2019-20 Manitoba Bisons/CW Thread

[Hollywood3]

Preview: Nov 15-16: MANITOBA at SASKATCHEWAN

MANITOBA BISONS (5-4-1, 6-7-3, OHT35 #16)
SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES (5-3-2, 6-4-2, OHT35 #8)

Friday, Nov 15th at 7:00 at Saskatoon
Saturday, Nov 16th at 7:00 at Saskatoon

Live Links:
➤ Video: [CanadaWest.tv]
➤ Friday: [Live Stats] ∞ [Hockey Tech]
➤ Saturday: [Live Stats] ∞ [Hockey Tech]

Manitoba Links:
➤ GoBisons: [Allison Alcock and Keaton Jameson are Boston Pizza Bison Sports Athletes of the Week]
➤ GoBisons: [WEEKEND PREVIEW: Volleyball and hockey alumni nights, rivalry matchups, and more]
➤ Manitoban: [Manitoba Bisons take three of four on the road in hockey and volleyball]
➤ Social: [Twitter] ∞ [Facebook]
➤ CW: [Stats] ∞ [Schedule/Results/Links]
➤ LeagueStat: [Stats] ∞ [Schedule/Results/Links]

Saskatchewan Links:
➤ UofS: [Men's Hockey Site]
➤ Social: [Twitter] ∞ [Facebook]
➤ CW: [Stats] ∞ [Schedule/Results/Links]
➤ LeagueStat: [Stats] ∞ [Schedule/Results/Links]

Other Links:
➤ USports: [Schedule/Links] ∞ [Standings]
➤ CW: [Home Page] ∞ [Schedule]
➤ LeagueStat: [Media Stats]

The schedule-maker played a cruel trick on the Bisons this year, scheduling their Saskatchewan road-trips on back-to-back weekends. Last weekend they went south to Regina and this weekend it's up north to Saskatown. The Bisons have barely recovered from the outhouse smell which permeates the province.

The places have similarities, such as the shoeless, gap-toothed, unwashed, moonshine drinking hillbillies who abound in both locations. The differences? South is feline, north is canine. South is mediocre, north is a perennial contender.

In fact, the Banjo Mutts have been the Herd's nemesis in recent years. Over the last four years the Bison record is 3-12-1, and only 1-7-0 in Banjoland.

The Mutts lost their first three games, which was concerning since they finished first at 25-3-0 a year ago. However, they are now on a 5-0-2 roll. Meanwhile, the Bisons have split all five series thus far. All told, Sask sits in 4th place, one point ahead of the Bisons. The teams may well be on a collision course for a first round playoff match-up.

The team stats are fairly comparable. Sask has 35 goals, the Bisons have 32. Sask has given up 31 goals, the Bisons 33.

For “players to watch” on the Bisons, I suggest captain, defenceman, and leading scorer Adam Henry (5-6-11, tied for 9th in teh CW) and forward Keaton Jameson (2-8-10, 12th in the CW). Also, the three 5th year players have all been top-notch. Henry (+9) is paired with Sean Christensen (+10) on defence. Up front, 6' 4” Jonah Wasylak has improved his skill level over his five years to the point where he at times can dominate opponents.

Sask is led by 4th year forward Carson Stadnyk (6-3-9, in a 5-way tie for 13th in the conference) and a quartet of players with 8 points, in a 12-way tie for 18th in the CW (Carter Folk, Layne Young, Levi Cable, Collin Shirley).

Of course, good goaltending is always mandatory to be competitive. The Bisons have three first year goaltenders and Riley Lamb has won the battle to be #1. His numbers are top-notch: 5-2-1, .921 S%, 2.90 GAA. Jeremy Link and Tyler Brown have each had just one start.

Meanwhile, neither of Sask's goaltenders have equalled Lamb so far. Veteran Taran Kozun is 4-2-2, .891 S%, 2.86 GAA and second year Travis Child is 1-1-0, .897 S%, 3.55 GAA. Both have done better.

This series could end up being one of significance. If the Bisons split or sweep, they will likely be comfortably in a playoff position for a long time, and would have realistic hopes of even hosting a quarter-final series.


ELSEWHERE IN THE CW

REGINA COUGARS (2-7-1, 3-10-1, OHT35 #31)
ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS (9-1-0, 15-3-0, OHT35 #1)

Links:
➤ UofA: [Men's Hockey Site]
➤ UofR: [Men's Hockey Site]

Welcome to the mismatch of the week! The Banjo Cats would love to have just one recruiting class to compare to the Evil Monkeys' average one. The Kittens have not made the playoffs since 2008. Since MRU joined the league, the Kittens have been 7th or 8th every year. Before that, they had a stretch of 6th or 7th place seasons. Meanwhile, the Apes are U-Cup or bust. The last time they did not qualify for the U-Cup final tournament was 2007. The time before that was 1998.

Good luck, Puddy Tats!

LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS (4-6-0, 4-9-1, OHT35 #22)
U.B.C. THUNDERBIRDS (2-5-3, 5-8=4, OHT35 #24)

Links:
➤ UBC: [Refreshed ‘Birds ready to begin critical stretch against Pronghorns]
➤ UofL: [Important points on the line for Pronghorns in Vancouver]

If you like watching teams in blue and yellow uniforms, this is the series for you. Also, this is the battle for the 6th and final playoff berth. The Hørny Ønes have 8 points, one ahead of the T-irds. Similar to the Bison series, this has the potential to define the remainder of the season for both teams. If one side could sweep, they could cast their gaze upon bigger and better things, like 5th place. Being the late game Friday, I'll likely see a good portion of that game.

CALGARY DINOSAURS (6-3-1, 12-4-2, OHT35 #7)
MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS (7-2-1, 10-4-1-1, OHT35 #4)

Links:
➤ MRU: [Men's Hockey Site]
➤ UofC: [Dinos looking to rebound in Crowchild Classic]

This Thursday/Friday home-and-home crosstown derby should be top-notch. I have been watching on CanadaWest.tv while drafting this post. It is 4-4 mid-way through the 3rd period.

Bedrock U looked like world-beaters through the pre-season and early season. Then the Evil Monkeys made them crash to Earth last weekend. Meanwhile, the Bluegars keep trucking along. This series has overtime written all over it. Through 10 games, MRU has 52 goals and the Dinos have 43. Expect lots of offence.


OUT EAST

Sun Nov 10 Carleton 1 Ottawa 2
Tue Nov 12 York 3 Nipissing 2 (ot) – from Nov 9
Thu Nov 14 York 2 Toronto 3
Thu Nov 14 Brock 2 Laurier 0
Thu Nov 14 Lakehead 4 Waterloo 5 (ot)
Fri Nov 15 Ontario Tech at McGill
Fri Nov 15 Ottawa at Carleton
Fri Nov 15 Nipissing at RMC
Fri Nov 15 Queen's at UQTR
Fri Nov 15 Lakehead at Ryerson
Fri Nov 15 Guelph at Brock
Fri Nov 15 Laurentian at Concordia
Fri Nov 15 Laurier at Windsor
Sat Nov 16 Guelph at York
Sat Nov 16 Queen's at UQTR
Sat Nov 16 Ontario Tech at Concordia
Sat Nov 16 RMC at Carleton
Sat Nov 16 Nipissing at Ottawa
Sat Nov 16 W. Ontario at Toronto
Sat Nov 16 Laurentian at McGill
Sat Nov 16 Lakehead at Ryerson
Sat Nov 16 Waterloo at Windsor

Wed Nov 13 Moncton 2 UPEI 1 (ot)
Wed Nov 13 Saint Mary's 3 St. F.X. 4
Fri Nov 15 Moncton at New Brunswick
Fri Nov 15 Dalhousie at Saint Mary's
Fri Nov 15 Acadia at St. F.X.
Sat Nov 16 Acadia at Dalhousie
Sat Nov 16 New Brunswick at UPEI



Links:
➤ [USp Presto S&R]
➤ [OUA LS Daily]
➤ [AUS S&R]

 

[Hollywood3]

Nov 15: Banjos Stymie the Bisons

This could be the weekend where things return to normal in the CW. Here's what happened Thursday and Friday nights.

MANITOBA BISONS 1
SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 4

Links:
LeagueStat: [Summary] : [Report]
Hockey Tech: [Summary] : [Report] : [Text]
Boxscores and tabs: [USp/CIS] : [CW]
Stories/boxscores/video: [UofS] : [rp @CW] : [rp @UofM]
Preview story: [UofS]

The Bisons never seemed to find their mojo in this one. However, some good goaltending by backup Tyler Brown kept them in it, down only 2-1 in the 3rd period. A dubious “throwing your stick” call on Jonah Wasylak led to the PP insurance goal which salted this one away. (He passed his stick to a teammate). Although Brown had a good performance, I would expect #1 Riley Lamb for Saturday night's rematch.

Quick Summary
1st 10:46 SSK Stadnyk (7) ASST: McVeigh Dmytriw (PP)
1st 19:35 SSK Neuls (2) ASST: Dmytriw (SH)
3rd 04:18 MAN Skoleski (3) ASST: Henry
3rd 10:10 SSK Cable (3) ASST: Young Ballhorn (PP)
3rd 17:47 SSK Bauml (3) ASST: Young Cable (EN)

W: Kozun (19 saves, 20 shots)
L: Brown (47 saves, 50 shots)

Of note, Sask was 2-for-8 on the powerplay, and the Bisons were 0-for-5. Once again, a key goal against was short-handed. Also, Carter Doerksen had 5-and-a-game for a head hit. I don't believe he'll suit up on Saturday.

Saturday's rematch starts at 7:00 CST and is on CanadaWest.tv.

OUT-OF-TOWN SCOREBOARD

CALGARY DINOSAURS 4
MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS 5
(in overtime)

Thursday Links:
LeagueStat: Summary & tabs
Hockey Tech: Summary & tabs
Boxscores & tabs: USp/CIS
Stories: MRU : rp @CW : rp @UofC

MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS 3
CALGARY DINOSAURS 4

Friday Links:
LeagueStat: Summary & tabs
Hockey Tech: Summary & tabs
Boxscores & tabs: USp/CIS
Stories: UofC : rp @CW : rp @MRU*

This split was to be expected. The fact that Bedrock U got 3 points to the Bluegars' 2 means that they close to within 1 point of 2nd place.

Thursday night was a wild-west shoot-out style of game. Wyatt Hoflin got the W with 33 saves on 37 shots, and Brodam Salmond got the loss in relief, with 15 stops on 19 shots. Starter Matthew Greenfield started and allowed 1 goal on 5 shots in the 1st period.

On Friday night the scene shifted to Bedrock's Quarry, and the Dinos built a 4-0 lead before hanging on to a nail-biting victory. Chris Gerrie scored his 5th and 6th goals of the scene to make it interesting. Greenfield did not dress for the Dinos, so I suspect he'll miss some time with an injury. Salmond got the start and stopped 22 of 25 for the win. Hoflin started again for the Bluegars but after 4 goals on 16 shots, he was yanked in favour of Riley Morris, who made 17 saves to give MRU a chance.

I suspect that these two teams will be battling with the Mutts for 2nd place and that precious bye to the semi-finals.

REGINA COUGARS 2
ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 4

Links:
LeagueStat: Summary & tabs
Hockey Tech: Summary & tabs
Boxscores & tabs: USp/CIS
Stories: UofA : rp @CW : rp @UofR*

This was the 50th consecutive win for the Evil Monkeys over the Banjo Cats. This includes playoffs and non-conference/exhibition games. But give the Kittens some credit. The deciding goal was an empty-netter and they looked pretty decent. I've seen the Apes have easier games at the University Cup. Grayson Pawlenchuk led the Monkeys with 2 goals and 2 assists. Brendan Burke stopped 21 of 23 shots for the win, and Brandon Holtby stopped 42 of 45 in a tough luck loss. The MKOnkeys are now in 1st place, 3 points ahead of 2nd, and Regina is in last, 3 points out of 7th.

LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS 1
U.B.C. THUNDERBIRDS 7

Links:
LeagueStat: Summary & tabs
Hockey Tech: Summary & tabs
Boxscores & tabs: USp/CIS
Stories: UBC* : rp @CW : rp @UofL*

Don't be deceived by the scoreline in this one. The T-irds had a nice comfortable win in progress, up 3-0 mid-way through the 3rd period. But then the Hørny Ønes fell apart. Tyler Sandhu scored his 4th, 5th, and 6th goals to lead the T-irds. Rylan Toth stopped 23 of 24 shots for the win. Jack Burgart stopped 22 of 29 for the loss. UBC's powerplay was an amazing 4-for-6 on the night. This result vaults UBC into 6th place, one point up on Lethbridge and 2 points behind Manitoba.


OUT EAST

Fri Nov 15 Moncton 1 New Brunswick 4
Fri Nov 15 Dalhousie 2 Saint Mary's 5
Fri Nov 15 Acadia 4 St. F.X. 3

Fri Nov 15 Ontario Tech 3 McGill 4 (ot)
Fri Nov 15 Ottawa 2 Carleton 4
Fri Nov 15 Nipissing 2 RMC 5
Fri Nov 15 Queen's 2 UQTR 5
Fri Nov 15 Lakehead 2 Ryerson 3
Fri Nov 15 Guelph 5 Brock 1
Fri Nov 15 Laurentian 4 Concordia 2
Fri Nov 15 Laurier 2 Windsor 3

Links:
➤ [USp/CIS Presto S&R]
➤ [OUA LS Daily]
➤ [AUS S&R]

 

[Hollywood3]

Nov 16: Bisons Swept in Saskatown

So it looks like the future is clear in the CW. There will be a battle between MRU, Calgary, and Sask to see which one will get a playoff bye and host a semi-final, and which two will settle for hosting a quarter-final.

Otherwise, Regina and Lethbridge will be out of the playoffs, Manitoba and UBC will be the away teams in the quarter-finals, and Alberta will get the first place bye and hosting rights throughout the playoffs.

MANITOBA BISONS 3
SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 6

Links:
LeagueStat: [Summary] : [Report]
Hockey Tech: [Summary] : [Report] : [Text]
Boxscores and tabs: [USp/CIS] : [CW]
Stories/boxscores/video: [UofS] : [rp @CW] : [rp @UofM]

The difference between the teams this weekend comes down to two factors:
1. empty net goals;
2. short-handed goals.

#1 is a by-product of #2. Without two shorthanded goals here, there would have been no need to pull the goalie and give up an empty-netter.

In this game the Bisons were shorthanded. Carter Doerksen was automatically suspended for incurring a major penalty on Friday. Josh Tripp, after starting the season injured, was also re-injured on Friday. Fortunately, with Lucas Skrumeda playing forward (mostly) this year, all they had to do was move him back to the blueline to have 6 defencemen.

Riley Lamb was back in goal, with Jeremy Link backing up.

Quick Summary
1st 11:59 SSK Neuls (3) ASST: Dmytriw (SH)
1st 12:56 MAN Pouteau (1) ASST: Skrumeda Leipsic (PP)
1st 15:11 SSK Bauml (4) ASST: Neuls Ruopp (PP)
1st 18:43 MAN Halvorsen (2) ASST: Carlson Skrumeda
2nd 03:02 SSK Ballhorn (2) ASST: Johnson
2nd 05:56 SSK Dmytriw (3) ASST: Neuls (SH)
2nd 15:42 MAN Henry (6) ASST: Skoleski (PP)
3rd 16:25 SSK Shirley (3) ASST: Dmytriw
3rd 19:21 SSK Johnson (1) ASST: Dmytriw (EN)

W: Kozun (19 saves, 22 shots)
L: Lamb (26 saves, 31 shots)

The Bisons FINALLY return home next weekend to face the Evil Monkeys. The Mutts will play a home-and-home set with their provincial rivals, the Banjo Cats.

OUT-OF-TOWN SCOREBOARD

REGINA COUGARS 0
ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 9

Links:
LeagueStat: Summary & tabs
Hockey Tech: Summary & tabs
Boxscores & tabs: USp/CIS
Stories: UofA* : rp @CW : UofR*
Friday lstory: UofR

After a credible performance on Friday, the Kittens were badly thrashed in this one. The frustrated banjo-lovers had enough by the 2nd period and good-old western fisticuffs followed. Michael Eskra (Regina) and Dawson Davidson (Alberta) had fighting majors and the accompanying ejection. The Kittens switched goaltenders (Holtby must have been tired after Friday's game) and Dawson Macauley (stopped 22 of 27) split duties with Curtis Meger (stopped 23 of 26). Matt Berlin had a 19 save shutout for the Primates.

LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS 0
U.B.C. THUNDERBIRDS 5

Links:
LeagueStat: Summary & tabs
Hockey Tech: Summary & tabs
Boxscores & tabs: USp/CIS
Stories: UBC : rp @CW : rp @UofL
Friday Stories: UBC : rp @CW : UofL

The Hørny Ønes got off to a better-than-expected start, after a weak pre-season. That bubble looks to have burst. The T-irds were dominant in this one. Patrick Dea got the win with a 14 save shutout. He could have been studying for a majority of the game, or enjoying some popcorn. Taz Burman took the loss, with 36 saves on 41 shots.


OUT EAST

Sat Nov 16 Acadia 3 Dalhousie 5
Sat Nov 16 New Brunswick at UPEI - postponed

Sat Nov 16 Guelph 6 York 3
Sat Nov 16 Queen's 4 UQTR 3 (ot)
Sat Nov 16 Ontario Tech 3 Concordia 2 (ot)
Sat Nov 16 RMC 2 Carleton 5
Sat Nov 16 Nipissing 1 Ottawa 5
Sat Nov 16 W. Ontario 3 Toronto 6
Sat Nov 16 Laurentian 2 McGill 6
Sat Nov 16 Lakehead 3 Ryerson 2
Sat Nov 16 Waterloo 2 Windsor 3

Links:
➤ [USp/CIS Presto S&R]
➤ [OUA LS Daily]
➤ [AUS S&R]


NEXT UP

Canada West
Fri Nov 22 Alberta at Manitoba
Fri Nov 22 Saskatchewan at Regina
Fri Nov 22 Calgary at Lethbridge
Fri Nov 22 UBC at Mount Royal

Atlantic
Wed Nov 20 Saint Mary's at Acadia

Ontario
Wed Nov 20 Laurentian at Nipissing
Thu Nov 21 Ryerson at Guelph

 

[RED ARMY EAST]

With Regina being this bad, one has to wonder how bad it will get next year, when two more beat down teams join CanadaWest?

 

[Hollywood3]

With Regina being this bad, one has to wonder how bad it will get next year, when two more beat down teams join CanadaWest?

That was a bad game for Regina on Saturday. But they did pretty well on Friday. The new teams are already playing so they won't be horrible. MacEwan could have a shot at a playoff berth.

 

[Hollywood3]

Preview: Nov 22-23: ALBERTA at MANITOBA

ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS (11-1-0, 17-3-0, OHT35 #1)
MANITOBA BISONS (5-6-1, 6-9-3, OHT35 #21)

Friday, November 22, 2017 at 7:00 at Wayne Fleming Arena, Winnipeg
Saturday, November 23, 2017 at 7:00 at Wayne Fleming Arena, Winnipeg

Live Links:
➤ Video: [CanadaWest.tv]
➤ Audio: Friday: [UMFM 101.5]
➤ Audio: Saturday: [UMFM 2nd Stream]
➤ Friday: [Live Stats] ∞ [Hockey Tech]
➤ Saturday: [Live Stats] ∞ [Hockey Tech]

Manitoba Links:
➤ GoBisons: [Hard work instilled in Keaton Jameson from home life]
➤ GoBisons: [Bisons honour three-year student-athletes and Academic All-Canadians at 2019 Block M event]
➤ Social: [Twitter] ∞ [Facebook]
➤ CW: [Stats] ∞ [Schedule/Results/Links]
➤ LeagueStat: [Stats] ∞ [Schedule/Results/Links]

Alberta Links:
➤ UofA: [Men's Hockey Site]
➤ Social: [Twitter] ∞ [Facebook]
➤ CW: [Stats] ∞ [Schedule/Results/Links]
➤ LeagueStat: [Stats] ∞ [Schedule/Results/Links]

Other Links:
➤ USports: [Schedule/Links] ∞ [Standings]
➤ CW: [Home Page] ∞ [Schedule]
➤ LeagueStat: [Media Stats]

After a bye week and two weekends away, it has been a long time between home games for the Bisons.

This weekend marks the mid-point of the CW regular season. After this weekend each team will have played one regular season series against each opponent. This is the last season where this will be possible, due to the pending expansion into MacEwan and Holy Trinity next year.

The Evil Monkeys are running away with the CW standings so far. The rebuilding Bisons have had a credible performance, splitting every series until being swept in Saskatown last weekend. While the Bisons have to be considered underdogs in this match-up, it is worth noting that they are 7-7-2 against the Monkeys the previous four seasons. I don't think anybody in the CIS has done better. Going back over the last 11 seasons, the Bisons have a 12-10 edge. Of those 11 series, 8 have been split. The Bisons swept them in 2017-18 and 2015-16. Alberta's only sweep was in 2014-15.

At the start of the season I figured that the Bisons would need to survive the 1st half and would likely improve in the 2nd half. If they could split this weekend, they will be well situated for a playoff run. The Bisons and UBC are tied for 5th and 6th with 11 points each, 3 points ahead of Lethbridge.

The Apes have 4 of the Top 20 scorers, and 8 of the Top 40. That's pretty good. They have 57 goals through 12 games, which is one ahead of #2 MRU. But it's their goaltending/defence which has been most impressive. They have given up just 21 goals, way ahead of #2 Sask, with 35.

Note that audio of Friday's game is on 101.5FM, and both games are on-line at the links.


ELSEWHERE IN THE CW

SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES (7-3-2, 8-4-2, OHT35 #6)
REGINA COUGARS (2-9-1, 3-12-1, OHT35 #35)

Links:
➤ UofR: [Men's Hockey Site]
➤ UofS: [Men's Hockey Site]

This year's Battle of Banjoland does not exactly size up to be a legendary rivalry. The Banjo-Mutts started slow (3 losses, then an OTL against Alberta) but since then they are 7-0-1. The Bisons were unfortunate to face them last weekend after they found their form. Meanwhile, the Banjo-Cats envy having a streak like that just once in their 9 lives. They faced the Monkeys last weekend. They had a nice performance on Friday but then were skunked 9-0 on Saturday. Is Friday a “trap game”? Sometimes a rivalry game is good for an underdog, or undercat in this case.

CALGARY DINOSAURS (7-3-2, 13-4-3, OHT35 #7)
LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS (4-8-0, 4-11-1, OHT35 #23)

Links:
➤ UofC: [Horns next in third straight provincial rivalry weekend]
➤ UofL: [Pronghorns look to rebound versus provincial foe]

This is another home-and-home series. The Hørny Ønes are coming off a sweep against UBC where they went from a playoff position to an all-too-familiar position on the outside looking in. Meanwhile, in the Town of Bedrock, the Dinos started the season looking like national contenders, going 4-0-0 after a solid pre-season. They are now treading water, going 3-3-2 the last month. This could be TSN Turning Point for one, or both, teams.

U.B.C. THUNDERBIRDS (4-5-3, 7-8-4, OHT35 #20)
MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS (8-3-1, 11-5-2, OHT35 #5)

Links:
➤ UBC: [‘Birds begin challenging road schedule against Mount Royal]
➤ MRU: [Under Armour and Players Bench Athletes of the Week for Nov 14 to Nov 20]

This series probably will not garner much national attention, but I find it interesting. The under-rated Bluegars are a serious threat to claim 2nd place, and the quarter-final bye and semi-final hosting rights which go with that. If they have the proverbial “royal jelly”, they have to get 4 points in a series like this. Meanwhile, the T-irds have recovered from a slow early season injury avalanche. Last weekend they dominated Lethbridge. Now, that hardly ranks as grounds to book hotel rooms for the nationals. But they handled them better than most would have.

OUT EAST

Wed Nov 20 Laurentian 2 Nipissing 6
Thu Nov 21 Ryerson 6 Guelph 5
Fri Nov 22 W. Ontario at Windsor
Fri Nov 22 Laurier at Lakehead
Fri Nov 22 Toronto at Waterloo
Fri Nov 22 Brock at York
Fri Nov 22 UQTR at Ontario Tech
Fri Nov 22 Carleton at Nipissing
Fri Nov 22 Queen's at RMC
Sat Nov 23 UQTR at Ontario Tech
Sat Nov 23 Windsor at W. Ontario
Sat Nov 23 Laurier at Lakehead
Sat Nov 23 Concordia at RMC
Sat Nov 23 Brock at Ryerson
Sat Nov 23 Waterloo at York
Sat Nov 23 Ottawa at Nipissing
Sat Nov 23 McGill at Queen's
Sat Nov 23 Carleton at Laurentian
Sun Nov 24 Ottawa at Laurentian

Wed Nov 20 Saint Mary's 2 Acadia 5
Fri Nov 22 St. F.X. at Moncton
Fri Nov 22 Saint Mary's at UPEI
Fri Nov 22 Dalhousie at New Brunswick
Sat Nov 23 UPEI at Acadia
Sat Nov 23 St. F.X. at New Brunswick
Sat Nov 23 Dalhousie at Moncton

Links:
➤ [USp Presto S&R]
➤ [OUA LS Daily]
➤ [AUS S&R]

 

[Hollywood3]

Nov 22: Monkeys Edge Bisons in a Squeaker

In the end, the favourites all won this night in the CW. Here's the details.

ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 2
MANITOBA BISONS 0

Links:
LeagueStat: [Summary] : [Report]
Hockey Tech: [Summary] : [Report] : [Text]
Boxscores and tabs: [USp/CIS] : [Coach's View*] : [CW]
Stories/boxscores/video: [UofM] : [rp @CW] : [rp @UofA*]

This was a tight game all the way through. The last goal was an empty-netter. The Monkeys won't be easy, but the Bisons showed they can be tough on the Apes. Here's how they lined up:

MANITOBA BISONS

Goal
35 Brown (30 Lamb)

Defence
2 Henry 3 Christensen
5 Schioler 6 Dyck
27 Doerksen 28 Pouteau

Forwards
22 Leipsic 10 Skoleski 17 Veloso
29 Wasylak 12 Jameson 19 Halvorson
14 Keane 9 Thiessen 15 Dalke
13 Labossiere 25 Skrumeda 20 Apetagon

Scratches
1 Link 4 Stanley 8 Barley
11 Carlson 16 Tripp 26 Leblanc

ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS

Goal
1 Burke (35 Berlin)

Defence
22 Carroll 8 Rehill
4 Kirichenko 7 Lange
23 Hamaliuk
6 Freadrich

Forwards
36 Cox 10 Soy 26 Sanford
11 Cooper 27 Miske 18 Baillie
16 Pawlenchuk 21 Butcher 13 Owre
20 Volcan 12 Philp 14 Jevne

Scratches
3 Lakusta 5 Davidson 24 Chizen
25 Smith 29 Paterson 30 Cardinal
37 Nickles 40 Linaker

Quick Summary
1st 09:06 ALB Miske (3) ASST: Baillie Hamaliuk
3rd 18:58 ALB Owre (8) ASST: Rehill (EN)

W: Burke (20 saves, 20 shots)
L: Brown (45 saves, 46 shots)

I listed the Primates defence as I did because the 5th and 6th defencemen never played as a pair. They occasionally spelled one of the top 4.

One unique feature of the game was that the Monkeys missed a lot of golden opportunities. The other unique feature was the extreme amount of sissy penalties they took. Baillie seemed to get on the wrong side of the ref. He took a cheap shot during a line change, and nobody likes that.

If the Bisons want to gain yet another split, they will need to find some offence. It would be interesting to see how the game would look if the Bisons were playing with the lead.

Saturday's rematch goes at 7:00, and it's the Movember game.

OUT-OF-TOWN SCOREBOARD

SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 3
REGINA COUGARS 1

Links:
LeagueStat: Summary & tabs
Hockey Tech: Summary & tabs
Boxscores & tabs: USp/CIS : CW*
Stories: UofR : rp @CW
Preview: UofS

This came close to be being a trap game. In this battle of canines and felines, chalk one up for the puppies. Taran Kozun got the win with 15 saves on 16 shots, and Brandon Holtby had the loss with 24 saves (one on a penalty shot) on 27 shots. The teams are now Runnin' Back to Saskatown for the Saturday rematch.

CALGARY DINOSAURS 3
LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS 2
(in overtime)

Links:
LeagueStat: Summary & tabs
Hockey Tech: Summary & tabs
Boxscores & tabs: USp/CIS : CW
Stories: UofL : rp @CW : rp @UofC

The Hørny Ønes were outclassed by UBC last weekend and have to be somewhat happy that they picked up a point in this one. They must have found a small dose of Viagra. After I got home from the Bison game I caught the overtime on CanadaWest.tv. Broden Salmond got the win for Bedrock U, with 23 saves on 25 shots. Lethbridge had a two-goal performance from Luke Coleman and Taz Burman took the loss with an incredible 54 saves on 57 shots.

U.B.C. THUNDERBIRDS 1
MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS 4

Links:
LeagueStat: Summary & tabs
Hockey Tech: Summary & tabs
Boxscores & tabs: USp/CIS : CW*
Stories: MRU* : rp @CW : rp @UBC*

The T-irds held on to a 1-0 lead until mid-way through the 2nd period. From that point on it was all Bluegars. Ryley Lindgren paced the attack with his 7th, 8th, and 9th goals of the season. Thus, the Bluegars kept pace with Sask and Bedrock and remain 2nd in the CW standings, and UBC remains tied with Manitoba.

OUT EAST

Fri Nov 22 St. F.X. 0 Moncton 3
Fri Nov 22 Saint Mary's 3 UPEI 6
Fri Nov 22 Dalhousie 0 New Brunswick 10

Fri Nov 22 W. Ontario 2 Windsor 6
Fri Nov 22 Laurier 2 Lakehead 3
Fri Nov 22 Toronto 6 Waterloo 2
Fri Nov 22 Brock 2 York 1
Fri Nov 22 UQTR 2 Ontario Tech 1 (ot)
Fri Nov 22 Carleton 5 Nipissing 4
Fri Nov 22 Queen's 4 RMC 3

Links:
➤ [USp/CIS Presto S&R]
➤ [OUA LS Daily]
➤ [AUS S&R]

 

[Hollywood3]

Nov 23: Bison Season-of-the-Split Continues

One split and three sweeps this weekend. Guess which series had the split?

ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 3
MANITOBA BISONS 5

Links:
LeagueStat: [Summary] : [Report]
Hockey Tech: [Summary] : [Report] : [Text]
Boxscores and tabs: [USp/CIS] : [Coach's View] : [CW*]
Stories/boxscores/video: [UofM] : [rp @CW] : [rp @UofA]
Friday late Usp/CIS: [Boxscore] : [Coach's View]
Friday late Game Story: [rp @UofA]

This result will raise eyebrows across the country! However, the Bisons have shown they can expect a split with anybody now that they have split 6-out-of-7 series. Overall, the Bisons are 8-8-2 against the Apes over the last 5 years, and in the last 12 years at home they are 13-11.

Here's how they lined up:

MANITOBA BISONS

Goal
35 Brown (30 Lamb)

Defence
2 Henry 3 Christensen
5 Schioler 6 Dyck
27 Doerksen 28 Pouteau

Forwards
22 Leipsic 10 Skoleski 17 Veloso
11 Carlson 12 Jameson 29 Wasylak
14 Keane 9 Thiessen 15 Dalke
20 Apetagon 25 Skrumeda 19 Halvorson

Scratches
1 Link 4 Stanley 8 Barley
13 Labossiere 16 Tripp 26 Leblanc

ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS

Goal
35 Berlin 1 Burke (from 14:33 of the 2nd)

Defence
5 Davidson 4 Kirichenko
22 Carroll 8 Rehill
7 Lange 23 Hamaliuk

Forwards
16 Pawlenchuk 21 Butcher 13 Owre
36 Cox 10 Soy 26 Sanford
20 Volcan 12 Philp 14 Jevne
37 Nickles 27 Miske 11 Cooper

Scratches
3 Lakusta 6 Freadrich 18 Baillie
24 Chizen 25 Smith 29 Paterson
30 Cardinal 40 Linaker

Quick Summary
1st 07:11 MAN Leipsic (3) ASST: Dalke Wasylak (PP)
2nd 05:26 MAN Apetagon (2) ASST: Henry Halvorsen
2nd 06:18 ALB Volcan (3) ASST: Jevne Kirichenko
2nd 10:58 ALB Soy (7) ASST: Cox Sanford (PP)
2nd 13:25 MAN Skrumeda (1) ASST: Keane Dalke
2nd 14:33 MAN Carlson (3) ASST: Skoleski Veloso
3rd 10:16 MAN Wasylak (3) ASST: Carlson (3)
3rd 11:40 ALB Sanford (1) ASST: Davidson Philp (PP)

W: Brown (30 saves, 33 shots)
L: Berlin (4 saves, 8 shots)
n/d: Burke (4 saves, 5 shots)

So the Berlin Wall came tumbling down after the 4th Bison goal. However, the shot clock was misleading in this game. The Bison goals were generally from golden opportunities. Leipsic's was a powerplay, Apetagon's was a sweet deke after some nice passes, Skrumeda and Carlson converted a nice pass, and Wasylak was a barging bull plowing through the slot. Wasylak was a force all night. The Monkeys might be concerned about how many liberties the Bisons could take in the slot, in prime scoring position.

To put the 5-goal outburst into perspective, the Monkeys had given up 21 goals in their previous 13 games this season.

I was surprised that Tyler Brown started again, instead of Riley Lamb. Brown's Friday performance was excellent, but Lamb has been one of the conference's best goaltenders all year.

The Monkeys still have a 3-point lead atop the table. The Bisons sit in 5th place, 2 points ahead of UBC and 4 points up on Lethbridge.

The Herd is off to Lethbridge next week and then it's time off for exams and Christmas holidays. The next home game is January 3rd when the Bluegars are here for a series.

OUT-OF-TOWN SCOREBOARD

REGINA COUGARS 0
SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 2

Links:
LeagueStat: Summary & tabs
Hockey Tech: Summary & tabs
Boxscores & tabs: USp/CIS : CW*
Stories: UofS : rp @CW : rp @UofR*

Give the Banjo-Cats some credit. They came up with two credible performances, one home and now one away. This one was scoreless into the 3rd period. Jared Dmytriw scored the games only goals (his 5th and 6th of the season) and the winning backup goaltender Travis Child had a 28 save shutout. Brandon Holtby stopped 32 of the 34 shots he faced in being tagged with another loss.

LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS 2
CALGARY DINOSAURS 5

Links:
LeagueStat: Summary & tabs
Hockey Tech: Summary & tabs
Boxscores & tabs: USp/CIS : CW
Stories: UofC : rp @CW : UofL

The scene shifted to the Town of Bedrock for this rematch. Although the Hørny Ønes forced overtime (and thereby claimed a point) on Friday, this was a solid win for the Dinos. Brodan Salmond stopped 20 of 22 shots for the win, and Jack Burgart stopped 39 of 43 in the loss. Bedrock U needed the sweep to keep pace in that race for 2nd place.

U.B.C. THUNDERBIRDS 1
MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS 4

Links:
LeagueStat: Summary & tabs
Hockey Tech: Summary & tabs
Boxscores & tabs: USp/CIS : CW
Stories: MRU : rp @CW : rp @UBC
Late Friday Stories: MRU : UBC

Second verse, same as the first. Brad Kennedy and Connor Chartier each scored twice for MRU, and Riley Morris got the win with 22 saves on 23 shots. Patrick Dea got the loss after giving up 3 goals on 6 shots in 8 minutes of hockey. Rylan Toth mopped up with 20 saves on 21 shots.


STANDINGS

OUT EAST

Sat Nov 23 UPEI 1 Acadia 3
Sat Nov 23 St. F.X. 1 New Brunswick 8
Sat Nov 23 Dalhousie 2 Moncton 7

Sat Nov 23 UQTR 3 Ontario Tech 2
Sat Nov 23 Windsor 5 W. Ontario 2
Sat Nov 23 Laurier 6 Lakehead 3
Sat Nov 23 Concordia 8 RMC 2
Sat Nov 23 Brock 1 Ryerson 2
Sat Nov 23 Waterloo 3 York 2
Sat Nov 23 Ottawa 3 Nipissing 4 (so)
Sat Nov 23 McGill 1 Queen's 0
Sat Nov 23 Carleton 5 Laurentian 4


Links:
➤ [USp/CIS Presto S&R]
➤ [OUA LS Daily]
➤ [AUS S&R]


NEXT UP

Canada West
Fri Nov 29 Manitoba at Lethbridge
Fri Nov 29 Regina at Calgary
Fri Nov 29 Saskatchewan at Mount Royal
Fri Nov 29 UBC at Alberta
Atlantic
Wed Nov 27 St. F.X. at Dalhousie

Ontario
Sun Nov 24 Ottawa at Laurentian
Wed Nov 27 Queen's at Ottawa
Thu Nov 28 York at Laurier
Thu Nov 28 Brock at Ryerson

 

[Hollywood3]

Preview: Nov 29-30: MANITOBA at LETHBRIDGE

MANITOBA BISONS (6-7-1, 7-10-3, OHT35 #17)
LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS (4-9-1, 4-12-2, OHT35 #22)

Friday, November 29, 2019 at 7:00 MT/8:00 CT at Lethbridge
Saturday, November 30, 2019 at 1:00 MT/2:00 CT at Lethbridge

Live Links:
➤ Video: [CanadaWest.tv]
➤ Friday: [Live Stats] ∞ [Hockey Tech]
➤ Saturday: [Live Stats] ∞ [Hockey Tech]

Manitoba Links:
➤ GoBisons: [Men's Hockey Site]
➤ The Manitoban: [Manitoba Bisons ride strong goaltending to split with Alberta Golden Bears]
➤ Social: [Twitter] ∞ [Facebook]
➤ CW: [Stats] ∞ [Schedule/Results/Links]
➤ LeagueStat: [Stats] ∞ [Schedule/Results/Links]

Lethbridge Links:
➤ GoHorns: [Pronghorns close out first semester with an important series versus Bisons]
➤ GoHorns: [Pronghorns Athletes tie all-time high for Academic All-Canadians with 74]
➤ Social: [Twitter] ∞ [Facebook]
➤ CW: [Stats] ∞ [Schedule/Results/Links]
➤ LeagueStat: [Stats] ∞ [Schedule/Results/Links]

Other Links:
➤ USports: [Schedule/Links] ∞ [Standings]
➤ USports: [Top Ten]
➤ CW: [Home Page] ∞ [Schedule]
➤ LeagueStat: [Media Stats]

Prior games:
Sept 28: UM 2 UL 0: [Leaguestat] : [Game Story]
Sept 29: UL 5 UM 4: [Leaguestat] : [Game Story]

Time for the second lap around the CW schedule.

Coming off good results against the Evil Monkeys, one might be excused for thinking that the Bisons are tuned up for a sweep of the Hørny Ønes. Such a result would likely guarantee the Bisons a playoff berth heading into the exam/Christmas break.

However, the Bisons already have one split with Lethbridge this year, and heading into the season their record against both the Hørny Ønes and the Evil Monkeys was 7-7-2. That is peculiar. Also, the Bisons have split 6 of 7 regular season series thus far. It must be noted that the Bison difficulties with Lethbridge are of recent vintage. In years gone by, a 3-1 season edge was the norm.

The Bisons are resting comfortably in 5th place, a long way away from 4th. My pre-season wish was to have a respectable 1st half and cash in on the inevitable 2nd half improvement. Well, I hope it's inevitable.

Adam Henry continues to lead the Bisons. The captain is 6-8-14, giving him an even point-per-game average from the blueline. He is one of 4 players tied for 7th in conference scoring. Landon Gross leads the Horns at 4-7-11. They have had a few 1st year players with reasonable stats.

The big difference between these teams is at the back end. The Horns have surrendered 65 goals, to just 48 by the Bisons. Taz Burman has been the Lethbridge starter and is 3-5-1, 4.72 GAA, .896 S%. Riley Lamb was the Bison starter until last weekend, his numbers were 5-3-1, 3.14 GAA, .914S%. I have confidence in all three of their 1st year golatenders. Tyler Brown is 1-3-0, 3.01 GAA, .929 S% and Jeremey Link is 0-1-0, 2.03 GAA, .957 S%.


ELSEWHERE IN THE CW

REGINA COUGARS (2-11-1, 3-14-1, OHT35 #35)
CALGARY DINOSAURS (9-3-2, 15-4-3, OHT35 #7)

Links:
➤ UofC: [First-half finale sees Dinos host green Cougars]
➤ UofR: [Men's Hockey Site]

In the Town of Bedrock the Dinos host the Banjo Cats. In the the battle for 2nd place, this is a must-sweep series on home ice for the Dinos. Simple as that. The Banjo Cats have made a habit of having at least one tough battle every weekend, and they are due to profit from those efforts.

SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES (9-3-2, 10-4-2, OHT35 #6)
MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS (10-3-1, 13-5-1-1, OHT35 #4)

Links:
➤ MRU: [Men's Hockey Site]
➤ UofS: [Men's Hockey Site]

This is the feature match-up of the weekend. The season started with the Bluegars sweeping the Banjo Mutts in Saskatown. Since then the Mutts have rebounded and now are just oine point removed from 2nd place, occupied by MRU. Although the sweep was impressive, in the four years prior the Mutts held a 14-2 advantage over the Bluegars. SO I don't think MRU will be cocky or overconfident in this series.

U.B.C. THUNDERBIRDS (4-7-3, 7-10-4, OHT35 #21)
ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS (12-2-0, 18-4-0, OHT35 #1)

Links:
➤ UofA: [Men's Hockey Site]
➤ UBC: [‘Birds close out 2019 against CW leading Golden Bears in Edmonton]

This series is of interest to the Bisons, since the T-irds are only two points behind. The Evil Monkeys should be reeling after last weekend, so I expect them to turn in a better performance on home ice.


OUT EAST

ONTARIO

Wed Nov 27 Queen's 2 Ottawa 3 (so)
Thu Nov 28 York 2 Laurier 5
Thu Nov 28 Brock 5 Ryerson 2
Fri Nov 29 Nipissing at UQTR
Fri Nov 29 Guelph at W. Ontario
Fri Nov 29 Carleton at McGill
Fri Nov 29 Laurentian at RMC
Fri Nov 29 York at Waterloo
Fri Nov 29 Toronto at Brock
Fri Nov 29 Laurier at Windsor
Sat Nov 30 Nipissing at UQTR
Sat Nov 30 Concordia at Ottawa
Sat Nov 30 Guelph at Windsor
Sat Nov 30 McGill at RMC
Sat Nov 30 Ontario Tech at Carleton
Sat Nov 30 Waterloo at Toronto
Sat Nov 30 W. Ontario at Ryerson
Sat Nov 30 Laurentian at Queen's
Sun Dec 01 Ontario Tech at Ottawa

ATLANTIC

Wed Nov 27 St. F.X. 8 Dalhousie 5
Fri Nov 29 UPEI at St. F.X.
Fri Nov 29 Moncton at Saint Mary's
Fri Nov 29 New Brunswick at Acadia
Sat Nov 30 New Brunswick at Saint Mary's
Sat Nov 30 Dalhousie at UPEI
Sat Nov 30 Moncton at Acadia

Links:
➤ [USp Presto S&R]
➤ [OUA LS Daily]
➤ [AUS S&R]

 

[Hollywood3]

Nov 29: Bisons Register Convincing Win

On Friday night, it was a home game for everybody in Alberta. And two games went all the way to a shoot-out.

MANITOBA BISONS 3
LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS 1

Links:
LeagueStat: [Summary] : [Report]
Hockey Tech: [Summary] : [Report] : [Text]
Boxscores and tabs: [USp/CIS] : [CW]
Stories/boxscores/video: [UofL] : [rp @CW] : [rp @UofM]

The Bisons registered a sound victory to put themselves 6 points clear of 7th place Lethbridge and 4 points up on UBC. The Hørny Ønes took 7 consecutive penalties in the 2nd period, where they were outshot 15-3. It was somewhat of a miracle that they stayed within shouting distance.

Quick Summary
1st 03:53 MAN Pouteau (2) ASST: Dalke Thiessen
2nd 14:09 MAN Skoleski (4) ASST: Jameson (PP)
3rd 02:20 MAN Leipsic (4) ASST: Thiessen Henry (PP)
3rd 10:12 LET Sward (1) ASST: Grant (SH)

W: Brown (24 saves, 25 shots)
L: Burman (35 saves, 38 shots)

The rematch is Saturday at 1:00 MT/2:00 CT.

OUT-OF-TOWN SCOREBOARD

ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 5
U.B.C. THUNDERBIRDS 3

Links:
LeagueStat: Summary & tabs
Hockey Tech: Summary & tabs
Boxscores & tabs: USp/CIS : CW
Stories: UofA : rp @CW : rp @UBC

The Evil Monkeys dominated the shot clock throughout. But it was a 3+ minute deluge of 3 goals in the 2nd period which spelled the difference here. Brendan Burke stopped 13 of 16 shots for the win, and Rylan Toth stopped 27 of 31 for the loss, in two periods. Patrick Dea stopped 8 of 9 in the 3rd.

REGINA COUGARS 4
CALGARY DINOSAURS 5
(in a shootout)

Links:
LeagueStat: Summary & tabs
Hockey Tech: Summary & tabs
Boxscores & tabs: USp/CIS : CW
Stories: UofC : rp @CW* : rp @UofR*

The Banjo-Cats always seem to have at least one decent game on the weekend, and they did play well on Friday night in the Town Of Bedrock. Before ths hootout, the Bedrock zamboni driver made a mess of the ice and ultimately finished with a small patch of unfinished ice to the right of the Dinos' goaltender. It drew the checkles of the announcers. It must be tough to operate on ice when in bare feet. The Dinos had a 4-2 lead in the 3rd period, but Ben Duppereault scored twice to fore overtime. Brodan Salmond stopped 27 of 31 for the win, and Brandon Holtby stopped 33 of 37 for the loss.

SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 2
MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS 1
(in a shootout)

Links:
LeagueStat: Summary & tabs
Hockey Tech: Summary & tabs
Boxscores & tabs: USp/CIS : CW
Stories: MRU : rp @CW : rp @UofS

After the Bison game, I watched a bit of the Alberta game, then a lot of this one. It looked like a playoff game, and in could well be a prevfiew of the semi-final round. After two losses to the Bluegars in Saskatown, the Banjo-Mutts absolutely needed this one. The 3-pointer means that both of these teams, plus Calgary, are 10-3-2 and tied for 2nd place. Taran Kozun stopped 28 of 29 for the win and Wyatt Hoflin stopped 34 of 35 in the loss. MRU had a military-themed alternate jersey for this one.

OUT EAST

Fri Nov 29 UPEI 6 St. F.X. 5
Fri Nov 29 Moncton 2 Saint Mary's 5
Fri Nov 29 New Brunswick 2 Acadia 3

Fri Nov 29 Nipissing 1 UQTR 2
Fri Nov 29 Guelph 4 W. Ontario 2
Fri Nov 29 Carleton 3 McGill 4 (ot)
Fri Nov 29 Laurentian 4 RMC 6
Fri Nov 29 York 3 Waterloo 4
Fri Nov 29 Toronto 6 Brock 2
Fri Nov 29 Laurier 6 Windsor 2


Links:
➤ [USp/CIS Presto S&R]
➤ [OUA LS Daily]
➤ [AUS S&R]

 

[Hollywood3]

Nov 30: Bisons End Semester with a Split

Once again, there was one split in the CW as the first semester wraps up.

MANITOBA BISONS 3
LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS 6

Links:
LeagueStat: [Summary] : [Report]
Hockey Tech: [Summary] : [Report] : [Text]
Boxscores and tabs: [USp/CIS] : [CW]
Stories/boxscores/video: [UofL] : [rp @CW] : [rp @UofM]

This was in many ways a dopey Saturday afternoon game following a Friday night encounter. After suffering ahead shot on Friday, Colton Veloso was scratched from the Bison line-up, leaving the roster one man short.

Quick Summary
2nd 04:32 MAN Thiessen (4) ASST: Dalke, Pouteau
2nd 06:26 LET Borynec (1) ASST: Clarke, Coleman
2nd 12:14 LET Chynoweth (3) ASST: Coleman (PP)
2nd 16:12 MAN Wasylak (4) ASST: Dyck, Carlson
2nd 18:16 LET B Maxwell (4) ASST: Valentine, Trott
3rd 03:54 LET Coleman ASST: Clarke, Jensen
3rd 05:02 MAN Leipsic (5) ASST: Wasylak, Pouteau
3rd 05:23 LET R Maxwell (2) ASST: Fisher, B Maxwell
3rd 18:33 LET Borynec (2) ASST: Clarke, Sward (PP)

W: Burman (53 saves, 56 shots)
L: Lamb (32 saves, 38 shots)

The opening period was very loose, with the Bisons holding an edge in shots by a 16-11 margin. The second was similar, with the shots being 21-15 for the Bisons. However, 5 goals were scored. It appeared that the Bisons were content to throw all caution to the wind in order to pad the stats. While they controlled the play, they opened themselves up for uncontrolled counter-attacks.

Once the Hørny Ønes opened scoring in the 3rd, to get a 2-goal lead, the Bisons had to play to catch-up mode. On the night the PP turned the game around. Lethbridge was 2-for-5 and the Bisons were 0-for-5.

This marks the end of the semester, and the Bisons sit a respectable 5th with a 7-8-1 record. The Hørny Ønes are 4 points behind, at 5-10-1 and tied with UBC for 6th place. The next Bison action is January 3rd and 4th when they will host the MRU Bluegars. All-in-all, Bison management must be satisfied with the 1st semester. My thoughts were that their 2nd half was destined to be better than their 1st, due to the large amount of youthful turnover on the roster. We'll see if that materializes. Or maybe they'll just keep on splitting almost every series all season.

A good look at Lethbridge's vintage logo.


OUT-OF-TOWN SCOREBOARD

ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 5
U.B.C. THUNDERBIRDS 1

Links:
LeagueStat: Summary & tabs
Hockey Tech: Summary & tabs
USp/CIS: Boxscores & tabs
Stories: UofA : rp @CW : rp @UBC

After experiencing their 2nd loss at the hands of the Bisons last weekend, the Evil Monkeys were firing on all cylinders on home ice against the T-irds. The shots were 41-23, and 13 of those UBC shots came in the 3rd period when they were trailing by 2 goals most of the time. (It was still just a 3-1 socre until the last 2 minutes.) Curtis Miske led the Monkeys with his 4th and 5th goals of the season and Matt Berlin claimed the W in goal. Rylan Toth stopped 36-of-40 shots he faced.

Alberta has a commanding lead atop the standings, at 14-2-0. UBC is now 4-9-3 and tied with Lethbridge for 6th place. During the break, the Apes will face the MRU Bluegars on Dec 28th and the NAIT Ooks of the ACAC on Dec 29th.

REGINA COUGARS 2
CALGARY DINOSAURS 4

Links:
LeagueStat: Summary & tabs
Hockey Tech: Summary & tabs
USp/CIS: Boxscores & tabs
Stories: UofC : rp @CW : rp @UofR*
Friday late stories: UofC : rp @UofR

Although the Banjo-Cats had a decent effort, they again came up short. It was 2-1 heading into the 3rd period, at which time Bedrock U slammed the door on the Kittens, outshooting them 15-3. Tyler Gutenberg got the win in his first start of the season (he also had just one game last year), with 14 saves on 16 shots. Brandon Holtby stopped 30 of 34 in taking another loss. At 11-3-2, the Dinos are tied for 2nd, and the Kittens are dead last at 2-12-2. My guess is they be playing spoiler in the 2nd semester.

SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 3
MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS 2

Links:
LeagueStat: Summary & tabs
Hockey Tech: Summary & tabs
USp/CIS: Boxscores & tabs
Stories: MRU : rp @CW : rp @UofS

The Banjo-Mutts redeemed their season opening sweep at the hands of the Bluegars by achieving their own sweep this weekend. Despite a slow start, the Mutts are now 11-3-2 and tied for 2nd with Calgary. MRU falls to 10-4-2, two points behind. It all sets up a contest for 2nd place in the 2nd semester. Taran Kozun got the win with 26 saves on 28 shots, and Wyatt Hoflin got the loss with 34 save son 37 shots. This series had a playoff feel to it, and could well have been a playoff preview,


OUT EAST

Sat Nov 30 New Brunswick 8 Saint Mary's 1
Sat Nov 30 Dalhousie 3 UPEI 2
Sat Nov 30 Moncton 3 Acadia 4 (ot)

Sat Nov 30 Nipissing 0 UQTR 6
Sat Nov 30 Concordia 3 Ottawa 5
Sat Nov 30 Guelph 3 Windsor 2
Sat Nov 30 RMC 3 McGill 2
Sat Nov 30 Ontario Tech 3 Carleton 4 (ot)
Sat Nov 30 Waterloo 0 Toronto 4
Sat Nov 30 W. Ontario 5 Ryerson 6 (ot)
Sat Nov 30 Laurentian 0 Queen's 4

Links:
➤ [USp/CIS Presto S&R]
➤ [OUA LS Daily]
➤ [AUS S&R]


NEXT UP

CANADA WEST
Sat Dec 28 Mount Royal at Alberta (non-conference)
Sun Dec 29 NAIT at Alberta (ACAC non-conference)
Sun Dec 29 SAIT at Calgary (ACAC non-conference)
Fri Jan 03 Mount Royal at Manitoba
Fri Jan 03 Lethbridge at Regina
Fri Jan 03 Alberta at Saskatchewan
Fri Jan 03 Calgary at UBC

ONTARIO
Sun Dec 01 Ontario Tech at Ottawa
Tue Dec 03 Ottawa at UQTR (ppd from Nov 2)
Sun Dec 29 Nipissing at Lakehead (non-conference)
Mon Dec 30 Nipissing at Lakehead (non-conference)
Thu Jan 02 Ryerson at Brock

ATLANTIC
Sat Dec 28 Windsor at Moncton (OUA non-conference)
Sun Dec 29 Windsor at New Brunswick (OUA non-conference)
Thu Jan 02 UPEI at Saint Mary's

ALL-STAR GAMES
Wed Dec 11 USports All-Stars v Team Canada Juniors
Thu Dec 12 USports All-Stars v Team Canada Juniors

Links:
➤ [Team Canada Site]
➤ [Oakville to host Canada’s National Junior Team Sport Chek selection camp]
➤ [Tickets | 2019-20 National Junior Team Camp Series vs. U SPORTS]
➤ [U Sports History]

 

[Hollywood3]

Dec 11-12: Team Canada Juniors v USports All-Stars

This will be the 5th season of an exhibition series between the Team Canada Juniors and USports/CIS All-Stars. In previous years, they warmed up with games against either individual teams, conference all-stars, or combinations of 2 or 3 teams. The [USports site] has compiled a list of past results, which I added to the [Wikia] page:


Canada West Games

■ Dec 16, 1988 at Calgary: Calgary Dinosaurs 6, Team Canada 4
■ Dec 17, 1990 at Kindersley: Team Canada 4, Saskatchewan Huskies 2
■ Dec 16, 1994 at Edmonton: Team Canada 6, CW Selects 0
■ Dec 16, 1998 at Winnipeg: Team Canada 3, Manitoba Bisons 2
■ Dec 17, 1998 at Winnipeg: Team Canada 7, Brandon Bobcats 1
■ Dec 14, 2004 at Winnipeg: Manitoba Bisons 4, Team Canada 2
■ Dec 15, 2004 at Winnipeg: Team Canada 6, Manitoba Bisons 3
■ Dec 15, 2005 at Vancouver: Team Canada 8, UBC Thunderbirds 1
■ Dec 15, 2006 at Calgary: Calgary/Lethbridge 5, Team Canada 4
■ Dec 13, 2007 at Calgary: Team Canada v Calgary Dinosaurs (cancelled, mumps)
■ Dec 15, 2009 at Saskatoon: Sask/Regina 4, Team Canada 2
■ Dec 17, 2011 at Calgary: Team Canada 7, Calgary/Lethbridge 4 : [UofC]
■ Dec 12, 2012 at Edmonton: Alberta Golden Bears 4, Team Canada 1 : [Sportsnet]
■ Dec 13, 2012 at Calgary: Team Canada 2, Calgary/Lethbridge/MRU 0

Team Canada held an 8-5 edge overall against the CW. Lots of links I had are now 404!


USports/CIS Games

■ Dec 12, 2015 at Toronto: CIS 5, Team Canada 4 (so)
■ Dec 13, 2015 at Toronto: Team Canada 5, CIS 0
■ Dec 12, 2016 at Boisbriand: Team Canada 5, USports 3
■ Dec 13, 2016 at Boisbriand: Team Canada 3, USports 0
■ Dec 13, 2017 at St. Catharines: USports 3, Team Canada 0
■ Dec 14, 2017 at St. Catharines: USports 4, Team Canada 3
■ Dec 12, 2018 at Victoria: Team Canada 3, USports 2 (so): [Story]/[Summary]
■ Dec 13, 2018 at Victoria: USports 5, Team Canada 3: [Story]/[Summary]
■ Dec 14, 2018 at Victoria: USports 5, Team Canada 1: [Story]/[Summary]

USports/CIS teams have a 5-4 edge under this format.


AUS Games

■ Dec 14, 2002 at Halifax: Team Canada 5, AUS Selects 2
■ Dec 15, 2002 at Halifax: Team Canada 3, AUS Selects 2


OUA Games

■ Dec 15, 1997 at Kitchener: Team Canada 3, OUA West 3 (tie)
■ Dec 16, 1997 at Kitchener: Team Canada 6, OUA East 4
■ Dec 15, 1999 at Kitchener: Team Canada v OUA All-Stars
■ Dec 16, 1999 at Kitchener: Team Canada v OUA All-Stars
■ Dec 16, 2000 at Toronto: Team Canada 5, OUA All-Stars 3
■ Dec 17, 2000 at Toronto: Team Canada 6, OUA All-Stars 5 (so)
■ Dec 13, 2001 at Toronto: Team Canada 4, OUA All-Stars 3
■ Dec 14, 2001 at Toronto: Team Canada v OUA All-Stars
■ Dec 14, 2003 at Kitchener: Team Canada 2 OUA All-Stars 0
■ Dec 15, 2003 at Kitchener: Team Canada 9 OUA All-Stars 1
■ Dec 14, 2010 at Toronto: Team Canada 6, OUA Selects 2
■ Dec 14, 2013 at Toronto: Team Canada 3, Toronto Selects 0
■ Dec 13, 2014 at Toronto: Team Canada 10, Toronto Selects 3
■ Dec 14, 2014 at Toronto: Team Canada 3, Toronto Selects 0

The Toronto Selects were a combination of the Toronto Varsity Blues, York Lions, and Ryerson Rams.

 

[Hollywood3]

More Stuff ABout the All-Star Games

There have been a lot of stories about the series, and I include the "master links" as well. As usual, there are loads of stories from the junior leagues and local media about every player selected to the TC camp.

Links:
➤ [USports: Guelph’s Aagaard headlines roster for 2019 U SPORTS Men’s Hockey All-Star Series]
➤ [Hockey Canada: Team Canada Site]
➤ [CHL.ca: 21 CHL Grads Named to U SPORTS Men’s Hockey All-Stars]
➤ [TSN: Team Canada Site]
➤ [Sportsnet: Junior Hockey Site]
➤ [Sportsnet: USports Site]

Here's the USports Team:

Goaltenders
31 Jonathan Reinhart - Windsor
33 Sébastien Auger - UQTR

Defencemen
4 Clayton Kirichenko - Alberta
8 Ryan Rehill - Alberta
15 Tristan Pomerleau - UNB
16 Nikolas Brouillard - McGill
22 Matt Murphy - UNB
51 Josh Burnside - Carleton
77 Nick Welsh - Saint Mary's

Forwards
9 Mikkel Aagaard - Guelph
10 Tyler Boland - UNB
11 Collin Shirley - Saskatchewan
12 Stephen Johnson - Saint Mary's
13 Steven Owre - Alberta
19 Bryson Cianfrone - StFX
21 Kris Bennett - UNB
24 Mark Simpson - UNB
26 Cole Sanford - Alberta
36 Trevor Cox - Alberta
61 Grayson Pawlenchuk - Alberta
74 Ryley Lindgren - Mount Royal
91 Mathew Santos - Ryerson

TEAM STAFF

Head Coach
Gardiner MacDougall - UNB

Assistant Coaches
Clarke Singer - Western Ontario
Brett Gibson - Queen’s
Todd Johnson - Regina

General Manager
Peter Hellstrom - Laurentian

Other Staff
Team Leader - Robert Godfrey - Mount Royal
Equipment Manager - Trevor Black - Waterloo
Therapist - Jason Kaszycki - Western Ontario
Video Coach - Brendan Riggin - Western Ontario

From a Bison perspective, it would have been nice to see captain, defenceman, and leading scorer Adam Henry selected. In 16 games he is 6-9-15, the CW's leading goal-scorer amongst defencemen and second only to MRU's Connor Blake (4-13-17), who was also not selected, in points.

 

[RED ARMY EAST]

You could call this team the Red Bears. Lol...

 

[Hollywood3]

Dec 11: Juniors Win Opener

TEAM CANADA JUNIORS 4
USPORTS ALL-STARS 3

Links:
LeagueStat: [Summary] : [Report]
TSN: [Highlights]
Hockey Canada: [Summary & Links]
USports: [Bennett’s two-point performance not enough as Canada edges U SPORTS 4-3]

This was a tight game throughout, neither side ever leading by more than a goal. I am waiting for game stories to be uploaded, along with the TSN highlights.

Game 2 goes Thursday afternoon at 2:00 ET/1:00 CT.

 

[Hollywood3]

Watching on the TSN app!
2-1 for USports after the 1st.

Live updates: OUA LeagueStat Summary

 

[Hollywood3]

I can't remember a USports team shutting down the Juniors like this. I saw the first two periods, and it seems the 3rd was even more defensive.

[ View Scorers Sheet ] [ Text Box Score ]

SCORING	1	2	3	Total
U SPORTS All-stars	2	0	0	2
Canada Jr Prospects	1	0	0	1

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

SHOTS	1	2	3	Total
U SPORTS All-stars	8	9	5	22
Canada Jr Prospects	5	4	3	12

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

 

[FreddyFoyle]

Well, it was a Gardiner MacDougall coached team playing a style of game we are very familiar with out here in the Maritimes...

 

[AUS Fan]

Well, it was a Gardiner MacDougall coached team playing a style of game we are very familiar with out here in the Maritimes...

Stop it.....

 

[Hollywood3]

Dec 12-29: Recap Time!

TEAM CANADA JUNIORS 1
USPORTS ALL-STARS 2

Links:
LeagueStat: [Summary] : [Report]
Hockey Canada: [Summary & Links]

On Dec 12th, the USports All-Stars smothered the Junior TC hopefuls in game two, resulting in a split of the two-game series. The Juniors' shot total went down from 5 to 4 to 3 on a period-by-period basis.
The All-Stars now hold a 6-5 edge in this series.

MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS 4
ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 6

Links:
Linescore: [UofA]

In an unusual move, two CW teams played a non-conference mid-season game. This one was played Saturday night. No word yet on Sunday's game between the Evil Monkeys and the NAIT Ooks of the ACAC.

In a roster note, the Apes' goaltender Brendan Burke is the 3rd goalie on the Team Canada entry at the Spengler Cup. Jordon Cooke from Sask played that role in the past.

WINDSOR LANCERS 0
NEW BRUNSWICK REDS 4

Links:
Boxscore: [UNB w tabs]
Game Story: [UNB]

After the Lancers traveled all the way from Windsor to New Brunswick, they had to cancel the FRiday night game because weather prevented them from getting to Moncton. So, they traveled a long way for just this one game. Seems like a respectable loss, but a very convincing one. UNB were able to blend in two new players: Connor Hall and Ben Hawerchuk.

CALGARY DINOSAURS 8
S.A.I.T. TROJANS 1

Links:
Boxscore: [SAIT w tabs]

This was a 1-1 game when the Bedrock Dinos scored 3 shorthanded goals in a 5 minute stretch. SO the Dinos rack up an impressive win over an ACAC team. The Condoms are 6-6-2 in ACAC play so far.

THUNDER BAY NORTHSTARS 1
LAKEHEAD THUNDERWOLVES 5

Links:
LU Story: [Nipissing cancels; North Stars step in to save Christmas Challenge]
LU Story: [Wolves to loan North Stars some players to aid competitive balance]
LU Story: [Thunderwolves defeat the Northstars in the first of two games]
TB Newswatch rp @SIJHL: [THUNDERWOLVES DOWN NORTH STARS IN CHRISTMAS CLASH]

So Nipissing bailed, were replaced by a local Junior A team (1st place and 20-7-3 on the season), who were loaned a handful of players so as to balance the sides, and here we go with a Thunder Bay Derby. Back in the day, they had senior, junior, university, and intermediate teams all in one league. Remoteness leads to resourcefulness. They still drew 1,402 to see this! Rematch goes Dec 30th.

The AUS and OUA reconvene on Jan 2nd, whilst the CW waits until Jan 3rd with a full slate of games. The Bisons start the new year hosting the MRU Bluegars for a double-header (Friday at 7:00 and Saturday at 2:00).

 

[Hollywood3]

Dec 30: So long 2019!

N.A.I.T. OOKS 2
ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 6

Links:
Linescore: [UofA]

This was a late score from Dec 29th. All we have is the linescore for this Edmontown Derby between the Evil Monkeys and Ooks.

THUNDER BAY NORTHSTARS 3
LAKEHEAD THUNDERWOLVES 2
(in a shootout)

Links:
LU Story: [Thunderwolves split final games of 2019 with North Stars]
TB Newswatch rp @TBNS: [North Stars edge Thunderwolves in shootout]

This was a canoe-tipper, a ring-a-ding-dong-dandy, an exhibition game going into a shootout. Call it what you will, it brings the curtain down on USports games for 2019.

The Lakehead players loaned to the TBNS in this game were: Daniel Del Paggio, Tomas Soustal, Jordan King, Joseph Leonidas, Patrick Murphy and Aaron Wesley-Chisel. Those loaned on Dec 29th were Cooper Leitch, Daniel McKitrick, Caleb Boman, Brett Wolframe and Brock Aiken.

 

[Hollywood3]

Dec 31: 2019 was the year of cancelled games


This was certainly the year of the cancelled game. While in the past there has been the odd game affected by weather, the Calgary mumps outbreak, and Lethbridge's leaky Zamboni, this year has been crazy. Here's my list:

Sat Sep 14 Simon Fraser (BCIHL) at UBC - This non-conference game was announced by SFU but never by UBC. So whether it was cancelled or never actually confirmed is the question.

Mon Sep 16 Acadia v New Brunswick - They were supposed to have a pre-season game in Truro.

Fri Sep 20 and Sat Sep 21 Laurentian at Lakehead - This was cancelled due to a problem with the ice in Thunder Bay.

Fri Sep 20 New Brunswick at York - This was cancelled after the 1st period, again due to a problem with the ice, with the score tied 0-0.

Three regular season games were postponed due to weather problems, two of which have been played and one of which is scheduled. These are:
Tue Nov 05 UPEI 4 Saint Mary's 5 (ot) - from Oct 23
Tue Dec 03 Ottawa 4 UQTR 2 - from Nov 2
Tue Jan 14 New Brunswick at UPEI - from Nov 16

Sat Dec 28 Windsor at Moncton - Windsor flew into Fredericton but cancelled this one because they couldn't travel to Moncton.

Sun Dec 29 and Mon Dec 30 Nipissing at Lakehead series was cancelled due to Nipissing's air charter becoming unavailable. Instead Lakehead played the Junior A Thunder Bay Northstars.

That's 11 games!

 

[Hollywood3]

Preview: Jan 3-4: MOUNT ROYAL at MANITOBA

MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS (10-4-2, 13-7-3, OHT35 #4)
MANITOBA BISONS (7-8-1, 8-11-3, OHT35 #15)

Friday, January 3rd at 7:00 pm at Wayne Fleming Arena, Winnipeg
Saturday, January 4th at 2:00 pm at Wayne Fleming Arena, Winnipeg

Live Links:
➤ Video: [CanadaWest.tv]
➤ Audio: [UMFM 2nd stream]
➤ Friday: [Live Stats] ∞ [Hockey Tech]
➤ Saturday: [Live Stats] ∞ [Hockey Tech]

Manitoba Links:
➤ GoBisons: [Bisons hockey programs hold annual scholarship fundraiser event at Journey to Churchill on January 20 with special guest Matt Cockell]
➤ GoBisons: [Hockey stands as centrepiece in Keane's life]
➤ Social: [Twitter] ∞ [Facebook] ∞ [Instagram]
➤ CW: [Stats] ∞ [Schedule/Results/Links]
➤ LeagueStat: [Stats] ∞ [Schedule/Results/Links]

MRU Links:
➤ MRU: [Crowchild Classic set for January 30th]
➤ Social: [Twitter] ∞ [Facebook]
➤ CW: [Stats] ∞ [Schedule/Results/Links]
➤ LeagueStat: [Stats] ∞ [Schedule/Results/Links]

Other Links:
➤ USports: [Schedule/Links] ∞ [Standings]
➤ CW: [Home Page] ∞ [Schedule]
➤ LeagueStat: [Media Stats]

Previous games:
➤ Oct 11: MRU 5 UofM 3: [Story] ∞ [LeagueStat]
➤ Oct 12: UofM 5 MRU 4: [Story] ∞ [Summary]

It's been a long time since the Bisons have graced the ice of the Wayne Fleming Arena, and the wait ends Friday night. Bisons/Bluegars games are usually more physical than other university hockey match-ups, although that has waned a bit in recent years.

The two sides split their October series in Calgary, not unusual since the Bisons have split every series except the one in Saskatown. MRU has also been one of the most difficult opponents for the Bisons, sweeping all four games in each of 2015-16, 2016-17, and 2018-19.

Neither side has announced any Christmas additions to their roster.

The Bluegars had a non-conference game last week (6-4 loss to Alberta), so they will be less afflicted by cobwebs. They also opened the season by sweeping Saskatchewan and fighting Alberta for first. They have tumbled a bit but it is still a very tight 3-way battle for 2nd between them Sask and Bedrock U.

For the Bisons, their first semester was probably better than expected. They are a comfortable 5th at 15 points. Not likely to move into 4th, not likely to miss the playoffs. At the start of the season my hope was that the inexperienced crew of forwards would do enough to stay close before their 2nd semester improvement clicks in.

Will the Bisons be better in the 2nd half? We'll find out soon.

ELSEWHERE IN THE CW

LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS (5-10-1, 5-13-2, OHT35 #23)
REGINA COUGARS (2-12-2, 3-15-2, OHT35 #34)

Links:
➤ UofL: [Men's Hockey Site]
➤ UofR: [Cougars add former Swift Current captain Tanner Nagel to roster]
➤ Elite Prospects: [Tanner Nagel Stats Page]

This is usually the battle for the basement. Although Regina sits last and the Hørny Ønes are tied for 2nd last, this isn't really a battle. Lethbridge and UBC are tied for 6th at 11 points, Regina has only 6. So the Banjo Cats are relegated to playing spoiler and visions of playoff spots are the focus for UBC and Lethbridge.

But don't overlook Regina. The links show us that they have a WHL recruit (Tanner Nagel) coming on board (he'd been in senior hockey). He peaked at 13 goals in the Dub and was a team captain. And the vast majority of their games have been hard fought affairs. On October 25th they were whipped 6-1 by MRU and on November 16th Alberta hammered them 9-0. Other than that, they have no losses by more than 2 goals in their last 10 games.

ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS (14-2-0, 22-4-0, OHT35 #1)
SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES (11-3-2, 12-4-2, OHT35 #5)

Links:
➤ UofA: [Men's Hockey Site]
➤ UofS: [Huskie Happenings: Jan. 1-5]
➤ CW: [Dmytriw earns November WHL honour]
➤ CW: [CW Stars: Gilbreath, Masikewich cap off first half in style]

This is the feature match of the weekend. After a dismal start, the Banjo Mutts have returned to last year's 25-3-0 form. And the Evil Monkeys have looked as strong as ever. Sask are within 4 points and would need a sweep if they harbour hopes of a 1st place finish. The linked stories tell us about conference honours being bestowed upon both sides. This will be worth watching on CanadaWest.TV.

CALGARY DINOSAURS (11-3-2, 18-4-3, OHT35 #6)
U.B.C. THUNDERBIRDS (4-9-3, 7-12-4, OHT35 #21)

Links:
➤ UofC: [10 for 10: No. 6 - The Crowchild Classic]
➤ UBC: [Men's Hockey Site]
➤ CW: [CW leading scorer Alfaro earns First Half Top Performer]

These are the two enigmatic teams in the CW. The Bedrock Dinos were as good as any team in the country through the pre-season and early season. In the 3rd week, they brought their unbeaten record into the U of M and played as well on the Friday night as any university team could play. Then the Bisons burst their bubble on Saturday, albeit in overtime. They have followed that with splits against Sask and MRU and a sweep at the hands of Alberta. Far from a disaster, but perhaps not the awe-inspiring record they would have wanted. They were my pre-season pick for #2.

Meanwhile, UBC is tied with Lethrbidge for the 6th and final playoff berth. This after the handily swept the Horns in their head-to-head matchup (7-1 and 5-0). Although they have had some highly regarded recruits, they seem to get a lot of injuries. Maybe they need some prairie boy toughness in their next recruiting class!

OUT EAST

Thu Jan 02 Ryerson at Brock
Fri Jan 03 Lakehead at Guelph
Fri Jan 03 Waterloo at W. Ontario
Fri Jan 03 UQTR at Carleton
Fri Jan 03 Windsor at Laurier
Fri Jan 03 Toronto at York
Fri Jan 03 RMC at Nipissing
Sat Jan 04 Brock at Toronto
Sat Jan 04 McGill at Carleton
Sat Jan 04 Windsor at Waterloo
Sat Jan 04 Ryerson at Laurier
Sat Jan 04 W. Ontario at York
Sat Jan 04 Lakehead at Guelph
Sat Jan 04 RMC at Nipissing
Sat Jan 04 Ottawa at Concordia
Sun Jan 05 Concordia at UQTR

Thu Jan 02 UPEI at Saint Mary's
Fri Jan 03 New Brunswick at Dalhousie
Fri Jan 03 Saint Mary's at Acadia
Fri Jan 03 Moncton at St. F.X.
Sat Jan 04 New Brunswick at St. F.X.
Sat Jan 04 Moncton at Dalhousie
Sat Jan 04 Acadia at UPEI

Links:
➤ [USports Presto S&R]
➤ [OUA LS Daily]
➤ [AUS S&R]

 

[Hollywood3]

Jan 3: Bisons Enjoy a Little Bit of the Bubbly

I am starting this post really late because I had to run some diagnostics on my computer to get it going tonight. Ugh! At least I did it whilst in a good mood.

MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS 2
MANITOBA BISONS 5

Links:
LeagueStat: [Summary] : [Report]
Hockey Tech: [Summary] : [Report] : [Text]
USp/CIS: [Boxscores and tabs] : [CW]
Stories/boxscores/video: [UofM] : [rp @CW*] : [rp @MRU*]
Preview: [Men’s hockey and volleyball play host to start second half]

Throughout the 1st semester, the Bisons were doing a good job treading water. If Friday night's perfromance was any indication, my hoped-for 2nd semester improvement may well be in the offing. This was a hard-fought bump-and-grind type of game. The referees started out with lots of calls (both ways) that weren't really necessary. But the teams found their form and produced some good action.

Here's how they lined up:

MANITOBA BISONS

Goal
35 Brown (1 Link)

Defence
5 Schioler 28 Pouteau
2 Henry 3 Christensen
4 Stanley 6 Dyck

Forwards
14 Keane 9 Thiessen 15 Dalke
11 Carlson 12 Jameson 29 Wasylak
20 Apetagon 25 Skrumeda 19 Halvorson
22 Leipsic 10 Skoleski 17 Veloso

Scratches
8 Barley 13 Labossiere 16 Tripp
26 Leblanc 27 Doerksen 30 Lamb

MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS

Goal
35 Hoflin (33 Morris)

Defence
24 Jensen 16 Blake
3 Helgesen 2 Watson
4 Green 6 MacPherson

Forwards
17 Lindgren 11 Fyten 27 Rankin
21 Richards 28 Gerrie 14 Iverson
19 Chartier 9 Zandee 18 Kennedy
13 Bly 10 Sicoly 12 Lipon

Scratches
7 Lees 22 Arnold 23 Yaremko
26 Shamray 31 Chapman

Quick Summary
1st 13:57 MRU Lindgren (10) ASST: Fyten & Rankin
2nd 06:25 MAN Pouteau (3) ASST: Skrumeda & Leipsic (PP)
2nd 09:27 MAN Keane (4) ASST: Dyck
2nd 15:33 MAN Pouteau (4) ASST: Dalke & Keane
2nd 18:34 MRU Kennedy (5) ASST: MacPherson & Chartier
3rd 14:31 MAN Veloso (3) ASST: Skoleski & Leipsic
3rd 17:53 MAN Carlson (4) ASST: None (EN)

The rematch goes Saturday at 2:00 p.m. The Bisons' faint hope of hosting a quarter-final series could get a boost if they get their first sweep of ther season. They are now within 5 points of the Bluegars.

OUT-OF-TOWN SCOREBOARD

LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS 1
REGINA COUGARS 4

Links:
LeagueStat: [Summary & tabs]
Hockey Tech: [Summary & tabs]
Usp/CIS: [Boxscores & tabs
Stories: [UofR]: [rp @CW*]: [rp @UofL]

The Hørny Ønes were thoroughly handled by the Banjo Cats in this one. The porous kitten defence was able to hold the Horns to just 4 shots per period, and Brandon Holtby stopped 11 for the win. Taz Burman stopped 27 of 31 in taking the loss.

ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 3
SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 0

Links:
LeagueStat: [Summary & tabs]
Hockey Tech: [Summary & tabs]
Usp/CIS: [Boxscores & tabs
Stories: [UofS]: [rp @CW*]: [rp @UofA]

The Mutts looked to be ready to mount a serious challenge for first place. Instead, all they did was mount their coach's leg in this one. The Mutts dominated every aspect. The Evil Monkeys' defence is stronger than usual, and they provided back-up goaltender Matt Berlin to claim the shutout with just 18 saves. Tyler Soy led the attack with two goals. Taran Kozyn was busy in the Mutts' net with 46 saves on 49 shots.

CALGARY DINOSAURS 1
U.B.C. THUNDERBIRDS 0

Links:
LeagueStat: [Summary & tabs]
Hockey Tech: [Summary & tabs]
Usp/CIS: [Boxscores & tabs
Stories: [UBC]: [rp @CW*]: [rp @UofC]

Holy goaltenders' duel, Batman! Matthew Greenfield had 27 saves for the win, and Rylan Toth had 34 in the loss. That's a combined 61 saves on 62 shots. I saw the ending on CanadaWest.tv and there was a lot of action. The goaltending was every bit as good as the numbers would suggest.


OUT EAST

Thu Jan 02 UPEI 7 Saint Mary's 5
Fri Jan 03 New Brunswick 5 Dalhousie 2
Fri Jan 03 Saint Mary's 2 Acadia 5
Fri Jan 03 Moncton 4 St. F.X. 3 (ot)

Thu Jan 02 Ryerson 3 Brock 1
Fri Jan 03 Lakehead 7 Guelph 6 (so)
Fri Jan 03 Waterloo 4 W. Ontario 6
Fri Jan 03 UQTR 0 Carleton 4
Fri Jan 03 Windsor 3 Laurier 1
Fri Jan 03 Toronto 6 York 3
Fri Jan 03 RMC 4 Nipissing 2

Links:
➤ [USports/CIS Presto S&R]
➤ [OUA LS Daily]
➤ [AUS S&R]

 

[Hollywood3]

Jan 4: What's One More Split?


Note: Starting with the January 3rd games, the CW site no longer links on-site to the game stories. Their link goes off-site to the individual team websites. Hence, no more links to those in my posts. Also, be careful looking at standings links. They are often different and, accordingly, wrong. Stick to LeagueStat.

MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS 3
MANITOBA BISONS 2

Links:
LeagueStat: [Summary] : [Report]
Hockey Tech: [Summary] : [Report] : [Text]
USp/CIS: [Boxscores & tabs] : [CW]
Stories/boxscores/video: [UofM] : [rp @MRU*]

We need a country singer to make a song about splitting up everywhere in the west. It would be the Bisons' theme song. This weekend marked their 8th split of 9 series. That sweep they suffered in Saskatown stands out like a sore thumb, no doubt caused by having to venture into civilization's armpit in back-to-back weekends.

The Bisons made no line-up or alignment changes at all. Meanwhile, the Bluegars shifted Morris for Hoflin in goal, and #22 Arnold for #21 Richards at forward, along with some minor line shuffling.

Quick Summary

1st 06:36 MAN Apetagon (3) ASST: Skrumeda & Halvorsen
1st 17:42 MRU Iverson (5) ASST: Gerrie
2nd 06:45 MRU Arnold (2) ASST: Watson & Sicoly
2nd 13:19 MRU Lindgren (11) ASST: Fyten & Rankin (PP)
3rd 19:47 MAN Veloso (4) ASST: Jameson

That Apetagon kid has some moves. If he could gain some lbs for next season I could see him being a sophomore breakthrough.

The Herd is now away for back-to-back series, at Bedrock U to face the Dinos then off to British California to face the T-irds. Then they return for their final two home series of the season (!) against Regina January 24th-25th and Saskatchewan January 31st-February 1st. Meanwhiule, the Bluegars go home-and-home with the Evil Monkeys next weekend.

OUT-OF-TOWN SCOREBOARD

LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS 1
REGINA COUGARS 4

Links:
LeagueStat: [Summary & tabs]
Hockey Tech: [Summary & tabs]
Usp/CIS: [Boxscores & tabs]
Stories/boxscores/video: [UofR] : [rp @UofL]

To quote The Ramones, "second verse, same as the first." Exact same scoreline, but the shots would infer a much closer game. This was also a matinee, so I saw none of it on CanadaWest.tv. Brandon Holtby stopped 34 of 35 for the W and Taz Burman stopped 32 of 35 in defeat. Ben Duperreault led the Kittens with two goals. This could be a costly weekend for the Hørny Ønes, as they now trail UBC by a point. Meanwhile, the Banjo Cats jump to within 2 points of UBC. That's better news than the coming of a free jug of Granny's Moonshine.

CALGARY DINOSAURS 3
U.B.C. THUNDERBIRDS 2
(in a shootout)

Links:
LeagueStat: [Summary & tabs]
Hockey Tech: [Summary & tabs]
Usp/CIS: [Boxscores & tabs]
Stories/boxscores/video: [UBC] : [rp @UofC]

I saw the ending on CanadaWest.tv after watching the Bisons-Bluegars live. This was as tight as the scoreline would imply. The T-irds no doubt deserved at least the one point they received over the weekend. So in the race for 6th it is UBC 12, Lethbridge 11, and Regina 10. neither side switched goaltenders. Greenfield stopped 25 of 27, Toth stopped 23 of 25. I see that UBC, despite being at home, was one player under limit. Maxwell James, who played Friday, was scratched for Saturday.

ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 0
SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 5

Links:
LeagueStat: [Summary & tabs]
Hockey Tech: [Summary & tabs]
Usp/CIS: [Boxscores & tabs*]
Stories: [UofS*] : [rp @UofA*]

The game stories aren't even up yet, but here I go. The Evil Monkeys were down 1-0 in the 3rd then gave up a PP goal, at which time they fell apart like a cheap watch. Within 3-4 minutes it was 5-0, in a game where they were well ahead on the shot clock. Taran Kozun racked up a 35 save shutout for the win, with Matt Berlin stopping just 17 of 22. The remarkable thing was the number of breakaways being allowed by the Apes. The Mutts showed great resolve with this bounce-back win.

Now the race is on. Alberta sits at 30, Calgary 28, Sask 26, and MRU 24 up at the top. The Bisons bask on a deserted island in the middle at 17, then UBC at 12, Lethbridge at 11, and Regina at 10 battle at the back.


OUT EAST

Sat Jan 04 New Brunswick 6 St. F.X. 2
Sat Jan 04 Moncton 2 Dalhousie 3 (ot)
Sat Jan 04 Acadia 5 UPEI 3

Sat Jan 04 Brock 0 Toronto 7
Sat Jan 04 McGill 3 Carleton 0
Sat Jan 04 Windsor 8 Waterloo 1
Sat Jan 04 Ryerson 5 Laurier 4 (so)
Sat Jan 04 W. Ontario 9 York 4
Sat Jan 04 Lakehead 2 Guelph 4
Sat Jan 04 RMC 1 Nipissing 2
Sat Jan 04 Ottawa 7 Concordia 8 (ot)

Links:
➤ [USports/CIS Presto S&R]
➤ [OUA LS Daily]
➤ [AUS S&R]


NEXT UP

CANADA WEST
Fri Jan 10 Manitoba at Calgary
Fri Jan 10 UBC at Regina
Fri Jan 10 Saskatchewan at Lethbridge
Fri Jan 10 Alberta at Mount Royal

ONTARIO
Sun Jan 05 Concordia at UQTR
Wed Jan 08 Ottawa at RMC
Wed Jan 08 Queen's at Guelph
Thu Jan 09 Concordia at McGill
Thu Jan 09 Ontario Tech at Laurentian
Thu Jan 09 Ryerson at Toronto
Thu Jan 09 Guelph at Brock

ATLANTIC
Tue Jan 07 Moncton at UPEI
Wed Jan 08 Dalhousie at Acadia