2016-17 Manitoba Bisons/CIS Thread

[Hollywood3]

Feb 3: Mutts beat Bisons in opener

MANITOBA BISONS 3
SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 5

Links:
LeagueStat: [Summary] : [Report] : [Text]
Boxscores: [US/CIS] : [CW] : [UofM]
Stories: [UofS] : [rp @CW] : [rp @UofC]
Other UofM: [Bison Blog #6] : [Bison Sports Preview]
Other UofS: [Sask Preview] : [Game Notes pdf]

There exists very little suspense in this year's home stretch. While few spots are clinched, and match-ups are not confirmed, the basic picture is coming into focus. So the Bisons know that they are on a collision course with the Mutts. The fact that this was a tight battle, even when played at The Rutherdump, probably satisfies the Bisons.

The line-up shuffle continued for the Herd, with Jordan DePape and Brent Bowles being removed from last week's line-up and Nick Zajac and Kamerin Nault drawing in. Here's how the scoring went:

1st
4:07 Sask Tkatch (6) A: W Johnson (1), A Johnson (10)
5:00 Sask Roach (7) A: McVeigh (15)
16:11 Man Laurencelle (6) A: None
18:23 Sask Cable (5) A: Bauml (16), Cox (10)

2nd
3:56 Sask McVeigh (13) A: Sofillas (13), Roach (16)
14:17 Man Heinrich (2) A: Zajac (9), Augert (8) (PP)

3rd
9:07 Man Brooks (2) A: Bresciani (9), Wasylak (3)
19:50 Sask Roach (8) A: McFaull (6), McVeigh (16) (EN)

Byron Spriggs got the loss, stopping 27 of 31, and Jordon Cooke got the win, stopping 27 of 30.

OUT-OF-TOWN SCOREBOARD

February 2nd

MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS 4
CALGARY DINOSAURS 5
(in overtime)

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


February 3rd

CALGARY DINOSAURS 2
MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS 0

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

This series was a Thursday-Friday schedule on account of the annual Crowchild Classic game, played Thursday at the Saddledome. They had almost 12,000 fans there and the Dinos won their second straight double overtime game. The MRU goaltending appears to have fallen, with Colin Cooper giving up 5 goals on 21 shots. At the other end Steven Stanford stopped 29 of 33 to claim the win.

On Friday the scene shifted to the Flames Community Arena. The Dinos led the Bluegars 1-0 after two periods. In the 3rd period the Bluegars outshot the Dinos 16-1. The Dinos scored on their only shot. Elgin Pearce had his 15th and 16th goals of the season. Stanford had a 35 save shutout for the win. Cam Lanigan stopped 14 of 16 to take the loss. Bedrock U can now clinch at least 3rd place by sweeping the Green Cougars.

Also, on Thursday the Dinos debuted a yellow jersey.

LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS 1
ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 2

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

The Hørny Ønes gave the Evil Monkeys all they could handle. Brendan Burke started in the Monkey cage and stopped all 8 shots he faced in the 1st period. Then Kenny Cameron (not Luke Siemsns) came on to play. Cameron had 2 starts against the Mutts Oct 14-15 and since then played 10 minutes against Alberta in October and 20 minutes against Regina in January. Is Luke Siemens off their radar going forward? Garret Hughson stopped 28 of 30 in taking the loss. Lethbridge clings to a 2 point lead over UBC for the final playoff berth.

REGINA COUGARS 2
U.B.C. THUNDERBIRDS 5

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

After two periods this was a reasonable hockey game. The T'irds led 3-2 and were outshooting the Kittens 24-19. But in the 3rd period there must have been some distracting banjo music to throw off the Kittens. The shots were 14-1! How can a team get just 1 shot in a 3rd period when they enter down by just one goal? I fell asleep Friday night waiting for the linked game stories. As of Saturday morning, the usually adept Regina site has yet to post. Can't blame them. UBC still trails Lethbridge by 2 points with just 3 games left. Next week UBC is at MRU and Lethbridge hosts Sask.

OUT EAST

AUS

Feb 03 New Brunswick 5 St. F.X. 3
Feb 03 U.P.E.I. 6 Dalhousie 2

OUA

Feb 02 Carleton 3 Ottawa 2 (ot)
Feb 02 Lakehead 2 Ryerson 7
Feb 02 Queen's 2 R.M.C. 3
Feb 03 Brock 5 Nipissing 0
Feb 03 Guelph 5 U.Q.T.R. 1
Feb 03 Lakehead 4 Waterloo 3
Feb 03 Laurier 1 Toronto 0
Feb 03 W. Ontario 4 Concordia 7
Feb 03 York 2 Laurentian 3 (ot)

UP NEXT

Feb 04 Lethbridge at Alberta
Feb 04 Manitoba at Saskatchewan
Feb 04 Regina at U.B.C.
Feb 04 Moncton at Acadia
Feb 04 New Brunswick at Dalhousie
Feb 04 U.P.E.I. at St. F.X.
Feb 04 Brock at Laurentian
Feb 04 Carleton at McGill
Feb 04 Guelph at Concordia
Feb 04 Lakehead at Waterloo
Feb 04 Queen's at U.O.I.T.
Feb 04 Ryerson at Laurier
Feb 04 W. Ontario at U.Q.T.R.
Feb 04 York at Nipissing

[US/CIS Schedule/Results]
[US/CIS Standings]

All CW games available at CanadaWest.tv.

* Indicates link not available at the time of posting.

UNIVERSIADE

RESULTS

February 3rd
Canada 5 Slovakia 3 : [USports] : [Summary] : [PDF]
Russia 14 Japan 0
Czech Republic 0 Kazakhstan 8

This was Canada's first actual hockey game of the tournament. There were loads of penalties (24 minutes for TC, and 22 for SVK).

STANDINGS

Pool A

Pool B

Pool C

PLAYOFF ROUND

February 4th
9-12 Classification: U.S.A. v China
Quarter-final: Russia v Japan
Quarter-final: Canada v Latvia

February 5th
9-12 Classification: South Korea v Great Britain
Quarter-final: Czech Republic v Slovakia
Quarter-final: Kazakhstan v Sweden

Links:
• [Wikipedia]
• [FISU hockey schedule]
• [FISU hockey news]
• [U Sports International]
• [Almaty 2017 Site]
• [Schedule in pdf]
• [Live Streaming]

 

[Hollywood3]

Feb 4: Bisons Crush Mutts

MANITOBA BISONS 4
SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 0

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

This is a great night for the Bisons for two reasons. First, they picked up a fabulous victory over a first place team. Second, they get to pack up and get the heck out of Canada's armpit.

Also, with the win the Bisons have now won their season series against four teams (Sask., Calgary, Lethbridge, and Regina), split against one (UBC), and have lost one (MRU). With one weekend left, the Bisons have guaranteed themselves a playoff berth. They will finish either 5th or 6th and play an away quarter-final series somewhere in the province of Saudi Alberta.

On to the game. The Bisons went with the same line-up as on Friday night, including Byron Spriggs in goal. Here's the mini-summary:

1st
No Scoring

2nd
9:54 Man Bilton (3) A: None
16:25 Man Henry (5) A: Zajac (10), Laurencelle (14)

3rd
12:28 Man Henry (6) A: Lisoway (10), Merasty (12) (PP)
12:52 Man Callis (6) A: Henry (8), Merasty (13)

I was able to watch on-line. The game was fairly back-and-forth, but the Bisons were stronger in front of both nets. Henry's two goals from the point were helped by the traffic.

The 4th line of Bilton-Brooks-Wasylak appears to have solidified their place in the line-up. All three were frequent visitors to the pressbox early in the season. Somehow they have found that chemistry thing.

The goaltending ranges from OK to excellent with Spriggs as the verified #1. In this game he stopped all 36 shots he faced. Meanwhile, Jordon Cooke was "meh" in the Mutts' net. He stopped 24 of 28. His save % against the Bisons this year is .864, but is .927 overall.

OUT-OF-TOWN SCOREBOARD

LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS 4
ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 3
(in overtime)

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

This was a very big win for the Hørny Ønes. It moves them 2 points ahead of UBC in the battle for 6th place. A playoff berth would cause great celebration for Lethbridge. The Alberta game story says this is the 'Horns' first win in Edmontown in 7 years. Jeesh. The Evil Monkeys' net is drawing a lot of attention. Kenny Cameron went the distance and stopped 33 of 37 shots. Brendan Burke served as backup. Garret Hughson stopped 47 out of 50 for a well-earned win. Mitchell Maxwell had a hat-trick for Lethbridge.

REGINA COUGARS 1
U.B.C. THUNDERBIRDS 4

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

All goals in this game were scored in the 2nd period. Derek Dun once again played for UBC and stopped 29 of 30 shots. Dawson MacAuley started for the Kittens and stopped 30 of 34. All the numbers indicate a decent enough effort for the Banjo-lovers. Maybe they can play spoiler next weekend. The sweep keeps the T'irds alive, two points out of a playoff birth.

STANDINGS

OUT EAST

AUS

Feb 04 Moncton 1 Acadia 4
Feb 04 New Brunswick 6 Dalhousie 4
Feb 04 U.P.E.I. 2 St. F.X. 4

OUA

Feb 04 Brock 3 Laurentian 6
Feb 04 Carleton 1 McGill 2
Feb 04 Guelph 3 Concordia 6
Feb 04 Lakehead 1 Waterloo 2
Feb 04 Queen's 2 U.O.I.T. 3 (ot)
Feb 04 Ryerson 2 Laurier 3 (ot)
Feb 04 W. Ontario 3 U.Q.T.R. 5
Feb 04 York 2 Nipissing 3 (so)

UP NEXT

Feb 08 New Brunswick at Moncton
Feb 09 Ryerson at Guelph
Feb 10 Alberta at Manitoba
Feb 10 Calgary at Regina
Feb 10 U.B.C. at Mount Royal
Feb 10 Saskatchewan at Lethbridge
Feb 10 Acadia at Dalhousie
Feb 10 Saint Mary's at St. F.X.
Feb 10 Moncton at U.P.E.I.
Feb 10 U.Q.T.R. at U.O.I.T.
Feb 10 McGill at Nipissing
Feb 10 Windsor at Waterloo
Feb 10 R.M.C. at York
Feb 10 Toronto at Brock
Feb 10 W. Ontario at Lakehead
Feb 10 Concordia at Queen's
Feb 10 Ottawa at Laurentian

[US/CIS Schedule/Results]
[US/CIS Standings]

All CW games available at CanadaWest.tv.

* Indicates link not available at the time of posting.

UNIVERSIADE

RESULTS

February 4th
9-12 Classification: U.S.A. 17 China 1
Quarter-final: Russia 9 Japan 2
Quarter-final: Canada 5 Latvia 2 : [USports] : [Summary] : [PDF]

There is rejoicing over the win over Latvia! The OUA all-stars had a fairly tough time getting this win. Next up is Russia, and they have to be much better in that game. The brackets are posted.

NEXT UP

February 5th
9-12 Classification: South Korea v Great Britain
Quarter-final: Czech Republic v Slovakia
Quarter-final: Kazakhstan v Sweden

Links:
• [Wikipedia]
• [FISU hockey schedule]
• [FISU hockey news]
• [U Sports International]
• [Almaty 2017 Site]
• [Schedule in pdf]
• [Live Streaming]

 

[Hollywood3]

Feb 5: Universiade

RESULTS

February 5th
9-12 Classification: South Korea 1 Great Britain 3
Quarter-final: Czech Republic 4 Slovakia 3
Quarter-final: Kazakhstan 4 Sweden 0

NEXT UP

February 6th
11-12 Classification: South Korea v China
9-10 Classification: U.S.A. v Great Britain
5-8 Classification: Slovakia v Sweden
5-8 Classification: Latvia v Japan

Women's:
6-7 Classification: Kazakhstan v Great Britain
Bronze final: U.S.A. v China
Gold-silver final: Canada v Russia

February 7th
7-8 Classification: teams TBA
5-6 Classification: teams TBA
semi-final: Russia v Canada
semi-final: Kazakhstan v Czech Republican

February 8th
Bronze final: teams TBA
Gold-silver final: teams TBA

Links:
• [Wikipedia]
• [FISU hockey schedule]
• [FISU hockey news]
• [U Sports International]
• [Almaty 2017 Site]
• [Schedule in pdf]
• [Live Streaming]

 

[Rob]

Who makes up Team USA? They certainly aren't from the NCAA.

 

[Drummer]

Who makes up Team USA? They certainly aren't from the NCAA.

Players from the 'other' college hockey league - ACHA-American Collegiate Hockey League.

Roster here

 

[Hollywood3]

Players from the 'other' college hockey league - ACHA-American Collegiate Hockey League.

Roster here

Yes. For as long as I can recall the ACHA have provided an all-star selection for Team USA in this tournament.

 

[Hollywood3]

Feb 6: Universiade and Updated Links

Saturday's game story and box score were not updated at GoBisons.ca until 11:21 am on Sunday. And then they added a whole load of stories. Here they are:

Links:
• [Feb 4 Game Story] : [Box Score]
• [Mike Ridley Awards]
• [Feb 10-11: Alberta Series Preview]
• [Stovin & Wasylak Hair Donation]

Mike Ridley is the most famous Bison grad of recent vintage. He set up a scholarship program with some of his massive NHL career earnings. 20 players got $875 each:
Justin Augert
Liam Bilton
Channing Brescani
Brett Brooks
Warren Callis
Lee Christensen
Sean Christensen
Jordan DePape
Brett Dudar
Hudson Friesen
Adam Henry
Remi Laurencelle
Shaq Merasty
Jesse Paradis
Justin Paulic
Byron Spriggs
Brett Stovin
Dasan Sydora
Jonah Wasylak
Nick Zajac

Brett Stovin and Jonah Wasylak have been growing their hair all year so they could get it cut offf in one fell swoop to raise money for cancer. Over $3,000 so far.

RESULTS

February 6th
11-12 Classification: South Korea 7 China 2
9-10 Classification: U.S.A. 10 Great Britain 1
5-8 Classification: Slovakia 4 Sweden 2
5-8 Classification: Latvia 7 Japan 3

Women's:
6-7 Classification: Kazakhstan 6 Great Britain 0
Bronze final: China 0 U.S.A. 3
Gold-silver final: Canada 1 Russia 4

NEXT UP

February 7th
7-8 Classification: Japan v Sweden
5-6 Classification: Slovakia v Latvia
semi-final: Russia v Canada 4:00 am CST
semi-final: Kazakhstan v Czech Republica

February 8th
Bronze final: teams TBA
Gold-silver final: teams TBA

Links:
• [Wikipedia]
• [FISU hockey schedule]
• [FISU hockey news]
• [U Sports International]
• [Almaty 2017 Site]
• [Schedule in pdf]
• [Live Streaming]

 

[Hollywood3]

Feb 7: Universiade & Updated Links

Links:
• [Global News Video on Stovin and Wasylak]
• [Spriggs Athlete of the Week]

Stovin and Wasylak are both big guys and the hair made them look scarier. I am wondering what impact the shaven look will have. Spriggs AoW was his second of the season.

RESULTS

February 7th
7-8 Classification: Japan 4 Sweden 5
5-6 Classification: Slovakia 5 Latvia 4
semi-final: Russia 4 Canada 1 : [USports] : [Summary] : [PDF]
semi-final: Kazakhstan 4 Czech Republic 1

NEXT UP

February 8th
Bronze final: Canada v Czech Republic
Gold-silver final: Russia v Kazakhstan

Based on the scores so far this was to be Canada's expected result. [Wikia] doesn't have the old tournaments, but in the 2000s, the OUA has sent teams on three occasions. In [2005] they finished 3rd in a 6-team pool (losing to Russia and Czech Republic) and won the 5th place game (6-5 over Slovakia). In [2011] they finished 2nd in a 4-team pool (losing to Belarus). They lost in the semi-finals to Russia 4-2 and then beat Kazakhstan 3-1 for bronze.

Links:
• [Wikipedia]
• [FISU hockey schedule]
• [FISU hockey news]
• [U Sports International]
• [Almaty 2017 Site]
• [Schedule in pdf]
• [Live Streaming]

 

[Hollywood3]

Preview: Feb 10-11: Alberta at Bisons

HERD HOSTS MONKEYS TO CLOSE THE REGULAR SEASON

ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS (17-7-2, 25-9-4, OHT35 #3)
MANITOBA BISONS (13-11-2, 20-13-2, OHT35 #11)

Friday, February 10th, 7:00 CST @ Wayne Fleming Arena
Saturday, February 11th, 7:00 CST @ Wayne Fleming Arena

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

Manitoba Links:
• [UM Preview] ∞ [Series Preview]
• [LS Stats] ∞ [LS Schedule/Results]
• [Video Tweet #1] ∞ [Video Tweet #2]
• [Twitter] ∞ [Facebook]

Alberta Links:
• [UofA Team Site]
• [LS Stats] ∞ [LS Schedule/Results]
• [Twitter] ∞ [Facebook]

Prior Games:
Nov 18: UM 3 UA 6: [LeagueStat] ∞ [CW] ∞ [UofM]
Nov 19: UM 2 UA 5: [LeagueStat] ∞ [CW] ∞ [UofM]

Other Links:
• [All Links re USports Hockey]
• [USports Hockey Site] ∞ [Schedule/Links]
• [USports Standings] ∞ [USports Top 10] ∞ [Monday Roundups]
• [CW Site] ∞ [Schedule/Links]

The end of the regular season always seems to arrive so abruptly in the CW. And here we are! The Bisons sit in 5th and cannot go any higher. They are 4 points behind MRU, and MRU holds the tie-breaker. They can only drop to 6th if they lose both in regulation and Lethbridge wins both. In other words, if the Bisons get one point, or if Lethbridge drops a point, the Bisons are 5th.

Meanwhile, the Banana-Eating Primates sit in 2nd and have only a slight chance at movement. Sask holds the tie-breaker and a 4-point lead, so 1st is clinched. Calgary trails by 3, play Regina twice, and hold the tie-breaker. So the Apes need either a win or two OTLs to clinch 2nd place and a first round bye.

This has been a funny year for the Evil Monkeys. Coming into this series, they have won 3 season series (against Lethbridge, Mount Royal, and Regina), and lost 3 (against Calgary, Sask, and UBC). At one time they enjoyed a big intimidation factor. Odds are pretty good that they will be facing a confident playoff opponent in every round they play.

On paper the Saudi Albertans should be walking away with the league. Especially after bolstering their line-up with two Christmas additions. They do have 4 top-20 scorers (Crooks, Hart, Baillie, Legault, all between 22 and 26 points). The Bisons have just two (Depape and Stovin with 22 each). However, the Bisons do have 12 players with at least 10 points, while the Monkeys have just 10. In total, the Bisons have scored 92 goals, the same as Alberta (tied for 3rd).

The difference is the goals against. Alberta have given up 68 goals, and Manitoba 83. Yet goaltending has been the question-mark for the Monkeys. Here are the stats for all goaltenders on these teams:

Byron Spriggs 11-7-2, 2.85 GAA, .912 S%
Justin Paulic 2-4-0, 3.75 GAA, .880 S%
Dasan Sydora 0-0-0, 3.49 GAA, .857 S%

Brendan Burke 7-3-0, 1.68 GAA, .934 S%
Luke Siemens 8-3-1, 2.89 GAA, .905 S%
Kenny Cameron 2-1-1, 3.43 GAA, .880 S%

Burke has wrestled the #1 job away from Siemens. His save % is the best in the league. Could he keep it at that level through a full season? The Monkeys didn't even dress Siemens last weekend, going with Kenny Cameron as backup instead. Spriggs has given the Bisons reasonable goaltending. At first he was in a platoon.

The video tweets are about the Stovin/Wasylak head shavings for cancer research. They will sure look a lot different this week.

Both games can be seen on canadawest.tv and heard on 101.5 UMFM.com.

ELSEWHERE:

CALGARY DINOSAURS (16-9-1, 19-11-2, OHT35 #5)
REGINA COUGARS (3-21-2, 3-27-2, OHT35 #33)

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

This has been a terrible season for the Banjocats. They have been outclassed by a wide margin. They are not a terrible team. They just don't have the WHL grads needed to be competitive. Can they play spoiler? Frankly, it must be said the Bedrock U has overachieved. They have barely uoutscored their opponents (77-74).

U.B.C. THUNDERBIRDS (10-13-3, 15-14-3, OHT35 #19)
MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS (15-9-2, 17-12-2, OHT35 #8)

Links:
• [MRU Preview]
• [UBC Preview]

Here's the thing: UBC is two points behind Lethbridge and Lethbridge holds the tie-breaker. So anything less than 4 points would leave UBC needing loads of help. MRU is just one point behind Calgary. But the difference between 3rd and 4th is very slight in the playoff format.

SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES (19-5-2, 20-7-3, OHT35 #2)
LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS (11-12-3, 17-12-3, OHT35 #17)

Links:
• [UofL Preview]
• [UofS Team Site]

The Banjomutts have assured themselves of 1st place. Will they lack motivation? The Hørny Ønes can guarantee themselves a playoff birth with 2 points. That would be quite a turnaround for what was once a doormat program.

OUT EAST:

OUA

Feb 09 Ryerson 11 Guelph 4
Feb 10 U.Q.T.R. at U.O.I.T.
Feb 10 McGill at Nipissing
Feb 10 Windsor at Waterloo
Feb 10 R.M.C. at York
Feb 10 Toronto at Brock
Feb 10 W. Ontario at Lakehead
Feb 10 Concordia at Queen's
Feb 10 Ottawa at Laurentian
Feb 11 Toronto at Waterloo
Feb 11 Ottawa at Nipissing
Feb 11 Queen's at Carleton
Feb 11 R.M.C. at Brock
Feb 11 Ryerson at Guelph
Feb 11 W. Ontario at Lakehead
Feb 11 Windsor at Laurier
Feb 11 McGill at Laurentian

AUS

Feb 08 New Brunswick 2 Moncton 1 (ot)
Feb 10 Acadia at Dalhousie
Feb 10 Saint Mary's at St. F.X.
Feb 10 Moncton at U.P.E.I.
Feb 11 Dalhousie at Saint Mary's
Feb 11 St. F.X. at Acadia
Feb 11 U.P.E.I. at New Brunswick

RESULTS

February 8th
Bronze final: Canada 4 Czech Republic 3 : [USports] : [Summary] : [PDF]
Gold-silver final: Russia 1 Kazakhstan 0

Links:
• [Wikipedia]
• [FISU hockey schedule]
• [FISU hockey news]
• [U Sports International]
• [Almaty 2017 Site]
• [Schedule in pdf]
• [Live Streaming]

 

[RED ARMY EAST]

CanadaWest

This conference has been very competitive this year. Saskatchewan has got to be the favourites and will hold home ice advantage Alberta, with the second bye, will have home ice advantage for their quest to lock up a spot at the University Cup. They would have to play on the road for the conference championship, if it's against the Huskies? CanadaWest will send 2 teams to Nationals.
Many teams have had recent success against Alberta this year,
should be interesting.
With Alberta, they look to be rounding into form, one has to think that Burke will be the the go to guy between the pipes?
Bob, Bearpaw can you give us an update on the Bears?

 

[Hollywood3]

Feb 10: Monkeys Win, Top Five Confirmed

ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 4
MANITOBA BISONS 2

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

It was late night last night so just a brief blurb today. The Bisons really took it to the Apes Friday night. They stopped hitting in the 3rd and the Monkeys stole one. The results on the night, though, solidified all but 6th place in the standings. Jordan DePape did not dress for the Bisons. Jamie Crooks was taken out of the game and I suspect he's gone for a while.

1st
5:03 Alta Kieser (6) A: Bredo (16), Rachinski (9)
10:43 Man Laurencelle (7) A: Christensen (5) (SH)
14:37 Man Augert (11) A: Laurencelle (15), Bresciani (10) (PP)

2nd
9:37 Alta Fram (4) A: Hart (11), Legault (19) (PP)

3rd
10:02 Alta Baillie (13) A: Nickles (3), Fram (4)
14:15 Alta Legault (5) A: Linaker (2), Baillie (12)

The shots were 32-28 for the Monkeys. Burke got the win and Spriggs took the loss.

The Bisons have a new recruit. Victor Sharonov is a 6'5" 256 lb Russian defenceman who played NCAA3 last year. He wasn't dressed.

The Bisons will play at MRU next week and Alberta gets a bye to the semi-finals where they would host Calgary (if they win) or the Manitoba-MRU winner (if Calgary loses).

OUT-OF-TOWN SCOREBOARD

CALGARY DINOSAURS 2
REGINA COUGARS 1
(in overtime)

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

I think everybody was cheering for the undercat in this one. Too bad, another loss. Bedrock U is 3rd and will play Lethbridge or UBC next.

U.B.C. THUNDERBIRDS 2
MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS 1

Links:
LeagueStat: [Summary]
Boxscores: [US/CIS] : [CW]
Stories: [MRU] : [rp @CW] : [rp @UBC w video]

The Bluegars looked like a national level threat just a few short weeks ago. They can't win lately, and they will face the Bisons in next week's quarter-finals. UBC needed this win to pull level with Lethbridge for th 6th and final playoff berth. It will be a night of scoreboard watching.

SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 4
LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS 1

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

The Hørny Ønes will need a shot of Viagra on Saturday. They win and they are in. They lose and UBC is in the driver's seat. Lethbridge holds the tie-breaker. Sask already had 1st clinched.

OUT EAST

AUS

Feb 10 Acadia 2 Dalhousie 1
Feb 10 Saint Mary's 2 St. F.X. 3
Feb 10 Moncton 3 U.P.E.I. 4 (ot)

OUA

Feb 10 U.Q.T.R. 0 U.O.I.T. 2
Feb 10 McGill 2 Nipissing 1 (so)
Feb 10 Windsor 3 Waterloo 2 (ot)
Feb 10 R.M.C. 2 York 5
Feb 10 Toronto 2 Brock 5
Feb 10 W. Ontario 5 Lakehead 6 (so)
Feb 10 Concordia 6 Queen's 3
Feb 10 Ottawa 5 Laurentian 6 (ot)

UP NEXT

Feb 11 Calgary at Regina
Feb 11 U.B.C. at Mount Royal
Feb 11 Alberta at Manitoba
Feb 11 Saskatchewan at Lethbridge
Feb 11 Dalhousie at Saint Mary's
Feb 11 St. F.X. at Acadia
Feb 11 U.P.E.I. at New Brunswick
Feb 11 Toronto at Waterloo
Feb 11 Ottawa at Nipissing
Feb 11 Queen's at Carleton
Feb 11 R.M.C. at Brock
Feb 11 Ryerson at Guelph
Feb 11 W. Ontario at Lakehead
Feb 11 Windsor at Laurier
Feb 11 McGill at Laurentian

 

[Bob Stauffer]

Alberta-February 11th, 2017

Alberta has seen a massive transition take place after a dissapointing conclusion to the 2015-16 season as a veteran-laden team never really found it's rhythm after winning back-to-back titles in 2014 and 2015.

Bears have been playing 12 Freshmen most nights in the 2nd half.

Brendan Burke has a higher ceiling than any Bears goaltender in the last decade. He is big and can flat-out steal a game. He will be giving Alberta a "punchers-chance" every night.

The Bears added a future All-Canadian calibre D in Jason Fram at Christmas, to a pair of big shut-down freshman in Graeme Craig and Ryan Rehill.

Up front Alberta brought in an abundance of high-end skill.
However in my viewings the Bears forwards appear small and have yet to show at an elite-level work ethic.

The days of Rob Daum or Ian Herbers coached Bears teams that out-shot teams 42-23 on average are a distant memory, at least for now.

That said, the team has a stopper in between the pipes and numerous WHL snipers that could heat up.

I don't think Alberta is top-3 team this season, but they have enough talent to still be a factor come crunch time.

 

[Hollywood3]

Feb 11: Bisons End With a W

ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 1
MANITOBA BISONS 2

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

The Herd bounced back from Friday's loss to end the season on a positive note. There were a few line-up changes on both sides. First, here was the Friday alignment:

MANITOBA

Goal
35 Spriggs (1 Paulic)

Defence
2 Henry - 6 Heinrich
4 Bresciani - 5 L Christensen
3 S Christensen - 9 Hunter

Forwards
25 Merasty - 28 Stovin - 17 Callis
12 Zajac - 13 Laurencelle - 24 Augert
14 Nault - 15 S Bowles - 26 Lisoway
8 Bilton - 21 Brooks - 29 Wasylak

Scratches
10 Dudar (F) - 11 Sharonov (D) - 16 Paradis (F)
19 Friesen (F) - 20 Johnston (D) - 22 B Bowles
23 Schreyer (F) - 27 DePape (F) - 34 Sydora (G)

ALBERTA

Goal
1 Burke (30 Siemens)

Defence
29 Bredo - 8 Rehill
6 Craig - 5 Fram
26 J Topping - 4 Yadlowski

Forwards
18 Baillie - 10 Crooks - 9 Legault
16 Cox - 15 Sanford - 12 Philp
20 Rachinski - 14 Kieser - 17 Hart
37 Nickles - 40 Linaker - 11 Cooper

Scratches
7 Lange (D) - 21 Derko (F) - 22 Carroll (D)
23 Clarkson (F) - 24 Tomchuk (D) - 27 Fiddler (F)
31 Cameron (G) - 52 Charif (D)

In comparison, this was the Saturday alignment:

MANITOBA

Goal
35 Spriggs (1 Paulic)

Defence
2 Henry - 6 Heinrich
4 Bresciani - 5 L Christensen
3 S Christensen - 9 Hunter

Forwards - 1st period
10 Dudar - 25 Merasty - 27 DePape
8 Bilton - 21 Brooks - 29 Wasylak
14 Nault - 13 Laurencelle - 24 Augert
15 S Bowles - 26 Lisoway - 17 Callis

Forwards - 2nd/3rd periods
24 Augert - 13 Laurencelle - 27 DePape
10 Dudar - 26 Lisoway - 25 Merasty
8 Bilton - 21 Brooks - 29 Wasylak
14 Nault - 15 S Bowles - 17 Callis

Scratches
11 Sharonov (D) - 12 Zajac (F) - 16 Paradis (F)
19 Friesen (F) - 20 Johnston (D) - 22 B Bowles
23 Schreyer (F) - 28 Stovin (F) - 34 Sydora (G)

ALBERTA

Goal
30 Siemens (1 Burke)

Defence
29 Bredo - 8 Rehill
6 Craig - 5 Fram
22 Carroll - 4 Yadlowski

Forwards
16 Cox - 18 Baillie - 15 Sanford
20 Rachinski - 14 Kieser - 17 Hart
37 Nickles - 40 Linaker - 11 Cooper
26 J Topping - 27 Fiddler

Scratches
7 Lange (D) - 9 Legault (F) - 10 Crooks (F)
12 Philp (F) 21 Derko (F) - 23 Clarkson (F)
24 Tomchuk (D) - 31 Cameron (G) - 52 Charif (D)

So for the Bisons, Depape and Dudar came in for Stovin and Zajac. I assume Zajac got an automatic night off for the game misconduct on Friday. As for Stovin and Depape, it would be nice to have your top two scorers in the line-up together for a game.

For the Monkeys, Siemens got a game in the net. They also had to play one short. They added Carroll to the defence and Fiddler to the forwards, and moved Topping up front. Meanwhile, three little monkeys (Legault, Crooks, and Philp) were out front dancing with their organ-grinder for quarters. On Saturday, when they played their 4th "line" they would shift the centres from line to line.

Back to the Saturday game. Here's the scoring:

1st
8:34 Alta Rehill (2) A: Baillie (13), Bredo (17) (PP)

2nd
18:44 Man Wasylak (4) A: Bilton (5), Brooks (5)

3rd
4:29 Man DePape (12) A: Henry (9), Spriggs (2) (PP)

The opening goal was a point shot that trickled in somehow. The Wasylak goal came after the Bisons had killed off a string of questionable penalties. A couple of Monkeys were wrapped all over him but he powered his way to the puck and knocked it home. DePape's winner was a big rebound off the backboard which he converted with a one-timer.

After the Bisons took the lead, the Monkeys made a desperate bid for a comeback but Spriggs was equal to the task. The shots were 35-22 in favour of the Apes.

Going into the game, both teams knew their path for the playoffs, so obviously nothing changed. Next weekend the Monkeys will lick their wounds and prep for the semi-finals. And the Bisons are off to the land of Cal and Gary to face MRU.

OUT-OF-TOWN SCOREBOARD

CALGARY DINOSAURS 4
REGINA COUGARS 2

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

This matinee performance brought the Banjocats' inglorious season to a merciful conclusion. This series encapsulated the Regina season. They were just good enough to lose. Both games were respectable (shots were 33-33 on Saturday, and Friday was an OTL). They played fairly well, but were not as good as their opponent. Elgin Pearce scored his 19th and 20th goals of the season to lead the victory. Mitch Kilgore stopped 29 of 33 to take the loss. Bedrock U went with 3rd dtring goaltender Coleman Vollrath and he stopped 31 of 33 for the win.

U.B.C. THUNDERBIRDS 2
MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS 1

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

This was a late afternoon game, and UBC needed the win to stay alive. Derek Dun stopped 38 of 39 shots he faced to backstop the T'irds to a big win and second consecutive 2-1 win. Colin Cooper stopped 16 of 18 in the loss. UBC really nursed the 2-1 lead they took into the 3rd period. The 3rd period shots were 13-2. MRU now enters the playoffs on a 6 game losing streak. Since the new year they are 0-8 against playoff teams. The win did not assure UBC of a playoff berth. They needed a Lethbridge loss for that. Next weekend, UBC comes back to Calgary to face Bedrock U, and MRU hosts Manitoba.

SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 5
LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS 4

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

The Hørny Ønes entered the game knowing that they needed a win to qualify for the playoffs. They were down 3-0 and 4-2 at various times. At the end they were down a goal, and pulled their goaltender. He came back in and let in a softie. The Horns came back to within one again, but too little too late. So everybody's favourite underdogs came up short. Wyatt Johnson scored twice for the Banjomutts. Daniel Wapple started for the Mutts and stopped 29 of 33 shots. Garret Hughson stopped 24 of 29 in the loss. The Hørny Ønes were 3-9 in the new year. And that includes 2 head-to-head wins over UBC.

STANDINGS

OUT EAST

AUS

Feb 11 Dalhousie 1 Saint Mary's 4
Feb 11 St. F.X. 5 Acadia 8
Feb 11 U.P.E.I. 1 New Brunswick 3

OUA

Feb 11 Toronto 2 Waterloo 8
Feb 11 Ottawa 3 Nipissing 2
Feb 11 Queen's 2 Carleton 1 (ot)
Feb 11 R.M.C. 1 Brock 4
Feb 11 Ryerson at Guelph
Feb 11 W. Ontario 5 Lakehead 6 (ot)
Feb 11 Windsor 2 Laurier 3
Feb 11 McGill 5 Laurentian 4 (ot)

UP NEXT

Divisional/Conference Quarter-Finals

Calgary v U.B.C.
Mount Royal v Manitoba

St. F.X. v Moncton
St. Mary's v U.P.E.I.

McGill v Laurentian
Concordia v U.O.I.T.
Queen's v Ottawa
U.Q.T.R. v Carleton

Ryerson v Waterloo
York v Lakehead
Laurier v Windsor
Guelph v Brock

[US/CIS Schedule/Results]
[US/CIS Standings]
[US/CIS Playoffs Schedule/Results]

All CW games available at CanadaWest.tv.

* Indicates link not available at the time of posting.

 

[Hollywood3]

Preview: Feb 17-18: Bisons at MRU

QUARTER-FINALS BEGIN

MANITOBA BISONS (14-12-2, 21-14-2, OHT35 #12)
MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS (15-11-2, 17-14-2, OHT35 #10)

Friday, February 17th, 7:00 MST/8:00 CST @ Flames Community Arena
Saturday, February 18th, 7:00 MST/8:00 CST @ Flames Community Arena
Sunday, February 19th, 7:00 MST/8:00 CST @ Flames Community Arena

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

Manitoba Links:
• [UM Preview]
• [LS Stats] ∞ [LS Schedule/Results]
• [Twitter] ∞ [Facebook]
• [MyToba: UofM Playoff Teams] ∞ [Manitoban: UofA Game] ∞ [Manitoban: Stovin]

Mount Royal Links:
• [Series Preview] ∞ [Promo Video]
• [LS Stats] ∞ [LS Schedule/Results]
• [Twitter] ∞ [Facebook]

Prior Games:
Oct 14: MRU 3 UM 1: [LeagueStat] ∞ [CW] ∞ [UofM]
Oct 15: MRU 5 UM 1: [LeagueStat] ∞ [CW] ∞ [UofM]
Dec 2: UM 3 MRU 4: [LeagueStat] ∞ [CW] ∞ [UofM]
Dec 3: UM 1 MRU 5: [LeagueStat] ∞ [CW] ∞ [UofM]

Other Links:
• [USports Site] ∞ [Playoff Schedule/Links]
• [CIS Standings] ∞ [CIS Top 10]
• [Monday Roundup]
• [CW Site] ∞ [Schedule/Links]

When the Bisons last played MRU, the Bluegars were ranked #6 in the OHT35 and were riding a 6 game winning streak. But in the new year they have been 4-6-2, with their only 4 wins against non-playoff teams. Meanwhile, the Bisons went 8-3-1 and rose from #16 to #12. So the Bisons are definitely the hotter team.

However, in their 4 regular season meetings there is no doubt that the edge went to the Bluegars with 4 straight wins. And that is on the heels of another 4 game sweep in 2015-16. So what gives? To the end of 2014-15 the Bisons held a 9-3 edge in regular season head-to-head games and won their only playoff series 2-1.

At one time the Bluegars were riding the conference's most potent offence to a real challenge for 1st. But the Bisons closed to within 2 points. Just one win in the head-to-head series would have given the Bisons home ice advantage in this series. By seasons' end, MRU outscored their opponents 99-80 and Manitoba outscored their opponents by 96-88.

The Bluegars have the CW's top scorer in Connor Rankin (26 gp 17-18-35). Early in the season Colin Cooper was their stalwart goaltender. He ended at 11-7-1, 2.56 GAA, .899 S%. Their other goaltenders never saw enough action to be "qualified". Cam Lanigan was 2-3-0, 3.16 GAA, .857 S% and Wyatt Hoflin was 2-1-1, 2.92 GAA, .900 S%.

In the Bison goal, Byron Spriggs has improved his numbers as the season has gone on. He went 12-8-2, 2.82 GAA, .913 S%. Backup Justin Paulic is well behind at 2-4-0, 3.75 GAA, .880 S%.

Both games can be seen on canadawest.tv.

ELSEWHERE:

U.B.C. THUNDERBIRDS (12-13-3, 17-14-3, OHT35 #15)
CALGARY DINOSAURS (18-9-1, 21-11-2, OHT35 #6)

Links:
• [UofC Preview] ∞ [Series Preview]
• [UBC Site]

Bedrock U is not as good as their record, IMHO. The T'irds have a great chance to knock them off. This despite the fact that the T'irds were swept by Lethbridge down the home stretch and needed a load of help to just make the playoffs. But they are here, and that is a big boost for their program. These teams played on the same weekends as Manitoba v MRU. In the opening series of the season the Dinos won both games by 1-0. In the December series UBC won 2-1 and Bedrock won 4-1.

OUT EAST:

Feb 15 McGill 2 Laurentian 1 (ot)
Feb 15 Concordia 0 U.O.I.T. 4
Feb 15 Ottawa 2 Queen's 3 (ot)
Feb 15 U.Q.T.R. 2 Carleton 5
Feb 15 Waterloo 1 Ryerson 2
Feb 15 York 3 Lakehead 2
Feb 15 Windsor 3 Laurier 4 (ot)

Feb 16 Brock at Guelph

Feb 17 U.O.I.T. at Concordia
Feb 17 Queen's at Ottawa
Feb 17 Ryerson at Waterloo
Feb 17 Laurier at Windsor
Feb 17 Guelph at Brock

Feb 18 Laurentian at McGill
Feb 18 U.O.I.T. at Concordia *
Feb 18 Ottawa at Queen's *
Feb 18 Carleton at U.Q.T.R.
Feb 18 Waterloo at Ryerson *
Feb 18 Lakehead at York
Feb 18 Windsor at Laurier *

Feb 19 Laurentian at McGill *
Feb 19 U.Q.T.R. at Carleton *
Feb 19 Lakehead at York *
Feb 19 Brock at Guelph *

Feb 15 Moncton 2 St. F.X. 6
Feb 15 U.P.E.I. 1 Saint Mary's 5

Feb 17 St. F.X. at Moncton
Feb 17 Saint Mary's at U.P.E.I.

Feb 19 Moncton at St. F.X. *
Feb 19 U.P.E.I. at Saint Mary's *

* indicates game 3 which may not be necessary


Links:
• [USports Post-season/Links]
• [OUA LeagueStat Daily]
• [AUS Playoff Schedule/Links]

 

[Hollywood3]

Feb 17: Bisons Start with a Dud

MANITOBA BISONS 1
MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS 6

Links:
LeagueStat: [Summary] : [Report] : [Text]
Boxscores: [USports] : [CW] : [UofM]
Stories: [MRU] : [rp @CW] : [rp @UofM]
Preview: [GoBisons.ca]

This was not the start the Bisons wanted, to say the least. Although outplayed in the 1st period, they did not deserve to be down 3 goals. The 2nd period stabilized. But when they needed some saves for a desperation 3rd period rally they just weren't there. Here's the scoring:

1st
5:18 MRU Simpson (1) A: Waltz (1), Marshall (1)
6:09 MRU Maclise (1) A: None
18:40 MRU Rankin (1) A: Jamal Watson (1)

2nd
No Scoring

3rd
0:50 MRU Simpson (2) A: Baker (1) (PP)
3:37 MRU Rankin (2) A: Olstad (1), Waltz (2)
6:23 Man Hunter (1) A: Laurencelle (1) (PP)
12:56 MRU Rankin (3) A: Maclise (1) (SH)

It was a surprise that MRU started their backup goaltender, Cam Lanigan, for this game. He stopped 25 of 26 shots for the win. Meanwhile, Byron Spriggs stopped 24 of 29 shots before being yanked. Justin Paulic stopped 4 of 5 coming in from the bullpen.

Game two goes Saturday at 8:00 CT and is on CanadaWest.tv.

OUT-OF-TOWN SCOREBOARD

CALGARY DINOSAURS 5
U.B.C. THUNDERBIRDS 4
(in overtime)

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

Nothing but than a Friday marathon to start a 3-games-in-3-days series. This just ended and the links will take a while, and I have to get to sleep!

OUT EAST:

Feb 16 Brock 1 Guelph 5
Feb 17 Guelph 4 Brock 3 (ot) (Guelph wins series 2-0)
Feb 17 Laurier 0 Windsor 1 (series tied 1-1)
Feb 17 Ryerson 4 Waterloo 5 (ot) (series tied 1-1)
Feb 17 U.O.I.T. 2 Concordia 5 (series tied 1-1)
Feb 17 Queen's 2 Ottawa 3 (ot) (series tied 1-1)

Feb 18 Laurentian at McGill
Feb 18 U.O.I.T. at Concordia *
Feb 18 Ottawa at Queen's *
Feb 18 Carleton at U.Q.T.R.
Feb 18 Waterloo at Ryerson *
Feb 18 Lakehead at York
Feb 18 Windsor at Laurier *

Feb 19 Laurentian at McGill *
Feb 19 U.Q.T.R. at Carleton *
Feb 19 Lakehead at York *

Feb 17 St. F.X. 4 Moncton 3 (SFX wins series 2-0)
Feb 17 Saint Mary's 2 U.P.E.I. 7 (series tied 1-1)

Feb 19 U.P.E.I. at Saint Mary's *

* indicates game 3 which may not be necessary


Links:
• [USports Post-season/Links]
• [OUA LeagueStat Daily]
• [AUS Playoff Schedule/Links]


* Indicates link not available at the time of posting.

 

[Hollywood3]

Feb 18: Bison Rally Forces Game 3

MANITOBA BISONS 3
MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS 2

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

Trailing 2-1 entering the 3rd period, the Bisons rallied to keep the season going. Here's the scoring:

1st
No Scoring

2nd
4:12 Man Hunter (2) A: Zajac (1)
10:28 MRU Brown (1) A: Lees (1), Rankin (1) (PP)
12:45 MRU Z Henry (1) A: King (1), Stephens (1)

3rd
9:41 Man Augert (1) A: Merasty (1)
15:36 Man Merasty (1) A: Heinrich (1), Stovin (1) (PP)

So Rene Hunter has 2 playoff goals after getting 3 in the regular season.

Scratches for the Bisons were:
3 S Christensen (D) - 10 Dudar (F) - 11 Sharonov (D)
14 Nault (F) - 15 S Bowles (F) - 16 Paradis (F)
19 Friesen (F/D) - 23 Schreyer (F) - 34 Sydora (G)

The only difference on Friday was that Shawn Bowles played and Warren Callis was scratched.

The Bluegars earned their lead through two periods, leading 22-10 in shots. The 3rd period was very much different. The Bisons led in shots 13-8. The winning goal came on a 5-minute powerplay caused when Tanner Olstad high-sticked Jordan DePape at 13:55. After the goal, the Bluegars took another penalty and wound up playing shorthanded for the final 6:05 of the game.

Byron Spriggs stopped 28 of 30 shots for the win, and Cam Lanigan stopped 20 of 23 in the loss.

Game three goes Saturday at 8:00 CT and is on CanadaWest.tv.

OUT-OF-TOWN SCOREBOARD

U.B.C. THUNDERBIRDS 2
CALGARY DINOSAURS 5

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

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

Since Friday's game ended so late, I put the links for that one in here. That was a 6 period marathon, where Bedrock U outshot the T'irds 56-45. Matthew Greenfield got the win and Derek Dun took the loss.

In the Saturday game, UBC got off to a 2-1 lead after the 1st period but then could not get saves. Bedrock U scored 2 goals on 9 shots in the 2nd period to take the lead, and 2 more goals on 6 shots in the 3rd to win going away.

The Dinos will now play Alberta in the semi-finals, and the Manitoba-MRU winner will face Saskatchewan.

OUT EAST:

Feb 18 Lakehead 1 York 3 (York wins series 2-0)
Feb 18 Waterloo 1 Ryerson 3 (Ryerson wins series 2-1)
Feb 18 Windsor 3 Laurier 2 (ot) (Windsor wins series 2-1)
Feb 18 Carleton 2 U.Q.T.R. 4 (series tied 1-1)
Feb 18 Laurentian 2 McGill 7 (McGill wins series 2-0)
Feb 18 Ottawa 0 Queen's 2 (Queen's wins series 2-1)
Feb 18 U.O.I.T. 2 Concordia 3 (Concordia wins series 2-1)

Feb 19 U.Q.T.R. at Carleton (game 3)

Feb 19 U.P.E.I. at Saint Mary's (game 3)


Links:
• [USports Post-season/Links]
• [OUA LeagueStat Daily]
• [AUS Playoff Schedule/Links]

* Indicates link not available at the time of posting.

NEXT ROUND

New Brunswick v SMU/UPEI winner
Acadia v St. FX

McGill v Carleton/UQTR winner
Concordia v Queen's

Ryerson v Windsor
York v Guelph

Saskatchewan v MRU/Manitoba winner
Alberta v Calgary

 

[Hollywood3]

Feb 19: Bison Collapse Ends the Season

MANITOBA BISONS 1
MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS 7

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

How often does a team outshoot their opponent and lose 7-1? Well, it happened to the Bisons in game 3 on Sunday night. Here's who scored:

1st
8:09 Man Stovin (1) A: B Bowles (1), A Henry (1)
10:39 MRU Brown (2) A: Olstad (2)

2nd
14:48 MRU Lees (1) A: Hrynyk (1) (PP)
16:55 MRU Waltz (1) A: Olstad (3), Smiley (1)

3rd
0:43 MRU Olstad (1) A: Watson (2), Brown (1)
2:35 MRU Rankin (4) A: Watson (3)
16:08 MRU Smiley (1) A: Lees (2), Rankin (2) (PP)
16:30 MRU Simpson (3) A: None

The 1st period saw the Bisons have the better chances but the shots were just 10-8 and the 1-1 score seemed about right. The Herd then took charge in the 2nd period and seemed well on their way. The shots edge was 15-7 in their favour. However, a late powerplay seemed to disrupt the team for some strange reason. The floodgates opened and it seemed Spriggs couldn't stop anything. In the end the shots were 31-25 in favour of the Bisons. Cam Lanigan got the win, and Byron Sprigss the loss.

The Bison roster remained unchanged from Saturday. On the MRU side, Tanner Olstad was allowed to play despite his 5-minute major and game misconduct.

OUT EAST:

Feb 19 U.Q.T.R. 3 Carleton 2 (UQTR wins series 2-1)

Feb 19 U.P.E.I. 3 Saint Mary's 4 (SMU wins series 2-1)


Links:
• [USports Post-season/Links]
• [OUA LeagueStat Daily]
• [AUS Playoff Schedule/Links]

* Indicates link not available at the time of posting.

NEXT UP

Feb 22 Ryerson at Windsor
Feb 22 Guelph at York
Feb 22 U.Q.T.R. at McGill
Feb 22 Queen's at Concordia

Feb 23 York at Guelph
Feb 23 Saint Mary's at U.N.B.
Feb 23 St. F.X. at Acadia

Feb 24 Mount Royal at Saskatchewan
Feb 24 Calgary at Alberta
Feb 24 Concordia at Queen's
Feb 24 Saint Mary's at U.N.B.
Feb 24 St. F.X. at Acadia

Feb 25 Mount Royal at Saskatchewan
Feb 25 Calgary at Alberta
Feb 25 Windsor at Ryerson
Feb 25 Guelph at York *
Feb 25 McGill at U.Q.T.R.

Feb 26 Mount Royal at Saskatchewan *
Feb 26 Calgary at Alberta *
Feb 26 Windsor at Ryerson *
Feb 26 U.Q.T.R. at McGill *
Feb 26 Queen's at Concordia *

 

[Hollywood3]

Feb 24: Two Barn-Burners

MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS 3
SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 4

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

Sask built a 3-0 lead and then hung on for the win in the series opener. The Bluegars outshot the Mutts 41-21 but Jordon Cooke was up to the task, picking up the win. Cam Lanigan took the loss. Game 2 goes Saturday at 7:00 CST.

CALGARY DINOSAURS 4
ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 5
(in overtime)

Links:
LeagueStat: [Summary]
Boxscores: [USports] : [CW]
Preview: [UofA] : [UofC]
Stories: [UofA] : [rp @CW] : [rp @UofC*]

Bedrock U led 1-0 after the 1st and then all hell broke out in the 2nd. The Monkeys scored three straight, then Bedrock U came back with 3 of their own. In the process, the Monkeys pulled Brendan Burke from their net after he stopped just 15 of 19 shots. Luke Siemens came on to stop all 14 shots he faced for the win. Matthew Greenfield went the distance for the Dinos, and stopped 39 of 44. Danny Gayle scored twice for Bedrock. Game 2 goes at 6:00 MST, 7:00 CST.

OUT EAST:

Feb 22 Ryerson 2 Windsor 4 (Windsor leads series 1-0)
Feb 22 Guelph 2 York 3 (York leads series 1-0)
Feb 22 U.Q.T.R. 1 McGill 3 (McGill leads series 1-0)
Feb 22 Queen's 3 Concordia 1 (Queen's leads series 1-0)

Feb 23 York 6 Guelph 2 (York wins series 2-0)

Feb 24 Concordia 2 Queen's 0 (series tied 1-1)

Note: AUS semi-finals are best-of-5.

Feb 23 Saint Mary's 1 U.N.B. 5 (UNB leads series 1-0)
Feb 23 St. F.X. 4 Acadia 3 (ot) (SFX leads series 1-0)

Feb 24 Saint Mary's 3 U.N.B. 7 (UNB leads series 2-0)
Feb 24 St. F.X. 4 Acadia 2 (SFX leads series 2-0)


Links:
• [USports Post-season/Links]
• [OUA LeagueStat Daily]
• [AUS Playoff Schedule/Links]

* Indicates link not available at the time of posting.

 

[Hollywood3]

Feb 25: Monkeys and Mutts Advance

MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS 2
SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 3

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

The semi-final round is funny in that both series ended in two games, and yet all 4 games were decided by just one goal. In this one, MRU held 1-0 and 2-1 leads but still entered the 3rd period down a goal. From that point on they bombarded Jordon Cooke in the Sask goal with 13 shots but could not score. In the 1st period the teams scored one goal each just 49 seconds apart and the 3 goals in the 2nd period were all scored in about 2 1/2 minutes. Jordon Cooke stopped 29 of 31 shots for the win and Cam Lanigan stopped 23 of 26 in the loss.

CALGARY DINOSAURS 2
ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 3

Links:
LeagueStat: [Summary]
Boxscores: [USports] : [CW]
Stories: [UofA] : [rp @CW] : [UofC]
Friday late story: [UofC (with video)]

The teams exchanged goals all night, Monkeys scoring first and then Bedrock tieing it up. Stephane Legault scored the winner with just over a minute left to send the Monkeys to the final. Brendan Burke returned to the Monkeys' goal and stopped 31 of 33. Matthew Greenfield started for the Dinos and stopped 40 of 43 in a losing effort. This was the 15th straight SWEEP for the Monkeys over the Dinos going back to 1996.

So next weekend the Monkeys and Mutts will meet yet again for the conference title,and for the 2nd year in a row the series will be held at the Rutherdump in Saskatown.

OUT EAST:

Feb 25 Windsor 3 Ryerson 1 (Windsor wins series 2-0)
Feb 25 McGill 2 U.Q.T.R. 1 (McGill wins series 2-0)

Feb 26 Queen's at Concordia (game 3)

Next week:
York v Windsor TBA
McGill v Que/Con winner TBA

Note: AUS semi-finals are best-of-5.

Feb 27 U.N.B. at Saint Mary's (UNB leads series 2-0)
Feb 27 Acadia at St. F.X. (SFX leads series 2-0)

Feb 28 U.N.B. at Saint Mary's (if necessary)
Feb 28 Acadia at St. F.X. (if necessary)

Mar 02 Saint Mary's at U.N.B. (if necessary)
Mar 02 St. F.X. at Acadia (if necessary)


Links:
• [USports Post-season/Links]
• [OUA LeagueStat Daily]
• [AUS Playoff Schedule/Links]

* Indicates link not available at the time of posting.

 

[Hollywood3]

Final Preview and Catch-up

The CW is off until Friday when the final series between Sask and Alberta will begin. More on that later. ITM, the all-stars were announced and Bisons Jordan DePape (2nd team) and Remi Laurencelle (rookie) received honours. Those acknowledged were:

First Team All-Stars

Jordon Cooke / G / Sask
Jesse Forsberg / D / Sask
Tim Campbell / D / Lethbridge
Elgin Pearce / F / Calgary
Connor Rankin / F / MRU
Logan McVeigh / F / Sask

Second Team All-Stars

Steven Stanford / G / Calgary
Dylan Bredo / D / Alberta
Kendal McFaull / D / Sask
Anthony Bardaro / F / UBC
Jordan DePape / F / Manitoba
Jamie Crooks / F / Alberta

All-Rookies

Matthew Greenfield / G / Calgary
Jesse Lees / D / MRU
Jerret Smith / D / UBC
Jamal Watson / F / MRU
Remi Laurencelle / F / Manitoba
Tyson Baillie / F / Alberta

Links:
• [CW Story]
• [UofM Story]

ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS (18-8-2, 2-0-0, 28-10-4, OHT35 #4)
SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES (21-5-2, 2-0-0, 24-7-3, OHT35 #2)

Friday, March 3rd, 7:00 CST @ Rutherdump
Saturday, March 4th, 7:00 CST @ Rutherdump
Sunday, March 5th, 7:00 CST @ Rutherdump

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

Other Links:
• [UofS Series Preview] ∞ [rp @CW]
• [UofA Story]
• [All Links re USports Hockey]
• [USports Hockey Site] ∞ [Schedule/Links]
• [USports Playoffs Schedule/Links]
• [USports Standings]
• [USports Top 10] ∞ [Monday Roundups]
• [CW Site] ∞ [Schedule/Links]

These teams have played in the CW final in 14 of the last 20 years. It seemed the near-streak was in danger for a large segment of the season. But here we are. Sask won this year's series 3-1. Last year, the Monkeys won the season series 3-1 but Sask won the final. Over the last 5 years, Alberta holds a decisive 14-6 lead. Both sides are assured of a place in the nationals.

OUT EAST:

Division semi-finals
Feb 26 Queen's 2 Concordia 0 (Queen's wins series 2-1)

Division finals
Mar 01 York 5 Windsor 3 (York leads series 1-0)
Mar 01 Queen's 2 McGill 1 (Queen's leads series 1-0)
Mar 03 McGill at Queen's
Mar 03 Windsor at York
Mar 04 Windsor at York (If Necessary)
Mar 05 Queen's at McGill (If Necessary)
Mar 11 Queen's Cup

Note: AUS semi-finals are best-of-5.

Semi-finals
Feb 27 New Brunswick 2 Saint Mary's 3 (UNB leads series 2-1)
Feb 27 Acadia 4 St. F.X. 5 (ot) (SFX wins series 3-0)
Feb 28 New Brunswick 2 Saint Mary's 1 (UNB wins series 3-1)

Final/Consolation
Mar 06 St. F.X. at New Brunswick
Mar 06 Saint Mary's at Acadia
Mar 08 New Brunswick at St. F.X.
Mar 08 Acadia at Saint Mary's
Mar 10 St. F.X. at New Brunswick (if necessary)
Mar 10 Saint Mary's at Acadia (if necessary)

Links:
• [USports Post-season/Links]
• [OUA LeagueStat Daily]
• [AUS Playoff Schedule/Links]

* Indicates link not available at the time of posting.

 

[Hollywood3]

Mar 3: Monkeys Take Game 1

ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 4
SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 3

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

I was watching the Jets beat St. Louis to cling to life and missed seeing this game. Seems like it was a good one. The Monkeys never trailed and had leads of 1-0, 2-1, and 3-2 before finally grabbing a 2-goal lead. Here's the scorers:

1st
10:44 Alta Linaker (1) A: Cooper (2), Nickles (1)
16:01 Sask Gay (1) A: Johnson (1), Cox (2)

2nd
7:21 Alta Cooper (1) A: Linaker (1)
7:59 Sask Gay (2) A: None

3rd
2:13 Alta Cooper (2) A: Linaker (2), Crooks (1)
8:36 Alta Craig (1) A: Linaker (3), Cooper (3)
14:21 Sask Johnson (1) A: Lishchynsky (1), Gay (2)

Brendan Burke made 31 saves for the win, and Jordon Cooke made 28 saves in the loss.

Game 2 goes Saturday at 7:00 CT.

OUT EAST:

Mar 03 McGill 2 Queen's 4 (Queen's wins series 2-0)
Mar 03 Windsor 4 York 2 (series tied 1-1)

NEXT UP

Mar 04 Alberta at Saskatchewan (game 2)
Mar 04 Windsor at York (game 3)

Mar 05 Alberta at Saskatchewan (game 3 if necessary)

Mar 06 St. F.X. at New Brunswick (game 1)
Mar 06 Saint Mary's at Acadia (game 1)


Links:
• [USports Post-season/Links]
• [OUA LeagueStat Daily]
• [AUS Playoff Schedule/Links]

* Indicates link not available at the time of posting.

 

[Hollywood3]

Mar 4: Mutts Force Game 3

ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 0
SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 2

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

This was a convincing shutout win for the Banjo Boys. Jordon Cooke stopped 26 shots for the shutout. Brndan Burke started again for the Monkeys and made 40 saves. Jamien Yakubowski scored both goals. The deciding game goes Sunday at 7:00 CT.

1st
No Scoring

2nd
3:00 Sask Yakubowski (1) A: Forsberg (1), Thomas (1)

3rd
8:59 Sask Yakubowski (2) A: Johnson (1), Forsberg (2)

OUT EAST:

Mar 04 Windsor 3 York 6 (York wins series 2-1)

NEXT UP

Mar 05 Alberta at Saskatchewan (game 3)

Mar 06 St. F.X. at New Brunswick (game 1)
Mar 06 Saint Mary's at Acadia (game 1)


Links:
• [USports Post-season/Links]
• [OUA LeagueStat Daily]
• [AUS Playoff Schedule/Links]

* Indicates link not available at the time of posting.

 

[Hollywood3]

Mar 5: Monkeys Rally For Title

ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 6
SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 3

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

Another year, another title for the Evil Monkeys. Despite the scoreline, the Mutts held the lead until late in the 2nd. A four-goal 3rd period put it away for the Monkeys. That can happen when playing a 3rd game in three days. When the wheels fall off it can be hard to come back. Here's who scored:

1st
4:56 Sask Stadnyk (1) A: Cable (2), Bauml (3)

2nd
1:30 Alta Philp (4) A: Trevor Cox (3) (SH)
9:37 Sask Gay (3) A: Sofillas (2), Roach (1) (PP)
18:11 Alta Sanford (2) A: Cox (4), Bredo (3) (PP)

3rd
6:35 Alta Crooks (1) A: Baillie (2), Legault (1)
8:42 Alta Cooper (3) A: Linaker (4), Nickles (2)
8:51 Alta Crooks (2) A: Craig (1)
11:56 Sask Tkatch (1) A: Thomas (2), Yakubowski (2)
19:30 Alta Crooks (3) A: None (EN)

Once again, it was Burke and Cooke in goal. The shots were 35-35.

Now the only 1st place team still with a chance at a conference title is the UNB Red Squirrels.

OUT EAST:

no games

NEXT UP

Note: AUS final is UNB v SFX and 3rd place series is between ACA and SMU.

Mar 06 St. F.X. at New Brunswick (game 1)
Mar 06 Saint Mary's at Acadia (game 1)

Mar 08 New Brunswick at St. F.X. (game 2)
Mar 08 Acadia at Saint Mary's (game 2)

Mar 10 St. F.X. at New Brunswick (game 3 if necessary)
Mar 10 Saint Mary's at Acadia (game 3 if necessary)

Mar 11 York at Queen's (Queen's Cup, sudden death)
Mar 11 Windsor at McGill (OUA 3rd place playoff)


Links:
• [USports Post-season/Links]
• [OUA LeagueStat Daily]
• [AUS Playoff Schedule/Links]

* Indicates link not available at the time of posting.

 

[Hollywood3]

Mar 6: AUS starts finals

Mar 06 St. F.X. 2 New Brunswick 1 (SFX leads final 1-0.)
Mar 06 Saint Mary's 1 Acadia 5 (Acadia leads 3rd place series 1-0.)


Links:
• [USports Post-season/Links]
• [OUA LeagueStat Daily]
• [AUS Playoff Schedule/Links]

* Indicates link not available at the time of posting.

 

[AdamMcg83]

Mar 11 York at Queen's (Queen's Cup, sudden death)

Just a small typo - York has home ice for the Queen's Cup.