2013-14 Manitoba Bisons/CIS Thread

[Hollywood3]

Feb 21: CW Has Night of the Upsets

MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS 3
MANITOBA BISONS 2
(in double overtime)
(MRU leads CW quarter-final 1-0)

Links:
:. [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
:. [U of M Game Story] : [U of M Boxscore]
: [MRU Site - Game Story Not Uploaded]
:. [CW Story (on both games)]
:. [CIS Friday Roundup]

The last thing these teams needed when starting a 3-games-in-3-days playoff was an 85 minute game on opening night. But that is just what they got.

I had to miss my first Bison home game of the season due to a conflict with my son's second-to-last game of the regular season, but I did catch the ending of the 3rd period and the overtime on CanadaWest.tv. The Bisons carried the play in the 1st overtime period and there were two occasions when I thought they had scored. However, MRU carried most of the 2nd overtime period and then scored on what looked to be a routine long shot on goal. A very unfortunate ending to a marathon game. Cody Cartier and Tyler Fiddler posted MRU to a 2-0 lead, and then Jordan DePape and Brendan Rowinski equalized for the Bisons. Brendan Turnbull had the winner for the New-Kittens-on-the-Block. MRU held a 55-48 shots advantage on the very long night.

Note that Saturday's rematch starts at 7:00 p.m., and is also available through on-line streaming.

OUT OF TOWN SCOREBOARD

UBC THUNDERBIRDS 5
SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 0

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

Now this scoreline was a shocker. Especially the way this happened. UBC held a 1-0 lead after two periods, and the shots were even at 18-18. Not much of a shock there. UBC then exploded for 4 goals in the 1st half of the 3rd period, then coasted to a big win. Sask only mustered 4 shots on goal in the 3rd period. There were 16 penalties called in the 3rd period alone.

Game 2 goes Saturday at 2:00 CST but is not currently scheduled for on-line viewing.

OUT EAST:

Links: [AUS Post-Season Schedule/Results]

MONCTON AIGLES BLEUS 6
ST. FRANCIS-XAVIER X-MEN 1
(Moncton wins AUS quarter-final 2-0)

Links:
:. [AUS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]

UPEI PANTHERS 1
SAINT MARY'S HUSKIES 4
(AUS quarter-final tied 1-1)

Links:
:. [AUS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]

The Blue Eggs are the first team through to the semi-finals amongst the quarter-final participants. The Jeremies were an enigma all year and in the end get blown away. We now know that one AUS semi-final will be Acadia v Moncton.

The SMUskies must be happy with their tidy win. However, according to the line-up at the links, they played down one. There's the AUS's roster restrictions causing damage.

Links: [LeagueStat Daily]

NIPISSING LAKERS 0
CARLETON RAVENS 4
(Carleton wins OUA East quarter-final 2-0)

Links:
:. [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]

MCGILL REDMEN 8
CONCORDIA STINGERS 4
(McGill wins OUA East quarter-final 2-0)

Links:
:. [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]

QUEEN'S GOLDEN GAELS 2
OTTAWA GEEGEES 1
(Queen's wins OUA East quarter-final 2-0)

Links:
:. [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]

All three OUA East series to see action on Friday night ended. The only one which figured to be a close series was the Queens v Horsies series. Though it went two straight, botb games were tight. Personally, I don't think More than 5 teams from this division belong in the playoffs.

YORK LIONS -
LAKEHEAD THUNDERWOLVES -
(Lakehead leads OUA West quarter-final 1-0)

Links:
:. [L.U. Story]

RYERSON RAMS 4
BROCK BADGERS 6
(OUA West quarter-final tied 1-1)

Links:
:. [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]

Flight delays caused by weather forced the postponement of game 2 in Thunder Bay. The series will resume Saturday night. Brock and Ryerson produced a surprising 10 goals. What happenbd to D in the playoffs?

UP NEXT:

Sat Feb 22 UBC at Saskatchewan (2:00)
Sat Feb 22 Mount Royal at Manitoba (7:00)
Sat Feb 22 UOIT at UQTR
Sat Feb 22 W. Ontario at Guelph
Sat Feb 22 York at Lakehead
Sat Feb 22 Brock at Ryerson
Sat Feb 22 Toronto at Windsor
Sun Feb 23 UBC at Saskatchewan (6:00) * if required
Sun Feb 23 Mount Royal at Manitoba (3:00) * if required
Sun Feb 23 Saint Mary's at UPEI * if required
Sun Feb 23 UOIT at UQTR * if required
Sun Feb 23 Concordia at McGill * if required
Sun Feb 23 Guelph at W. Ontario * if required
Sun Feb 23 Toronto at Windsor * if required
Sun Feb 23 York at Lakehead * if required

[Playoff Schedule/Results] : [Friday Roundup]

 

[AUS Fan]

"The SMUskies must be happy with their tidy win. However, according to the line-up at the links, they played down one. There's the AUS's roster restrictions causing damage."

NOT.....

SMU had a 20 man roster, lost one guy at Christmas to Academics, brought in MacAulay at Christmas, then Stickland had reoccurring concussion symptoms and D'Orazio got injured in UPEI in the final weekend. SMU was the driving force behind the roster cap, knowing that they would not recruit 25 guys that could play. No, it's not Karma or any other mystical event. Injuries happen and you have to play through them.

 

[RED ARMY EAST]

Saskatchewan

It will be a long layoff for the Huskies, if they don't win two straight against UBC!
Alberta will have home ice advantage throughout the CanadaWest playoffs, for the 100'th time or so.
The only team that has pushed the Bears are the Calgary Dino's who were once the number 1 ranked team in the Nation, before a string of late season losses. Despite their excellent regular season record, It's hard to gauge the Bears, as they seem to play very or little non-conference games and no games against NCAA competition, also it seems that there are no fans who follow them on the boards. One thing is certain, they will be in the National Championship in Saskatoon with the number one seed once again. I just don't see Calgary beating Alberta on home ice, that's if the Dino's get there?

 

[Hollywood3]

"The SMUskies must be happy with their tidy win. However, according to the line-up at the links, they played down one. There's the AUS's roster restrictions causing damage."

NOT.....

SMU had a 20 man roster, lost one guy at Christmas to Academics, brought in MacAulay at Christmas, then Stickland had reoccurring concussion symptoms and D'Orazio got injured in UPEI in the final weekend. SMU was the driving force behind the roster cap, knowing that they would not recruit 25 guys that could play. No, it's not Karma or any other mystical event. Injuries happen and you have to play through them.

I double-checked and PEI had 19 players see action, and SMU had 18. I assume that each also had a backup goaltender, so SMU did in fact play one short.

http://www.atlanticuniversitysport.com/sports/mice/2013-14/postseason/boxscores/20140221_iank.xml

 

[AUS Fan]

Sorry, I didn't mean to imply a 20 man roster for the game, but for the year with the 22 man cap.

 

[Shootmaster_44]

It will be a long layoff for the Huskies, if they don't win two straight against UBC!
Alberta will have home ice advantage throughout the CanadaWest playoffs, for the 100'th time or so.
The only team that has pushed the Bears are the Calgary Dino's who were once the number 1 ranked team in the Nation, before a string of late season losses. Despite their excellent regular season record, It's hard to gauge the Bears, as they seem to play very or little non-conference games and no games against NCAA competition, also it seems that there are no fans who follow them on the boards. One thing is certain, they will be in the National Championship in Saskatoon with the number one seed once again. I just don't see Calgary beating Alberta on home ice, that's if the Dino's get there?

The Dogs won 5-2 this afternoon, so it puts them in good shape for tomorrows game. I went to Friday night's game and the Huskies just played sloppy, instead of passing the puck to each other they would chip it along the boards instead and of course UBC would intercept it. It was hard to believe that the shots were as even as the stat sheet would have it appear.

I think the issue for the Dogs is that they are playing this series at Credit Union Centre, not Rutherford Arena on campus. Thus, they don't have the benefit of the tiny rink with its peculiarities to use. I realize that UBC had to adjust to CUC, but I wonder how many practices the Huskies had at CUC? Also, it is Reading Week for the U of S, so perhaps Dave Adolph gave them a break this week. So it could be a little bit of under-preparedness.

But in the end UBC out played them Friday night, but they bounced back this afternoon. Looking at the scoresheet, they cut out the rough stuff too. Friday night had some dumb penalties and a new one for me, at one point the Huskies had one player with a triple minor, I have never seen that happen before.

 

[Hollywood3]

Feb 22: Bisons & Huskies Rebound

MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS 2
MANITOBA BISONS 4
(CW quarter-final tied 1-1)

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

The Bisons needed the win to stay alive, and they got just that. Here's how they lined up:

MANITOBA

Goal:
1 Caligiuri (34 Dubyk)

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

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

MOUNT ROYAL

Goal:
35 Flette (1 Lanigan)

Defence:
24 Marshall - 20 Tresierra
26 Beech - 21 Strong
4 Hrynyk - 6 McKay

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

The 1st period started with a fast pace and plenty of solid hits. The sides exchanged goals, with MRU defenceman Billy Marshall converting a rebound from a mad scramble and Taylor Dickin finishing a passing play with his linemates.

The Bisons put their stamp on the game in the 2nd period. From that point on they carried the play unless MRU had a powerplay. Jesse Paradis notched the only goal of the period, burying a loose puck after a period of sustained Bison pressure. Jordan DePape was ejected and given a 5-minute major for a head shot. The Bisons killed the penalty fairly easily and the New-Kittens-on-the-Block hobbled into the intermission.

The 3rd period was a very defensive one, which suited the Bisons just fine. Ian Duval scored a highlight reel goal. A Lewadniuk breakaway was foiled by a backchecking Cougar. But Bestland to Duval for a goal is what followed. A couple of chintzy penalties gave MRU a two-man advantage, and they cashed in the opportunity. Dickin's 2nd of the night into an open net on a nice pass from Duval put the game away.

Game three goes Sunday at 3:00 p.m. at the Wayne Fleming Arena at the U of M, and can be seen on-line at CanadaWest.tv.

OUT OF TOWN SCOREBOARD

UBC THUNDERBIRDS 2
SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 5

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

The Banjo-Mutts bounced back with an authoritative win to level their series with UBC at 1-1. It is hard to gauge this series with each side having a convincing win. If UBC win game 3 they would face Alberta and the Bison/MRU winner would face Calgary in the semi-finals.

OUT EAST:

Links: [LeagueStat Daily]

UOIT RIDGEBACKS 3
UQTR PATRIOTES 5
(UQTR wins OUA East quarter-final 2-0)

Links:
:. [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]

This concludes the OUA East quarter-finals, all of which were sweeps. Now Cartoon U will face Queen's and UQTR will play McGill in the semi-finals.

WESTERN ONTARIO MUSTANGS 2
GUELPH GRYPHONS 1
(in overtime)
(OUA West quarter-final tied 1-1)

Links:
:. [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]

YORK LIONS 2
LAKEHEAD THUNDERWOLVES 5
(Lakehead wins OUA West quarter-final 2-0)

Links:
:. [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]

TORONTO VARSITY BLUES 2
WINDSOR LANCERS 5
(Windsor wins OUA West quarter-final 2-0)

Links:
:. [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]

The Urban Cowboys had to score in the last minute to force OT in their game against Goof U, otherwise the 1st place team in the OUA West was on their way home. I suspect that Windsor and Lakehead were strong favourites in their series and both achieved solid sweeps.

UP NEXT:

Sun Feb 23 UBC at Saskatchewan (6:00)
Sun Feb 23 Mount Royal at Manitoba (3:00)
Sun Feb 23 Saint Mary's at UPEI
Sun Feb 23 Guelph at W. Ontario
Sun Feb 23 Brock at Ryerson

[Playoff Schedule/Results] : [Saturday Roundup]

 

[Hollywood3]

Feb 23: Bisons Survive, On to Bedrock!

MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS 0
MANITOBA BISONS 2
(Manitoba wins CWUAA quarter-final 2-1)

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

After two games in two nights, one with double overtime, the Sunday afternoon decider between the Herd and the Kittens was due to be a war of attrition. In the end the Bisons were faster, tougher, and better. But not by much. Frankly, a lot of CIS teams would have needed carrying off on stretchers from the Bisons' physical play. MRU is just as big and strong as the Bisons and this produced a playoff game of classic Canadiana.

Here's the line-up:

MANITOBA

Goal:
1 Caligiuri (34 Dubyk)

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

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

MOUNT ROYAL

Goal:
35 Flette (1 Lanigan)

Defence:
24 Marshall - 20 Tresierra
26 Beech - 21 Strong
4 Hrynyk - 6 McKay

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

The Bisons came out like they were shot of a cannon. They hit everybody in blue and were flying. They outshot MRU 16-5 and could easily have buried them. But the only goal was Luke Cain slamming home a deft pass from Darren Betsland into a yawning net. Throughout the period Dalyn Flette made numerous exceptional saves for MRU to keep it close.

The 2nd period started much like the 1st. The Bisons were going forward and MRU was backing up. Early on a couple of passes caught the MRU defence standing still and Ian Duval was sprung on a breakaway. Nobody catches up to Duval, and he made no mistake burying one for a 2-0 lead. Once the Bisons lengthened their lead they did retreat into a bit of a shell. There was also a steady parade to the penalty box. MRU did manage to close the gap on the shot clock bit the scoreboard continued to read 2-0.

Once the 3rd period hit the teams were showing signs of wear and tear. The Bison defence was able to get the puck out of their end with ease, and the forwards were always able to generate pressure. The prospects of a Cougar comeback were dimmed by a double minor for high sticking and a too many men on the ice bench minor. The Bisons outshot the Cougars 11-8 in the period, and there was no way 8 measly shots were going to produce two goals on Joe Caligiuri. In the closing minutes it was clear that MRU was gassed. And who could blame them?

OUT OF TOWN SCOREBOARD

UBC THUNDERBIRDS 6
SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 4
(UBC wins CWUAA quarter-final 2-1)

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

This was the shocker of the opening weekend of the playoffs. This is the type of series UBC always loses. And the type of series Sask always wins. Right? Well, not in 2014.

Sask jumped out to a 2-0 lead, and I thought UBC was going to get clobbered. But UBC scored 4 powerplay goals 5 minutes into the 2nd period, and held a 4-3 lead. The shots on goal were 61-36 in favour of Sask. How is that possible? This game just lets the odd numbers flow. Over the last 2 periods UBC scored 4 goals on 24 shots. In the same span Sask scored 1 goal on 45 shots.

Brad Hoban scored a hat-trick for the Birds and Derek Hulak scored twice for Sask.

In the semi-finals, UBC travels to Edmontown to face the Monkeys and Manitoba travels to Bedrock U.

OUT EAST

Links: [AUS Post-Season Schedule/Results]

SAINT MARY'S HUSKIES 4
UPEI PANTHERS 1
(SMU wins AUS quarter-final 2-1)

Links:
:. [AUS Summary]
:. [CIS Boxscore]

The SMUskies have rallied to win it. UPEI seems to be stalled as a quarter-final opponent. The AUS is a tough place to break through. The SMUskies went on the road and grabbed a 3-0 1st period lead, and that was that.

In the AUS semi-finals, it will be New Brunswick v SMU and Acadia v Moncton.

Links: [LeagueStat Daily]

GUELPH GRYPHONS 1
WESTERN ONTARIO MUSTANGS 6
(UWO wins AUS quarter-final 2-1)

Links:
:. [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]

BROCK BADGERS 3
RYERSON RAMS 6
(Ryerson wins AUS quarter-final 2-1)

Links:
:. [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]

Goof U was so close to the big upset. I guess one had to think that after the reprieve, the Urban Cowboys would come up big.

And what's with the offence? 3 of 4 teams had 40+ shots in the OUA West on Sunday night. Or should I ask what is with the defence?

The OUA West semi-finals will be Western Ontario v Windsor and Lakehead v Ryerson. (Will Ryerson be allowed to drink in Thunder Bay?)

[CIS Playoff Schedule/Results]

 

[Rob]

What a disaster for the Huskies. Guess hosting the Nationals didn't turn out to be the recruiting boon that they though it would.

 

[northvanman]

Strange things happen in the playoffs. Never saw a 6-1 win for Western coming last night. I watched the two games at Western online and was at the game at Guelph on Saturday. All three games were wide open and the forechecking by both teams was relentless (maybe a bit less so for Guelph last night). Game 1 was the trading of a lot of defensive mistakes and could gone have gone either way - two defensive miscues by Western within about a minute late in the third cost them the game.

The game on Saturday at Guelph had stretches where one team dominated the other, but overall I felt Guelph was the stronger team and really deserved a better fate. After going up 1-0 halfway into third period, Guelph hit a post about a minute later.

Last night Western popped in two goals before the 3 minute mark and that dictated a lot of what happened afterwards - Guelph took a lot of chances and Western's had a very strong forecheck and cycle game and that created a lot of shots on goal for Western. Still, it was only 2-1 after the first and if Guelph had have gotten the next goal.... Josh Unice was very good last night and made 3 great saves in the first half of the second to keep Guelph at 1.

I'm not sure Western can keep playing so wide open and be successful - their defense is strong when they stick to their system but are very mistake prone when they start thinking too much about offence. We saw examples of both situations late in the regular season.


The OUA division semis should be great. I expect to see close games in all four series. Because of the teams being so clustered together in the West standings, you actually have arguably the two best teams in one series - Western and Windsor. And in the other series, Lakehead gets the extra home game but Ryerson is probably the stronger team (their last meeting: Ryerson 7, Lakehead 1).

 

[Bob Stauffer]

Re: Red Army East-Alberta

Here is a quick look at the Bears.
After watching the program get roughly 5% worse per year from the time Rob Daum left to go to the American Hockey League following the 2005 University Cup win in Edmonton, it has been interesting to see the Golden Bears come back to form under Ian Herbers in the last couple of seasons.
Eric Thurston won two National titles (2006, 2008), lost a bid for another in the OT to Saint Mary's in 2010, and won five Canada West titles in six seasons, but the program was starting to slide. Thurston would be the first to accept some responsibility, but the U of A was going through a leadership change at the Senior Admin level as well.
After Stan Marple coached the team in 2011-12 with very little support, following Thurston's departure to Europe in 2011 the school started to get serious again.
Marple became the GM, with responsible for bringing in additional revenue and the U. of A. went in search of a new Head Coach.
Alberta hired Ian Herbers away from Nashville's AHL farm team in Milwaukee where he was the Head Coach. The runner-up for the job will probably be the OHL Coach of the Year Kris Knoblauch who is in Erie.
Herbers immediately hired a fitness consultant and the Bears have been in dramatically better shape over the last two seasons.
With greater attendtion to detail from the coaching and more of a buy-in from a team of tremendous depth Alberta reclaimed the CW title last year, but got stoned by a hot goalie in the opening game of the University Cup last March losing 2-1 in a game where they outshot a team 43-13. This happens in a one-off tourney.
The Bears beat Saint Mary's in OT in their second game in Saskatoon, but the Huskies advanced on goal differential and ended up losing to UNB in the final.

This season Alberta has been the most consistent team virtually all season in the Canada West. The Bears actually out-played Calgary in a 2-0 loss in Calgary in the first-half of the season but didnt score.
The sweep over the Dinos ad the end of the season was impressive as well.
The Bears can score and move the puck.
If they advance out of the West they will be a better Bears team then any that have been at Nationals since 2005.

Stauffer

 

[Hollywood3]

Gentlemen,

I will be posting my thoughts on the semi-final round in the next couple of days. In advance, I am thinking about this stuff:

Canada West
Alberta v UBC
Calgary v Manitoba

I believe that UBC is a good draw for the Monkeys. They are vulnerable to a big tough team, like MRU or Manitoba. They do seem to have an extra gear that allows them to pummel the weak, or at least the relatively weak. I am going to have a long, hard think about how I feel about UBC's chances.

Before the playoffs, I stated that I believed the Banjo-Mutts were better than Bedrock U. And that may still be true. I believe that Bedrock's early unbeaten start was an anomaly. I still think they need several more losses to balance their hockey karma account.

In the rest of the country, people likely have the Monkeys and Bedrock pencilled in for the final. I don't.

OUA West
Western Ontario v Windsor
Lakehead v Ryerson

The OUA West teams coveted the OUA East since it was much easier to make the playoffs over there. However, they are all pretty happy to be there right now. Maybe it is tougher to make the playoffs, but it is easier to win a title once you are there.

OUA East
Carleton v Queen's
UQTR v McGill

This division will feature an Ontario v Quebec final. Cartoon U has finally broken through to the top spot. The Queens had an early amazing run but that seems distant now. In both OUA sets of playoffs my thought is that all teams are capable, and all are also vulnerable.

Atlantic
New Brunswick v Saint Mary's
Acadia v Moncton

All of these teams could do well at the nationals. But it is still hard to see UNB losing.

 

[RED ARMY EAST]

Here is a quick look at the Bears.
After watching the program get roughly 5% worse per year from the time Rob Daum left to go to the American Hockey League following the 2005 University Cup win in Edmonton, it has been interesting to see the Golden Bears come back to form under Ian Herbers in the last couple of seasons.
Eric Thurston won two National titles (2006, 2008), lost a bid for another in the OT to Saint Mary's in 2010, and won five Canada West titles in six seasons, but the program was starting to slide. Thurston would be the first to accept some responsibility, but the U of A was going through a leadership change at the Senior Admin level as well.
After Stan Marple coached the team in 2011-12 with very little support, following Thurston's departure to Europe in 2011 the school started to get serious again.
Marple became the GM, with responsible for bringing in additional revenue and the U. of A. went in search of a new Head Coach.
Alberta hired Ian Herbers away from Nashville's AHL farm team in Milwaukee where he was the Head Coach. The runner-up for the job will probably be the OHL Coach of the Year Kris Knoblauch who is in Erie.
Herbers immediately hired a fitness consultant and the Bears have been in dramatically better shape over the last two seasons.
With greater attendtion to detail from the coaching and more of a buy-in from a team of tremendous depth Alberta reclaimed the CW title last year, but got stoned by a hot goalie in the opening game of the University Cup last March losing 2-1 in a game where they outshot a team 43-13. This happens in a one-off tourney.
The Bears beat Saint Mary's in OT in their second game in Saskatoon, but the Huskies advanced on goal differential and ended up losing to UNB in the final.

This season Alberta has been the most consistent team virtually all season in the Canada West. The Bears actually out-played Calgary in a 2-0 loss in Calgary in the first-half of the season but didnt score.
The sweep over the Dinos ad the end of the season was impressive as well.
The Bears can score and move the puck.
If they advance out of the West they will be a better Bears team then any that have been at Nationals since 2005.

Stauffer

If they"re better than the team that won Nationals at Moncton in 2008, then they will certainly be tough to beat this year in Saskatoon! They will draw two OUA teams (not the Queens Cup Champs ) going in as the number 1 seed.

 

[Drummer]

If they"re better than the team that won Nationals at Moncton in 2008, then they will certainly be tough to beat this year in Saskatoon! They will draw two OUA teams (not the Queens Cup Champs ) going in as the number 1 seed.

Yes, if Alberta advances they will be #1 and will have an easy pool with the OUA-Runner-up and OUA Wild-card - have to expect to see them in Finals.

 

[northvanman]

Yes, if Alberta advances they will be #1 and will have an easy pool with the OUA-Runner-up and OUA Wild-card - have to expect to see them in Finals.

I wouldn't start booking tickets just yet. If the OUA West winner wins the OUA championship (which shouldn't happen, but it's a one game winner take all so anything's possible), the two teams joining Alberta will almost certainly be 2 of Carleton, UQTR and McGill - all solid teams. If the OUA West winner loses, it will be that team and likely one of those other 3.

 

[RED ARMY EAST]

I wouldn't start booking tickets just yet. If the OUA West winner wins the OUA championship (which shouldn't happen, but it's a one game winner take all so anything's possible), the two teams joining Alberta will almost certainly be 2 of Carleton, UQTR and McGill - all solid teams. If the OUA West winner loses, it will be that team and likely one of those other 3.

It certainly won't be a free ride, the three reps will probably be better than Waterloo was last year. UQTR was dangerous last year and look to have bolstered its lineup with a strong pre-Christmas recruiting class this year.
Carleton and McGill are also strong.

 

[RED ARMY EAST]

Western Huskies

What a disaster for the Huskies. Guess hosting the Nationals didn't turn out to be the recruiting boon that they though it would.

Disaster! Dave Adolph has got his team in a bad position. Since losing in the first round to UBC, they now will have to sit idle for almost a month before hosting Nationals. They definitely don't want to open the tournament on Thursday night and risk a loss like last year. I think I read earlier that they wouldn't make that same mistake this year, regardless they will be the underdog vs the OUA or AUS competition.
It seems like CUC Center wasn't that warming to the Huskies, what was their record in that building this year?

 

[Hollywood3]

Looking back ... And Looking Ahead

Links:
:. [Series previews: Winnipeg Sun] : [ChrisD Video] : [Calgary Sun]
:. [Game 1 stories: Winnipeg Sun] : [ChrisD]
:. [Game 2 stories: Winnipeg Sun] : [ChrisD]
:. [Game 3 stories: Winnipeg Sun] : [ChrisD]
:. [Series stories: Winnipeg Free Press] : [The Manitoban]

I cam across a host of links to stories about the Bison-Cougar quarter-final series and have posted the links. Some good stories are there, and a tip of the hat to Kirk Penton at the Winnipeg Sun for the stories he posted. On one photo caption they misidentified Dane Crowley as "captain Darren Bestland", but what the heck.

Links:
:. [U of M Semi-Final Announcement]
:. [Winnipeg Sun: Calgary series preview]
:. [Vancouver Province: UBC Report]
:. [CanadaWest.tv]

There has been some news on the semi-final round, including an announcement from the U of M. The Vancouver Province story is worth a read. Coach Drago seems really excited about the big win over Sask, and who can blame him?

I'll have the full weekend preview later this week. But the schedules have been released, and all the CW semi-final games will be shown on CanadaWest.tv. Friday will be at 8:00 CST, Saturday and Sunday will be at 7:00 CST.

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

Canada West:
Alberta v UBC
Calgary v Manitoba

OUA West:
W. Ontario v Windsor
Lakehead v Ryerson

OUA East:
Carleton v Queen's
UQTR v McGill

Atlantic:
New Brunswick v Saint Mary's
Acadia v Moncton

(AUS series are best-of-five, others are best-of-three)

SEMI-FINAL SCHEDULE:

Feb. 26
Saint Mary's at New Brunswick
Moncton at Acadia
McGill at UQTR
Queen's at Carleton
Lakehead at Ryerson

Feb. 27
Saint Mary's at New Brunswick
Moncton at Acadia
Windsor at W. Ontario

Feb. 28
UBC at Alberta (7:00 PM MST)
Manitoba at Calgary (7:00 PM MST)
Ryerson at Lakehead
Carleton at Queen's

Mar. 1
UBC at Alberta (6:00 PM MST)
Manitoba at Calgary (6:00 PM MST)
New Brunswick at Saint Mary's
Acadia at Moncton
UQTR at McGill
W. Ontario at Windsor
Ryerson at Lakehead *

Mar. 2
UBC at Alberta (6:00 PM MST) *
Manitoba at Calgary (6:00 PM MST) *
New Brunswick at Saint Mary's *
Acadia at Moncton *
McGill at UQTR *
Queen's at Carleton *
Windsor at W. Ontario *

Mar. 4
Saint Mary's at New Brunswick *
Moncton at Acadia *

* if required

 

[Hollywood3]

Feb 26: Semi-finals start in OUA and AUS

We are two days away from the Canada West semi-finals. ITM, they have started the round out east.

Links: [AUS Post-Season Schedule/Results]

SAINT MARY'S HUSKIES 2
NEW BRUNSWICK VARSITY REDS 1
(in double overtime)
(SMU leads AUS semi-final 1-0)

Links:
:. [AUS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]

MONCTON AIGLES BLEUS 2
ACADIA AXEMEN 5
(Acadia leads AUS semi-final 1-0)

Links:
:. [AUS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]

Since the AUS plays a best-of-five this round, an opening game loss does not create the same sense of urgency as in the other conferences. In the SMUskies' win over the Squirrels they dubbed it "double overtime", but in fact it was just 15 minutes. The Squirrels were foiled by a hot goaltender, Anthony Peters, who made 50 saves. The Cajuns' win was not so dramatic. I will be interested to see how the Blue Eggs handle this.

Links: [LeagueStat Daily]

QUEEN'S GOLDEN GAELS 2
CARLETON RAVENS 6
(Carleton leads OUA East semi-final 1-0)

Links:
:. [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]

MCGILL REDMEN 4
UQTR PATRIOTES 3
(in overtime)
(McGill leads OUA East semi-final 1-0)

Links:
:. [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]

Cartoon U scored twice per period and easily handled the Queens. Remember when the Queens were the darlings of the Top Ten? They are in tough now. The Championship of Quebec series looks like a tough one, as usual. UQTR had a 2-goal lead after the 1st period.

LAKEHEAD THUNDERWOLVES 7
RYERSON RAMS 0
(Lakehead leads OUA West semi-final 1-0)

Links:
:. [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]

Even though Lakehead crushed the Booze Hounds they surrendered 45 shots in the process. Goaltender Jeff Bosch stopped them all. It seems like an extraordinary number of teams are yielding enormous shots on goal in the OUA playoffs thus far. Right now the Thunder Mutts have had the best playoff performance in the OUA. This game was in Ryerson and games 2 and 3 will be in T-Bay due to travel distances.

UP NEXT:

Feb. 27
Saint Mary's at New Brunswick
Moncton at Acadia
Windsor at W. Ontario

Feb. 28
UBC at Alberta (7:00 PM MST)
Manitoba at Calgary (7:00 PM MST)
Ryerson at Lakehead
Carleton at Queen's

 

[Hollywood3]

Weekend preview: Bisons at Bedrock

MANITOBA BISONS (14-12-5, 19-17-6, OHT36 #12)
CALGARY DINOS (21-4-3, 28-9-4, OHT36 #3)

Friday, February 28th, 7:00 MST/8:00 CST @ U of C
Saturday, March 1st, 6:00 MST/7:00 CST @ U of C
Sunday, March 2nd, 6:00 MST/7:00 CST @ U of C

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

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

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

Other Links:
:. [CW Weekend Preview]
:. [CIS Site] : [Playoff Schedule/Results/Links] : [Standings]
:. [CW Site] : [Schedule/Results/Links] : [Standings]
:. [CW Weekly Media Notes #18 (pdf)]
:. [CIS Top Ten Story]
:. [Every Link Re: CIS Hockey]
:. [Manitoba Hockey News Story]
:. [Winnipeg Hockey Talk Story]
:. [Shawn Coates Photography - Bisons v Cougars]

Prior games:
Oct. 25: Cal 4 Man 3 (ot): [U of M Story] : [LS Summary]
Oct. 26: Cal 5 Man 3: [U of M Story] : [LS Summary]
Jan. 17: Cal 5 Man 4: [U of M Story] : [LS Summary]
Jan. 18: Cal 4 Man 3 (ot): [U of M Story] : [LS Summary]

Before the last Bison trip to Bedrock I pointed out that these teams like overtime, and then they had one more overtime game. The Dinos won that game, and the overtime game they had in Winnipeg as well. Add in a one-goal win and an empty-netter win and the Dinos won all 4 games. Yet with a break or two, the Bisons could have swept the series.

After their come-from-behind overtime win over the Bisons in January, the Dinos were 19-0-1. That was amazing. The pundits had them ranked nowhere near a first place contender. Then their luck may have worn out. They finished the season on a 2-4-2 downward spiral. Included in that was a 10-2 loss in Saskatown against the now-eliminated Banjo-Mutts.

I noted back in October that the Dinos were prone to taking dives. That tends to catch up to a team. There is, however, no doubting their overall performance. They were 2nd in goals for and 3rd in goals against. The Bisons were 4th in both categories. They had 5 of the top 20 goal scorers, and the Bisons had 2.

Yet the Bisons are trending upwards. They got the split they needed against UBC to wrap up 4th place and a home playoff series. They then won a quarter-final against a physical MRU team. In both series Joe Caligiuri posted a shutout in the decisive game.

The key for the Bisons would be to get continued strong performances from their senior graduating players: Caligiuri, Dane Crowley, Ian Duval, Luke Cain, and Darren Bestland. They would like to add Jeremy Schappert to that group but he is injured and won't be returning. All three main lines have been effective and have that elusive chemistry.

As the picture shows, the Bisons do have some fans in Bedrock!

ELSEWHERE:

UBC THUNDERBIRDS (13-16-2, 17-18-2, OHT36 #20)
ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS (25-2-1, 38-4-1, OHT36 #1)

Links:
:. [Live Video (all games)]
:. [U of A Preview Story]
:. [UBC Preview Story]

The Tweety-Birds are riding high on their biggest series win since, well, The Beatles were around. I beleive that the last series between these teams was in 1990, where Alberta won 8-1 and 4-3. UBC is seeking their first championship since 1971, when they beat Manitoba 5-3 and 7-6 in the final.

Yes, there have been several decades of lean times in British California. Meanwhile, Saudi Alberta have 50 titles in 100 years of hockey.

This year, UBC was riding 7th place most of the season, and only snuck in ahead of Regina on the final weekend. Alberta racked up another convincing 1st place finish, rallying from a 3-point deficit to waltz past Calgary.

So does UBC stand a chance? Well, I believe that the Monkeys will thrash them at least once in the first two games, and the other game could be a tight one. The Monkeys lack the big gorillas to stand in front of the net and capitalize on territorial advantage. If UBC's defence, which stymied North Dakota and Princeton, can turn the trick just once on the Monkeys then they could force a 3rd game. And that 3rd game in three nights is a crap shoot. Don't forget, Sask fired 61 shots at UBC in game 3 of their series, yet lost.

 

[Hollywood3]

Feb 27: Meanwhile, out east ...

The AUS went with 2-games-in-2-days because out there school attendance is not such a big deal, and the OUA completed their opening games of this round.

Links: [AUS Post-Season Schedule/Results]

SAINT MARY'S HUSKIES 2
NEW BRUNSWICK VARSITY REDS 5
(AUS semi-final tied 1-1) [/color]

Links:
:. [AUS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]

MONCTON AIGLES BLEUS 5
ACADIA AXEMEN 6
(Acadia leads AUS semi-final 2-0)

Links:
:. [AUS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]

The Squirrels bounced back and picked up a thorough victory over the SMUskies. It was 3-0 after the 1st and 5-1 after the 2nd. In the 3rd it was all D as SMU outshot UNB 6-3. That is not the stuff of a comeback.

Meanwhile, the Blue Eggs blew a lead which may be their death knell. They were up 4-0 early in the 2nd, and in fact they were up 5-2 with 7 minutes left in the game. Hard to envision the Cajuns blowing this series now.

Both series take Friday off before playing a Saturday-Sunday doubleheader played at the home of the underdog.

Links: [LeagueStat Daily]

WINDSOR LANCERS 2
WESTERN ONTARIO MUSTANGS 3
(UWO leads OUA West semi-final 1-0)

Links:
:. [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]

This was a tight game for two periods during which Windsor held a 2-1 lead. The Urban Cowboys outshot Windsor 20-7 in the 3rd period and picked up the two goals they needed for the win.

UP NEXT:

Feb. 28
UBC at Alberta (7:00 PM MST)
Manitoba at Calgary (7:00 PM MST)
Ryerson at Lakehead
Carleton at Queen's

Mar. 1
UBC at Alberta (6:00 PM MST)
Manitoba at Calgary (6:00 PM MST)
New Brunswick at Saint Mary's
Acadia at Moncton
UQTR at McGill
W. Ontario at Windsor
Ryerson at Lakehead *

Mar. 2
UBC at Alberta (6:00 PM MST) *
Manitoba at Calgary (6:00 PM MST) *
New Brunswick at Saint Mary's *
Acadia at Moncton *
McGill at UQTR *
Queen's at Carleton *
Windsor at W. Ontario *

Mar. 4
Saint Mary's at New Brunswick *
Moncton at Acadia *

* if required

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

 

[Hollywood3]

Feb 28: Bisons lose in Bedrock

MANITOBA BISONS 1
CALGARY DINOSAURS 5
(Calgary leads CWUAA semi-final 1-0)

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

The game was on CanadaWest.tv but the picture was so fuzzy it was hard to make out at times. Not like the nice picture you get from Saudi Alberta. Still, it was something and all games are being shown.

Bedrock U got off to a fast start. The 1st goal was controversial but the officials conferred and let it stand. Then Joe Caligiuri missed a non-screened shot from the blue line a few seconds later, and it was suddenly 2-0. Another committee confab allowed one more controversial to stand, and it was 3-0 at intermission.

The play turned around completely in the 2nd period. Luke Paulsen scored the only Bison goal of the frame, but there were numerous other high quality chances from all their lines, and especially the Paradis-Duval-Lewadniuk combo.

The Bisons came out in the 3rd period like they did in the 2nd. Ian Duval just missed a golden chance and Bedrock turned around and scored at the other end. That put a damper on the period as the Bisons basically just played out the string. In the end the Dinos outshot the Bisons 30-27. I am sure the Bisons would like to believe that Caligiuri's save percebtage will get back to normal and their scorers will be able to find the net.

Game two is Saturday at 6:00 Bedrock time and 7:00 in Manitoba.

OUT OF TOWN SCOREBOARD

UBC THUNDERBIRDS 1
ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 5
(Alberta leads CWUAA semi-final 1-0)

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

This one had the look of a total mismatch for two periods. At that point the Evil Monkeys had a 4-0 lead and a 34-5 lead on the shot clock. Yes 34 shots for the Monkeys, and only 5 for the Tweety Birds. The 3rd was more even with UBC outshooting Alberta 13-11 and each team scoring once. Was that a case of Alberta holding back or UBC finding their form after some playoff jitters?

OUT EAST

Links: [LeagueStat Daily]

CARLETON RAVENS 1
QUEEN'S GOLDEN GAELS 2
(OUA East semi-final tied 1-1)

Links:
:. [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]

Was anybody thinking Cartoon U would lose this series? Maybe the Queens deserve a little more attention. Big win for them.

RYERSON RAMS 1
LAKEHEAD THUNDERWOLVES 5
(Lakehead wins OUA West semi-final 2-0)

Links:
:. [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]

The Thundermutts become the first side through to the next round with this win. They now await the winner of Windsor and the Urban Cowboys.

UP NEXT:

Mar. 1
UBC at Alberta (6:00 PM MST)
Manitoba at Calgary (6:00 PM MST)
New Brunswick at Saint Mary's
Acadia at Moncton
UQTR at McGill
W. Ontario at Windsor

Mar. 2
UBC at Alberta (6:00 PM MST) *
Manitoba at Calgary (6:00 PM MST) *
New Brunswick at Saint Mary's *
Acadia at Moncton *
McGill at UQTR *
Queen's at Carleton *
Windsor at W. Ontario *

Mar. 4
Saint Mary's at New Brunswick *
Moncton at Acadia *

* if required

[CIS Playoff Schedule/Results] NOTE: It is now 10 days since the CIS page released a daily round-up.

 

[Hollywood3]

Mar 1: Bisons win in OT, Game 3 goes Sunday

MANITOBA BISONS 3
CALGARY DINOSAURS 2
(in overtime)
(CWUAA semi-final tied 1-1)

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

With their backs to the proverbial wall, the Bisons responded with a nail-biting overtime road win. Lee Christensen was back on the Bison blueline but the deleted player was forward Jon Gaudet. It looks like defenceman Kyle Rous was used as a 4th line forward in the game.

The Dinos opened scoring in a defensive 1st period when defenceman Davis Vandane scored the only goal from the 12 combined shots the two teams generated.

Luke Paulsen evened the game in the 2nd period with his 2nd goal of the series. He was out wioth the 4th line (Coates-Scott-Rous) at the time. It was 1-1 at the 2nd intermission.

The Dinos regained the lead when Cory Pritz scored the game's only powerplay goal. (The teams went a combined 1-for-15 on the PP.) Dylan Kelly tied the game on the 1st goal by a forward in the game, and the 1st goal by a Bison forward in the series. It was set up by a nice pass from Luke Cain.

Jordan DePape continued his hot streak with a goal in overtime. After two losses to the Dinos during the regular season in overtime, the Bisons were due for one.

Joe Caligiuri was again in the Bison goal, and Kris Lazaruk continued the Dino goaltender rotation.

Game 3 goes Sunday at 6:00 MST or 7:00 CST and will be streamed at CanadaWest.tv.

OUT OF TOWN SCOREBOARD

UBC THUNDERBIRDS 2
ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 6
(Alberta wins CWUAA semi-final 2-0)

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

Once again UBC was overmatched by the Evil Monkeys. The scoreline is a bit deceptive because the Apes scored two empty net goals as UBC fought desperately to even the score.

Despite the loss, UBC must feel good that they rallied just to make the playoffs and finally won a playoff series. However, it is apparent that though may be able to play even-up against NCAA teams and lower end CW teams, they don't quite have that extra gear to win games without their goaltender making 50-60 saves. One step at a time. Hopefully the program will secure funding and sponsorship so they can attempt to take the next steps in the coming years.

OUT EAST

Links: [AUS Post-Season Schedule/Results]

NEW BRUNSWICK VARSITY REDS 1
SAINT MARY'S HUSKIES 2
(in overtime)
(SMU leads AUS semi-final 2-1)

Links:
:. [AUS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]

ACADIA AXEMEN 1
MONCTON AIGLES BLEUS 4
(Acadia leads AUS semi-final 2-1)

Links:
:. [AUS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]

The AUS is considered by most to be the toughest conference and the fact that the 3rd and 5th seeds could knock off the 1st and 2nd seeds should come as no great shock. The SMUskies were significantly outshot (43-30), yet they are now one home win away from the conference finals. And to see the Blue Eggs bounce back after their choke in game 2 was nice to see. Here's a nifty note: the SMUskies dressed two players short.

Links: [LeagueStat Daily]

UQTR PATRIOTES 1
MCGILL REDMEN 4
(McGill wins OUA East semi-final 2-0)

Links:
:. [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]

The McGilligutties have taken Quebec! They still await their opponent for the OUA East final, either Cartoon U or The Queens.

WESTERN ONTARIO MUSTANGS 1
WINDSOR LANCERS 3
(OUA West semi-final tied 1-1)

Links:
:. [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]

Windsor put this away with an empty-netter after 77 combined shots produced only 3 goals. There must have been some great saves down in Detroit's civilized suburb. Sunday's winner will be facing Lakehead for the IUA West title.

UP NEXT:

Mar. 2
Manitoba at Calgary (6:00 PM MST)
New Brunswick at Saint Mary's
Acadia at Moncton
Queen's at Carleton
Windsor at W. Ontario

Mar. 4
Saint Mary's at New Brunswick *
Moncton at Acadia *

* if required

[CIS Playoff Schedule/Results]
[CIS Hockey Site]

 

[Hollywood3]

Mar 2: Pre-game stories

Some interesting stories popped up so I am sharing those links, as well as your on-line viewing and listening options for the evening:

Bisons v Dinos Links:
Game 1: [Examiner.com]
Game 2: [Calgary Sun]

These media links supplement the stories posted by the Dinos, and reposted at the U of M and CW as per prior links. In a nutshell:

In a tightly contested game that had ‘playoff hockey’ written all over it, the Bisons found a way to erase two one-goal deficits to force overtime. Davis Vandane and Cory Pritz put markers on the scoresheet for the Dinos but were countered by Luke Paulsen, Dylan Kelly and eventually DePape in the extra session.

“We didn’t play with the urgency we needed in order to win in the playoffs,†said Calgary head coach Mark Howell. “We have to play fast, but our guys sat back and didn’t keep at it. Manitoba deserves credit — they needed to win, and they did.â€

At 13:05 of overtime, DePape ended the game on an innocent-looking wrist-shot from the left side that went over Dinos goaltender Kris Lazaruk and in. The goal was his second of the playoffs.

Manitoba outshot Calgary 29-27. Bisons goalie Joe Caligiuri made 25 saves in the win, while Lazaruk stopped 26 shots.

UBC Hockey Program Links:
By Cam Charron: [Yahoo.ca]
By Tony Gallagher: [The Vancouver Province]

One could suggest that there is a bit nore clarity in the standing of the UBC hockey team. Looks like they will need to do some fund-raising. Here are two quotes from the Yahoo story, followed by one from Tony Gallagher back in the fall. Makes you winder what is up out in British California.

The second big story is that men's ice hockey, which looked to be in danger and relegated to club status having not survived the preliminary cuts in January, was "saved" thanks to a new hybrid funding model which will include community partnerships. That team, along with men's baseball, women's rugby and men's field hockey, will potentially exist at the behest of local sponsors. The team survived probably thanks to the plea of Vancouver Canucks' Kevin Bieksa a month ago:

Here is the breakdown of sports into the four groups, per the university's release:

Teams to receive enhanced support (seven)
Basketball: men and women
Football: men
Swimming: men and women
Volleyball: men and women

Teams to receive current support with some limited enhancements (thirteen)
Cross country: men and women
Field hockey: women
Golf: men and women
Ice hockey: women
Rowing: men and women
Rugby: men
Soccer: men and women
Track and field: men and women

Teams, each in unique situations, given more time to pursue hybrid funding (four)
Baseball: men
Field hockey: men
Ice hockey: men
Rugby: women

Teams realigned to competitive club* (five)
Alpine skiing: men and women
Nordic skiing: men and women
Softball: women

That, of course, is because her ‘think-tank’ of experts composed of eight women, nine if you include Cowin herself, and two men, hasn’t yet officially come to the decision. But given its makeup, you can pretty much guess the outcome will favour club and recreational sports to the very great detriment of varsity teams.

Try to imagine, if you will, the howl from these academics if the makeup would be reversed with respect to the sexes. And just in case you might be holding out hope that the men might sway the obvious direction in which this is headed, they’ve already made sure that at least one of the men won’t be getting too uppity, given that Richard Price just happens to be the Senior Advisor to UBC president Stephen Toope.

He’s not likely to have a thought that is different from Toope, so this is tantamount to putting the president on the committee, and frankly, his sporting expertise escapes me for the moment. The other fellow, David Burleigh, is well qualified but his background at Queen’s was ‘Strategic Planning and Performance Improvement in Support of New Sport Model.’ Try to imagine his sympathy for 100 years of tradition and history. His expertise is in ‘change’ and we don’t mean two 10s for a 20.

Some of the women ‘experts’ have varying degrees of sports experience but their focus has almost exclusively been in recreational and club sports. Some already have the existence of their favoured varsity sport assured and skeptics believe, rightly or wrongly, they could easily be tempted to throw other teams under the bus to improve funding for their sport.

As one enraged alumnus who best remain nameless at this point recently remarked: “What expertise do these people bring? There are no coaches, no sports scientists unless you include Frisbee, no athletes, no alumni and no business leaders.â€

On-line streaming links:

Manitoba v Calgary: http://client.stretchinternet.com/client/canadawest.portal#

Both AUS games: http://www.austv.ca/

Windsor v W. Ontario audio: http://chrwradio.ca/stream
Windsor v W. Ontario video: http://www.ssncanada.ca/game/5819/

 

[mikeandI]

Disaster! Dave Adolph has got his team in a bad position. Since losing in the first round to UBC, they now will have to sit idle for almost a month before hosting Nationals. They definitely don't want to open the tournament on Thursday night and risk a loss like last year. I think I read earlier that they wouldn't make that same mistake this year, regardless they will be the underdog vs the OUA or AUS competition.
It seems like CUC Center wasn't that warming to the Huskies, what was their record in that building this year?

was just checking out the sunday march 2nd scores.....did u say disaster red army boy and your pal rob.....come on bisons get er done in the third period!!