2017-18 Manitoba Bisons/U Sports

[Hollywood]

Saturday Morning Links

 

Last night there were some links not yet updated as I posted. Now here they are:

 

Boxscores: [UofM]

 

Stories: [UBC] : [rp @CW]

[Hollywood]

Jan 27: Convincing Sweep For the Bisons

 

REGINA COUGARS 1
MANITOBA BISONS 7

Links:
LeagueStat: [Summary] : [Report]
CW Hockey Tech: [Summary] : [Report] : [Text]
Boxscores: [US/CIS] : [CW] : [Coach's View] : [UofM]
Stories: [UofM] : [rp @CW] : [UofR]

Tough weekend for the Kittens. A Herd of stampeding Bison is too much for cute little kitties to handle. Bubbles would be appalled. There was some feistiness late in the game, which was controlled by the referees.

 

The Bison alignment for the first and second periods was identical to Friday's. However, Dasan Sydora dressed as backup goaltender in place of Justin Paulic. In the 3rd period, Brett Stovin was shifted from forward to defence and the team rolled four lines and three defence pairs.

For Regina, Dawson MacAuley had started in goal on Friday but did not suit up on Saturday. Michael Herringer played the first two periods and Brandon Holtby played the 3rd period. Here's how the Bisons lined up in the 3rd period:

 

Goal
35 Spriggs (34 Sydora)

 

Defence
16 Heinrich – 25 Skrumeda
2 Henry – 3 Christensen
4 Bresciani – 28 Stovin

 

Forwards
27 Franko – 14 Nault – 18 St. Croix
12 Zajac – 13 Laurencelle – 24 Augert
23 Schreyer – 21 Brooks – 8 Bilton
17 Callis – 22 B Bowles – 26 Lisoway

 

Scratches
1 Paulic - 9 Douglas – 11 Sharonov
15 S Bowles - 19 Spencer – 20 Keane
29 Wasylak

 

And here's who scored:

1st 11:04 – Man Remi Laurencelle (5)
1st 12:32 – Man Joel Schreyer (2)
2nd 03:39 – Reg Jordan Burns (3)
2nd 05:55 – Man Kamerin Nault (11)
2nd 10:27 – Man Quintin Lisoway (10)
2nd 18:29 – Man Warren Callis (3)
3rd 02:06 – Man Justin Augert (4) (PP)
3rd 19:19 – Man Lucas Skrumeda (2) (PP)

 

Byron Spriggs stopped 26 of 27 shots for the win. Herringer stopped 21 of 26 shots to take the loss, and Holtby stopped 13 of 15 shots in relief. Seven different Bisons scored, and the 1st line had one goal, and the rest had two goals each.

 

Next weekend the Bisons play their final home games of the regular season against Lethbridge. Friday's game starts at 7:00 p.m. and Saturday's rematch goes at 1:00 p.m.

 

 

OUT-OF-TOWN SCOREBOARD

 

ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 9
LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS 2

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

Before the Bisons get too pumped by their 15 goal weekend, the Evil Monkeys beat that with 17 goals of their own. This has to be devastating for the Hørny Ønes, who are now tied for 6th place and looking like they will be pipped at the wire for the 3rd consecutive season. The Monkeys continued rotating goalies, as Zach Sawchenko got the win with 29 saves on 31 shots. Meanwhile, Lethbridge went to backup goaltender Ty Edmonds, who stopped 33 of 42 shots to taste defeat. Stephane Legault scored twice for the winners, and was the only one to do so.

 

SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 1
U.B.C. THUNDERBIRDS 3

Links:
LeagueStat: [Summary] : [CWHT Summary]
Boxscores: [US/CIS] : [CW]
Stories: [UBC] : [rp @CW] : [rp @UofS]

After the T-irds caught a lucky break with two bonus wins over Bedrock U, they evidently took that seriously. They are now on a 6-game winning streak and are 7-1 in the 2nd semester. Rylan Toth got a 27 save win, and Jordon Cooke got a 27 save loss.

 

STANDINGS

 

 

Here's what we know:

1. Alberta is guaranteed a first round bye.
2. Saskatchewan needs another win or OTL to be guaranteed a first round bye.
3. Manitoba and UBC can finish no worse than 5th.
4. Manitoba needs one more win or MRU loss to be a guaranteed at least hosting a quarter-final.
5. UBC needs one more win over MRU to be a guaranteed at least hosting a quarter-final.
6. Lethbridge and Calgary could still finish ahead of MRU.
7. Lethbridge holds the tie-breaker over Calgary.

 

OUT EAST

 

Ontario
Jan 27 Brock 3 W. Ontario 2 (ot)
Jan 27 Carleton 1 McGill 6
Jan 27 Concordia 3 U.O.I.T. 5
Jan 27 Guelph 5 Laurier 3
Jan 27 Queen's 3 Laurentian 1
Jan 27 R.M.C. 4 Nipissing 3
Jan 27 Ryerson 3 Toronto 4 (ot)
Jan 27 U.Q.T.R. 2 Ottawa 5
Jan 27 Waterloo 2 Windsor 1 (so)
Jan 27 York 4 Lakehead 0

 

Atlantic
Jan 27 Acadia 2 Dalhousie 6
Jan 27 Moncton 4 New Brunswick 7

 

Links:
• [US/CIS S&R]
• [OUA S&R]
• [AUS S&R]

 

NEXT UP

 

Canada West
Feb 02 Calgary at Regina
Feb 02 Lethbridge at Manitoba
Feb 02 Saskatchewan at Alberta
Feb 02 U.B.C. at Mount Royal

 

Atlantic
Jan 31 Moncton at Dalhousie

 

Ontario
Jan 31 McGill at U.Q.T.R.
Jan 31 Waterloo at W. Ontario – from Jan 12
Feb 01 Carleton at U.O.I.T.
Feb 01 Lakehead at Ryerson
Feb 01 R.M.C. at Queen's
Feb 01 W. Ontario at Laurier

 

* indicates link not active as I post

[Hollywood]

Preview: Feb 2-3: Lethbridge at Manitoba

 

LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS (7-14-3, 8-13-3*, 11-19-3, OHT35 #24)
MANITOBA BISONS (14-8-2, 18-12-3, OHT35 #6)
(*Record adjusted for Calgary's forfeits.)
Feb 2 7:00 CST at Wayne Fleming Arena
Feb 3 1:00 CST at Wayne Fleming Arena

Live Links:
• Video: [CanadaWest.tv] (all games)
• Audio: [101.5 UMFM] ∞ [second stream]
• Friday: [Live Stats] ∞ [Hockey Tech]
• Saturday: [Live Stats] ∞ [Hockey Tech]

 

Manitoba Links:
• GoBisons: [The 2018 playoff picture for all Manitoba Bisons teams]
• GoBisons: [Quintin Lisoway ... Bison Sports Athlete of the Week]
• Social: [Twitter] ∞ [Facebook]
• CW: [Stats] ∞ [Schedule/Results/Links]
• LeagueStat: [Stats] ∞ [Schedule/Results/Links]

 

Lethbridge Links:
• Team: [Team Site]
• Social: [Twitter] ∞ [Facebook]
• CW: [Stats] ∞  [Schedule/Results/Links]
• CW: [Alumni Spotlight: Gatto helped ‘Horns to improbable U Cup run]
• LeagueStat: [Stats] ∞ [Schedule/Results/Links]
• Lethbridge News Now: [Lethbridge awarded 2019 men's university hockey championship]

 

Prior Games:
Nov 17: UofM 3 UofL 4 (ot): [UofM Game Story] ∞ [LeagueStat]
Nov 18: UofM 3 UofL 4 (ot): [UofM Game Story] ∞ [LeagueStat]

 

Other Links:
• [USports] ∞ [US Schedule/Links]
• [US Standings] ∞ [Top Ten]
• [CW Site] ∞ [CW Schedule]
• [CW Stats] ∞ [Media Access]
• [Tuesday Morning Skate: Week 13, January 30th 2018]

The Bisons are on a roll and have assured themselves of a playoff berth. The Hørny Ønes sit tied for 6th with the Dinos. So will Lethbridge shed the shame of their whippings against Alberta last weekend? It is unique that Lethbridge and Calgary both face the same opponents (Manitoba and Regina) in their two closing series. Lethbridge holds the tiebreaker, so all they need to do is match Calgary.

 

The 'Horns have been a tough opponent for the Bisons. They swept the last series, albeit both games went into overtime. In the last 5 years, the Bisons are 10-6-2 in head-to-head matchups (Lethbridge is 8-10-0).

 

For players to watch, the 'Horns are led by Mitchell Maxwell (8-17-25). In goal, Garret Hughson solidified the #1 slot with some good performances, but his numbers have come back to Earth (7-9-0, 3.39 GAA, .908 S%).

 

This week, it was announced that Lethbridge will host the 2019 University Cup. It would be excellent preparation if they could qualify for the playoffs before they play in that event. 2019 could be the 10th anniversary of their last playoff series and the 25th anniversary of their last playoff series victory!

 

In any event, I suspect that the Bisons will need to play tougher than they did against Regina. As always, both games are on Canadawest.tv (if you pay) and on free radio, at UMFM 101.5 on your FM dial (or on-line) on Friday, or Saturday on the “second stream” on-line.

ELSEWHERE

 

 
CALGARY DINOS (11-8-5, 8-13-3*, 17-10-6, OHT35 #13)
REGINA COUGARS (3-19-2, 5-23-2, OHT35 #33)
(*Record adjusted for Calgary's forfeits.)

Links:
UofR: [Team Site]
UofC: [Team Site]
CUSN: [2018 Crowchild Classic: A Comprehensive Review]
 
The Banjo Cats end their home schedule with this series against Bedrock U. Could they finally end their abysmal losing streak? When these teams met in November, each side claimed a 3-2 win. But that was in the 1st semester, when Regina was seemingly a solid hockey team. They are 0-8-0 in the 2nd semester, and on a 10-game losing streak overall. If not for the 8 points they forfeited, the Dinos would be sitting comfortably in 4th place, just 3 points behind Manitoba. Instead they are tied with Lethbridge, realistically 1/2 point behind, for the 6th and final playoff spot. I suspect that, on one night at least, we will see some significant play from the Kittens so they can avoid disgrace at home.

 

SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES (18-5-1, 19-8-1, OHT35 #4)
ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS (20-3-1, 27-4-1, OHT35 #3)

Links:
UofA: [Golden Bears and Huskies renew rivalry this weekend]
UofA: [500: Golden Bears and Huskies rivalry hits historic mark]
UofS: [Team Site]
 
These two teams are assured of berths in the conference semi-finals. However, Sask's sweep at the hands of UBC last week has them in a difficult spot. It seemed that this was the great showdown for 1st place. Now Sask needs a 4-0 sweep to make it interesting. Alberta does a great job with their webcast so if you're not a subscriber to CanadaWest.tv, it might be worth it to purchase the one game.

 

U.B.C. THUNDERBIRDS (12-11-1, 14-9-1*, 15-12-1, OHT35 #14)
MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS (11-11-2, 12-13-2, OHT35 #15)
(*Record adjusted for Calgary's forfeits.)

Links:
CW: [Alumni Spotlight: WHL, CW experience paying off for Fiddler overseas] : [rp @MRU]
UBC: [Team Site]
 
This could be the closest matchup of the weekend anywhere. However, due to UBC's free 4 points against Bedrock U from forfeitures, they lead MRU by 5 points. It is likely that only one of these teams will be hosting a quarter-final series this year. In fact, the teams appear to be on a collision course to meet one another in the quarter-final round.

OUT EAST

Ontario
Jan 31 McGill 4 U.Q.T.R. 3
Jan 31 Waterloo 1 W. Ontario 2
Feb 01 Carleton at U.O.I.T.
Feb 01 Lakehead at Ryerson
Feb 01 R.M.C. at Queen's
Feb 01 W. Ontario at Laurier
Feb 02 Brock at Waterloo
Feb 02 Guelph at York
Feb 02 Lakehead at Windsor
Feb 02 Nipissing at Laurentian
Feb 02 Ottawa at Concordia
Feb 02 Toronto at Laurier
Feb 03 Brock at Windsor
Feb 03 Concordia at R.M.C.
Feb 03 Lakehead at W. Ontario
Feb 03 Laurentian at Nipissing
Feb 03 McGill at U.O.I.T.
Feb 03 Queen's at Carleton
Feb 03 Ryerson at Guelph
Feb 03 Waterloo at Toronto
Feb 04 U.Q.T.R. at Ottawa

Atlantic
Jan 31 Moncton 1 Dalhousie 2
Feb 02 New Brunswick at Saint Mary's
Feb 02 U.P.E.I. at Acadia
Feb 02 Dalhousie at St. F.X.
Feb 03 Moncton at St. F.X.
Feb 03 New Brunswick at Acadia
Feb 03 U.P.E.I. at Saint Mary's

Links:
• [US Presto S&R]
• [OUA S&R]
• [AUS S&R]

[Hollywood]

Supplementary Preview: Feb 2-3

 

This week it seems that Thursday was a bigger day than Wednesday for series previews. So here are the updated links and some results from the OUA:

 

• GoBisons: [Bison men’s hockey team ... host Lethbridge ...]
• GoHorns: [In a playoff battle, Pronghorns travel to Winnipeg]
• GoHorns: [Lethbridge awarded the 2019 U SPORTS University Cup]
• Manitoba Post Jan 27: [A High Scoring Win for the Manitoba Bisons]
• Manitoba Post Jan 29: [Several Manitoba Bison Teams are Playoff Bound]
• Manitoban Jan 28: [Manitoba combines to score 15 goals over the weekend]
• P.A. Now: [Former Raider captain Lowes inducted in UofM Hockey Hall of Fame]
• WHL.ca: [Former Wheat Kings coach Bob Lowes inducted into Bison Hall of Fame]

That's a lot of stories from an assortment of news sources which popped up this week. Worth a gander or two, I would say.

 

 
UofR: [Cougars close home schedule with matchup against Dinos]

Regina got their preview up, but nothing from Bedrock U.

 

UBC: [‘Birds visit MRU with chance to clinch home berth]

UBC got their preview up, but the host Bluegars have yet to report.

 

OUT EAST

 

Ontario
Feb 01 Carleton 4 U.O.I.T. 3 (so)
Feb 01 Lakehead 4 Ryerson 5
Feb 01 R.M.C. 5 Queen's 6 (ot)
Feb 01 W. Ontario 1 Laurier 0

Links:
• [US Presto S&R]
• [OUA S&R]
 

[Hollywood]

Feb 2: Bisons Start Final Homestand with a Win

 

LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS 4

MANITOBA BISONS 5

Links:

LeagueStat: [Summary] : [Report]

CW Hockey Tech: [Summary] : [Report] : [Text]

Boxscores: [US/CIS] : [CW] : [Coach's View] : [UofM]

Stories: [UofM] : [rp @CW] : [rp @UofL]

Other: [Congrats to newest Bison Hockey Hall of Fame inductees ...]

This was a game that seemed to go in stops and starts. The Hørny Ønes at times seemed to be in need of a good dose of Viagra. Let's start with the alignment:

 

MANITOBA

 

Goal

35 Spriggs (1 Paulic)

 

Defence

2 Henry – 25 Skrumeda

16 Heinrich – 4 Bresciani

3 Christensen

 

Forwards

27 Franko – 14 Nault – 18 St. Croix

12 Zajac – 13 Laurencelle – 28 Stovin

8 Bilton – 21 Brooks – 24 Augert

26 Lisoway – 22 B Bowles – 17 Callis

23 Schreyer

 

Scratches

9 Douglas – 11 Sharonov – 15 S Bowles

19 Spencer – 20 Keane – 29 Wasylak

34 Sydora

 

LETHBRIDGE

 

Goal

29 Hughson (35 Edmonds)

 

Defence

5 Rayman – 2 Hansen

10 Orban – 7 Jensen

24 Fisher – Valentine

 

Forwards

13 M Maxwell – 19 Valentino – 12 McKechnie

8 Chynoweth – 21 White – 23 Gore

14 Moser – 6 R Maxwell - 20 B Maxwell

16 Maltby – 18 Clowes – 47 Kalshnikov

 

Scratches

11 Merkley – 17 Filbrandt – 27 Wardley

33 Hogue – 34 Sanvido

 

The Bison line-up was identical to the one they used last Friday. And here's who scored:

 

1st 03:46 – Man Quintin Lisoway (11)

1st 12:19 – Leth Ryon Moser (5)

1st 14:18 – Leth Brooks Maxwell (2)

2nd 06:45 – Leth Artsiom Kalashnikov (1)

2nd 16:28 – Man Remi Laurencelle (6)

2nd 17:18 – Man Kamerin Nault (12)

2nd 18:18 – Man Justin Augert (5)

3rd 01:20 – Man Justin Augert (6) (PP)

3rd 06:15 – Leth Dallas Valentine (3) (PP)

 

Lisoway got the Bisons off to a quick start and, one can safely say, the Bisons seemed to be having their way with the Hørny Ønes. But by mid-period things hjad turned around. When #47 Artsiom Kalashnikov (that's right: “AK47”!) gunned down his first goal of the season, it was looking like Lethbridge was on their way to a big win. Instead, the final 5 minutes of the 2nd period showed that the Bisons can score in bunches. In less than 2 minutes, they scored three goals at even strength. When you combine that with a powerplay goal on a penalty which straddled the 2nd and 3rd periods, this game experienced a major turnaround in a relatively short time. After that outburst, the Bisons attempted to go into a shell, and took a string of penalties. Whilst 2-men short, they gave up the final goal of the night. In the end, Lethbridge did not do too much to threaten to force overtime.

 

Lisoway's 11th goal of the season is a pretty fair performance. What is spectacular is his 2nd semester where he now has 8 goals in 9 games.

 

If you check the summaries, Augert did not get the penalties for a hit from behind nor the 5-minute major. He served those whilst Nick Zajac and Blake Heinrich served misconducts.

 

Byron Spriggs got yet another win for the Bisons (with 32 saves), and Garret Hughson suffered defeat in net for the 'Horns (with 26 saves).

 

The Bisons are now assured of a home playoff series, and in fact still have a faint hope for 2nd place and a first round bye.

 

Saturday's rematch goes at 1:00 p.m., and it will be senior's night for the Herd and their 4 pending grads: Justin Augert, Warren Callis, Joel Schreyer, and Channing Bresciani.

 

2018 Bison Hockey Hall of Fame inductees - MHKY: Bob Lowes; WHKY: Caitlin MacDonald.

 

 

OUT-OF-TOWN SCOREBOARD

 

CALGARY DINOSAURS 7

REGINA COUGARS 0

Links:

LeagueStat: [Summary] : [CWHT Summary]

Boxscores: [US/CIS] : [CW]

Stories: [UofR] : [rp @CW] : [UofC]

The Dinos need a sweep in Regina and took an emphatic step in that regard on Friday night. This one was never close. It was 4-0 after the 1st period, and shots were 17-4 in favour of the Dinos. It looks like the Kittens are going extinct. Rookie Brandon Holtby started in goal for Regina but was puilled after giving up 4 goals on 17 shots. Michael Herringer finished with 28 saves on 31 shots. Meanwhile, Jordan Papirny made 20 saves for the shutout as Bedrock U continued to rotate goaltenders. Chris Rauckman had two goals.

 

SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 1

ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 4

Links:

LeagueStat: [Summary] : [CWHT Summary]

Boxscores: [US/CIS] : [CW]

Stories: [UofA] : [rp @CW] : [rp @UofS]

This was a decisive win for the Evil Monkeys and it basically ends the race for 1st place. After Manitoba swept the Monkeys, the Banjo Mutts made the race interesting. Those two losses to UBC killed their realistic hopes. Brendan Burke got the win for the Monkeys, and Jordon Cooke took the loss. The shots were 38-25 in favour of Alberta.

 

U.B.C. THUNDERBIRDS 5

MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS 1

Links:

LeagueStat: [Summary] : [CWHT Summary]

Boxscores: [US/CIS] : [CW]

Stories: [MRU] : [rp @CW] : [rp @UBC*]

UBC: [Hewitt snags WHL Grad of the Month honour]

The T-irds have become the CW's unlikely hiot team. Until they were awarded a 4-point bonus in the Calgary forfeiture fiasco, they seemed to be a team in significant trouble of missing the playoffs. This win means they (and Manitoba) are assured of 3rd or 4th in the final standings. Matt Hewitt got the win and Cam Lanigan took the loss. However, MRU did outshoot UBC 24-19 on the night.

 

STANDINGS

 

 

OUT EAST

 

Ontario

Feb 02 Brock 2 Waterloo 3

Feb 02 Guelph 3 York 2

Feb 02 Lakehead 4 Windsor 1

Feb 02 Nipissing 2 Laurentian 4

Feb 02 Ottawa 3 Concordia 2

Feb 02 Toronto 1 Laurier 0

 

Atlantic

Feb 02 New Brunswick 5 Saint Mary's 4

Feb 02 U.P.E.I. 6 Acadia 3

Feb 02 Dalhousie 7 St. F.X. 3

 

Links:

• [US/CIS S&R]

• [OUA S&R]

• [AUS S&R]

 

NEXT UP

 

Canada West

Feb 03 Calgary at Regina (3:00 CT)

Feb 03 Lethbridge at Manitoba (1:00 CT)

Feb 03 Saskatchewan at Alberta (6:00 CT)

Feb 03 U.B.C. at Mount Royal (4:00 CT)

 

Atlantic

Feb 03 Moncton at St. F.X.

Feb 03 New Brunswick at Acadia

Feb 03 U.P.E.I. at Saint Mary's

 

Ontario

Feb 03 Brock at Windsor

Feb 03 Concordia at R.M.C.

Feb 03 Lakehead at W. Ontario

Feb 03 Laurentian at Nipissing

Feb 03 McGill at U.O.I.T.

Feb 03 Queen's at Carleton

Feb 03 Ryerson at Guelph

Feb 03 Waterloo at Toronto

Feb 04 U.Q.T.R. at Ottawa

 

* indicates link not active as I post

[Hollywood]

Feb 3: Bisons Sweep, Will Host Playoff Series

 

LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS 3
MANITOBA BISONS 7

Links:
LeagueStat: [Summary] : [Report]
CW Hockey Tech: [Summary] : [Report] : [Text]
Boxscores: [US/CIS] : [CW] : [Coach's View] : [UofM]
Stories: [UofM] : [rp @CW] : [UofL]

This preview of the 2019 University Cup gold medal game (!) did not go well for the Hørny Ønes and, when combined with the out-of-town scoreboard, all but eliminated them from this year's playoff picture. First, the line-ups:

 

MANITOBA

Goal
35 Spriggs (34 Sydora)

 

Defence
2 Henry – 25 Skrumeda
4 Bresciani - 3 Christensen
28 Stovin

 

Forwards
27 Franko – 14 Nault – 18 St. Croix
12 Zajac – 13 Laurencelle – 24 Augert
8 Bilton – 21 Brooks – 19 Spencer - 23 Schreyer
26 Lisoway – 22 B Bowles – 17 Callis

 

Scratches
1 Paulic - 9 Douglas – 11 Sharonov
15 S Bowles – 16 Heinrich - 20 Keane
29 Wasylak

 

LETHBRIDGE

Goal
29 Hughson - 35 Edmonds

 

Defence
5 Rayman – 2 Hansen
10 Orban – 7 Jensen
24 Fisher – 3 Valentine

 

Forwards
14 Moser – 6 R Maxwell - 20 B Maxwell
13 M Maxwell – 19 Valentino – 12 McKechnie
21 White – 23 Gore - 8 Chynoweth
18 Clowes – 47 Kalshnikov – 9 Sward

 

Scratches
11 Merkley – 16 Maltby – 17 Filbrandt
27 Wardley - 33 Hogue – 34 Sanvido  

 

Blake Heinrich was forced out of the Bison line-up due to his major penalty on Friday night. He was replaced by Calvin Spencer, and Brett Stovin went from forward to defence. For Lethbridge, the line-up was the same except that today's “ghost” was #9 Dalton Sward. (To me a “ghost player” is one who is listed on the LeagueStat roster but is never seen by me on the ice.) Last night their ghost was #16 Tyler Maltby.

 

Here's who scored:

1st 07:08 – Man Remi Laurencelle (7)
1st 09:03 – Leth Artsiom Kalashnikov (2)
1st 12:08 – Leth Tyler Hansen (2)
2nd 02:19 – Man Michael St. Croix (10)
2nd 03:59 – Man Liam Bilton (7)
2nd 04:59 – Man Quintin Lisoway (12) (PP)
3rd 02:38 – Man Michael St. Croix (11)
3rd 04:36 – Leth Dallas Valentine (4)
3rd 07:02 – Man Brad Bowles (3) (PP)
3rd 19:59 – Man Michael St. Croix (12) (PP)    

 

The 1st period was firewagon hockey. The Bisons outshot the 'Horns 16-12, but the 'Horns held a 2-1 lead. Laurencelle picked the top corner on a nice shot to open the scoring. His return to the line-up has really helped balance the Bison scoring. He now is 7-6-13 in just 12 games played. He also had two assists on the night. AK47 aka Kalashnikov had two goals on the weekend, and oddly those are his first two goals of the season. He was one of the 'Horns' better players.

 

As on Friday, the Bisons experienced a 3-goal outburst to turn the game around. This time it was a stretch of under 3 minutes early in the 2nd period which did the trick. Of note, Lisoway's 4-2 goal was his 9th in 10 games played this semester.

 

The Bisons protested on Lethbridge's 5-3 goal. Byron Spriggs was dumped by a 'Horns' stick which was caught in his skate. When he tried getting up the stuck stick tripped him. At least nobody broke a stick over his head, I guess. (Sly reference to the blown call in the Jets-Knights game this week. Link: https://youtu.be/-b3sOxMZ9hI.)

 

Things were getting testy in the latter stages of the 3rd period. St. Croix finished his hat-trick on a powerplay when otherwise they would have just killed the clock.

 

Spriggs got the win, with 28 saves on 31 shots. Lethbridge started with Garret Hughson, who gave up 4 goals on 22 shots. Ty Edmonds finished it off with 21 saves on 24 shots.

 

The Bisons have thus completed their regular season home schedule. However, they are guaranteed a home playoff series. Lethbridge is on life-support. They must defeat Regina twice and hope that the Bisons beat Calgary twice. If the Bisons pull it off, they could also jump ahead of Saskatchewan, should they lose a pair to MRU. Not holding my breath. I suspect we'll be watching Bisons-Dinos on Feb 16-18.

 

The four graduating players were recognized before the game: Channing Bresciani, Joel Schreyer, Justin Augert, and Warren Callis.

 

Michael St. Croix scored a hat-trick.

 

OUT-OF-TOWN SCOREBOARD

 

 
CALGARY DINOSAURS 4
REGINA COUGARS 3

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

My theory has been that the Kittens can deliver one tough game per weekend, and that was the case in this series. They held a 3-2 lead late in the 2nd period when Chris Collins scored a late powerplay goal to tie the game, then he followed that with another powerplay goal mid-way through the 3rd. Michael Herringer appears to have rediscovered his game, with 42 saves on 46 shots in taking the loss for Regina. Jordan Papirny stopped 23 of 26 shots for the win.

 

SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 1
ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 3

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

Well, I am sure you will be relieved to know that the drought is over for the Evil Monkeys. Their game report points out that this win gives them 1st place for the first time since back in 2014-15. Any Leafs fans out there? Steve Owre scored twice and Brendan Burke stopped 28 of 29 shots for the winners. Jordon Cooke stopped 27 of 30 in the loss. The Banjo Mutts still need a point to assure themselves of 2nd place.

 

U.B.C. THUNDERBIRDS 0
MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS 3

Links:
LeagueStat: [Summary] : [CWHT Summary]
Boxscores: [US/CIS] : [CW]
Stories: [MRU] : [rp @CW] : [UBC]
Friday late link: [UBC Game Story]

Despite the streaks (T-irds' 7 game winning and Bluegars' 4 game losing) this series figured to be a split. Both sides are apparently in playoff mode. The shots were 22-16 for MRU. Cam Lanigan got the win, and Rylan Toth took the loss.

 

STANDINGS

 

OUT EAST

 

Ontario
Feb 03 Brock 2 Windsor 5
Feb 03 Concordia 3 R.M.C. 1
Feb 03 Lakehead 2 W. Ontario 3 (ot)
Feb 03 Laurentian 4 Nipissing 3 (ot)
Feb 03 McGill 4 U.O.I.T. 3 (ot)
Feb 03 Queen's 4 Carleton 3 (ot)
Feb 03 Ryerson 5 Guelph 4
Feb 03 Waterloo 0 Toronto 2

 

Atlantic
Feb 03 Moncton 2 St. F.X. 5
Feb 03 New Brunswick 3 Acadia 4 (ot)
Feb 03 U.P.E.I. 1 Saint Mary's 9

 

Links:
• [US/CIS S&R]
• [OUA S&R]
• [AUS S&R]

 

NEXT UP

 

Canada West
Feb 09 Alberta at U.B.C.
Feb 09 Manitoba at Calgary
Feb 09 Mount Royal at Saskatchewan
Feb 09 Regina at Lethbridge

 

Atlantic
Feb 07 Saint Mary's at Moncton

 

Ontario
Feb 04 U.Q.T.R. at Ottawa
Feb 07 Laurier at Waterloo
Feb 08 Windsor at W. Ontario
Feb 08 York at Guelph

 

* indicates link not active as I post

[Hollywood]

1st half v 2nd half

 

The final weekend of the regular season is in the offing. One thing which pops out at me is the contrast of 1st and 2nd half records for the various teams. Here's the table:

 

[Hollywood]

Preview: Feb 9-10: Manitoba at Calgary

 

MANITOBA BISONS (16-8-2, 20-12-3, OHT35 #6)
CALGARY DINOS (13-8-5, 10-13-3*, 19-10-6, OHT35 #12)
(*Record adjusted for Calgary's forfeits.)

Feb 9 7:00 MST/8:00 CST at Father David Bauer Arena
Feb 10 2:00 MST/3:00 CST at Father David Bauer Arena

Live Links:
• Video: [CanadaWest.tv] (all games)
• Friday: [Live Stats] ∞ [Hockey Tech]
• Saturday: [Live Stats] ∞ [Hockey Tech]

Manitoba Links:
• GoBisons: [Team Site]
• Manitoban: [Bisons stampede over Pronghorns at home]
• Social: [Twitter] ∞ [Facebook]
• CW: [Stats] ∞ [Schedule/Results/Links]
• LeagueStat: [Stats] ∞ [Schedule/Results/Links]

Calgary Links:
• Team: [Dinos eye playoff spot in final weekend of the season]
• Social: [Twitter] ∞ [Facebook]
• CW: [Stats] ∞  [Schedule/Results/Links]
• LeagueStat: [Stats] ∞ [Schedule/Results/Links]

Prior Games:
Nov 24: UofM 3 UofC 2: [UofM Game Story] ∞ [LeagueStat]
Nov 25: UofC 4 UofM 0: [UofM Game Story] ∞ [LeagueStat]

Other Links:
• [USports] ∞ [US Schedule/Links]
• [US Standings] ∞ [Top Ten]
• [CW Site] ∞ [CW Schedule]
• [CW Stats] ∞ [Media Access]
• [Tuesday Morning Skate: Week 14, February 6th 2018]

So the final weekend of the regular season is upon is, and the Bisons are off to the Town of Bedrock. And precious little suspense awaits us. The Bisons are 3rd, and could move up to 2nd only if they win both, and Saskatchewan loses both in regulation time. On the other hand, if UBC sweeps Alberta, and the Bisons lose both in regulation. Meanwhile, Bedrock U will hang on to 6th if they get one point, or if Lethbridge drops a point. Or with two wins they could vault over MRU if they can gain 3 points on them. So movement in the standings is possible, but only with a lot of sweeps.

 

Over the last 5 years, the Bisons are 8-7-3 against the Dinos, so I guess a split is the expected result. If so, the Dinos will visit the U of M for a playoff series next weekend.

 

On a side note, Michael St. Croix (12-22-34) sits just 3 points off the league lead in the scoring race.

 

ELSEWHERE

 

REGINA COUGARS (3-21-2, 5-25-2, OHT35 #34)
LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS (7-16-3, 8-15-3*, 11-21-3, OHT35 #24)
(*Record adjusted for Calgary's forfeits.)

Links:
UofL: [Pronghorns face must win and need help]
UofR: [Team Site]
 
What can you say about these two disappointing teams? They have both hit the skids in the 2nd semester. Regina is now on a 12-game losing streak. Lethbridge is on an 8-game losing streak. Ugh.

 

ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS (22-3-1, 29-4-1, OHT35 #1)
U.B.C. THUNDERBIRDS (13-12-1, 15-10-1*, 16-13-1, OHT35 #13)
(*Record adjusted for Calgary's forfeits.)

Links:
UBC: [‘Birds host top-ranked Alberta in regular season finale]
UofA: [Team Site]
CW: [Alumni Spotlight: Fate took Antons to Kamloops, then UBC]
 
After a mid-season push from the Banjo Mutts, the Evil Monkeys have rebounded with style and have now wrapped up first place. They now have 9 of the top 20 scorers in the CW. So can UBC stop them? Well, Saudi Alberta has nothing at stake this weekend, whilst British California could still vault into 3rd place with a sweep and some help. So the impetus lies with the T-irds.

 

MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS (12-12-2, 13-14-2, OHT35 #18)
SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES (18-7-1, 19-10-1, OHT35 #5)
Links:
UofS: [Men's hockey closes season against Mount Royal at home]
UofS: [Game Notes (pdf)]
MRU: [Team Site]
 
After a 10-1 roll, the Banjo Mutts have hit a 4-game skid. They vaulted into contention for 1st place and now need a point to be assured 2nd place and a quarter-final bye. The Bluegars are a capable team. However, they have not quite hit their stride this year. I have seen a number of their games on-line and they can play with anybody.

 

OUT EAST

 

Ontario
Feb 04 U.Q.T.R. 0 Ottawa 4
Feb 07 Laurier 4 Waterloo 2
Feb 08 Windsor at W. Ontario
Feb 08 York at Guelph
Feb 09 Guelph at Ryerson
Feb 09 Laurentian at U.O.I.T.
Feb 09 McGill at Concordia
Feb 09 Queen's at Ottawa
Feb 09 Toronto at Brock
Feb 09 U.Q.T.R. at Carleton
Feb 09 Waterloo at Lakehead
Feb 09 R.M.C. at Nipissing
Feb 10 Brock at Ryerson
Feb 10 Carleton at Concordia
Feb 10 Laurier at Lakehead
Feb 10 Nipissing at Queen's
Feb 10 R.M.C. at Laurentian
Feb 10 Toronto at York
Feb 10 U.O.I.T. at Ottawa
Feb 10 W. Ontario at Windsor

 

Atlantic
Feb 08 Saint Mary's at Moncton
Feb 09 Dalhousie at U.P.E.I.
Feb 09 St. F.X. at New Brunswick
Feb 09 Saint Mary's at Acadia
Feb 10 Acadia at Moncton
Feb 10 Dalhousie at New Brunswick
Feb 10 St. F.X. at U.P.E.I.

Links:
• [US Presto S&R]
• [OUA S&R]
• [AUS S&R]

[Hollywood]

Supplementary Preview: Feb 8

 

• GoBisons: [No. 9 Bison men’s hockey team remains in third place and travel to Calgary on Feb. 9-10 in last two games of regular season]

The UofM got a weekend preview story posted. Still nothing from Regina, Alberta, or MRU.

 

OUT EAST

Since we are headed into the final weekend of the season, here are the standings out east:

 

Atlantic

 

Ontario

NOTE: UQTR forfeited 8 wins and 3 OT losses (19 pts) for using an ineligible player. The teams that benefited are: Lakehead (4 pts), Laurentian (4), Nipissing (3), Carleton (2), Queen's (2).

[Hollywood]

Feb 9: Bisons Mail One In, Playoff Picture Almost Complete

 

MANITOBA BISONS 1
CALGARY DINOSAURS 5

Links:
LeagueStat: [Summary] : [Report]
CW Hockey Tech: [Summary] : [Report] : [Text]
Boxscores: [US/CIS] : [CW] : [Coach's View] : [UofM*]
Stories: [UofC (with videos)] : [rp @CW] : [rp @UofM*]

I never got to see much of this due to driving around and trying to catch some of the Jets' game. However, from what I saw the Bisons mailed this one in. The shots on goal were 36-33 for Bedrock U, so the gap was not as large as the score might indicate. Of note, Shawn Bowles played for the first time since Nov 24th (against Calgary) and Brett Dudar returned for the first time this season. He hasn't even been on the roster until now. Byron Spriggs started and took the loss (24 saves on 28 shots) but was removed in favour of Dasan Sydora (7 saves on 8 shots) to start the 3rd period.

Bedrock U was led by Drydn Dow (with two goals) and Jordan Papirny got the win with 32 saves on 33 shots.

 

Saturday's rematch goes at 2:00 MST or 3:00 CST.

 

OUT-OF-TOWN SCOREBOARD

 

REGINA COUGARS 2
LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS 5

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

One slump had to end in this one, and the Hørny Ønes were the fortunate ones. But since Calgary won, Lethbridge is toast. The Banjo Cats dressed just 16 players. Dawson MacAuley stopped 48 of 53 shots to take the loss. Garret Hughson stopped 37 of 39 for the win.

 

MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS 2
SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 4

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

This win wrapped up second place for the Banjo Mutts, and by extension third place for the Bisons. It also left the Bluegars' hold on fifth place vulnerable to a challenge by the Dinos. Josh Roach scored two for the winners, and Jamal Watson scored twice for the losers. Jordon Cooke stopped 25 of 27 shots for the win. Cam Lanigan stopped 34 of 37 shots in the loss.

 

ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 5
U.B.C. THUNDERBIRDS 4
(in overtime)

Links:
LeagueStat: [Summary] : [CWHT Summary]
Boxscores: [US/CIS] : [CW]
Stories: [UBC] : [rp @CW] : [rp @UofA*]

The Evil Monkeys came out and dominated the T-irds, outshooting them 22-4 in the 1st period. But they only had a 2-1 lead. UBC evened the score at 3-3 by the end of the 2nd, wherein they outshot Alberta 10-7. So the stage was set for a good 3rd period. The Monkeys reverted to form and dominated with an 11-4 shots advantage. Yet after each side scored once, it was off to overtime. Graeme Craig scored twice for Apes, and Carter Popoff did likewise for the T-irds. Zach Sawchenko got the win, and Matt Hewitt took the loss. The loss also means that UBC will remain stuck in 4th place.

 

STANDINGS

 

OUT EAST

 

Ontario
Feb 08 Windsor 5 W. Ontario 3
Feb 08 York 2 Guelph 6
Feb 09 Guelph 6 Ryerson 2
Feb 09 Laurentian 1 U.O.I.T. 5
Feb 09 McGill 3 Concordia 4 (so)
Feb 09 Queen's 1 Ottawa 4
Feb 09 Toronto 1 Brock 3
Feb 09 U.Q.T.R. 2 Carleton 4
Feb 09 Waterloo 4 Lakehead 5 (ot)
Feb 09 R.M.C. 4 Nipissing 3 (ot)

 

Atlantic
Feb 08 Saint Mary's 5 Moncton 1
Feb 09 Dalhousie 3 U.P.E.I. 6
Feb 09 St. F.X. 2 New Brunswick 5
Feb 09 Saint Mary's 0 Acadia 3

 

Links:
• [US/CIS S&R]
• [OUA S&R]
• [AUS S&R]

 

NEXT UP

 

Canada West
Feb 10 Alberta at U.B.C. (2:00 PST)
Feb 10 Manitoba at Calgary (2:00 MST)
Feb 10 Mount Royal at Saskatchewan (7:00 CST)
Feb 10 Regina at Lethbridge (1:00 MST)

 

Atlantic
Feb 10 Acadia at Moncton
Feb 10 Dalhousie at New Brunswick
Feb 10 St. F.X. at U.P.E.I.

 

Ontario
Feb 10 Brock at Ryerson
Feb 10 Carleton at Concordia
Feb 10 Laurier at Lakehead
Feb 10 Nipissing at Queen's
Feb 10 R.M.C. at Laurentian
Feb 10 Toronto at York
Feb 10 U.O.I.T. at Ottawa
Feb 10 W. Ontario at Windsor

end of the regular season

 

* indicates link not active as I post

[Hollywood]

Feb 10: Bisons Lose, Host Playoffs Friday

 

MANITOBA BISONS 1
CALGARY DINOSAURS 4

Links:
LeagueStat: [Summary] : [Report]
CW Hockey Tech: [Summary] : [Report] : [Text]
Boxscores: [US/CIS] : [CW] : [Coach's View] : [UofM*]
Stories: [UofC] : [rp @CW] : [rp @UofM*]
Friday late stories: [rp @UofM]
Friday late boxscore: [UofM]

This was a non-event. A blah matinee where the CanadaWest.tv feed went AWOL in the 2nd intermission. The Herd was not playing with the edge they need. They went with backup goaltender Dasan Sydora, who was so-so with 24 saves on 28 shots. Chris Collins and Logan Fisher had two goals each for Bedrock U, and Michael St. Croix had the sole marker for the Bisons. Matthew Greenfield faced just 18 shots for the win. Entering the night, all that was left to be decided in the final standings was 5th and 6th places. This win vaulted Calgary into 5th (where they would face UBC instead of Manitoba in the quarter-finals) pending MRU's evening game.

 

OUT-OF-TOWN SCOREBOARD

 

REGINA COUGARS 6
LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS 4

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

Well, each team broke their slump this weekend. And this win for the Banjo Kittens helped them avoid a 2nd half whitewash. They were short-staffed (down 3 bodies for this one) yet again. The Hørny Ønes outshot Regina 47-28. However, Michael Herringer stopped 43 of those shots and Cody Fowlie racked up a hattrick (to give him 11 goals on the season) to lead the way. Meanwhile, Lethbridge gave back-up Ty Edmonds a start, and he stopped 13 of 18 shots. Regina led the game 5-3 entering the 3rd period. But Lethbridge showed some resolve, outshooting them 19-5. Howvever, all they could do was claw to within 1 goal before an empty-netter put it away.

 

ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 3
U.B.C. THUNDERBIRDS 4

Links:
LeagueStat: [Summary] : [CWHT Summary]
Boxscores: [US/CIS] : [CW]
Stories: [UBC] : [rp @CW] : [rp @UofA]

The T-irds successfully fooled themselves into thinking they were a good team once their embarassing losses to Bedrock got turned into forfeit wins. They managed a split against the Evil Monkeys, against whom they are on a playoff collision course. The CanadaWest.tv audio was MIA, and then was gone altogether. But the Monkeys did outshoot them 39-23. Rylan Toth got the win, and Brendan Burke took the loss.

 

MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS 2
SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 7

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

This was the CW's only evening game on this the final day of the regular season. Sask was assured of 2nd place and MRU knew they would get 5th with a win (and play UBC) or 6th with a loss (and play Manitoba). The shots were closer than the score, at 33-28 in favour of the Banjo Mutts. Each side got their backup goaltender some playing time. The Bluegars went with Wyatt Hoflin and the Mutts with Taran Kozun. Carson Stadnyk scored the Mutts' first two goals, then John Lawrence scored the next two. Combined, those goals gave the Mutts a 4 goal lead just 5 minutes into the 2nd period.

 

STANDINGS

 

 

OUT EAST

 

Ontario

Feb 10 Brock 3 Ryerson 0
Feb 10 Carleton 2 Concordia 4
Feb 10 Laurier 4 Lakehead 1
Feb 10 Nipissing 0 Queen's 5
Feb 10 R.M.C. 2 Laurentian 5
Feb 10 Toronto 1 York 6
Feb 10 U.O.I.T. 3 Ottawa 4 (ot)
Feb 10 W. Ontario 1 Windsor 7

 

 

Atlantic

Feb 10 Acadia 3 Moncton 2
Feb 10 Dalhousie 1 New Brunswick 4
Feb 10 St. F.X. 0 U.P.E.I. 5

 

 

Links:
• [US/CIS S&R]
• [OUA S&R]
• [AUS S&R]

 

NEXT UP

 

Canada West

Feb 16 Mount Royal at Manitoba
Feb 16 Calgary at U.B.C.
Feb 17 Mount Royal at Manitoba
Feb 17 Calgary at U.B.C.
Feb 18 Mount Royal at Manitoba (if necessary)
Feb 18 Calgary at U.B.C. (if necessary)

 

Byes: Alberta and Saskatchewan

 

Atlantic

TBA

 

Ontario

TBA

 

Links:
• [US/CIS Playoffs S&R]
• [CW All S&R]
• [OUA Playoffs S&R]
• [AUS S&R]

 

* indicates link not active as I post

[Hollywood]

Update

 

STANDINGS

 

The conference sites differ from the USports site in the OUA West and AUS tiebreakers in the final standings. Here are the revisions.

 

 

 

NEXT UP

 

We also have a quarter-final playoff schedule from the AUS, also added to the USports site. Here's the revised "Next Up" section:

 

Canada West

Feb 16 Mount Royal at Manitoba 7:00 CST
Feb 16 Calgary at U.B.C. 7:30 PST
Feb 17 Mount Royal at Manitoba 7:00 CST
Feb 17 Calgary at U.B.C. 7:30 PST
Feb 18 Mount Royal at Manitoba 6:00 CST (if necessary)
Feb 18 Calgary at U.B.C. 5:30 PST (if necessary)

 

Byes: Alberta and Saskatchewan

 

Atlantic

Feb 14 U.P.E.I. at Saint Mary's 7:00 AST
Feb 14 Dalhousie at Acadia 7:00 AST
Feb 16 Saint Mary's at U.P.E.I. 7:00 AST
Feb 16 Acadia at Dalhousie 7:00 AST
Feb 18 U.P.E.I. at Saint Mary's 7:00 AST (if necessary)
Feb 18 Dalhousie at Acadia 7:00 AST (if necessary)

 

Byes: New Brunswick and St. F.X.

 

Ontario

TBA

 

Links:
• [US/CIS Playoffs S&R]
• [CW All S&R]
• [OUA Playoffs S&R]
• [AUS S&R]

[Hollywood]

Preview: Feb 16-18: Mount Royal at Manitoba (qf)

 

MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS (12-14-2, 13-16-2, OHT35 #17)
MANITOBA BISONS (16-10-2, 20-14-3, OHT35 #10)

Feb 16 7:00 CST at Wayne Fleming Arena
Feb 17 7:00 CST at Wayne Fleming Arena
Feb 18 6:00 CST at Wayne Fleming Arena (if required)

Live Links:
• Video: [CanadaWest.tv] (all games)
• Audio: [101.5 UMFM] ∞ [second stream]
• Friday: [Live Stats] ∞ [Hockey Tech]
• Saturday: [Live Stats] ∞ [Hockey Tech]

Manitoba Links:
• GoBisons: [Bison men’s hockey team host Mount Royal ...]
• Free Press: [Plenty of ice for playoff-bound Bisons] (story on Adam Henry)
• Manitoban: [Bisons welcome Mount Royal to town for playoffs]
• Social: [Twitter] ∞ [Facebook]
• CW: [Alumni Spotlight: Cara maximizing lessons learned on and off the ice]
• CW: [Stats] ∞ [Schedule/Results/Links]
• LeagueStat: [Stats] ∞ [Schedule/Results/Links]

M.R.U. Links:
• Team: [Team Site]
• Social: [Twitter] ∞ [Facebook]
• CW: [Stats]∞ [Schedule/Results/Links]
• LeagueStat: [Stats] ∞ [Schedule/Results/Links]

Prior Games:
Oct 27: UofM 4 MRU 1: [UofM Game Story] ∞ [LeagueStat]
Oct 28: UofM 3 MRU 2: [UofM Game Story] ∞ [LeagueStat]
Jan 19: MRU 4 UofM 3: [UofM Game Story] ∞ [LeagueStat]
Jan 20: UofM 1 MRU 0: [UofM Game Story] ∞ [LeagueStat]

Other Links:
• [USports] ∞ [US Playoff Schedule/Links]
• [US Standings] ∞ [US Schedule/Links][Top Ten]
• [CW Site] ∞ [CW Schedule]
• [CW Stats] ∞ [Media Access]

The playoffs have arrived, and as always it seems so soon. The Bisons face the Bluegars for the third time in a playoff series. Last year the Bluegars hosted and won 2-1 and in 2014 the Bisons hosted and also won 2-1.

This season was significant for the Bisons in this rivalry as it turned around two years of Bluegar dominance. In 2015-16 and 2016-17 the Bluegars won all 8 games, plus the aforesaid playoff series. This season, the Bisons reversed the trend and won 3 out of 4.

The Bisons improved somewhat in the 2nd half of the season, going from 7-5-2 to 9-5-0. MRU was a steady 6-7-1 in both halves.

The series is not a foregone conclusion, however it is one the Bisons should be able to win.

ELSEWHERE

 
CALGARY DINOS (15-8-5, 12-13-3*, 21-10-6, OHT35 #9)
U.B.C. THUNDERBIRDS (14-12-2, 16-10-2*, 17-13-2, OHT35 #15)
(*Record adjusted for Calgary's forfeits.)

Links:
UBC: [‘Birds host Dinos to open Canada West playoffs]
UofC: [Streaking Dinos hit the west coast for playoffs]
 
If not for the Dinos' forfeitures, they would be hosting this series in the Town of Bedrock. So I guess in the end all is fair. The odd thing is that once the T-irds got their two free wins over the Dinos, they suddenly thought themselves to be worthy and started playing like a winner. They went from 5-8-1 in the 1st half to 9-4-1 in the 2nd half. And that 2nd half started with two losses to the Bisons. Calgary was fairly consistent, going 7-4-3 in the 1st half and 8-4-2 in the 2nd half. Although UBC is the host, and although they have been hot down the stretch, IMO the Dinos are the favourites in this one.

OUT EAST

All series are best-of-three.

Ontario
Feb 14 Concordia 4 U.O.I.T. 1
Feb 14 McGill 5 Laurentian 2
Feb 14 Ottawa 2 Carleton 3 (ot)
Feb 14 Queen's 4 Nipissing 3 (ot)
Feb 14 Brock 3 Laurier 0
Feb 14 W. Ontario 2 Ryerson 4
Feb 15 Windsor at Guelph 7:30 EST
Feb 15 York at Lakehead 7:00 EST
Feb 16 Carleton at Ottawa 7:30 EST
Feb 16 Laurier at Brock 7:15 EST
Feb 16 Nipissing at Queen's 7:30 EST
Feb 16 Ryerson at W. Ontario 7:00 EST
Feb 16 U.O.I.T. at Concordia 7:30 EST
Feb 17 Guelph at Windsor 7:30 EST
Feb 17 Lakehead at York 7:00 EST
Feb 17 Laurentian at McGill 7:00 EST
Feb 17 Nipissing at Queen's 7:30 EST
Feb 17 U.O.I.T. at Concordia 7:30 EST
Feb 18 Brock at Laurier 7:07 EST
Feb 18 Lakehead at York 7:00 EST
Feb 18 Laurentian at McGill 7:00 EST
Feb 18 Ottawa at Carleton 7:00 EST
Feb 18 W. Ontario at Ryerson 7:15 EST
Feb 18 Windsor at Guelph 7:30 EST

Atlantic
Feb 14 Dalhousie 2 Acadia 5
Feb 14 U.P.E.I. 2 Saint Mary's 6
Feb 16 Acadia at Dalhousie 7:00 AST
Feb 16 Saint Mary's at U.P.E.I. 7:00 AST
Feb 18 Dalhousie at Acadia 7:00 AST
Feb 18 U.P.E.I. at Saint Mary's 7:00 AST

Links:
• [US Presto S&R]
• [OUA S&R]
• [AUS S&R]

Preview: Feb 16-18: Mount Royal at Manitoba (qf)

 

MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS (12-14-2, 13-16-2, OHT35 #17)
MANITOBA BISONS (16-10-2, 20-14-3, OHT35 #10)

Feb 16 7:00 CST at Wayne Fleming Arena
Feb 17 7:00 CST at Wayne Fleming Arena
Feb 18 6:00 CST at Wayne Fleming Arena (if required)

Live Links:
• Video: [CanadaWest.tv] (all games)
• Audio: [101.5 UMFM] ∞ [second stream]
• Friday: [Live Stats] ∞ [Hockey Tech]
• Saturday: [Live Stats] ∞ [Hockey Tech]

Manitoba Links:
• GoBisons: [Bison men’s hockey team host Mount Royal ...]
• Free Press: [Plenty of ice for playoff-bound Bisons] (story on Adam Henry)
• Manitoban: [Bisons welcome Mount Royal to town for playoffs]
• Social: [Twitter] ∞ [Facebook]
• CW: [Alumni Spotlight: Cara maximizing lessons learned on and off the ice]
• CW: [Stats] ∞ [Schedule/Results/Links]
• LeagueStat: [Stats] ∞ [Schedule/Results/Links]

M.R.U. Links:
• Team: [Team Site]
• Social: [Twitter] ∞ [Facebook]
• CW: [Stats]∞ [Schedule/Results/Links]
• LeagueStat: [Stats] ∞ [Schedule/Results/Links]

Prior Games:
Oct 27: UofM 4 MRU 1: [UofM Game Story] ∞ [LeagueStat]
Oct 28: UofM 3 MRU 2: [UofM Game Story] ∞ [LeagueStat]
Jan 19: MRU 4 UofM 3: [UofM Game Story] ∞ [LeagueStat]
Jan 20: UofM 1 MRU 0: [UofM Game Story] ∞ [LeagueStat]

Other Links:
• [USports] ∞ [US Playoff Schedule/Links]
• [US Standings] ∞ [US Schedule/Links][Top Ten]
• [CW Site] ∞ [CW Schedule]
• [CW Stats] ∞ [Media Access]

The playoffs have arrived, and as always it seems so soon. The Bisons face the Bluegars for the third time in a playoff series. Last year the Bluegars hosted and won 2-1 and in 2014 the Bisons hosted and also won 2-1.

This season was significant for the Bisons in this rivalry as it turned around two years of Bluegar dominance. In 2015-16 and 2016-17 the Bluegars won all 8 games, plus the aforesaid playoff series. This season, the Bisons reversed the trend and won 3 out of 4.

The Bisons improved somewhat in the 2nd half of the season, going from 7-5-2 to 9-5-0. MRU was a steady 6-7-1 in both halves.

The series is not a foregone conclusion, however it is one the Bisons should be able to win.

ELSEWHERE

 
CALGARY DINOS (15-8-5, 12-13-3*, 21-10-6, OHT35 #9)
U.B.C. THUNDERBIRDS (14-12-2, 16-10-2*, 17-13-2, OHT35 #15)
(*Record adjusted for Calgary's forfeits.)

Links:
UBC: [‘Birds host Dinos to open Canada West playoffs]
UofC: [Streaking Dinos hit the west coast for playoffs]
 
If not for the Dinos' forfeitures, they would be hosting this series in the Town of Bedrock. So I guess in the end all is fair. The odd thing is that once the T-irds got their two free wins over the Dinos, they suddenly thought themselves to be worthy and started playing like a winner. They went from 5-8-1 in the 1st half to 9-4-1 in the 2nd half. And that 2nd half started with two losses to the Bisons. Calgary was fairly consistent, going 7-4-3 in the 1st half and 8-4-2 in the 2nd half. Although UBC is the host, and although they have been hot down the stretch, IMO the Dinos are the favourites in this one.

OUT EAST

All series are best-of-three.

Ontario
Feb 14 Concordia 4 U.O.I.T. 1
Feb 14 McGill 5 Laurentian 2
Feb 14 Ottawa 2 Carleton 3 (ot)
Feb 14 Queen's 4 Nipissing 3 (ot)
Feb 14 Brock 3 Laurier 0
Feb 14 W. Ontario 2 Ryerson 4
Feb 15 Windsor at Guelph 7:30 EST
Feb 15 York at Lakehead 7:00 EST
Feb 16 Carleton at Ottawa 7:30 EST
Feb 16 Laurier at Brock 7:15 EST
Feb 16 Nipissing at Queen's 7:30 EST
Feb 16 Ryerson at W. Ontario 7:00 EST
Feb 16 U.O.I.T. at Concordia 7:30 EST
Feb 17 Guelph at Windsor 7:30 EST
Feb 17 Lakehead at York 7:00 EST
Feb 17 Laurentian at McGill 7:00 EST
Feb 17 Nipissing at Queen's 7:30 EST
Feb 17 U.O.I.T. at Concordia 7:30 EST
Feb 18 Brock at Laurier 7:07 EST
Feb 18 Lakehead at York 7:00 EST
Feb 18 Laurentian at McGill 7:00 EST
Feb 18 Ottawa at Carleton 7:00 EST
Feb 18 W. Ontario at Ryerson 7:15 EST
Feb 18 Windsor at Guelph 7:30 EST

Atlantic
Feb 14 Dalhousie 2 Acadia 5
Feb 14 U.P.E.I. 2 Saint Mary's 6
Feb 16 Acadia at Dalhousie 7:00 AST
Feb 16 Saint Mary's at U.P.E.I. 7:00 AST
Feb 18 Dalhousie at Acadia 7:00 AST
Feb 18 U.P.E.I. at Saint Mary's 7:00 AST

Links:
• [US Presto S&R]
• [OUA S&R]
• [AUS S&R]

Preview: Feb 16-18: Mount Royal at Manitoba (qf)

 

MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS (12-14-2, 13-16-2, OHT35 #17)
MANITOBA BISONS (16-10-2, 20-14-3, OHT35 #10)

Feb 16 7:00 CST at Wayne Fleming Arena
Feb 17 7:00 CST at Wayne Fleming Arena
Feb 18 6:00 CST at Wayne Fleming Arena (if required)

Live Links:
• Video: [CanadaWest.tv] (all games)
• Audio: [101.5 UMFM] ∞ [second stream]
• Friday: [Live Stats] ∞ [Hockey Tech]
• Saturday: [Live Stats] ∞ [Hockey Tech]

Manitoba Links:
• GoBisons: [Bison men’s hockey team host Mount Royal ...]
• Free Press: [Plenty of ice for playoff-bound Bisons] (story on Adam Henry)
• Manitoban: [Bisons welcome Mount Royal to town for playoffs]
• Social: [Twitter] ∞ [Facebook]
• CW: [Alumni Spotlight: Cara maximizing lessons learned on and off the ice]
• CW: [Stats] ∞ [Schedule/Results/Links]
• LeagueStat: [Stats] ∞ [Schedule/Results/Links]

M.R.U. Links:
• Team: [Team Site]
• Social: [Twitter] ∞ [Facebook]
• CW: [Stats]∞ [Schedule/Results/Links]
• LeagueStat: [Stats] ∞ [Schedule/Results/Links]

Prior Games:
Oct 27: UofM 4 MRU 1: [UofM Game Story] ∞ [LeagueStat]
Oct 28: UofM 3 MRU 2: [UofM Game Story] ∞ [LeagueStat]
Jan 19: MRU 4 UofM 3: [UofM Game Story] ∞ [LeagueStat]
Jan 20: UofM 1 MRU 0: [UofM Game Story] ∞ [LeagueStat]

Other Links:
• [USports] ∞ [US Playoff Schedule/Links]
• [US Standings] ∞ [US Schedule/Links][Top Ten]
• [CW Site] ∞ [CW Schedule]
• [CW Stats] ∞ [Media Access]

The playoffs have arrived, and as always it seems so soon. The Bisons face the Bluegars for the third time in a playoff series. Last year the Bluegars hosted and won 2-1 and in 2014 the Bisons hosted and also won 2-1.

This season was significant for the Bisons in this rivalry as it turned around two years of Bluegar dominance. In 2015-16 and 2016-17 the Bluegars won all 8 games, plus the aforesaid playoff series. This season, the Bisons reversed the trend and won 3 out of 4.

The Bisons improved somewhat in the 2nd half of the season, going from 7-5-2 to 9-5-0. MRU was a steady 6-7-1 in both halves.

The series is not a foregone conclusion, however it is one the Bisons should be able to win.

ELSEWHERE

 
CALGARY DINOS (15-8-5, 12-13-3*, 21-10-6, OHT35 #9)
U.B.C. THUNDERBIRDS (14-12-2, 16-10-2*, 17-13-2, OHT35 #15)
(*Record adjusted for Calgary's forfeits.)

Links:
UBC: [‘Birds host Dinos to open Canada West playoffs]
UofC: [Streaking Dinos hit the west coast for playoffs]
 
If not for the Dinos' forfeitures, they would be hosting this series in the Town of Bedrock. So I guess in the end all is fair. The odd thing is that once the T-irds got their two free wins over the Dinos, they suddenly thought themselves to be worthy and started playing like a winner. They went from 5-8-1 in the 1st half to 9-4-1 in the 2nd half. And that 2nd half started with two losses to the Bisons. Calgary was fairly consistent, going 7-4-3 in the 1st half and 8-4-2 in the 2nd half. Although UBC is the host, and although they have been hot down the stretch, IMO the Dinos are the favourites in this one.

OUT EAST

All series are best-of-three.

Ontario
Feb 14 Concordia 4 U.O.I.T. 1
Feb 14 McGill 5 Laurentian 2
Feb 14 Ottawa 2 Carleton 3 (ot)
Feb 14 Queen's 4 Nipissing 3 (ot)
Feb 14 Brock 3 Laurier 0
Feb 14 W. Ontario 2 Ryerson 4
Feb 15 Windsor at Guelph 7:30 EST
Feb 15 York at Lakehead 7:00 EST
Feb 16 Carleton at Ottawa 7:30 EST
Feb 16 Laurier at Brock 7:15 EST
Feb 16 Nipissing at Queen's 7:30 EST
Feb 16 Ryerson at W. Ontario 7:00 EST
Feb 16 U.O.I.T. at Concordia 7:30 EST
Feb 17 Guelph at Windsor 7:30 EST
Feb 17 Lakehead at York 7:00 EST
Feb 17 Laurentian at McGill 7:00 EST
Feb 17 Nipissing at Queen's 7:30 EST
Feb 17 U.O.I.T. at Concordia 7:30 EST
Feb 18 Brock at Laurier 7:07 EST
Feb 18 Lakehead at York 7:00 EST
Feb 18 Laurentian at McGill 7:00 EST
Feb 18 Ottawa at Carleton 7:00 EST
Feb 18 W. Ontario at Ryerson 7:15 EST
Feb 18 Windsor at Guelph 7:30 EST

Atlantic
Feb 14 Dalhousie 2 Acadia 5
Feb 14 U.P.E.I. 2 Saint Mary's 6
Feb 16 Acadia at Dalhousie 7:00 AST
Feb 16 Saint Mary's at U.P.E.I. 7:00 AST
Feb 18 Dalhousie at Acadia 7:00 AST
Feb 18 U.P.E.I. at Saint Mary's 7:00 AST

Links:
• [US Presto S&R]
• [OUA S&R]
• [AUS S&R]

[Hollywood]

Feb 16: Bluegars edge Bisons in Game 1

 

MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS 3
MANITOBA BISONS 2

Links:
LeagueStat: [Summary] : [Report]
CW Hockey Tech: [Summary] : [Report] : [Text]
Boxscores: [US/CIS] : [CW] : [Coach's View] : [UofM]
Stories: [UofM] : [rp @CW] : [rp @MRU]

This was a tough loss, determined by a goal in the final minute of play. There was a fair amount of tension in typical playoff fashion. The Bisons "fine motor skills" appeared lacking. Maybe they were too tense, but they had trouble putting passes on sticks and hitting the net with shots. These teams had many hard-hitting games in the past, when they were IMO the two biggest teams in the conference. The teams are not as big as they once were but still could use the body.

 

Here's how they lined up:

 

Manitoba

Goal
35 Spriggs (34 Sydora)

 

Defence
2 Henry - 3 Christensen
16 Heinrichs - 4 Bresciani
25 Skrumeda - 28 Stovin

 

Forwards
17 Callis - 22 B Bowles - 26 Lisoway
12 Zajac - 13 Laurencelle - 24 Augert
14 Nault - 27 Franko - 18 St. Croix
8 Bilton - 21 Brooks - 23 Schreyer

 

Scratches:
1 Paulic - 9 Douglas - 19 Spencer
20 Keane - 29 Wasylak

 

Not on roster:
10 Dudar - 11 Sharonov - 15 S Bowles

 

Mount Royal

 

Goal
29 Lanigan (31 Cooper)

 

Defence
21 Pankewicz - 7 Lees
27 Baker - 22 Smiley
4 Green - 5 Poulsen

 

Forwards
13 Bly - 11 King - 12 Lipon
15 Olstad - 24 Allan - 23 Watson
8 Henry - 10 Stephens - 18 Kennedy
28 Pare -  9 Zandee - 16 Adamson

 

Scratches:
3 Roberts - 6 MacPherson - 14 Rozdeba
17 Lindgren - 19 Zulinick - 20 Simpson
26 Rankin - 35 Hoflin

 

Scorers:
1st 05:29 Man Zach Franko
1st 07:33 MRU Jesse Lees
3rd 10:20 MRU Jamal Watson
3rd 15:44 Man Liam Bilton
3rd 19:17 MRU Jamie King

 

The Bluegars didn't mind holding the puck and attempting passes in tight situations. It did provide some good scoring chances, and the Bison defence will need to counter with a more physical presence, especially in the slot.

 

Also, the Bisons rolled four lines and three pairs. This usually pays off in the event 9 (or more) periods are needed to decide the series. The Bluegars had three lines and two pairs most of the time.

There were only four minor penalties in the game, and only one to the Bluegars.

 

Cam Lanigan got the win for MRU with 24 saves, and Byron Spriggs got the loss with 33 saves.

 

Finally, the Bisons put in new scoreboards. They had a big 4-sided one above centre ice. But several bulbs were going out. They put a smaller scoreboard at each end of the arena. I am wondering what they'll do for next year. It's funny what a difference it makes.

 

Game two goes Saturday at 7:00 p.m., which is my favourite start time.

 

 

 

 

OUT-OF-TOWN SCOREBOARD

 

CALGARY DINOSAURS 1
U.B.C. THUNDERBIRDS 4

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

I saw the ending of this one on CanadaWest.tv. By the time I tuned in it was 3-0 for the T-irds. Bedrock U made a concerted attempt at a comeback in the 3rd, which in the end proved futile. Bedrock outshot the T-irds 19-9 in the 3rd period, and 45-36 overall. This was by far a much more wide-open game then the one played at the Wayne Fleming Arena. Matt Hewitt got the win and Matthew Greenfield took the loss. This game started late due to the UBC women's game going overtime.

OUT EAST

Ontario
Feb 15 Windsor 1 Guelph 3 (game 1)
Feb 15 York 2 Lakehead 3 (ot) (game 1)
Feb 16 Carleton 0 Ottawa 5 (series tied 1-1)
Feb 16 Laurier 1 Brock 2 (BU wins 2-0)
Feb 16 Nipissing 1 Queen's 6 (QU wins 2-0)
Feb 16 Ryerson 1 W. Ontario 5 (series tied 1-1)
Feb 16 U.O.I.T. 2 Concordia 3 (ot) (CU wins 2-0)

Atlantic
Feb 16 Acadia 4 Dalhousie 2 (AU wins 2-0)
Feb 16 Saint Mary's 1 U.P.E.I. 2 (series tied 1-1)

 

NEXT UP

 

Canada West
Feb 17 Calgary at U.B.C. 7:30 PST
Feb 17 Mount Royal at Manitoba 7:00 CST
Feb 18 Calgary at U.B.C. 5:30 PST (if necessary)
Feb 18 Mount Royal at Manitoba 6:00 CST (if necessary)

 

Atlantic
Feb 18 U.P.E.I. at Saint Mary's 7:00 AST

 

Ontario
Feb 17 Guelph at Windsor 7:30 EST
Feb 17 Lakehead at York 7:00 EST
Feb 17 Laurentian at McGill 7:00 EST
Feb 18 Lakehead at York 7:00 EST (if necessary)
Feb 18 Laurentian at McGill 7:00 EST (if necessary)
Feb 18 Ottawa at Carleton 7:00 EST
Feb 18 W. Ontario at Ryerson 7:15 EST
Feb 18 Windsor at Guelph 7:30 EST (if necessary)

 

Links:
• [US/CIS Playoff S&R]
• [CW All S&R]
• [OUA LS S&R]
• [AUS Playoff S&R]

 

* indicates link not active as I post

[Hollywood]

Saturday Morning Links

 

Links:
Free Press: [Cougars scratch out opening-game win]
CW: [Playoff Preview Video]

The Winnipeg Free Press ran a story from Mike Sawatzky, complete with this picture of Zach Franko battling Bluegar defenceman Grant Baker along the boards.

 

 

Links:
Stories: [UBC] : [rp @CW]

The late start, combined with the Pacific time zone start time, meant that the stories were posted late. Bedrock U is still waiting for a slate to arrive from the coast. The UBC link includes video highlights.

[Hollywood]

Feb 17: Bluegars Ward Off Onslaught to Eliminate Bisons

 

MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS 5
MANITOBA BISONS 3
(MRU wins series 2-0.)

Links:
LeagueStat: [Summary] : [Report]
CW Hockey Tech: [Summary] : [Report] : [Text]
Boxscores: [US/CIS] : [CW] : [Coach's View] : [UofM]
Stories: [UofM] : [rp @CW] : [rp @MRU]

This was a frustrating end for the Bisons. They dominated the 2nd and 3rd periods, yet fell behind 4-0. They then mounted an impressive rally which was ultimately stunted by an empty-net goal. The teams aligned the same as the did on Friday night's Game 1. Here's who scored:

 

1st 01:38 MRU Josh Bly (SH)
2nd 03:38 MRU Tanner Olstad
2nd 12:08 MRU Jamal Watson
2nd 15:07 MRU Austin Adamson
2nd 19:20 Man Justin Augert
3rd 03:22 Man Brett Stovin
3rd 18:08 Man Brett Stovin
3rd 19:47 MRU Jamal Watson

 

The shots on goal described perfectly how the flow of the game changed throughout. The Bisons outshot the Bluegars every period, by 10-9, 17-9, and 10-3. Cam Lanigan made the saves needed for a win, and Byron Spriggs did not.

 

So that's another quarter-final exit, something the program will want to address in coming seasons. Next week the 1st place Bison Broads will be at home in the semi-finals. They would also host the conference final if they win.

 

Next week, MRU will be off to Edmontown to visit the Evil Monkeys in the semi-final round.

 

 

OUT-OF-TOWN SCOREBOARD

 

CALGARY DINOSAURS 6
U.B.C. THUNDERBIRDS 3
(Series tied 1-1.)

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

In a twist of fate, Riley Sheen led the way with two goals for the Dinos. It was his illegal participation in the first six games of the season which led this series to be played in British California instead of the Town of Bedrock. Matthew Greenfield got the win, and Matt Hewitt took the loss, in a game where Bedrock had a 31-30 edge in shots. Game 3 goes Sunday night at 5:30 PST, or 7:30 CST and is available on CanadaWest.tv.

 

OUT EAST

 

Ontario
Feb 17 Guelph 3 Windsor 4 (series tied 1-1)
Feb 17 Lakehead 2 York 4 (series tied 1-1)
Feb 17 Laurentian 1 McGill 9 (McGill wins 2-0)

 

Atlantic
no games

 

NEXT UP

 

Note: All of these games are Game 3 in a tied series.

 

Canada West
Feb 18 Calgary at U.B.C. 5:30 PST

 

Atlantic
Feb 18 U.P.E.I. at Saint Mary's 7:00 AST

 

Ontario
Feb 18 Lakehead at York 7:00 EST
Feb 18 Ottawa at Carleton 7:00 EST
Feb 18 W. Ontario at Ryerson 7:15 EST
Feb 18 Windsor at Guelph 7:30 EST

 

Links:
• [US/CIS Playoff S&R]
• [CW All S&R]
• [OUA LS S&R]
• [AUS Playoff S&R]

* indicates link not active as I post

[Hollywood]

Feb 18-Mar 9: Catch-Up Time

 

OUT-OF-TOWN SCOREBOARD

 

Ahhh, a mid-season break I did not plan on. I have multiple injuries but now need to make a catch-up post in advance of the U-Cup.

 

Feb 18 Calgary 3 U.B.C. 2 (Calgary wins 2-1)
Feb 22 Calgary 4 Saskatchewan 6 (game 1)
Feb 23 Calgary 2 Saskatchewan 1 (series tied 1-1)
Feb 23 Mount Royal 3 Alberta 4 (ot) (game 1)
Feb 24 Mount Royal 1 Alberta 6 (Alberta wins 2-0)
Feb 24 Calgary 1 Saskatchewan 3 (Sask wins 2-1)
Mar 02 Saskatchewan 2 Alberta 5 (game 1)
Mar 03 Saskatchewan 1 Alberta 5 (Alberta wins 2-0)

 

Alberta advances to U-Cup as conference champion.
Saskatchewan advances to U-Cup as conference runner-up.

 

Feb 18 Lakehead 1 York 5 (York wins 2-1)
Feb 18 Ottawa 4 Carleton 2 (Ottawa wins 2-1)
Feb 18 W. Ontario 3 Ryerson 6 (Ryerson wins 2-1)
Feb 18 Windsor 1 Guelph 6 (Guelph wins 2-1)
Feb 21 Ottawa 3 McGill 2 (game 1)
Feb 21 Ryerson 3 York 6 (game 1)
Feb 21 Concordia 4 Queen's 2 (game 1)
Feb 22 Brock 4 Guelph 3 (ot) (game 1)
Feb 23 Queen's 3 Concordia 0 (series tied 1-1)
Feb 23 McGill 4 Ottawa 1 (series tied 1-1)
Feb 24 York 3 Ryerson 2 (York wins 2-0)
Feb 24 Guelph 4 Brock 5 (ot) (Brock wins 2-0)
Feb 25 Concordia 3 Queen's 2 (ot) (Concordia wins 2-1)
Feb 25 Ottawa 3 McGill 6 (McGill wins 2-1)
Feb 28 Concordia 3 McGill 1 (game 1)
Feb 28 Brock 6 York 2 (game 1)
Mar 02 York 4 Brock 3 (ot) (series tied 1-1)
Mar 02 McGill 3 Concordia 2 (ot) (series tied 1-1)
Mar 03 Brock 3 York 2 (Brock wins 2-1)
Mar 04 Concordia 2 McGill 6 (McGill wins 2-1)
Mar 09 York 2 Concordia 3 (bronze game)

 

Concordia advances to U-Cup as OUA 3rd place team.

 

Feb 18 U.P.E.I. 2 Saint Mary's 5 (SMU wins 2-1)
Feb 22 Saint Mary's 2 New Brunswick 3 (ot) (game 1)
Feb 22 Acadia 4 St. F.X. 2 (game 1)
Feb 23 Saint Mary's 0 New Brunswick 1 (UNB leads 2-0)
Feb 23 Acadia 0 St. F.X. 3 (series tied 1-1)
Feb 25 St. F.X. 0 Acadia 1 (Acadia leads 2-1)
Feb 26 New Brunswick 6 Saint Mary's 2 (UNB wins 3-0)
Feb 26 St. F.X. 4 Acadia 3 (series tied 2-2)
Mar 01 Acadia 5 St. F.X. 6 (SFX wins 3-2)
Mar 05 Saint Mary's 3 Acadia 6 (game 1)
Mar 05 St. F.X. 3 New Brunswick 6 (game 1)
Mar 07 Acadia 2 Saint Mary's 3 (series tied 1-1)
Mar 07 New Brunswick 5 St. F.X. 0 (UNB wins 2-0)
Mar 09 Saint Mary's 1 Acadia 6 (Acadia wins 2-1)

 

New Brunswick advances to U-Cup as AUS champion.
St. F.X. advances to U-Cup as AUS runner-up.
Acadia advances to U-Cup as AUS 3rd place team.

 

NEXT UP

 

Ontario
Mar 10 McGill at Brock (Queen's Cup final)

 

U-Cup
Mar 15 two quarter-final games
Mar 16 two quarter-final games
Mar 17 two semi-final games
Mar 18 bronze and final games

 

Links:
• [US/CIS Playoff S&R]
• [CW All S&R]
• [OUA LS S&R]
• [AUS Playoff S&R]
• [U-Cup S&R]

 

Probable U-Cup Match-Ups

OUA 2nd v Saskatchewan
New Brunswick v Concordia
Alberta v Acadia
OUA 1st v St. F.X.

[Hollywood]

Preview: March 15-18: University Cup

 

The U-Cup starts on Thursday, from Fredericton, N.B. The Saturday semi-finals and Sunday final will be shown on SportsNet.

 

SCHEDULE

 

Mar 15 Brock v St. F.X. - 11:00 CT/1:00 AT
Mar 15 New Brunswick v Concordia - 5:00 CT/7:00 AT
Mar 16 Alberta v Acadia - 11:00 CT/1:00 AT
Mar 16 McGill v Saskatchewan - 5:00 CT/7:00 AT
Mar 17 winners from Mar 15 - 10:00 CT/12:00 AT
Mar 17 winners from Mar 16 - 2:00 CT/4:00 AT
Mar 18 losers from Mar 17 - 8:00 CT/10:00 AT
Mar 18 winners from Mar 17 - 12:00 CT/2:00 AT

 

QUARTER-FINALS

 

Note: Team records are in sequence of regular season, playoffs, and overall.

 

ST. FRANCIS XAVIER X-MEN (22-4-4, 3-4, 27-10-5, OHT35 #4)
BROCK BADGERS (14-9-5, 6-2, 20-14-5, OHT35 #21)

Links:
St.FX: [Team Site]
Brock: [Team Site]
 
Brock got into the U-Cup for the 2nd time in their existence. While an underdog, the OUA West is the weakest grouping in the country. Winning the division did not call for a major upset. But noiw they step up to big leagues. The X-Men spent some time at #1 in the OHT35.

 

CONCORDIA STINGERS (18-7-3, 6-3, 28-12-4, OHT35 #8)
NEW BRUNSWICK VARSITY REDS (24-2-4, 5-0, 34-3-4, OHT35 #1)

Links:
Conc: [Team Site]
UNB: [Team Site]
 
Concordia has not been in the U-Cup for a while. At one time they, and their predecessors from Sir George Williams and Loyala, won the Ottawa-St. Lawrence Conference 19 out of 22 seasons, and then the QUAA 15 times in 16 seasons. The last of those titles was in 1984. Meanwhile, UNB are in the midst of their golden years.

 

ACADIA AXEMEN (18-10-2, 6-4, 26-17-2, OHT35 #7)
ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS (23-4-1, 4-0, 34-5-1, OHT35 #2)

Links:
AcaU: [Team Site]
UofA: [Team Site]
 
The Evil Monkeys will not like the morning game. They also played an early game last year, against the same Cajun squad that beat them 4-1. Face it: Everybody not affiliated with one of the other teams wants to see the Monkeys v the Squirrels for the national title.

 

SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES (20-7-1, 2-3, 23-13-1, OHT35 #5)
MCGILL REDMEN (22-4-2, 7-2, 33-8-2, OHT35 #3)

Links:
UofS: [Team Site]
McG: [Team Site]
 
In a scheduling quirk, the Mutts and Monkeys would face each other in round 2 IF they both win. Seems funny for them to go so far to face the neighbour next door. Goaltender Jordan Cooke is expected to miss the tournament for Sask, thus making McGill the slight favourite.
 
Links:
• [US Presto S&R]
• [US U-Cup]
• [CW S&R]
• [CW LeagueStat]
• [OUA S&R]
• [OUA LeagueStat]
• [AUS S&R]

[Hollywood]

Mar 15: OUA gets skunked by AUS

 

ST. FRANCIS XAVIER X-MEN 6
BROCK BADGERS 2

Links:
USports: [Game Story] : [Boxscore]

I like the way the USports site calls this an "upset". Was there anybody following CIS hockey who thought Brock had anything better than a goalie-steals-one chance? This result really points out how ridiculous it is to seed the OUA #2 team 4th, when they are typically 7th in reality. And that only because the OUA gets to send three teams. In fact, given the status of the OUA West, the OUA #2 was not as good as the OUA #3!

 

 

CONCORDIA STINGERS 1
NEW BRUNSWICK VARSITY REDS 8

Links:
USports: [Game Story] : [Boxscore]

The stats on this game look like those from a 2nd tier country playing in a world championship against pros, hoping to avoid relegation. I thought Concordia would have been better after the regular season they had. Clearly, that does not count for much against a powerhouse. The shots were 52-17 (for the Squirrels, in case you ask).

 

So the first semi-final on Saturday will be a reply of the AUS final: The Jeremies vs The Squirrels!

 

 

NEXT UP

 

Mar 16 Alberta v Acadia - 11:00 CT/1:00 AT
Mar 16 McGill v Saskatchewan - 5:00 CT/7:00 AT
Mar 17 St. F.X. v New Brunswick - 10:00 CT/12:00 AT

Links:
• [US Presto S&R]
• [US U-Cup]
• [CW S&R]
• [CW LeagueStat]
• [OUA S&R]
• [OUA LeagueStat]
• [AUS S&R]

[Hollywood]

Mar 16: Friday was the CW's Day

 

ACADIA AXEMEN 6
ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 8

Links:
Stories: [USports] : [Acadia]
Stories: [UofA] : [rp @CW]
Boxscores: [USports]
Alberta: [Preview] : [Fram DotY]
CW: [Preview] : [Fram/McFaul Awards]
CW: [WHL Scholarships]

The Monkeys sure blitzed the Cajuns in this one. The held period leads of 2-1 and 5-2, then scored 3 more in the 3rd period. Turn out the lights, the party's over. Then a consolation goal for the Cajuns after 12 minutes. "So what?" said the Apes. The best thing about a 5-goal lead is that when there is only 1:03 left in the game, you can give up 3 goals and still win comfortably. Riley Keiser scored twice for the Monkeys, and Stephane Legault had a 5-point night. Brendan Burke stopped 23 of 29 shots for the win. Robert Steeves took the loss with 24 saves on 32 shots in less than 47 minutes. Dawson Carty finished in the Cajun net, stopping all 6 shots he faced.

 

 

SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 4
MCGILL REDMEN 1

Links:
Stories: [USports] : [UofS] : [McG]
Boxscores: [USports] : [McG]
Sask: [Preview] : [Tourny Preview]
Sask: [McFaull/Roach/Cooke Awarded]
CW: [Preview] : [Fram/McFaul Awards]
CW: [WHL Scholarships]

With everybody sick and tired of one-sided games, it was time for the most anticipated game of the opening round on Friday night. This was not a nail-biter but was at least reasonably close. The McGilla Gorillas outshot the Banjo Mutts 34-33. Sask never trailed and in fact were up by two for most of the game. Taran Kozun stopped 33 of 34 shots for the win, helping all the Bumpkins forget about Jordon Cooke. Louis-Philip Guindon suffered the loss, with 29 saves on 32 shots.

So in the end we are left with two intra-conference semi-finals, which is not what we really want. The Squirrels just finished beating the Jeremies in the AUS final, and the Monkeys just finished beating the Mutts in the CW. I'd sooner see a criss-cross, but there you go. It might be a little early for post mortem laments, but the CIS/USports people need to do something about nationals. Three teams for the OUA is a joke. The BCIHL and ACAC may as well get berths, too.  

 

 

NEXT UP

 

Mar 17 St. F.X. v New Brunswick - 10:00 CT/12:00 AT
Mar 17 Alberta v Saskatchewan - 2:00 CT/4:00 AT
Mar 18 losers from Mar 17 - 8:00 CT/10:00 AT
Mar 18 winners from Mar 17 - 12:00 CT/2:00 AT

Links:
• [U-Cup Site]
• [US U-Cup]
• [CW S&R]
• [CW LeagueStat]
• [OUA S&R]
• [OUA LeagueStat]
• [AUS S&R]

[Hollywood]

An interlude with links and commentary ...

 

 

Time for a post with a news round-up. Here it is, on a segment-by-segment basis.

 

CW AWARD WINNERS

Links:
GoBisons: [St. Croix named as CW First Team All-Star, Henry Second]
CW: [Philp, Cooke headline CW major award winners]
CW: [Former WHL standouts highlight CW all-star and all-rookie teams]

Here are the CW all-stars:

 

1st team:
G Jordon Cooke - Saskatchewan
D Jason Fram - Alberta
D Jesse Lees - Mount Royal
F Luke Philp - Alberta
F Josh Roach - Saskatchewan
F Michael St. Croix – Manitoba

 

2nd team:
G Matt Hewitt - UBC
D Kendall McFaull - Saskatchewan
D Adam Henry - Manitoba
F Logan McVeigh - Saskatchewan
F Mitch Maxwell - Lethbridge
F Chris Collins - Calgary

 

The remaining award winners can be found at the links.

 

MEN'S NATIONALS

Links:
CUSN: [Tuesday Morning Skate: Week 19, U Cup Preview]
SportsNet: [U Sports men’s hockey trophy renamed David Johnston University Cup]

As usual, CUSN had their Tuesday morning story, which is linked here.

 

As for SportsNet, how long do you think they will be the broadcaster for USports? Remember when their website had "SportsNetU"? And daily stories about the games in the tournaments they are televising? No more. All they have about men's hockey is the naming of the trophy. And they have nothing on women's hockey.

 

WOMEN'S NATIONALS

Links:
USports: [Women's S&R]
GoBisons: [Bison Broads 4 Queen's 0]

The Bison Broads were seeded #1 for the nationals, and won their opener. They packed the Wayne Fleming Arena for their conference championship clincher.

 

Quarter-final Results
Mar 15 Saskatchewan 3 Saint Mary's 2
Mar 15 Montreal 0 W. Ontario 4
Mar 16 Queen's 0 Manitoba 4
Mar 16 St. F.X. 1 Concordia 8

 

Remaining Schedule
Mar 17 Montreal v Saint Mary's (Consolation Semi #1)
Mar 17 Queen's v St. F.X. (Consolation Semi #2)
Mar 17 Saskatchewan v W. Ontario (Semi-Final #1)
Mar 17 Concordia v Manitoba (Semi-final #2)
Mar 18 Consolation Final
Mar 18 Bronze Medal Game
Mar 18 Gold Medal Game

 

USPORTS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

There has been increased talk this year about the silliness of the ranking system for the men's hockey nationals this year. Hopefully, the bizarre results this year will prompt more debate on the qualifying criteria as well. I have summarized excerpts for each sport tom highlight the differences from sport to sport.

Links:
USports: [Index of Playing Regs] : [Policies & Procedures]
USports hockey regs: [Men] : [Women]
USports basketball regs: [Men] : [Women]
USports volleyball regs: [Men] : [Women]

Here's what "Policies & Procedures" has to say about select sports:

 

20.20.4.1 Men’s Basketball Championship

8 Team Format, Single Elimination

4 Regional Association Champions

1 Host

1 Assigned Berth to the OUA Regional Association

1 Assigned Berth to the Canada West Regional Association

1 At-Large Berth (see Playing Regulations for the approved selection process)

 

20.20.4.2 Women’s Basketball Championship

8 Team Format, Single Elimination

4 Regional Association Champions

1 Host

1 Assigned berth to the OUA Regional Association

1 Assigned berth to the Canada West Regional Association

1 At-Large Berth (see Playing Regulations for the approved selection process)

 

20.20.4.7 Men’s Ice Hockey Championship

8 Team Format, Single Elimination

4 Regional Association Champions

1 Host

1 Assigned berth OUA Regional Association

1 Assigned berth CWUAA Regional Association

1 Assigned berth AUS Regional Association

 

20.20.4.8 Women’s Ice Hockey Championship
8 Team Format, Single Elimination
4 Regional Association Champions
1 Host
3 Assigned berths (Rotational Format to ensure 2 teams per Regional Association)

20.20.4.9 Women’s Rugby Championship
8 Team Format, Single Elimination
4 Regional Association Champions
1 Host
3 Rotational berths between CWUAA, OUA, RSEQ and AUS (1 berth per 3 of the 4 Regional Associations)
Note 1: The above berths will be reviewed after four years (first review to be completed prior to the 2019-2020 season)

20.20.4.10 Men’s Soccer Championship
8 Team Format, Single Elimination
• 4 Regional Association Champions
• 1 Host
• 1 Assigned berth OUA
• 2 Assigned berths (Rotational Format as per the following:
- When Canada West Hosts, AUS 1 additional berth and RSEQ 1 additional berth.
- When Quebec Hosts, AUS 1 additional berth and Canada West 1 additional berth.
- When AUS Hosts, Canada West 1 additional berth and RSEQ 1 additional berth.
- When OUA Hosts, the 2 assigned berths would go to 2 of the 3 other Regional Associations that averaged the highest finish from the previous 3 year’s National Championships. In the event a tie still occurs; based upon points from the previous 4 year’s National Championships would be used.

20.20.4.11 Women’s Soccer Championship
8 Team Format, Single Elimination
• 4 Regional Association Champions
• 1 Host
• 1 Assigned berth OUA
• 1 Assigned berth CWUAA
• 1 Assigned berth (Previous Medalists – Assigned berth from the same Regional Association
as the gold medalist at the previous year’s National Championship.)
NOTE:
a) No Regional Association may have more than 3 berths. If the assigned berth for previous year’s champion gives one Regional Association four berths, the next highest ranked Regional Association is awarded the previous year’s champion berth.
b) No more than one Regional Association may have 3 berths. If the assigned berth for previous year’s champion gives a second Regional Association three berths, the next highest ranked region is awarded the previous year’s champion berth.

 

Men's Hockey

 

Each season they come up with "Playing Regulations" for each sport. Those links are above.

 

3.1 TEAMS
The participating teams shall be:
• OUA Representative
• RSEQ Representative (Participates in the OUA Sport Conference – East Division)
• Canada West Representative
• Atlantic University Sport Representative
• Host (University of New Brunswick)
• Assigned berth rotating (CWUAA)
• Assigned berth rotating (OUA)
• Assigned berth rotating (AUS)
(Refer to Policy 20.20.4.7 for more details)

4.2.2 SEEDING CRITERIA
1. The three (3) Sport Conference champions will be seeded 1st, 2nd, and 3rd based on their respective team national ranking in the final Top Ten of the season. The last Top 10 ranking will be done after the Sport Conference playoffs are completed.
2. The OUA finalist (either the OUA East or OUA West divisional champion) will be seeded #4.
3. The remaining 4 qualifying teams will be seeded using the final Top Ten of the season as a guiding tool.
4. Results of regional playoffs must be respected.
5. Once the seeding has been completed, teams 5 through 8 can be flipped no more than two spots (up or down) to try to avoid first round match-ups of teams from the same sport conference. (This means teams seeded 1 through 4 cannot be flipped).
6. The Host may flip the brackets to ensure a local team plays at a preferred time to assist with ticket sales. However, the structure of the brackets must be maintained (i.e. 1 vs. 8 and 4 vs. 5 must always stay together and 2 vs. 7 and 3 vs. 6 must stay together) so that common rest times are protected and the integrity of the draw is maintained.
7. Without affecting the integrity of the draw, games in the upper half of the draw can be switched to accommodate travel and time zone adjustment (i.e. Canada West teams traveling East). If the teams playing are not impacted by the time zone change then there can be no switching of game times.

 

The oddities here are:
1. The RSEQ has no league, yet gets a berth.
2. There is no regulation by which the RSEQ gets to assign its berth to the OUA.
3. There is no regulation by which no other conference can challenge RSEQ teams for their berth.
4. There is no means by which rule 7 could ever be implemented.

 

Women's Hockey

 

The women's is different in that the RSEQ actually runs a league. I quote their salient "Playing Regulations".

 

3.1 TEAMS
· Atlantic University Sport Representative
· RSEQ Representative
· OUA Representative
· Canada West Representative
· Host (Western University)
· Assigned berth CWUAA
· Assigned berth AUS
· Assigned berth RSEQ
(Refer to Policy 20.20.4.8 for more details.)

4.2.2 SEEDING PROCESS AND COMPLETION OF DRAW
1. Seeds 1 through 4 will be the four sport conference champions from that year. They will be seeded as per the final Top 10 rankings of the season.
2. The four teams that are not conference champions will be placed on the opposite half of the draw as the champion from their sport conference.
3. The two teams that are placed in the top half of the draw will be seeded based on the final Top 10 ranking of the season. The lower ranked team of the two will face the higher seeded conference champion, and the higher ranked team will face the lower seeded conference champion. The same process is followed on the bottom half of the draw.

 

The oddities here are:
1. The host berth is deducted from, rather than added to, the conference allocation, i.e. each conference gets two berths, and must assign one of those berths to the host.
2. The conference's two teams are on opposite sides of the draw.

 

Men's Basketball

 

There are additional lengthy criteria for both selection and ranking. I have niot quioted everything. Here's the highlights:

 

3.1 TEAMS
The participating teams shall be:
• Atlantic University Sport Representative
• RSEQ Representative
• OUA Representative
• Canada West Representative
• Host (Acadia University)
• One (1) assigned berth OUA
• One (1) assigned berth Canada West
• One at-large berth

4.2.4 SEEDING CRITERIA
...
3. Conference champions must be seeded in the top 6 spots (1 through 6).
4. Once the seeding has been completed, teams 5 through 8 can only be flipped one spot (up or down) to try to avoid first round match-ups of teams from the same sport conference. (Note: A conference champion seeded 6 cannot be flipped to 7th.)
(This means teams seeded 1 through 4 cannot be flipped). This can only happen once (i.e. if there are 4 teams from one sport conference a flip can take place once but not twice.)
...

 

The oddities here are:
1. There is an "at large" berth, which has extensive (unquoted) regulation which governs the selection process.
2. The conference champions (there are 4) must be in the top 6, not the top 3 (4) as in hockey.

 

Women's Basketball

 

3.1 TEAMS
The participating teams in the W-Final 8 shall be as follow:
• Atlantic University Sport Champion
• OUA Champion
• RSEQ Champion
• Canada West Champion
• Host (University of Regina)
• One (1) assigned berth to OUA
• One (1) assigned berth to CW
• One (1) at-large berth
(Refer to Policy 20.20.4.2 for more details.)

4.2.4 SEEDING CALL
...
2. Conference champions must be seeded in the top 6 spots (1 through 6).
3. Once the seeding has been completed, teams 5 through 8 can only be flipped one spot (up or down) to try to avoid first round match-ups of teams from the same sport conference. (Teams seeded 1 through 4 can NOT be flipped.) This can only happen once (i.e. if there are 4 teams from one sport conference a flip can take place once but not twice.)
...

 

The oddities here are:
1. Though worded completely differently, it is set up exactly like men's basketball, albeit with a less formal outline of selection and ranking criteria.

 

Men's Volleyball

 

Note from "Policies and Procedures" that three berths are defined as coming from the prior year's medalists at nationals. Here's what the annual "Playing Regulations" provide:

 

3.1 TEAMS
The composition of the eight (8) team format shall include:
• Canada West Representative
• OUA Representative
• RSEQ Representative
• Atlantic University Sport Representative
• Host (McMaster University)
• 2 assigned berths Canada West
• 1 assigned berth OUA
(Refer to Policy 20.20.4.13 for more details.)

4.2.2 SEEDING CRITERIA
The purpose of the seeding call is to first determine the seeding of teams participating in the championship. Seeding is defined as reflecting current strength of the 8 teams qualified for the championship. The VRS system (volleyball ranking system) will be used to seed the teams. Process includes the following two steps:
1. Teams will be seeded 1-8 using the VRS system, however conference champions must be seeded between 1-6. The following seeding principle must be respected in the final determination of the championship draw:
1. Results of regional playoffs must be respected (order of finish).
2. Conference champions must be seeded in the top 6 spots (1 through 6). The VRS will consider the following: ....

 

The oddities here are:
1. The ranking system is like in basketball, with slightly different formal criteria.
2. The three "assigned berths" are based on the prior year's medalists at nationals.

 

Women's Volleyball

 

Basically like the men's!

 

3.1 TEAMS
The composition of the eight (8) team format shall include:
• Canada West Representative
• OUA Representative
• RSEQ Representative
• Atlantic University Sport Representative
• Host (Université Laval)
• 3 assigned berths from Canada West
(Refer to Policy 20.20.4.14 for more details.)

4.2.2 SEEDING CRITERIA
...
2. Conference champions must be seeded in the top 6 spots (1 through 6).
3. Once the seeding has been completed, teams 5 through 8 can only be flipped one spot (up or down) to try to avoid first round match-ups of teams from the same sport conference. (Teams seeded 1 through 4 can NOT be flipped.)

 

The oddities here are:
1. The system is set up like men's volleyball, with differently worded ranking criteria.
2. The "VRS" used in men's is not used in women's.

 

Consistent format?

 

IMO, there should be one format for all. In an 8 team format, that would be:

• CW Representative
• OUA Representative
• RSEQ Representative (except men's hockey)
• AUS Representative
• Host - unless is already qualified as conference champion
• assigned berths to conference with medalists from prior year
• Any remaining berths would go to the Regional Association(s) that averaged the highest finish from the previous 3 year’s National Championships. In the event a tie still occurs; based upon points from the previous 4 year’s National Championships would be used. (Unless they utilize a basketball-style "at-large" system.)

 

And conference winners would be seeded within the top 6.

 

So in men's hockey, this year's allocation would have been:

CW rep: Alberta
OUA rep: McGill
RSEQ rep: none
AUS rep: New Brunswick
Host: none, already qualified
AUS assigned for gold: St. F.X.
CW assigned for silver: Saskatchewan
AUS assigned for bronze: Acadia
1st remaining berth to AUS: St. Mary's
2nd remaining berth to CW: Calgary

 

Seedings:
1 New Brunswick
2 Alberta
3 McGill
4 St. F.X.
5 Saskatchewan
6 Acadia
7 St. Mary's
8 Calgary

 

Brackets:
St. F.X. v Saskatchewan
New Brunswick v Calgary
Alberta v St. Mary's
McGill v Acadia

[Hollywood]

Mar 17: Lots of Overtime on Rematch Day

 

Both semi-finals were rematches of conference finals and went into overtime. But where one underdog had his day, the other dogs met their typical demise.

 

ST. FRANCIS XAVIER X-MEN 5
NEW BRUNSWICK VARSITY REDS 4
(in overtime)

Links:
Stories: [USports] : [rp @UNB] : [rp @SFX]
Boxscore: [USports] : [USports-alt]

The Squirrels held leads of 1-0 and 3-2, and the Jeremies held leads of 2-1 and 4-3. But by the end of regulation it was 4-4 and St. F.X. held the only lead that mattered. Each side had 3 powerplay goals in a very undisciplined game. Chase Marchand got the win with 42 saves, and Alex Dubeau made 24 saves in the loss. Nine different players scored the goals. This game will be remembered for the penalties, and perhaps one which ought to have been called. St. F.X. recorded 18 minutes on 9 infractions, whilst UNB were assessed 35 minutes on 12 infractions, including a 5-and-10 to Olivier Leblanc in the 3rd period. Mark Simpson of the Squirrels leveled a head shot in the 3rd period with the Squirrels down 4-3. Not long after the non-call he scored the goal which sent the game into overtime. The hockey Gods were not impressed, I suppose, and the home side was bounced by their Atlantic rival.

 

 

ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 3
SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 2
(in overtime)

Links:
Stories: [UofA] : [rp #CW]
Stories: [USports] : [Sask]
Boxscore: [USports] : [USports-alt]

The Mutts have met their demise at the hands of the Monkeys far too often to count. It usually happens in the finals of conference playoffs, and twice at the U-Cup. So maybe they thought that a semi-final match-up would be different. And with a 2-0 3rd period lead, the odds looked pretty good. Ultimately, Sask killed themselves with too much kitty-bar-the-door. They were too defensive in the 2nd and 3rd periods, being outshot 26-12 in that period, and 36-22 on the night. Zach Sawchenko continued Alberta's goaltender rotation and stopped 20 of 22 shots for the win. Taran Kozan took the loss, despite 33 saves.

 

 

NEXT UP

 

Mar 18 New Brunswick v Saskatchewan - 8:00 CT/10:00 AT
Mar 18 St. F.X. v Alberta - 12:00 CT/2:00 AT - on SportsNet

Links:
• [U-Cup Site]
• [US U-Cup]
• [CW S&R]
• [CW LeagueStat]
• [OUA S&R]
• [OUA LeagueStat]
• [AUS S&R]

 

WOMEN'S TOURNAMENT

 

MANITOBA BISONS 2
CONCORDIA STINGERS 1
(in shoot-out)

Links:
Stories: [USports]

Boxscore: [USports]

The Bison Broads are on their way the gold medal game! They outshot the Stingers 29-22 on the night, but there were some close calls in OT. They will face the Western Ontario Urban Cowgirls in Sunday's final.

[Hollywood]

Mar 18: Monkeys Win Another

 

So another year is in the books. In the end, nothing too shocking. Here we go ...

 

NEW BRUNSWICK VARSITY REDS 5
SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 4
(in overtime)

Links:
Stories: [USports] : [rp @UNB] : [rp @CW]
Stories: [UofS]
Boxscore: [USports]

This one was not on TV. It started so early, it could have brought back memories of the Olympic coverage. The Mutts probably had just enough time after last night's game to have a quick drink from the toilet and some kibbles-and-bits. Still, they put in a credible effort, much different from the last time they played a bronze game. Once again, the Mutts built a 2-0 lead and were unable to hang on. Alexandre Goulet scored twice for the Squirrels, including the winner. Alex Dubeau got the win, with 18 saves on 22 shots. Taran Kozun got the loss, with 33 saves on 38 shots. There were a load of penalties, 14 for Sask and 11 for UNB, with one 10 minute misconduct for each side.

 

 

ST. FRANCIS XAVIER X-MEN 2
ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 4

Links:
Stories: [USports] : [SFX]
Stories: [UofA] : [rp #CW]
Boxscore: [USports] : [USports-alt]

Once again, the Monkeys fell behind 2-0, and once again they won. This was not the usual type of win for the Monkeys. In fact, they played more of a shut-down style than I have ever seen from them. The entire 3rd period was played that way, leading to little excitement for a casual observer. Zach Sawchenko was back in goal to claim the win, stopping 24 of 26 shots. Meanwhile, Chase Marchand stopped 23 pf 26 to suffer defeat. The final goal was an empty-netter.

 

In the end, there was little to choose amongst the Top 4. Of concern should be that the OUA, which encompasses Ontario and Quebec, is out of their depth. It is quite possible that a team which catches fire and has a hot goaltender could pull off an upset. But if you need to be 26-1-1 to be a true national contender, things are going to be tough. And with the coverage of SportsNet being somewhat lame, they have little reason to change when the biggest provinces seem ages away from being prime contenders. So, next year in Lethbridge it is. And I suspect we'll see the top two from the CW and top two from the AUS playing for the medals whilst the Hørny Ønes (as host) and OUA teams just make up the numbers.

 

 

NEXT UP

 

Nothing until September!

Links:
• [U-Cup Site]
• [US U-Cup]
• [CW S&R]
• [CW LeagueStat]
• [OUA S&R]
• [OUA LeagueStat]
• [AUS S&R]

 

WOMEN'S TOURNAMENT

 

MANITOBA BISONS 2
WESTERN ONTARIO MUSTANGS 0

Links:
Stories: [USports*]
Boxscore: [USports] : [USports-alt1] : [USports-alt2]

They did not televise the women's tournament this year. Too bad for Manitoba fans. I listened on the radio (UMFM). This title was a program first, so congratulations to the BISON BROADS!

[Hollywood]

WOMEN'S TOURNAMENT

The game story links are up now.

Links:
Stories: [USports] : [rp @CW]
UofM: [Game Story] : [Celebration Story]

[Hollywood]

The Other Leagues

 

The U-Cup has been awarded but that's not it for news. Last weekend saw the final two university/college titles up for grabs, and both were won by CW schools.

 

ALBERTA COLLEGES ATHLETIC CONFERENCE

MacEwan Griffins 4
NAIT Ooks 1
(MacEwan wins series 2-1.)

• [ACAC]
• [MacEwan]
• [NAIT]

After many decades of mediocrity, MacEwan has now won back-to-back conference titles, both over their cross-town rival in the process. That's a lot of good scholastic hockey in Edmontown. Pity Concordia University of Edmonton trying to fight for recognition amongst that group.

Of note, in pre-season games NAIT lost 4-3 in overtime to the Alberta Evil Monkeys and a combined NAIT/MacEwan team beat the Edmonton Greasers Rookies 2-0.

 

 

FINAL STANDINGS

 

 

PLAYOFF RESULTS

 

Quarter-finals

 

• Mar 02 Concordia 1 Red Deer College 8
• Mar 03 Red Deer College 4 Concordia 3
Red Deer College Kings defeated Concordia Thunder 2-games-to-0.

 

• Mar 02 Augustana 3 SAIT 0
• Mar 03 SAIT 2 Augustana 5
Augustana Vikings defeated SAIT Trojan 2-games-to-0.

 

Semi-finals

 

• Mar 09 Augustana 3 NAIT 4 (2OT)
• Mar 10 NAIT 4 Augustana 1
NAIT Ooks defeated Augustana Vikings 2-games-to-0.

 

• Mar 09 Red Deer College 1 MacEwan 4
• Mar 10 MacEwan 4 Red Deer College 2
MacEwan Griffins defeated Red Deer College Kings 2-games-to-0.

 

Championship Final

 

• Mar 16 MacEwan 7 NAIT 3
• Mar 17 NAIT 3 MacEwan 2
• Mar 18 MacEwan 4 NAIT 1
MacEwan Griffins defeated NAIT Ooks 2-games-to-1.

BRITISH COLUMBIA INTERCOLLEGIATE HOCKEY LEAGUE

Trinity Western Spartans 4
Selkirk Saints 1
(TWU wins series 2-0.)

• [BCIHL]
• [Trinity Western]

After losing in the finals the last two seasons, Holy Trinity turned it around this year and won the whole thing. It is their first title since 2005-06. Simon Fraser had a boatload of points deducted for use of an ineligible player earlier in the season, which cost them a playoff berth. The new program at Vancouver Island University must be satisfied with their debut season.

Of note, in non-conference play, TWU and Selkirk went a combined 1-5 against ACAC teams. Also, SFU lost twice to NCAA teams and UBC beat TWU and SFU.

 

 

FINAL STANDINGS

 

PLAYOFF RESULTS

 

Semi-finals

 

• Mar 09 Trinity Western 8 Victoria 1
• Mar 10 Victoria 3 Trinity Western 4
Trinity Western Spartans defeated Victoria Vikings 2-games-to-0.

 

• Mar 09 Vancouver Island 3 Selkirk 5
• Mar 10 Selkirk 4 Vancouver Island 3 (ot)
Selkirk Saints defeated Vancouver Island Mariners 2-games-to-0.

 

Championship Final

 

• Mar 15 Selkirk 1 Trinity Western 5
• Mar 16 Trinity Western 4 Selkirk 1
Trinity Western Spartans defeated Selkirk Saints 2-games-to-0.