 1946-47 CIAU Page]
¶ [Wikia: 1946-47 WCIAU Page]

 

1946-47 U of T Varsity Blues

http://vignette4.wikia.nocookie.net/icehockey/images/b/b8/46-47UToronto.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20130423203923

 

1946-47 U of M Bisons

http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/icehockey/images/b/bc/46-47UMan.jpg/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/516?cb=20160616123030

 

U of M v U of T Newspaper Ad

http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/icehockey/images/b/bc/46-47UManExhWpgGameAd.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20160326015057

 

U of M v U of S Newspaper Ad

http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/icehockey/images/4/4f/46-47UManGameAd.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20150101001659

 

U of M v U of A Newspaper Ad

http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/icehockey/images/9/92/46-47WCIAUWinnipegGameAd2.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20151201130131

 

1912 Allan Cup: Winnipeg Victorias v Montreal Eatons

http://www.ipernity.com/doc/567275/39251120

 

1931 Amphitheatre Show

http://www.mhs.mb.ca/docs/sites/images/winnipegamphitheatre1.jpg

 

1910 Amphitheatre Outside

http://www.mhs.mb.ca/docs/sites/images/winnipegamphitheatre2.jpg

 

OTHER NEWS

 

Bison Blog #5 is out now, this one by Brett Stovin. He seems disappointed with the 1st half record. He also discusses the team's volunteering, the MJHL showcase, and cross-training.
Link: [U of M Story]

 

Jay Merkley of the Lethbridge Pronghorns gets the WHL Grad of the Month award. Prior winners this season have been Jamie Crooks (of Alberta) and Elgin Pearce (of Calgary). The Hørny Ones have managed a higher level of recruits the last two years.
Links: [CW Story] : [rp @ U of L]

 

Jordon Cooke is now in Switzerland to be Team Canada's 3rd goaltender at the Spengler Cup. He plays behind Drew McIntyre (former Manitoba Moose) and Zach Fucale (former junior nat). The tournament is in Davos, a quaint mountain resort high in the Alps. Their arena has stained glass windows and looks like a church. HUGE improvement over Saskatoon.
Links: [CW Story] : [rp @ U of S]

 

The Bluegars issued a first half recap video. More teams should do this. If only universities had practical technology programs.
Link: [MRU Video]

 

Bedrock U issued a story to look ahead to the new year. Good idea. They surprised me a bit. They are in a tight 4-way battle for top spot. They are 10-5-1 now. A year ago they were sitting at 5-11-0 at this stage.
Link: [U of C Story]

 

OUT-OF-TOWN SCOREBOARD

 

All non-conference games.

 

Dec 28 R.M.C. at Nichols College ∞ [NC Site] ∞ [NC S&R]
Dec 28 Ottawa 1 Yale 7 ∞ [NHR Story] ∞ [Box]

 

NEXT UP

 

All non-conference games.

 

Dec 29 Nipissing at Lakehead
Dec 29 Concordia at U.Q.T.R.
Dec 29 R.M.C. at Johnson & Wales

Dec 30 York at New Brunswick
Dec 30 Guelph at U.O.I.T.
Dec 30 Nipissing at Lakehead
Dec 30 Ottawa at U.Q.T.R.

Dec 31 York at New Brunswick

[Hollywood]

OUT-OF-TOWN SCOREBOARD

All non-conference games.

Dec 28 Ottawa 1 Yale 7 ∞ [NHR Story] ∞ [Box]
Dec 28 R.M.C. at Nichols College ∞ [NC Site] ∞ [NC S&R]

Dec 29 Concordia at U.Q.T.R. ∞ presumed cancelled
Dec 29 Nipissing 2 Lakehead 4 ∞ [LU Story]
Dec 29 R.M.C. at Johnson & Wales∞ [JWU S&R]
Dec 29 York 3 New Brunswick 6 ∞ [UNB Box/Links]

Dec 30 Guelph 3 U.O.I.T. 6 ∞ [UOIT S&R]
Dec 30 Nipissing 2 Lakehead 4 ∞ [LU Story]
Dec 30 Ottawa at U.Q.T.R. ∞ presumed cancelled
Dec 30 York 1 New Brunswick 6 ∞ [UNB Box/Links]

The games which were once announced for UQTR did not appear on teams' websites, so I presumed those were cancelled.

The RMC tour is also in doubt. The game was on the link to the Nichols College S&R page 2 days ago but has now been removed. It is still listed on the JWU S&R page, with no score reported.

So a very sparse holiday season schedule became even sparser. Of the games played, the results were what one would expect.

[Hollywood]

Edmontown Tournament

---

An unpublicized holiday season event was held between 3 of Edmontown's 4 univeristy/college teams. Only the Concordia Thunder were not involved. It was hosted by MacEwan, yet all they had was a preview story. The teams provided scores on Twitter, and the Monkeys had hidden scores at the bottom of their page. Here's what happened:

Dec 28:
N.A.I.T. OOKS 3
MACEWAN GRIFFINS 7
Links: [MacEwan Tweet] ∞ [Preview Story]

Dec 29:
N.A.I.T. OOKS 2
ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 3
Links: [UofA Tweet]  ∞ [UofA Linescore]

Dec 30:
MACEWAN GRIFFINS 2
ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 6
Links: [MacEwan Tweet] ∞ [UofA Linescore]

[Hollywood]

I found links for the RMC tour, but nothing for UQTR.

 

OUT-OF-TOWN SCOREBOARD

 

Dec 28 R.M.C. 1 Nichols College 3 ∞ [USCHO]

Dec 29 R.M.C. 7 Johnson & Wales 3∞ [USCHO]

 

So RMC gets a win! This is one of their better seasons.