2015-16 Mantoba Bisons/CIS Thread

[UNB Bruins Fan]

Bears lose again...they might be in danger of falling out of the top 10 this week. They have more losses this year than the last 2 years combined. They are also guaranteed to win fewer than 20 games for the first time since 2010-2011.

 

[Hollywood3]

Jan 30: Bisons Lose Another Game and Another Defenceman

MANITOBA BISONS 2
SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 5

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

The game did not start on a pleasant note as the Bisons, down to just 5 defencemen for Friday's game, lost yet another for Saturday's. Luke Paulsen did not suit up. I was concerned when the team had just 7 defencemen on the roster at the start of the season and now that injuries have piled up the team is in trouble. They will need to scour the campus for unaffiliated players with junior experience.

The game itself was closer than the score would indicate. The shots were 31-27 in favour of the Mutts. Jordon Cooke picked up the win and Byron Spriggs took the loss. Jordan DePape (15th) and Jonah Wasylak (2nd) had the Bison goals. DePape leads the league in goals and points.

Thw results of the weekend leave the Bisons clinging to 5th, just one point ahead of UBC and Lethbridge. Sask has wrapped up first even with 4 games remaining in the regular season.

OUT-OF-TOWN SCOREBOARD

LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS 4
U.B.C. THUNDERBIRDS 3
(in overtime)

Links:
LeagueStat: [Summary]
Boxscores: [CIS] : [CW]
Stories: [UBC] : [rp @CW] : [rp @UofL]
\
I was up late watching this one on-line. It was a very good game. UBC rallied in an attempt to break their slump but just could not do it. The Birds carried the play (marfinally) for most of the game. But the H0rny Ones had all 6 shots taken in overtime. Damien Ketlo again started for Lethbridge and stopped 23 of 26 shots through two periods. Dylan Tait stepped in to play the 3rd and stopped all 10 shots he faced. UBC stuck with Matt Hewitt, and he stopped 31 of 35 shots. UBC is on the road to face Regina next weekend and anything less than 4 points could leave them in a precarious position.

ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 3
CALGARY DINOSAURS 5

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

The Dinos built a 3-1 1st period lead. but the Monkeys pulled even in the 3rd period. Yet once again the goalending question mark arose. Bedrock U scored 2 goals on 4 shots in the 3rd period to sweep the weekend. Ryan Demharter had the start for Saudi Alberta and stopped 14 of 19 shots. Steven Stanford again started for the Dinos and stopped 23 of 26 shots. Eight different players scored the goals. This sweep causes an unexpected shake-up in the CW standings. The Dinos are now somewhat safely ensconced in 4th place, 4 points ahead of Manitoba. Alberta now falls into 3rd place, meaning they would have to win an away series to defend their title in the nationals.

REGINA COUGARS 3
MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS 7

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

The Banjo-loving Cougars gave the Bluegars a serious run for two periods. The score was tied 2-2 and Regina was outshooting MRU 28-21 at that time. But the 3rd period saw the green Cougars fall apart. MRU fired 19 shots at Mitch Kilgore and walked off with a lop-sided win. MRU continued their goaltender rotation, going with Chris Cooper. The win vaults MRU into 2nd place, one point ahead of the Evil Monkeys. And the Bluegars will face the Apes in the final weekend of the season.

STANDINGS

OUT EAST

AUS

New Brunswick 4 Moncton 3
U.P.E.I. 6 St. Thomas 3
Saint Mary's at St. F-X - rescheduled to Jan 31

OUA

York 3 W. Ontario 2
Queen's 2 McGill 3
Waterloo 5 Lakehead 4
Laurentian 2 Nipissing 4
Ryerson 1 Windsor 7

[CIS Schedule/Results]
[CIS Standings]

UP NEXT

Sun Jan 31 Saint Mary's at St. F-X
Tue Feb 02 Laurier at Guelph
Thu Feb 04 U.O.I.T. at Laurier
Thu Feb 04 R.M.C. at Queen's
Fri Feb 05 Calgary at Manitoba
Fri Feb 05 U.B.C. at Regina
Fri Feb 05 Saskatchewan at Alberta
Fri Feb 05 Mount Royal at Lethbridge
Fri Feb 05 St. Thomas at Dalhousie
Fri Feb 05 Moncton at St. F-X
Fri Feb 05 Saint Mary's at New Brunswick
Fri Feb 05 Acadia at U.P.E.I.
Fri Feb 05 Ryerson at York
Fri Feb 05 U.O.I.T. at Waterloo
Fri Feb 05 Concordia at McGill
Fri Feb 05 U.Q.T.R. at R.M.C.
Fri Feb 05 Windsor at Brock
Fri Feb 05 Lakehead at Guelph
Fri Feb 05 W. Ontario at Toronto
Fri Feb 05 Carleton at Nipissing

All CW games available at CanadaWest.tv.

 

[SP Saskatuned]

Bears vs Huskies

Those two Huskies games at Alberta should be very telling.

Yes and no ... Saskatchewan has already clinched first overall and home-ice advantage in the playoffs, so winning is no longer crucial for the Dogs in the standings. The Bears have a lot more to lose with Mount Royal Cougars ahead of them in the standings and the real possibility of Alberta finishing outside the top-two and losing the home-ice advantage that goes with in the Canada West semifinal series.

Still expect this weekend to be a good series. Could see a real bounce-back by the Bears after last weekend.

 

[RED ARMY EAST]

Bears/Huskies

It is clear that Alberta isn't the dominant team that it was in Halifax last year. Alberta is still loaded with 5'th year talent, but has shown that it is vulnerable in goal. the loss of T.J Foster up front and Jesse Craige on the backend, hasn't been replaced.
Saskatchewan, with a sweep or split, may take the Bears out of their comfort zone. This being a first round bye, including home ice advantage, that Alberta has had for years and years. You can't deny Saskatchewan's record 20-3, but how will they match up against Alberta head to head in February? On a national level, Alberta has come down a notch, but remains a possible 3-peat?
UNB has improved, especially in nets and looks better than the team that lost in the National final last year. Acadia is slightly better and UQTR looks stronger and capable of an upset on the national stage.

 

[UNB Bruins Fan]

Obviously they are struggling right now, but IMO Alberta is the favourite until they get eliminated, regardless if they play at home or on the road. I don't have any confidence in Sask/MRU knocking off the Golden Bears when it really counts. If you consistently out-shoot teams better than 2:1 you are going to win a lot more than you lose.

 

[Rob]

Yes and no ... Saskatchewan has already clinched first overall and home-ice advantage in the playoffs, so winning is no longer crucial for the Dogs in the standings. The Bears have a lot more to lose with Mount Royal Cougars ahead of them in the standings and the real possibility of Alberta finishing outside the top-two and losing the home-ice advantage that goes with in the Canada West semifinal series.

Still expect this weekend to be a good series. Could see a real bounce-back by the Bears after last weekend.

Oh. I didn't realize they already clinched. Good news for the program.

Considering that Canada West is sending two teams I would be shocked if the Bears aren't going to Nationals again.

 

[Hollywood3]

Preview: Feb 5-6: Calgary at Manitoba

BEDROCK BOYS IN TOWN FOR BISONS' FINAL HOMESTAND

CALGARY DINOSAURS (11-9-4, 16-14-4, OHT36 #11)
MANITOBA BISONS (10-12-2, 11-17-2, OHT36 #15)

Friday, February 5th, 7:00 CST @ Wayne Fleming Arena
Saturday, February 6th, 1:00 CST @ Wayne Fleming Arena

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

Manitoba Links:
:. [Team Site]
:. [LS Stats] : [LS Schedule/Results]
:. [Twitter] : [Facebook]

Calgary Links:
:. [Team Site]
:. [LS Stats] : [LS Schedule/Results]
:. [Twitter] : [Facebook]

Other Links:
:. [CIS Site] : [Schedule/Results/Links] : [Standings] : [Top 10]
:. [CW Site] : [Schedule/Results/Links]
:. [CW Weekend Preview]

Previous Games:
:. [2015-10-30 Man 3 Cal 1 ]
:. [2015-10-31 Man 5 Cal 2 ]

The Town of Bedrock once again has some optimism for the Dinos. They have done well in recent years and seemed to be the CW's #2 team, just behind the Evil Monkeys. Mid-way through this season they were flirting with 7th place. Hpweber, a 6-1-1 record in the 2nd semester has boosted them to 4th place, a full 4 points ahead of the Bisons. Included in that stretch are sweeps of MRU and Alberta, no easy task.

The Bisons are only 3-5-0 this semester. In last weekend's losses to Sask, they started play with 5 defencemen and on Saturday were down to 4. Brock Sutherland has not played since Christmas and Rene Hunter missed all last weekend. Then Luke Paulsen missed Saturday's game. Calgary lacks Sask's offenseive punch, but still the Bisons will need a full compliment of healthy rear-guards to win games.

The Herd's leading scorers are amongst the conference's best. Jordan DePape leads the league, and Brett Stovin (12th) and Shaq Merasty (16th) are also in the Top 20. Calgary has Chris Collins (9th) and Elfin Pearce (13th) to brag about.

The big question mark for Calgary heading into the season was in goal. In recent seasons they had not one but two national elite goaltenders (Lazaruk and DeSerres). This year they have Steven Stanford (2.82 GAA, .893 S%, 8-5-4), a red shirt last year after having played at UBC, and veteran backup Myles Hovdebo (3.02 GAA, .880 S%, 3-4-0). Stanford has had some good performances lately. However his career .897 S% woiuld indicate that he is basically playing to his accustomed level.

The Bison goaltending has been decent. It appears that the team has settled upon the rotation method. I prefer to rate goaltenders by save percentage and by that measure Justin Paulic (3.40 GAA, .904 S%. 5-5-1) is 5th and Byron Spriggs (3.50 GAA, .897 S%, 5-7-1) is 9th in th CW. Those two have had comparable stats for most of the season.

The two sides have been very evenly matched over the past 5 years. Each team has 10 wins, and Bisons hold the edge in points, 25-21.

Saturday's matinee is Seniors Day, as it is for all teams in their final home game. However, the Bisons have no 5th year players. Perhaps some of their four 4th year players are graduating. At the other end of the scale the Bisons have 9 rookies and Bedrock has none.

ELSEWHERE:

SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES (21-3-0, 24-4-0, OHT36 #1)
ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS (15-7-2, 21-9-4, OHT36 #4)

Links:
:. [UofA Preview]
:. [UofS Sute]

At one time this series had the prospect of being the marquee match-up in the entire CIS. However, Sask has clinched 1st and no doubt spent the entire week in hootananny mode, with banjo music and moonshine for everybody. Will this give the Evil Monkeys the edge? Since they have slumped to 3rd place, it had better. The Monkeys are not accustomed to playing in the quarter-finals and then on the road in the semi-finals.

U.B.C. THUNDERBIRDS (9-11-4, 10-14-5, OHT36 #14)
REGINA COUGARS (5-19-0, 7-22-0, OHT36 #31)

Links:
:. [UofR Preview]
:. [UBC Preview]

The Banjocats will have a lot of well-wishers in their final homestand of a disappointing season. If they could hold the Birds to something less than 4 points they will be shipped new kazoos from everybody in Calgary, Manitoba, and Lethbridge. IMO they have a reasonable shot at doing just that. My thought is they will have at least one strong performance, which may or may not be enough. Regina has had it rough all year, and are 1-7-0 in the new year. However, UBC is not much better at 1-6-1. UBC reached their high-water mark at the end of October when they swept Regina out in British California. They then went 2-5-1 to end the 1st semester. That means for November through January they were a dismal 3-11-2.

MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS (15-6-3, 17-9-3, OHT36 #6)
LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS (10-13-1, 16-15-1, OHT36 #18)

Links:
:. [MRU Site]
:. [UofL Preview]

This is a home-and-home series of vital importance to both sides. MRU is one point up on Alberta in the fight for 2nd, whilst Lethbridge is a point behind UBC and Manitoba in the race for 5th and 6th places. Last year MRU faded down the stretch and lost out to Calgary in the race for 2nd. To get 2nd place this year they need to do things like sweep a good, but not great, team like the H0rny Ones. The Bluegars have gone 6-1-1 in the new year, which has been what has enabled them to pip Alberta. Lethbridge split with the Bisons 2 weeks ago and that seemed to put them on the verge of elimination. But the sweep in UBC has changed their outlook.

OUT EAST:

Link: [CIS Schedule/Results Page]

OUA

Tue Feb 02
Laurier 1 Guelph 5

Thu Feb 04
U.O.I.T. 3 Laurier 2
R.M.C. 2 Queen's 6

Fri Feb 05
Ryerson at York
U.O.I.T. at Waterloo
Concordia at McGill
U.Q.T.R. at R.M.C.
Windsor at Brock
Lakehead at Guelph
W. Ontario at Toronto
Carleton at Nipissing

AUS

Sun Jan 31
Saint Mary's 4 St. F-X 2

Fri Feb 05
St. Thomas at Dalhousie
Moncton at St. F-X
Saint Mary's at New Brunswick
Acadia at U.P.E.I.

 

[Hollywood3]

Feb 5: Bison Win Tightens Playoff Race

CALGARY DINOSAURS 4
MANITOBA BISONS 6

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

It is very hard to predict how teams in the CW will fare from one week to the next. Last weekend the Dinos swept the Evil Monkeys whilst the Bisons were swept by the Mutts. On Friday the teams switched partners and the swept became the victors. The Bisons needed a win to maintain a chance at 4th place and a home playoff series, and now they have it.

I tried in vain to access the game through CanadaWest.tv while attending my son's game. No luck. The folks at Stretch Internet have not been doing well lately in my books. Anyhow, the Bisons had Rene Hunter back in the line-up, so they had 5 defencemen. Brock Sutherland and Luke Paulsen remain on the shelf.

The 2nd period was a wild one, as each side scored 3 times. Jordan DePape (16th) and Jonah Wasyluk (3rd) scored in the 1st period and the Bisons led the game 2-1. The Herd then built a 5-2 lead in the 2nd on goals from Rene Hunter (4th), Jordyn Boyd (1st), and Liam Bilton (6th). However, two late goals 38 seconds apart allowed Bedrock U to make it 5-4 going into the intermission. Then, all of a sudden, the teams played some D. In the 3rd period the Dinos had just 6 shots and the only goal was DePape's empty-netter.

Byron Spriggs got the win, stopping 22 of 26 shots. Steven Stanford took the loss and stopped 30 of 36 shots.

OUT-OF-TOWN SCOREBOARD

U.B.C. THUNDERBIRDS 5
REGINA COUGARS 3

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

UBC badly need a sweep of this series and they got off to a good start. This was a wide-open affair featuring 47 shots by UBC and 34 by Regina. So a split for Regina is not completely out of the question. This game was not decided until UBC scored an empty-netter. Eric Williams got the win and Dawson MacAuley took the loss.

SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 0
ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 3

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

I was able to see a bit of this and this was a penalty filled game. There were 68 minutes in penalties in the 3rd period. The oft-maligned Luke Siemens stopped 23 shots for the shut-out. Jordon Cooke stopped 22 of the 25 shots he faced.

MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS 7
LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS 1

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

After last weekend, the Horny Ones had their hopes up. But what a one-sided loss. The shots were enormous - 48-44 in favour of MRU. The Bluegars kept to their recent rotation schedule, starting Cam Lanigan in goal. Meanwhile, Damien Ketlo started but split the game with Dyland Tait. If Lethbridge loses again on Saturday, and Manitoba and UBC win their games, then Lethbridge will be mathematically eliminated from playoff contention.

OUT EAST

AUS

St. Thomas 1 Dalhousie 4
Moncton 2 St. F-X 4
Saint Mary's 2 New Brunswick 6
Acadia 2 U.P.E.I. 1 (so)

OUA

Ryerson 4 York 3 (ot)
U.O.I.T. 4 Waterloo 8
Concordia 3 McGill 7
U.Q.T.R. at R.M.C. ppd
Windsor 7 Brock 1
Lakehead 2 Guelph 6
W. Ontario 4 Toronto 3
Carleton 1 Nipissing 4

[CIS Schedule/Results]
[CIS Standings]

NEXT UP

Sat Feb 06
Calgary at Manitoba 1:00 pm CST
Saskatchewan at Alberta 6:00 pm MST
Lethbridge at Mount Royal 6:00 pm MST
U.B.C. at Regina 7:00 pm CST
Moncton at Dalhousie
Acadia at New Brunswick
St. Thomas at St. F-X
Saint Mary's at U.P.E.I.
Windsor at W. Ontario
Brock at York
Queen's at Waterloo
U.Q.T.R. at Nipissing
Lakehead at Guelph
Ryerson at Toronto
Carleton at Laurentian

Sun Feb 07
Concordia at R.M.C.
Queen's at Laurier

All CW games available at CanadaWest.tv.

 

[Hollywood3]

Feb 6: Herd Dominate Dinos

CALGARY DINOSAURS 2
MANITOBA BISONS 5

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

The Bisons are down one more defenceman as Lee Christensen did not answer the bell. That left them with just four defencemen for this matinee against Bedrock U. The short-staffed defence did a great job, especially as the game wore on. The Dinos had 9 shots in the 1st period, down to 5 in the 2nd, and just 3 in the 3rd. No defenceman took a penalty, which could have messed things up.

The Dinos opened scoring in the 1st period on Dylan Walchuk's 8th of the season. It was a counter-attack after some early pressure from the Bisons and a save-of-the-season from goaltender Steven Stanford. Here's the picture:

Stanford made several other top-notch saves throughout the game. The Bisons were not padding their shot total with feeble attempts. Their 35 shots produced 5 goals and at least that many more which were labelled. IMO Stanford had a strong game, which belies the game stats.

As the 1st period progressed the Bisons took control. Shaq Merasty (his 13th) tied the game and then Jordan DePape (his 18th) gave the Bisons the lead.

The 2nd period saw the Dinos level the game. Elgin Pearce (his 11th) tied the game after so,e sustained pressure had the Bisons running around in circles. The Herd gathered themselves thereafter and controlled most of the play. Warren Callis (his 6th) and Liam Bilton (his 7th) gave them a 4-2 lead heading home.

The 3rd period was a picture-perfect example of protecting a lead. Not only did the Bisons score the only goal (Jesse Paradis with his 4th), they surrendered just 3 shots.

Justin Paulic had a steady game in goal as the Bisons continued to rotate their goaltenders. He stopped 15 of 17 shots. Stanford stopped 30 of 35 for the Dinos.

It was nice to see the Bisons close their home schedule with such an excellent performance. Their home record has been worse than their road record. They had just two 4-point hometands (against Alberta and Calgary), one 3-pointer (against Regina), and a 2-pointer (against UBC). Amazingly, they had three 0-pointers (against Lethbridge, Sask, and Moiunt Royal. That's 6-7-1 overall.

It is also odd that against last year's top two teams (Monkeys and Dinos) they went a combined 7-0-1.

As we head to the evening games, the Bisons and Dinos are tied for 4th place, 2 points up on UBC and 5 points up on Lethbridge. The Bisons hold the tie-breaker. Both will clinch playoff berths if Lethbridge loses to MRU.

I believe this was the play where Merasty was called for goaltender interference.

OUT-OF-TOWN SCOREBOARD

All the rest are night games.

 

[Hollywood3]

Feb 6: Nightly Wrap-Up

OUT-OF-TOWN SCOREBOARD

U.B.C. THUNDERBIRDS 1
REGINA COUGARS 2

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

This is what happens when a Tweety-Bird tot he taw a puddy-tat and there is no old lady around to clobber it with her umbrella. The Banjocats are not an automatic 2 points, especially on home ice. And especially not when they are facing a team as ice-cold as UBC. The 'Birds are now on a 2-11-1 run. All goals were scored in the 1st period. Both sides switched their goaltenders after Friday's busy night. Mark Hewitt took the loss and Mitch Kilgore got the win. The shots were even at 29-29.

SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 2
ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 5

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

The Banjomutts suffered their first sweep of the season. With 1st place wrapped up, though, it has no impact on their standings. The win allows the Monkeys to keep pace with MRU in the race for 2nd. The Monkeys jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the 2nd period, however by the intermission the Mutts had made it 3-2. The 3rd period was pure dominance for the Monkeys. They outshot the Mutts 16-3 and in the end pulled away easily. Once again, Luke Siemens got the win and Jordon Cooke took the loss. Seven different players scored goals.

LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS 1
MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS 3

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

The H0rny Ones badly needed a win this weekend and in the end never even got a point. They were somewhat fortunate that Regina helped them out against UBC. The results leave them 3 points behind UBC. Since Lethbridge holds the tiebreaker they will have some level of hope. MRU held period leads of 3-0 and 3-1. In the 3rd period they held Lethbridge to just 4 shots, a common theme on the night for teams golding leads. Colin Cooper got the win, stopping 24 of 25 shots. Damien Ketlo took the loss, stopping 30 of 33 shots.

STANDINGS

OUT EAST

AUS

Moncton 2 Dalhousie 0
Acadia 4 New Brunswick 7
St. Thomas 1 St. F-X 7
Saint Mary's 6 U.P.E.I. 2

OUA

U.Q.T.R. 13 R.M.C. 0 (not reported Friday)
Windsor 1 W. Ontario 5
Brock 0 York 1 (so)
Queen's 5 Waterloo 4 (ot)
U.Q.T.R. 8 Nipissing 1
Lakehead 2 Guelph 1 (ot)
Ryerson 5 Toronto 0
Carleton 4 Laurentian 0

[CIS Schedule/Results]
[CIS Standings]

NEXT UP

Sun Feb 07 Concordia at R.M.C.
Sun Feb 07 Queen's at Laurier
Wed Feb 10 Dalhousie at Saint Mary's
Wed Feb 10 Acadia at St. F-X
Wed Feb 10 New Brunswick at St. Thomas
Wed Feb 10 U.P.E.I. at Moncton
Wed Feb 10 W. Ontario at Ryerson
Wed Feb 10 Queen's at R.M.C.
Wed Feb 10 U.Q.T.R. at Concordia
Thu Feb 11 Toronto at Guelph
Fri Feb 12 Regina at Saskatchewan
Fri Feb 12 Lethbridge at Calgary
Fri Feb 12 Alberta at Mount Royal
Fri Feb 12 Manitoba at U.B.C.
Fri Feb 12 Saint Mary's at Acadia
Fri Feb 12 Moncton at St. Thomas
Fri Feb 12 Dalhousie at St. F-X
Fri Feb 12 New Brunswick at U.P.E.I.
Fri Feb 12 Windsor at York
Fri Feb 12 U.Q.T.R. at Carleton
Fri Feb 12 Laurier at Lakehead
Fri Feb 12 Waterloo at Brock
Fri Feb 12 Laurentian at U.O.I.T.
Fri Feb 12 Nipissing at Queen's
Fri Feb 12 McGill at Concordia
Sat Feb 13 Mount Royal at Alberta
Sat Feb 13 Saskatchewan at Regina
Sat Feb 13 Calgary at Lethbridge
Sat Feb 13 Manitoba at U.B.C.
Sat Feb 13 Waterloo at W. Ontario
Sat Feb 13 Laurier at Lakehead
Sat Feb 13 R.M.C. at Carleton
Sat Feb 13 Nipissing at U.O.I.T.
Sat Feb 13 York at Toronto
Sat Feb 13 Laurentian at Queen's

All CW games available at CanadaWest.tv.

 

[Hollywood3]

Playoff scenarios

There are currently 3 races going into the final weekend. Here's the details:

2nd place: MRU and Alberta

The teams play one another in a two game home-and-home series. MRU is ahead by one point and in head-to-head play lead 3-2 on points. To end up tied, Alberta would have to win the series 3-2 on points, meaning they would be tied 5-5 on points. So we need to go to the tie-breaking criteria here: http://www.canadawest.org/member_info/Ice_Hockey_-_Men_2015-16_FINAL_-1-.PDF

The teams would be even in wins, so GF-GA would be used. Alberta leads that by 11 so unless MRU wins by 12 and loses by 1, Alberta would get it.

So, MRU needs a regulation win to ensure 2nd place.

4th place: Manitoba, Calgary, and UBC

Manitoba and Calgary each have 26 points and are assured of playoff berths. UBC has 24 points and could finish from 4th to 7th. Manitoba plays at UBC, Calgary plays home-and-home with Lethbridge.

Manitoba beat Calgary 8-0 on points. UBC beat Calgary 5-4 on points. UBC leads Manitoba 3-2 on points.

A 3-way tie could happen if UBC beats Manitoba twice in overtime and Calgary gets 2 points against Lethbridge (either one win and one loss, or two OTLs). If so, it would be Manitoba 4th, UBC 5th, and Calgary 6th.

Here are the various scenarios:

Manitoba wins 4-0 or 4-1 on points:
- Manitoba gets 4th, Calgary 5th, UBC or Lethbridge 6th.

Manitoba wins 4-2 on points:
- Manitoba gets 4th.
- If Calgary gets 1 or more points, they are 5th and UBC 6th.
- If Calgary gets 0 points, UBC gets 5th and Calgary 6th.

Manitoba wins 3-2 points:
- If Calgary gets 4 points they get 4th, Manitoba 5th, and UBC 6th.
- If Calgary gets 3 points or less Manitoba gets 4th.
- If Calgary gets from 1 to 3 points, they are 5th and UBC 6th.
- If Calgary gets 0 points, UBC is 5th and Calgary 6th.

Manitoba and UBC split with 3 points each:
- If Calgary gets 4 points, they are 4th, Manitoba 5th, and UBC 6th.
- If Calgary gets 3 points or less, Manitoba is 4th.
- If Calgary gets 2 or 3 points, they are 5th and UBC 6th.
- If Calgary gets 0 or 1 point(s), UBC is 5th and Calgary 6th.

Manitoba and UBC split with 2 points each:
- If Calgary gets 3 or 4 points, they are 4th, Manitoba 5th, and UBC 6th.
- If Calgary gets 2 points or less, Manitoba is 4th.
- If Calgary gets 1 or 2 points, they are 5th and UBC 6th.
- If Calgary gets 0 points, UBC is 5th and Calgary 6th.

UBC wins 3-2 on points:
- If Calgary gets 3 or 4 points, they are 4th, Manitoba 5th, and UBC 6th.
- If Calgary gets 2 points or less, Manitoba is 4th.
- If Calgary gets 2 points, they are 5th and UBC 6th.
- If Calgary gets 0 or 1 point(s), UBC is 5th and Calgary 6th.

UBC wins 4-2 on points:
- If Calgary gets 3 or 4 points, they are 4th, UBC 5th, and Manitoba 6th.
- If Calgary gets 2 points, the 3-way tie applies, i.e. Manitoba 4th, UBC 5th, Calgary 6th.
- If Calgary gets 0 or 1 point(s), UBC is 4th, Manitoba 5th, and Calgary 6th.

UBC wins 4-1 on points:
- If Calgary gets 3 or 4 points, they are 4th, UBC 5th, and Manitoba 6th.
- If Calgary gets 2 points, UBC is 4th, Calgary 5th, and Manitoba 6th.
- If Calgary gets 0 or 1 point(s), UBC is 4th, Manitoba 5th, and Calgary 6th.

UBC wins 4-0 on points:
- If Calgary gets 3 or 4 points, they are 4th, UBC 5th, and Manitoba 6th.
- If Calgary gets 1 or 2 points, UBC is 4th, Calgary 5th, and Manitoba 6th.
- If Calgary gets 0 point, UBC is 4th, Manitoba 5th, and Calgary 6th.

6th place: UBC and Lethbridge

UBC has 24 points and Lethbridge has 21. Lethbridge won the season series 8-2 on points.

If Lethbridge get 2 or fewer points, UBC is 6th and Lethbridge 7th.

If Lethbridge gets 3 points and UBC gets 1 or more points, UBC is 6th and Lethbridge 7th.

If Lethbridge gets 3 points and UBC gets 0 points, Lethbridge is 6th and UBC 7th.

If Lethbridge gets 4 points and UBC gets 2 or more points, UBC is 6th and Lethbridge 7th.

If Lethbridge gets 4 points and UBC gets 0 or 1 point(s), Lethbridge is 6th and UBC 7th.

 

[Hollywood3]

Mid-week links

- [Hockey playoff picture: Plenty to play for in final regular season weekend]

- @The Manitoban: [Bisons outlast Calgary 6-4 in men’s hockey]
- @Winnipeg Sun re basketball: [Could get even better for Bisons men's basketball team]

- @Edmonton Journal: [Sixth-place in CIS hockey rankings not up to storied Golden Bears' standards]
- @The Gateway: [Puck Bears sweep Huskies, close in on first round bye]

 

[Hollywood3]

Preview: Feb 12-13: Manitoba at UBC

BISONS BATTLE BIRDS ON FINAL WEEKEND

MANITOBA BISONS (12-12-2, 13-17-2, OHT36 #11)
U.B.C. THUNDERBIRDS (10-12-4, 11-15-5, OHT36 #18)

Friday, February 12th, 7:00 PST/9:00 CST @ UBC
Saturday, February 13th, 7:00 PST/9:00 CST @ UBC

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

Manitoba Links:
:. [Team Site]
:. [LS Stats] : [LS Schedule/Results]
:. [Twitter] : [Facebook]

UBC Links:
:. [UBC Preview Story]
:. [LS Stats] : [LS Schedule/Results]
:. [Twitter] : [Facebook]

Other Links:
:. [CIS Site] : [Schedule/Results/Links] : [Standings] : [Top 10]
:. [CW Site] : [Schedule/Results/Links]

Previous Games:
:. [2015-10-24 UBC 4 Man 2 ]
:. [2015-10-25 Man 3 UBC 2 (ot) ]

The end of the regular season has come quickly this year. The long weekend would be a nice time to have some home games, but instead the Herd is off to British California. The Bisons have earned themselves the inside track in the race for 4th place, which would mean a home series in next weekend's quarter-final round.

The Tweety-Birds started hot and have cooled down as the season has progressed. When they visited the U of M back in October they played very well in a split series, where they came out with 3 points. At the end of October they were 6-0-2. Since then they have gone 4-12-2, including 2-7-1 in the new year.

Both sides have been rotating their goaltenders. UBC's Matt Hewitt has the 2nd best save percentage (.920) in the league and he has started 14 times, whilst Eric Williams has started 12. For the Bisons, after being neck-and-neck all year, a couple of recent strong performances have moved Justin Paulic ahead of Byron Spriggs in the Bison stats.

One stat on which to keep an eye is the scoring race. Jordan DePape has a 3 point lead over Tyler Fiddler of MRU for the conference scoring title. The Bisons have two other top 20 scorers, namely Shaq Merasty (9th at 13-13-26) and Brett Stovin (14th at 11-14-25) in a tightly bunched list of scorers. Meanwhile, the only Bird in the top 20 is Anthony Bardaro (11th at 10-16-26).

ELSEWHERE:

CALGARY DINOSAURS (11-11-4, 16-16-4, OHT36 #12)
LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS (10-15-1, 16-17-1, OHT36 #20)

Links:
:. [UofC Preview]
:. [UofL Sute]

This is the only game on the out-of-town scoreboard of interest to either the Bisons or the Birds. If the H0rny Ones could win on Friday the Bisons would be able to ensure 4th place wih a win.

No matter what happens, Lethbridge have to be happy with their dramatic improvement from a year ago. In fact, they entered the season with 3 straight last place finishes during which they won a grand total of 11 games. They already have 10 wins this year. They have not made the playoffs since 2009, so coming close is at least something. (To be fair, they finished 5th in 2010 and 2011 and 6th in 2012. However, only 4 teams made the playoffs in those seasons.)

The Dinos have had a funny season. After missing the playoffs and finishing 7th out of 7 teams in 2009, they have finished 2nd and 4th three times each. The last two seasons they have finished 2nd and lost the conference final both seasons. They returned most of their key players, the notable exception being in goal where they lost two all-stars (Deserres and Lazaruk). After seeing Steven Stanford last weekend, it seems they have a capable goaltender. He made the save of the season off Jesse Paradis.

Last weekend Bedrock U walked into Manitoba having swept Mount Royal and Alberta on back-to-back weekends. Everybody speculated that the Dinos had found themselves and were set to roll. Right now it seems that they are as unpredictable as the rest of the conference.

ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS (17-7-2, 23-9-4, OHT36 #5)
MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS (17-6-3, 19-9-3, OHT36 #6)

Links:
:. [MRU Preview]
:. [UofA Preview]

This is another home-and-home and in this one 2nd place is at stake. The 2nd place team gets a bye past the quarter-final round and then gets to host a semi-final series. The Evil Monkeys have not had to win on the road to qualify for the nationals since 1997. In fact, since 1998 they have finished 1st every season except for the time the Bisons edged them out in 2012. So many times this year the Monkeys have had a good weekend, causing everybody to think they are about to go on a roll and crush everybody. So I take with a grain of salt their dramatic sweep of Saskatchewan last weekend. Not that I doubt the Apes. (They have outshot their oppoenent every game this season, often by large margins, and lead the league in goals scored and fewest goals allowed.) It just seems that teams in the CW believe they can beat them now.

MRU has not drawn the praise they deserve. They could be a top 3 team in the final OHT36 rankings with a win this weekend. The checking job they did on the Bisons when I saw them live was masterful. Don't count them out. One regulation win would give them 2nd place.

REGINA COUGARS (6-20-0, 8-23-0, OHT36 #31)
SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES (21-5-0, 24-6-0, OHT36 #2)

Links:
:. [UofR Preview]
:. [UofS Site]

This series has no impact whatsoever on the final standings. Sask has had 1st place clinched for 2 weeks now and Regina has been pulling up the rear all season. Nevertheless, this is the Battle of Saskatchewan, a home-and-home series. The arguments shall rage over who plays the best banjo music, whose outhouses are the best, and who makes the better moonshine. Cats vs Dogs. North vs South. Green Guys vs Green Guys. I would have expected the Mutts to rest up some players. But after being swept last weekend, and getting a bye next weekend, they might need these games to get the team tuned up for the semi-final round.

OUT EAST:

Link: [CIS Schedule/Results Page]

OUA

Tue Feb 09
W. Ontario 2 Ryerson 1 (ot)

Wed Feb 10
Queen's 3 R.M.C. 4 (ot)
U.Q.T.R. 6 Concordia 5 (ot)

Thu Feb 11
Toronto at Guelph

Fri Feb 12
Windsor at York
U.Q.T.R. at Carleton
Laurier at Lakehead
Waterloo at Brock
Laurentian at U.O.I.T.
Nipissing at Queen's
McGill at Concordia

Sat Feb 13
Waterloo at W. Ontario
Laurier at Lakehead
R.M.C. at Carleton
Nipissing at U.O.I.T.
York at Toronto
Laurentian at Queen's

AUS

Wed Feb 10
Dalhousie 3 Saint Mary's 9
Acadia 1 St. F-X 4
New Brunswick 4 St. Thomas 0
U.P.E.I. 1 Moncton 3

Fri Feb 12
Saint Mary's at Acadia
Moncton at St. Thomas
Dalhousie at St. F-X
New Brunswick at U.P.E.I.

 

[SP Saskatuned]

DOGS' DEPLETED D
It seems like the Manitoba Bisons aren't the only Canada West team short of D-men these days. Lost in the Alberta-Saskatchewan series is the fact that the Huskies had only two regulars — Kendall McFaull and Connor Cox — playing D on Saturday along with David Stumborg, who is usually the No. 6 or No 7 D, and former pro motorbike racer Brett McCormick, who was pressed into full-time duty Saturday. (McCormick never played any junior hockey whatsoever. He's a former video coach with the Huskies who played senior hockey last season before trying out for the team this fall.)
Also seeing action on the blueline was forward Parker Thomas, a Manitoba boy:
http://thestarphoenix.com/sports/lo...r-thomas-displays-versatility-for-hockey-dogs

 

[Hollywood3]

Feb 12: Bisons Lose Opener

MANITOBA BISONS 2
U.B.C. THUNDERBIRDS 3

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

I dozed off during the 2nd intermission and awoke to see the Bisons lost. The Bisons got off to a quick start and could have had a big lead. However, it was just 1-0 for the Bisons after one, and tied 2-2 after two.

Liam Bilton scored his 8th and Justin Augert his 5th for the Bisons. Austin Vetteri, Jessi Hilton, and Nick Buonassisi scored for UBC. Eric Williams got the win, stopping 26 of 28 shots. Byron Spriggs took the loss, stopping 32 of 35 shots.

The win assures UBC of a playoff berth and tied them with Manitoba. Both teams would place 4th if they win and Calgary loses in regulation, 5th if they win and Calgary gets at least a point, and 6th if they lose.

OUT-OF-TOWN SCOREBOARD

LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS 4
CALGARY DINOSAURS 5
(in overtime)
Links:
LeagueStat: [Summary]
Boxscores: [CIS] : [CW]
Stories: [UofC] : [rp @CW] : [@UofL]

The H0rny Ones scored twice in the first 1:10 of the game. However, by the end of the 1st period they were down 3-2. They rallied to force OT but in the end ran out of Viagra. Bedrock U had the shots edge, 42-25. Steven Stanford got the win and Damien Ketlo the loss. The result eliminates Lethbridge. Calgary needs one point on Saturday to clinch 4th. If they lose in regulation they will finish 5th.

ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 8
MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS 4

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

The Evil Monkeys racked up a serious win on the road. Mount Royal needs to win the return match in regulation to claim 2nd. MRU became the first team to lead the shot clock against the Monkeys all season, by 27-26. The Monkeys out this one away with 5 goals on 11 shots in the 2nd period. Luke Siemens got the win and Cam Lanigan the loss.

REGINA COUGARS 3
SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 5

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

The least significant match-up of the weekend. First beat worst. No shock there. The Banjocats actually held a 3-2 lead in the 2nd period. The Mutts outshot the Kittens 43-31 on the night. Jorodn Cooke got the win and Dawson McAuley took the loss.

OUT EAST

AUS

Fri Feb 12
Saint Mary's 2 Acadia 3 (ot)
Moncton 8 St. Thomas 7
Dalhousie 3 St. F-X 2 (ot)
New Brunswick 4 U.P.E.I. 1

OUA

Thu Feb 11
Toronto 1 Guelph 6

Fri Feb 12
Windsor 4 York 3 (ot)
U.Q.T.R. 3 Carleton 2 (so)
Laurier 2 Lakehead 1
Waterloo 5 Brock 0
Laurentian 0 U.O.I.T. 1 (ot)
Nipissing 3 Queen's 2 (ot)
McGill 2 Concordia 4

[CIS Schedule/Results]
[CIS Standings]

NEXT UP

Sat Feb 13
Mount Royal at Alberta 6:00 pm MST
Saskatchewan at Regina 7:00 pm CST
Calgary at Lethbridge 7:00 pm MST
Manitoba at U.B.C. 7:00 pm PST
Waterloo at W. Ontario
Laurier at Lakehead
R.M.C. at Carleton
Nipissing at U.O.I.T.
York at Toronto
Laurentian at Queen's

All CW games available at CanadaWest.tv.

 

[Hollywood3]

Feb 13: Bisons Win, Finish 4th

MANITOBA BISONS 5
U.B.C. THUNDERBIRDS 2

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

While attending a show by Winnipeg punk rockers Propagandhi, I was following the LeagueStat scoreboard, much to my delight. Coach Sirant must have shipped his last bottle of Viagra to the H0rny Ones to help them beat the Dinos. Then his own charges took care of the rest.

The striking aspect of the summary is that Justin Paulic had a great night. He was first star and made 23 saves on 25 shots through two periods. Then the Bisons slammed the door in the 3rd, yielding just 5 shots whilst holding a 3-2, then a 4-2, and finally a 5-2 lead.

Jordyn Boyd (his 2nd) and Jordan DePape (his 19th) gave the Bisons a 2-0 1st period lead. Jessi Hilton (his 6th) put the Birds on the board before the period was over.

In the 2nd period, Kyle Becker (his 4th) made it a 2-2 game. However, Liam Bilton (his 9th) restored the lead for the Bisons. At that point, the shots were 25-14 in favour of UBC.

The 3rd period saw the Bisons go into shutdown mode. Giving up only 5 shots will usually preserve a lead. Brett Stovin scored his 12th and Shaw Merasty his 14th to insure the victory, and 4th place. When your best players are your best players, you usually win.

UBC also went away from their goaltending rotation, starting Eric Williams once again. He stopped 17 of 22 shots. In contrast, the Bisons continued their rotation, switching from Spriggs to Paulic.

As an added bonus, Jordan DePape wrapped up the conference scoring title.

OUT-OF-TOWN SCOREBOARD

CALGARY DINOSAURS 2
LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS 5

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

After Friday's loss the Bisons needed some help from the H0rny Ones. And it looks like they have Dylan Tait to thank. He backstopped the Horns to victory by stopping 43 of the 45 shots he faced. The game turned around in the 2nd period when Bedrock U outshot the Horns 20-10, yet were outscored 3-0. Steven Stanford took the loss for the Dinos. Lethbridge was led offensively by Mitch Makin, who scored his first two goals of the season to be the unlikely leader. Bedrock also dressed just 19 players for the game. Mr. Slate will not be happy with this.

MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS 0
ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 2

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

This was a very atypical victory for the Evil Monkeys. It was a low scoring, low shots on goal kind of a game. The shots were just 22-20 in favour of the Monkeys. The only goals were a powerplay goal in the last minute of the 1st period and an empty-netter. Luke Siemens got the shutout victory and Chris Collins took the loss for the Bluegars. MRU is a good defensive team, so they should have been comfortable with this style of play. There must be some level of disappointment for MRU, after losing the race for 2nd to Calgary last year and Alberta this year, and having the lead in both cases late in the season.

SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 3
REGINA COUGARS 4

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

There is joy in Regina as a dismal season ends with a win in the Battle of the Banjos. I hear that for the win the Regina campus will get one roll of store-bought toilet paper for each outhouse, courtesy of Premier Wall. Combined with new kazoos for their symphony orchestra, things are really looking up in Regina.

In goal, Mitch Kilgore got the win and Blake Voth took the loss, each making 27 saves in a very tight game. Regina built a 3-0 lead in the 1st period but by the end of the 2nd it was 3-3. The Mutts tied the game at the 19:32 mark and there must have been quite the brouhaha afterwards. Each team had two players get 4 minutes for roughing and a 10 minute misconduct.

STANDINGS

OUT EAST

AUS

no games

OUA

Sat Feb 13
Waterloo 5 W. Ontario 2
Laurier 3 Lakehead 4
R.M.C. 0 Carleton 8
Nipissing 2 U.O.I.T. 3 (ot)
York 1 Toronto 4
Laurentian 0 Queen's 4

[CIS Schedule/Results]
[CIS Standings]

NEXT UP

Playoff schedules are TBA. The match-ups are like this:

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

OUA West
York v Toronto
W. Ontario v Laurier
Huelph v Ryerson
Waterloo v Windsor

OUA East
UQTR v Laurentian
McGill v Concordia
Carleton v Nipissing
Queen's v UOIT

Atlantic
Byes: New Brunsiwck and St. FX
Acadia v UPEI
Saint Mary's v Moncton

 

[recruiter]

Waterloo vs Ryerson
Guelph vs Windsor.

 

[Hollywood3]

Waterloo vs Ryerson
Guelph vs Windsor.

The CIS standings list Guelph as 3rd:
http://english.cis-sic.ca/sports/mice/2015-16/standings-conf

But the OUA gives 3rd to Waterloo:
http://oua.ca/sports/mice/2015-16/standings

I suspect the OUA is correct.

 

[Hollywood3]

Sunday morning links update

At some point late Saturday night/early Sunday morning, the CW site developed some glitches. On the [Schedule/Results Page], and many links to "Boxscores" from throughout the season suddenly vanished. Many random sampled links to "Recap" (i.e. game stories) now link to a different game. It seems that the old links I included with prior posts still work. For February 13th, no current links exist for boxscores for Sask at Regina and MRU at Alberta. Nor is there a link to the Manitoba at UBC game story, or "recap".

Also, the standings expunged the records of Lethbridge and Regina. Both teams were listed at 0-0-0 etc. The standings at LeagueStat did include their records.

Other links were just added late:

Feb 12: Regina at Sask:
:. [Game Story rp @UofR]
:. [Saskatoon Star-Phoenix Story]

Feb 13: Manitoba at UBC:
:. [Game Story rp @UofM]
:. [Boxscore @UofM]

PLAYOFF SCHEDULE

While I was writing the above, the various playoff schedules were posted at these links:
:. [CIS]
:. [Canada West]
:. [Ontario]
:. [Atlantic]

Wed Feb 17 Moncton at Saint Mary's 7:00 PM AST
Wed Feb 17 UPEI at Acadia 7:00 PM AST
Wed Feb 17 Carleton at Nipissing 7:00 PM EST
Wed Feb 17 Laurier at W. Ontario 7:00 PM EST
Wed Feb 17 Concordia at McGill 7:00 PM EST
Wed Feb 17 Ryerson at Waterloo 7:00 PM EST
Wed Feb 17 Queen's at UOIT 7:30 PM EST
Wed Feb 17 Windsor at Guelph 7:30 PM EST
Wed Feb 17 Toronto at York 7:30 PM EST
Wed Feb 17 UQTR at Laurentian 7:45 PM EST
Fri Feb 19 U.B.C. at Mount Royal 7:00 PM MST
Fri Feb 19 Calgary at Manitoba 7:00 PM CST
Fri Feb 19 Saint Mary's at Moncton 7:00 PM AST
Fri Feb 19 Acadia at UPEI 7:00 PM AST
Fri Feb 19 W. Ontario at Laurier 7:00 PM EST
Fri Feb 19 Waterloo at Ryerson 7:30 PM EST
Fri Feb 19 UOIT at Queen's 7:30 PM EST
Sat Feb 20 U.B.C. at Mount Royal 7:00 PM MST
Sat Feb 20 Calgary at Manitoba 7:00 PM CST
Sat Feb 20 Laurentian at UQTR 4:00 PM EST
Sat Feb 20 Nipissing at Carleton 7:00 PM EST
Sat Feb 20 McGill at Concordia 7:30 PM EST
Sat Feb 20 Guelph at Windsor 7:30 PM EST
Sat Feb 20 York at Toronto 7:30 PM EST
Sun Feb 21 U.B.C. at Mount Royal 7:00 PM MST *if necessary
Sun Feb 21 Calgary at Manitoba 3:00 PM CST *if necessary
Sun Feb 21 Moncton at Saint Mary's 7:00 PM AST *if necessary
Sun Feb 21 UPEI at Acadia 7:00 PM AST *if necessary
Sun Feb 21 Toronto at York 2:00 PM EST *if necessary
Sun Feb 21 Queen's at UOIT 3:30 PM EST *if necessary
Sun Feb 21 Laurentian at UQTR 4:00 PM EST *if necessary
Sun Feb 21 Concordia at McGill 5:00 PM EST *if necessary
Sun Feb 21 Nipissing at Carleton 7:00 PM EST *if necessary
Sun Feb 21 Laurier at W. Ontario 7:00 PM EST *if necessary
Sun Feb 21 Ryerson at Waterloo 7:00 PM EST *if necessary
Sun Feb 21 Windsor at Guelph 7:30 PM EST *if necessary

 

[AdamMcg83]

The CIS standings list Guelph as 3rd:
http://english.cis-sic.ca/sports/mice/2015-16/standings-conf

But the OUA gives 3rd to Waterloo:
http://oua.ca/sports/mice/2015-16/standings

I suspect the OUA is correct.

Yes, OUA site is correct. The Warriors and Gryphons were still tied after the first tiebreaker (wins) and the second tiebreaker (head to head record). The third tiebreaker (head to head goal differential) went in favour of Waterloo - they lost to Guelph 1-0 in October, but beat Guelph 3-1 in January.

 

[Hollywood3]

Playoff Brackets

And this is what the University Cup is likely to look like:

 

[Hollywood3]

Updates and Previews

The late Saturday night mess up at the CW's [Schedule/Results Page] has yet to be resolved. But more links have been added. There are also various stories on the pending playoffs from across the country.

Feb 13: Manitoba at UBC:
:. [Game Story rp @CW]

UBC clinching playoff berth:
:. [Ubyssey Story]

UBC was happy to secure a playoff berth after being on a downspin in the 2nd semester. Yet they must see Saturday's events as a blown opportunity to host the quarter-finals. And we did eventually get a CW link to the Saturday game story, complete with picture, summary, and boxscore link.

DePape's scoring title:
:. [GoBisons.ca]
:. [MyToba.ca]
:. [CJOB]

The last Bison to win a scoring title was none other than Mike Ridley.

Bisons host Dinos:
:. [GoBisons.ca]
:. [MyToba.ca]

GoBisons.ca got a jump on the weekend previews. I expect more to follow in time for my Thursday weekend preview.

Battle of Montreal:
:. [Montreal Gazette]

The Montreal Gazette seems to be pessimistic about the Habs and sees the McGill-Concordia match-up as what may be a rare chance to see playoffs in Montreal this spring.

 

[UNB Bruins Fan]

Just an FYI Holly...you got a nice shout out in Bruce Hallihan's Daily Gleaner (Fredericton) column. It is online now but not sure if it was in today's or will be in tomorrow's print edition.

 

[Hollywood3]

Feb 17: Playoffs Start Out East

OUT-OF-TOWN SCOREBOARD

AUS

U.P.E.I. PANTHERS 6
ACADIA AXEMEN 3
(UPEI leads series 1-0)

Links:
:. [AUS Boxscore]

MONCTON AIGLES BLEUS 2
SAINT MARY'S HUSKIES 3
(SMU leads series 1-0)

Links:
:. [AUS Boxscore]


The Cajuns have been slipping. They were 11-2-1 in the first half and just 8-5-1 in the second. The Spuds scored 4 goals in 8 shots in the 2nd period. The SMUskies scored two PP goals to beat The Eggs in a penalty-filled game. Remember that UNB and St. FX got byes into the semi-finals.

OUA

U.Q.T.R. PATRIOTES 4
LAURENTIAN VOYAGEURS 1
(UQTR leads series 1-0)

Links:
:. [OUA Boxscore]

CONCORDIA STINGERS 2
MCGILL REDMEN 9
(McGill leads series 1-0)

Links:
:. [OUA Boxscore]

CARLETON RAVENS 3
NIPISSING LAKERS 0
(Carleton leads series 1-0)

Links:
:. [OUA Boxscore]

QUEEN'S GOLDEN GAELS 4
U.O.I.T. RIDGEBACKS 3
(in overtime)
(Queen's leads series 1-0)

Links:
:. [OUA Boxscore]

TORONTO VARSITY BLUES 0
YORK LIONS 5
(York leads series 1-0)

Links:
:. [OUA Boxscore]

LAURIER GOLDEN HAWKS 3
WESTERN ONTARIO MUSTANGS 8
(UWO leads series 1-0)

Links:
:. [OUA Boxscore]

RYERSON RAMS 4
WATERLOO WARRIORS 2
(Ryerson leads series 1-0)

Links:
:. [OUA Boxscore]


The OUA East appears to have three mismatches. I doubt that any neutral fan picks UQTR, McGill, or Carleton to lose even one game in their series. That Queen's-UOIT battle should be tight every game. Overtime in game one was really to be expected.

The whippings in the OUA West are disappointing. It is the division with no real contenders in it. It would appear that Toronto and Laurier are not up to snuff.

[CIS Playoff Schedule/Results]
[AUS Playoff Schedule/Results]
[OUA LeagueStat Daily]

NEXT UP

Thu Feb 18 Windsor at Guelph 7:30 PM EST
Fri Feb 19 U.B.C. at Mount Royal 7:00 PM MST
Fri Feb 19 Calgary at Manitoba 7:00 PM CST
Fri Feb 19 Saint Mary's at Moncton 7:00 PM AST
Fri Feb 19 Acadia at U.P.E.I. 7:00 PM AST
Fri Feb 19 W. Ontario at Laurier 7:00 PM EST
Fri Feb 19 Waterloo at Ryerson 7:30 PM EST
Fri Feb 19 U.O.I.T. at Queen's 7:30 PM EST
Fri Feb 19 McGill at Concordia 7:30 PM EST

 

[Hollywood3]

Just an FYI Holly...you got a nice shout out in Bruce Hallihan's Daily Gleaner (Fredericton) column. It is online now but not sure if it was in today's or will be in tomorrow's print edition.

Any links?