2011-12 Manitoba Bisons/CIS Hockey Thread

September 24, 2011

BISONS WRAP PRE-SEASON WITH A SPLIT


REGINA COUGARS 4
MANITOBA BISONS 5
(in shoot-out)
|> [U of M Story] : [U of R Story] : [LS Summary]
|> [LS Rosters : [LS Statistics]

When the Bisons bombarded the Feline Hillbillies with 49 shots on Friday one had to wonder what they could do for an encore. Simple: Up that to 56!

The 1st period was very one-sided, 22-6 in shots, yet 0-0 on the scoreboard.

The Bisons continued their dominance in the 2nd period and eventually claimed a 2-0 lead on goals from Mike Hellyer (short-haneded) and Matthew Lowry (power play). It seemed a revenge butt-kicking was well underway. However, Regina responded with some mid-period pressure and Carter Selinger on a screen shot made it 2-1. Partik Bhungal tied it shortly afterwards when Joe Caligiuri allowed one to slip through the 5-hole. After two it was 2-2, though shots were 37-16.

The Banjo-Cats then appeared to be prepared for a sweep when they vaulted into the lead with two goals. Lucas Isley scored 34 seconds into the 3rd period and then Selinger, with his second, made it 4-2 3 minutes later. Tyler Dittmer then popped in two of his own. The last was scored with under 5 minutes left when he was knocked onto the seat of his pants in the slot.

The 4-on-4 and 3-on-3 overtime stanzas solved nothing, although the Bisons rang a couple of goalposts. In the shoot-out Jeremy Schappert scored, Dittmer hit a post, and Blair Macaulay scored to give the Bisons a 5-4 win.

Of note, the Bisons played 3 men short and Regina was one man short. Mike Hellyer also limped off the ice at the end of the 2nd period after sliding into the boards, but he played the 3rd. IMO, the Bisons should keep all their players for this reason. I believe they only have 26 guys in camp. A mid-season recruit of a scoring centre would also be a welcome addition.

I am not sure how the Bison goaltending will pan out. It seems Caligiuri is #1 because he got a full game whilst Friesen and Deckert split the other. So far they have not rally been tested. Caligiuri let in a couple of soft ones but he seems to have the best potential. I could see them all getting some work until one establishes himself as the go-to guy.

In two weekends the Bisons have shown that they can rack up shots but now must learn to turn that into comfortable leads.

Here is how they lined up:

Manitoba Bisons

Goal:
1 Caligiuri (35 Deckert)

Defence:
4 Schappert - 5 Crowley
2 Erb - 20 Lockerby
27 Schmidt - Flynn

Forwards:
23 Dittmer - 21 Cowan - 26 Macaulay
11 Hellyer - 17 Benias - 9 Lowry
25 Prokop - 29 Davis - 14 Lauder

Scratches:
3 Rumsey (D), 10 Rowinski (F), 12 Pawluk (F)
15 Mealy (D), 16 Walker (F),  18 DuVal (F)
22 Bestland (D/F), 24 Bobbee (D), 34 Friesen (G)

Regina Cougars

Goal:
1 Whitten (30 Gore)

Defence:
7 Schneider - 18 Nielsen
4 Sonntag - 8 Fossum
15 Tendler - 25 McPherson

Forwards:
17 Selinger - 29 Strueby - 13 Appleyard
10 Henry - 16 Zubko - 29 Strueby*
11 Isley - 14 Cuthbert - 24 Leffler
22 Hunter - 9 Penny - 21 Bhungal

Scratches:
2 Kot (D), 5 Reeve (D), 6 Sawa (F), 12 Brennan (F)
19 Delaronde (F), 20 Sawka (F), 23 Hunter (F)

OUT OF TOWN SCOREBOARD:


CALGARY DINOS 0
UNB VARSITY REDS 2
|> [UNB Game 1 Story] : [UNB Game 2 Story]

UNB has posted game stories about their two game sweep of the Dinos. The 1-2-1 roadtrip through the best of the AUS reflects fairly well on the Dinos. Since their pre-season schedule included the Evil Monkeys, the Calgary Flames rookies, SFX, Acadia, and the Squirrels, they get the award for toughest pre-season schedule in the CIS. The Dinos did not mount much offence, being outshot 30-14 on Friday and scoring only 5 goals in 4 games. They, too, will have to decide on who to start in goal since they have three credible goaltenders in camp. They host the Herd next Friday and Saturday.


LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS 1
SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 5


MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS 2
ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 4

|> [U of A Story] : [U of A Tournament Story]

The results give the Banjo-Mutts the tournament title with 4 points, followed by the Evil Monkeys with 3 points, MRU with 2 points, and the viagra-less H0rny Ones whitewashed. The stats were not uploaded to LeagueStats so all we have is the U of A story. I'd like to know if the MRU-Alberta game was like the Bison-MRU games. IAE, it looks like Sask is having a good pre-season and Lethbridge is having a lousy one. And those two will meet to open the season. MRU will now turn to ACAC opposition for a final season, and Alberta has a bye week.


SAIT TROJANS 0
UBC THUNDERBIRDS 5
|> [UBC Story]

This result makes for a clean sweep, just as UBC achieved last year against the Condoms. I wonder why UBC is having back-to-back weekends of 3 games in 3 days for a pre-season schedule.

STANDING SUMMARY:

Here is the cumulative pre-season/exhibition/non-conference record for each team, with the record against CW teams in brackets. I included MRU because they are joining the CW next year and have played 6 games against CW teams, albeit 3 times against the H0rny Ones. Thus far most games have been against teams from other leagues, including the ACAC, OUA, AUS, European pros, and the NHL. By next weekend we'll be able to add the AHL and NCAA to the list. Therefore, the relative records of the teams may be more reflective of the quality of their opponents than anything else. Read what you will into the standings!

Code:

Alberta ........ 5-0-1 (2-0-1)
Manitoba ....... 5-3-1 (1-1-0)
Mount Royal .... 5-2-0 (4-2-0)
Saskatchewan ... 4-1-0 (4-0-0)
Regina ......... 3-1-2 (1-1-2)
UBC ............ 2-0-0 (0-0-0)
Calgary ........ 1-4-2 (0-1-1)
Lethbridge ..... 0-4-0 (0-1-0)

NEXT UP:

Non-conference games:
Sept 25th Abbotsford (AHL) v UBC (at South Surrey)
Oct 1st UBC at Nebraska-Omaha (NCAA)
Oct 1st Regina at North Dakota (NCAA)
Oct 2nd UBC at Minnesota (NCAA)
Oct 2nd Regina at Bemidji (NCAA)
Oct 3rd UBC at Minnesota-Mankato (NCAA)

Conference games:
Sept 30th Manitoba at Calgary
Sept 30th Saskatchewan at Lethbridge
Oct 1st Manitoba at Calgary
Oct 1st Saskatchewan at Lethbridge

WEEKEND PREVIEW



MANITOBA BISONS (5-3-1)
CALGARY DINOS (1-4-2)

Friday, September 30th, 8:00 p.m. CDT @ Calgary
Saturday, October 1st 8:00 p.m. CDT @ Calgary

MANITOBA LINKS: [Team Site] : [LS Roster] : [LS Schedule/Results] : [U of M Preview]
CALGARY LINKS: [Team Site] : [LS Roster] : [LS Schedule/Results] : [U of C Preview]
OTHER LINKS: [CIS Site] : [CW Site] : [LS Daily - Live Updates]
OTHER STORIES: [CW Preview] : [U of M CW Preview] : [Bison Captains] : [Dinos Additions]

The regular season curtain-raiser is a bit of a marquee match-up. The Dinos went to the nationals in 2011, and the Bisons in 2010. Both went as conference runners-up behind the Evil Monkeys. In the above-cited links, reference is made to a coaches' poll in which Calgary goes in rated #2 in the conference and Manitoba is #3. (They are behind #1 Alberta and ahead of #4 Saskatchewan.)

Each side has a competition in net with three capable goaltenders. The Bisons, however, lost their #1 (Steve Christie) and the competition is to select a replacement. Calgary's #1 (Butler), however, is back and being challenged. Healthy competition or potential locker-room divisiveness? We'll see.

The Dinos also have 3 last-minute recruits. Reid Jorgensen has decided to return for a 5th season. Newcomers are defenceman Teigan Zahn and forward Randy McKnaught. The Dinos' links have their backgrounds.

The teams also had unique pre-season schedules. The Bisons went to Europe and the Dinos went to the Maritmes. Against CW teams, the Bisons badly outshot Regina in two games but only gained a split. Meanwhile the Dinos were swept by the Evil Monkeys, getting whupped once and losing a shoot-out in the other.

From the pre-season results it would appear that both teams are similar to last year. They will be waiting for a #1 goaltender to emerge and to find consistent scoring touch.

ELSEWHERE:


SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES (4-1-0)
LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS (0-4-0)
|> [Live Video : [U of S Preview] : [U of S CW Preview] : [U of L Preview

The Banjo-Mutts are a bit of an enigma. On paper they should have been challenging the Evil Monkeys for 1st place. Instead they were lucky to get 3rd place. In pre-season they did beat Regina twice, Alberta, and Lethbridge. But they did lose to Brock. But Lethbridge lost three times to Mount Royal.



REGINA COUGARS (3-1-2)
NORTH DAKOTA FIGHTING SIOUX (0-0-0)
BEMIDJI STATE BEAVERS (0-0-0)

The Banjo-Cats will play at UND on Saturday and at Bemidji on Sunday.


UBC THUNDERBIRDS (2-1-0)
NEBRASKA-OMAHA MUSTANGS (0-0-0)
MINNESOTA GOLDEN GOPHERS (0-0-0)
MINNESOTA STATE - MANKATO MUSTANGS (0-0-0)

UBC has their annual southern junket through the state of Minnesota. Saturday at Nebraska-Omaha, Sunday at Minnesota, and Monday at Minnesota St.-Mankato.

Also, UBC were defeated 3-1 by the Abbotsford Heat last Sunday. I have no links for that game.

OTHER LINKS:

CIS Preview - Hopefully there will be a CIS preview each weekend this year. It is also at Boxscore News.

South Campus Sports - This covers last weekend's tournament in Edmontown, with a focus on MRU.

September 30, 2011

HERD TRAMPLE EXTINCT ONES


MANITOBA BISONS 2
CALGARY DINOS 0

|> [Dinos Story - at U of M Site] : [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
|> [CW Friday Recap] : [TSN Story]

This was one big road win for the Herd. The highly-touted Dinos were stifled by the Bison D (which held them to two shots in the 1st period) and Joe Caligiuri (who made 25 saves on the night).

I cannot tell what the lines were but it was the starting unit (Dittmer-Walker-Macaulay up front, Schappert-Crowley on D) that accounted for both goals. Jered Walker scored a PP goal in the 1st period and Blair Macaulay got the insurance goal on a 3rd period power play.

Bison scratches were Deckert (G), Bobbee (D), Schmidt (D), Rowinski (F), and DuVal (F).

OUT OF TOWN SCOREBOARD:


SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 5
LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS 2
|> [U of L Story - at U of S] : [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]

The Banjo-Mutts dominated this one on the shot clock (42-22) yet the H0rny Ones led 1-0 after the 1st period. Shots were turned into goals when the Mutts scored three times in the first 5 minutes of the 2nd period. The U of L put out a pretty good game story.

The 'Horns have a new look.

NEXT UP:

Conference games:
Oct 1st Manitoba at Calgary
Oct 1st Saskatchewan at Lethbridge

Non-conference games:
Oct 1st UBC at Nebraska-Omaha (NCAA)
Oct 1st Regina at North Dakota (NCAA)
Oct 2nd UBC at Minnesota (NCAA)
Oct 2nd Regina at Bemidji (NCAA)
Oct 3rd UBC at Minnesota-Mankato (NCAA)

MEDIA LINKS:

Winnipeg Sun: Bisons hockey keeps the faith - There were lots of quotes, including this one, which does put the season into perspective:

“We go into every year with the goal of competing for a conference championship, but our focus will just be one game at a time,” said Sirant, whose team hits the road to face the Calgary Dinos Friday and Saturday. “It’s a tough conference, a lot of parity. There’s a number of teams this year that have a legitimate shot at winning the conference, and we’d like to include ourselves among that group.”

Winnipeg Free Press: Hellyer named captain of Bisons hockey team

Calgary Herald: Dinos host Bisons in CW opener

Saskatoon Star-Phoenix: Bears, Dinos go in as favorites - This story has a team-by-team run-down throughout the conference.

Boxscore News: Golden Bears sit atop Canada West men's hockey coaches' poll - This is the story from the CW site.

October 1, 2011

WHAT KILLED THE DINOSAURS? THE BISON "D"!


MANITOBA BISONS 2
CALGARY DINOS 0

|> [Dinos Story - at U of M Site] : [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
|> [CW Saturday Recap] : [CIS Saturday Round-up]

Same teams, same place, same score.

The Bisons iced the same line-up as used in Friday's game. Calgary switched goaltenders, giving Kris Lazaruk the start.

The game was scoreless until Chris Benias scored 15 minutes into the 2nd period on a PP. Yes, Benias is getting PP time this year. It looks like he was centering Mike Hellyer and Matt Lowry.

Jered Walker's 3rd period goal provided the Herd with all the insurance they would need.

Of note, the Dinos were held to a grand total of TWO shots on goal in the 2nd period, and 21 on the night.

The Dino Story cited states that this was Calgary's first regulation sweep at home since the Bisons did it to them three years ago. Now I have to wonder when was the last team a CW team was shut-out twice on a weekend at home.

After a bye next weekend, the Bisons will visit the Evil MOnkeys October 14th and 15th and then host Regina October 21st and 22nd.

There are a lot of new pictures added at the various links. It is good to see that Calgary have gone back to their dinosaur logo, albeit in a new design.

Caligiuri stopped this one.
Schappert playing some D.
Benias got a goal!

OUT OF TOWN SCOREBOARD:


SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 3
LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS 0
(suspended after two periods)
|> [U of L Story - at U of S] : [LS Summary] : [[url=>]No CIS Boxscore[/url]]

This game came to one unique conclusion. The zamboni was cleaning the ice during the second intermission when it sprang a leak and drained some sort of fluid all over the ice, rendering it unplayable. The CW will have to find space to conclude the 3rd period, at which time the results and statistics will be added. In any event, 3 second period goals gave the Banjo-Mutts a convincing lead. They appeared well on their way to a road sweep of their own.


REGINA COUGARS 1
NORTH DAKOTA FIGHTING SIOUX 8
|> [UND Story] : [Boxscore] : [Regina Site]

UND scored on almost 50% of heir shots on goal in the 1st period en route to a 5-0 lead. The Banjo-Cats then replaced A.J. Whiffen with Lucas Gore in net and the game calmed down. The Injuns managed to outshoot the Kittens 47-15. One has to wonder if being grossly outshout will be a Regina trademark this year. They are now 3-2-2 in the pre-season.


UBC THUNDERBIRDS 1
NEBRASKA-OMAHA MAVERICKS 4
|> [UNO Story] : [Boxscore - pdf] : [UBC Tour Preview]

The Tweety-Birds were evidently outplayed in this game, outshot 37-18 on the night. It was 1-1 after one period but UNO pulled away in the 2nd and 3rd periods. UBC falls to 2-2-0 in the pre-season.

UBC has a new look.

NEXT UP:

Non-conference games:
Oct 2nd UBC at Minnesota (NCAA)
Oct 2nd Regina at Bemidji (NCAA)
Oct 3rd UBC at Minnesota-Mankato (NCAA)

Conference games:
Oct 7th-8th Regina at Alberta : [Live Video]
Oct 7th-8th Calgary at UBC : [CITR Audio]

OUT EAST:

The AUS has yet to start its season and there was only one game in the OUA, where Nipissing beat Ottawa 5-2.

In the Ottawa area there is an appeal to fans to appreciate the quality of CIS hockey is in the Centretown News. I guess the same story can be applied to most cities in Canada.

October 2-3, 2011

OUT OF TOWN SCOREBOARD:


REGINA COUGARS 0
BEMIDJI STATE BEAVERS 7
|> [BSU Story] : [Boxscore] : [Regina Site]

The Regina site has nothing on their weekend trip. I see they were outshot 43-18. That fits right in with what happened against Manitoba. This must be of some concern. They were able to rely on some spectacular goaltending to stay in their games with the Bisons, but that apparently ran out on them on their US tour. They drop to 3-3-2 in pre-season.


UBC THUNDERBIRDS 0
MINNESOTA GOLDEN GOPHERS 3
|> [UM Story] : [UBC Story on weekend games]

This one was played on Sunday. I have not been able to locate a boxscore. But apparently UBC was outshot 44-10 by the Rodents.


UBC THUNDERBIRDS 1
MINNESOTA STATE MAVERICKS 3
|> [MSU Site] : [MSU Live Stats]

This one just ended as I post so no game stories are up. However, MSU has a live stats page and it gave the score and stats. It says the shots were 38-19 for MSU. Based on the US tour, one would have to rank UBC ahead of Regina. So the Tweety-Birds go 0-3 on the trip, and are now 2-4-0 in the pre-season.

NEXT UP:

Conference games:
Oct 7th-8th Regina at Alberta : [Live Video]
Oct 7th-8th Calgary at UBC : [CITR Audio]
Byes: Manitoba, Lethbridge, Saskatchewan

WEEKEND PREVIEW

The Bisons will be concentrating on turkey this weekend since they are off on a bye. The CW starts the season in an odd fashion, with two series last weekend and two more this weekend. From here on in a full slate will be played each weekend. The non-conference/exhibition/pre-season games are also done now.


REGINA COUGARS (0-0-0, 3-3-2)
ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS (0-0-0, 5-0-1)
|> [Live Video] : [U of A Preview - at CW Site] : [Live Stats - Friday - Saturday]

The Evil Monkeys had last weekend off whilst the Banjo-Cats were getting ripped in the States. It looks like UND and Bemidji peppered Regina goaltending like the Bisons did, only this time there were no 49 save performances in Regina's arsenal. Any points Regina could deny Saudi Alberta would be a bonus to the rest of the league.


CALGARY DINOS (0-2-0, 1-6-2)
UBC THUNDERBIRDS (0-0-0, 2-4-0)
|> [CITR Live Audio - Friday] : [UBC Preview] : [Live Stats - Friday - Saturday]

British California has yet to face a CW opponent so it is hard to gauge just where they are. They swept aside the SAIT Condoms then lost to the Abbotsford Heat (AHL), and were swept in 3 games in States. These results compare to their historical pre-season results. This, combined with a so-so recruiting class, has me thinking they will be roughly the same as last year. I'll be interested to see if either of these offensively-challenged teams can mount an attack. After being swept at home, the Dinos will feel some pressure on the road.

OTHER LINKS:


Goaltender Joe Caligiuri was named Canada West male athlete of the week for his two shutouts in Calgary. Seems reasonable. He was then named CIS male athlete of the week as well.

Also, Former Bison goalie Steve Christie agrees to terms with ECHL's Idaho Steelheads. He will join last year's team-mate Greg Beller on that squad.


South Campus Sports' Lethbridge Preview is up now. There are some interesting quotes from Coach Gatto:

On finishing strong: “We don’t want to save it until the second half. Seven of our first ten are at home, and one and a half are done. We want to be better in the first half, so we’re not always coming from behind in that second half and making a late run.” ...

On going 0-3 against Mount Royal during the preseason: “It’s tough. It’s their Stanley Cup as an ACAC team, and they battle, and want to win that game. Just like we do, but we’re still trying to get the kinks out of the armour, and find the right mix of guys, so sometime it’s a little misleading.”

“When I used to play ACAC teams, our guys wanted to beat them 10-1. These guys here it’s like ‘aww jeez, we’ve got to play an ACAC team’… We played well enough to win, we just didn’t. They’re going to be a really good team.”...

Hmmmm. It is pretty clear that they cannot continue to dig a hole and then mount a late charge. But their early performance has been bad. They were 0-4-0 in preseason and well on their way to going 0-2-0 in the regular season. That all adds up to what looks like a slow start from here.


South Campus Sports' Sask Preview is also up. In the off-season I posted about the players leaving the team in order to play senior hockey. Here's a quote from the story:

On DaSilva - "We're more serious than Steven wanted to be. There was no hard feelings, he thought about it, and we both drew a line in the sand, and mutually agreed that senior was probably a better thing for him, as long as he got his schooling."

"Everybody was looking to throw hatchets at one another, but there was really nothing going on. Sometimes you want to maintain, or get to another level, and it's at the expense of someone sometime."

"He wasn't blaming me, he wasn't blaming his teammates. He didn't have the same competitive drive he once did, and there's nothing wrong with that - it takes a man to admit it."

New on the scene: Chad Suer, Matthew Spafford, Kyle Aschim, Zak Stebner

As mentioned above these recruits pale in comparison to those from Alberta, Calgary, and Manitoba. There's not a top end recruit in this class, with Stebner the highlight offensively in a group that sports three defenceman, but that's slightly misleading given the addition Derek Hulak and Matt Delahey mid-season a year ago.

The Mangy Mutts have been the winner of the "best on paper" award in recent years and have fallen short on the ice. Maybe this year will be the opposite. They went 4-1-0 in pre-season and are almost 2-0-0 in the regular season.


The CIS is running a set of stories in their 50th anniversary series. This week they post about Andy Murray, who played for and coached the Brandon Bobcats. He was rumoured to be behind a plan to rekindle the program.


The CIS also ran an OUA Preview.

October 7, 2011

OUT OF TOWN SCOREBOARD:

The Bisons are having a bye week. So all we have is the out of town scoreboard. Here are the general links covering all games:

[CW Site] : [CIS Site] : [CW Friday Recap] : [CIS Friday Round-up]


REGINA COUGARS 2
ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 5

|> [U of A Summary] : [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
|> [South Campus Sports Alberta Preview]

This game was on CanadaWest.tv for audio and video. The Evil Monkeys were handling the Banjo-Cats with relative ease but only led 3-1 after two periods. An early third period goal by Regina made it 3-2 and the Monkeys were suddenly feeling some heat. They ultimately salted it away with two goals, one scored by Levko Koper.

Koper, who was drafted by the Atlanta Thrashers (7th round, 185th overall in 2009), also scored the first goal in modern Winnipeg Jets history, when he tallied for the new NHL franchise during their rookie camp in Penticton, B.C. in September.

CALGARY DINOS 5
UBC THUNDERBIRDS 4
(in shootout)

|> [UBC Story] : [U of C Preview] : [LS Summary]

Two teams who had all kinds of problems scoring goals exploded. I listened to the end on CITR.ca online. The Dinos seemed to have the game well in hand with a 3-1 lead after two periods. But the Tweety-Birds rallied with a strong third period. They scored 3 times between the 6th and 9th minutes to take a 4-3 lead. However, Calgary tied it up within 17 seconds of blowing the lead.

BTW, Dustin Butler was in goal for the Dinos, with Jacob Deserres dressed as backup. Newcomer Steven Stanford was in the UBC goal, backed up by returnee Jordan White.


UBC has a new home yellow sweater this year. The Monkeys wore white against Regina, which are better than their yellow:


NEXT UP:

Oct. 8
Regina at Alberta : [Live Stats] : [Live Video]
Calgary at UBC : [Live Stats]

Oct. 14
Saskatchewan at Regina : [Live Stats]
UBC at Lethbridge : [Live Stats] : [Live Video]
Manitoba at Alberta : [Live Stats] : [Live Video]

OUT EAST:

Oct. 6
Toronto 5 York 4 - 2OT

Oct. 7
Carleton 3 Brock 6
Concordia 3 Windsor 4 - OT
RMC 2 Western 5
Nipissing 5 Laurier 4
Queen's 2 Toronto 5
Ottawa 5 Guelph 2
McGill 4 Lakehead 3
UQTR 3 Waterloo 5

OUA LeagueStat Page - has all summaries

FINAL PRE-SEASON NOTE:

Thompson Rivers was going to play UBC in pre-season but that was cancelled. However, there were some games played between BCIHL teams and other university/college leagues.

Thompson Rivers Wolfpack (BCIHL) 6 at Grant McEwen Griffins (ACAC) 5
Trinity Western Spartans (BCIHL) 4 at Washington Huskies (ACHA) 7
Simon Fraser Clan (BCIHL) 3 at Air Force Falcons (NCAA) 8
Thompson Rivers Wolfpack (BCIHL) 1 at SAIT Trojans (ACAC) 6
Trinity Western Spartans (BCIHL) 9 at Washington Huskies (ACHA) 1

October 8, 2011

OUT OF TOWN SCOREBOARD:

The Bison bye week wraps up. The Herd will travel to Edmontown next weekend to face the Evil Monkeys for temporary possession of first place. Here's what happened this Saturday:

[CW Site] : [CIS Site] : [CW Saturday Recap] : [CIS Saturday Round-up (not yet uploaded)]


REGINA COUGARS 0
ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 2

|> [U of A Story] : [U of A Summary] : [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore - not yet posted]
|> [U of A Friday Story - at U of R Site] : [Edmonton Journal Preview]

That CanadaWest.tv is one handy feature. While trying to watch HNIC's season debut and some MLB action between rain delays, I was able to watch the Banjo-Cats make a futile attempt at generating some offence. The Monkeys only won by 2 goals, yet it seemed more one-sided than that. The shots were 37-12, and though trailing Regina only had 3 shots on goal in the 3rd period. Just think: To win the game they needed to score on EVERY shot on goal in the 3rd period.

So the Primates are now tied with Manitoba with 4 points, and the square off next weekend. Meanwhile, Regina will go home-and-home with Sask in the Battle of the Melonheads.


CALGARY DINOS 3
UBC THUNDERBIRDS 4

|> [UBC Story] : [LS Summary]: [CIS Boxscore - not yet posted]
|> [U of C Friday Story] : [CIS Friday Boxscore] : [Vancouver Province Preview]

I don't think it is too early to say that Calgary is off to a bad start. The 1-4-2 pre-season record could be written off due to the fact that they played 6 games against top CIS teams (Alberta, Acadia, St. FX, and UNB) and the Flames Prospects. But being shut-out twice on home ice and then a split at UBC, with the win coming in a shoot-out, does not make them look like the national contenders they were purported to be.

We should not overlook UBC, gaining 3 points on the weekend and vaulting into 3rd place. Once again, they were well out-shot. However, after being outshot 15-7 in the 1st period they were still up 1-0. Thereafter the shots (and goals) were dead even. Both teams switched goaltenders from Friday. Calgary gave Jacob DeSerres his first start and veteran Jordan White was in the UBC nets. Taylor Stefishen scored two goals for the Dinos for the second game in a row.

NEXT UP:

Oct. 14
Saskatchewan at Regina : [Live Stats]
UBC at Lethbridge : [Live Stats] : [Live Video]
Manitoba at Alberta : [Live Stats] : [Live Video]

Oct. 15
Regina at Saskatchewan : [Live Stats] : [Live Video]
UBC at Lethbridge : [Live Stats] : [Live Video]
Manitoba at Alberta : [Live Stats] : [Live Video]

OUT EAST:

Oct. 8
RMC 3 Ryerson 4
Concordia 4 Windsor 9
Queen's 7 Brock 3
Ottawa 3 Laurier 1
UQTR 7 Guelph 3
McGill 3 Lakehead 2
Carleton 2 W. Ontario 4
York 5 UOIT 2
Nipissing 2 Waterloo 7

OUA LeagueStat Page - has all summaries

MID-WEEK UPDATE

Here are some late-posted links and other stories which have come about:

Regina v Alberta
|> From CIS: [Saturday Boxscore]
|> From South Campus Sports:[Regina Preview] : [Weekend Report]

Calgary v UBC
|> From CIS: [Saturday Boxscore]
|> From U of C: [Saturday Story]
|> From Ubyssey: [Preview Story] : [Friday Report] : [Saturday Report]

SAIT v UBC - September 23-24
|> From Ubyssey: [Friday Report] : [Saturday Report]

WEEKEND PREVIEW



MANITOBA BISONS (2-0-0, 3rd in OHT34)
ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS (2-0-0, 1st in OHT34)

Friday, October 14th, 8:30 p.m. CDT @ Edmonton
Saturday, October 15th, 8:30 p.m. CDT @ Edmonton
LIVE LINKS: [Live Video] : [Live Stats Friday] : [Live Stats Saturday]
MANITOBA LINKS: [Team Site] : [LS Roster] : [LS Schedule/Results]
ALBERTA LINKS: [Team Site] : [LS Roster] : [LS Schedule/Results] : [U of A Preview]
OTHER LINKS: [CIS Site] : [CW Site] : [LS Daily - Live Updates]
OTHER STORIES: [SCS Bison Preview] : [Caligiuri plays for Jets - Slam! : Free Press : NHL.com]

The schedule-maker has made this a pivotal series, even though it is just the second series for both teams. The Bisons came into the season rated 3rd or 4th by most pundits but knocked off Calgary (twice) in Cowtown. So if they could go 4-0 in Saudi Alberta before even playing a home game then they would truly be off and running. In a 28 game season, they will have but 10 games left on the road.

The big question remains in goal for the Bisons. Joe Caligiuri won the #1 job and followed with two shut-outs. If he can maintain something close to that, the loss of Steve Christie will be well and truly covered. Maybe his workouts with the Jets his week will help him.

The next question will then be Bison scoring. Their D is solid, perhaps the best in Canada. (UNB would argue that one.) But they were unable to cash in on chances against MRU and Regina in pre-season play. They will need better finish against the Monkeys.

Here's what the U of A preview story said:

Furthermore, the Bisons have had considerable success against the Golden Bears in recent years, outside of the playoffs. In the 2008-09 and 2009-10 seasons, the two squads went 2-2 in conference play, splitting each weekend series.

In the 2010-11 season, Alberta and Manitoba split again in Winnipeg, but the Bears were victorious on home ice, though the Bisons found a way to tie the game and pushed the Bears to extra time and/or a shootout on both occasions.

Add to that several close games in the post-season in the last two years, including the Canada West finals in 2009-10, and the rivalry, which simmered through most of the 2000s, is a goal or a save away from achieving an even higher level of intensity.

ELSEWHERE:


UBC THUNDERBIRDS (1-0-1, 11th in OHT34)
LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS (0-1-0, 26th in OHT34)
|> [Live Stats Friday] : [Live Stats Saturday] : [Live Video]
|> [U of L Preview] : [SCS UBC Preview] : [SCS Lethbridge Preview]

Lethbridge have been a disappointment so far. They went winless in the pre-season and were handled with relative ease by the Banjo-Mutts last weekend.

Meanwhile, UBC was opportunistic against the Dinos. Their pre-season results would indicate that they are about the same calibre as last year's team.


REGINA COUGARS (0-2-0, 18th in OHT34)
SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES (1-0-0, 4th in OHT34)
|> [Live Stats Friday] : [Live Stats Saturday] : [Live Video Saturday only]
|> [U of R Preview] : [U of S Preview] : [SCS Regina Preview] : [SCS Sask Preview]

This series is a home-and-home affair in the Battle of the Melonheads. The fur will fly when dogs meet cats and both are armed with banjos. I'll be interested to see what happens if Regina is once again outshot by something like 45-12 on the night, which is what happened when they played Manitoba, Alberta, and the teams in the States.

OTHER LINKS:

CIS Blog's conference previews:
Canada West
OUA - West
OUA - East
AUS

October 14, 2011

TIC TAC TOE, THREE IN A ROW!


MANITOBA BISONS 5
ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 4

|> [U of A Summary - check back for a story] : [U of M Story] : [CW Friday Recap]
|> [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore] : [CIS Friday Round-up]

The game started earlier than I expected so I missed the first period on CanadaWest.tv. At that time the Bisons had built a 2-0 lead on goals by Blair Macaulay and Myles Rumsey, and held a 13-10 edge in SOG. However, they were also two men shorthanded to start the second.

The officiating in the 2nd period was highly questionable. The Bisons started the period two men short and then were assessed a further 12 minutes in minors, a 5 minute major, and three 10 minute misconducts. The Evil Monkeys had a total of four minutes in minors. That means they had about 17 minutes of power play time during the period, often including two minute stretches of a 2-man advantage. On one play a little monkey named Ian Barteuax hacked and pushed at Jered Walker after the whistle. Walker pushed back and Barteaux flew Sedin-like to the ice. Walker got 5 minutes for his efforts.

Yet the Bisons out-scored the Monkeys by 2-1 in the period for a 4-1 lead. Tylet Dittmer scored on a rare even-strength situation. The Monkeys were able to finally score on a PP about 14 minutes in. Then, to rub salt in the wounds, the Bisons got a PP goal from Ian Duval in the final minute.

Joe Caligiuri was doing great work in the Bison goal, and the PK was very effective. However, the team looked tired in the 3rd. The Primates scored three unanswered goals to tie the game. But in the last 90 seconds Dane Crowley made a cross-ice pass to Mike Hellyer who one-timed it into the net for a 5-4 victory.

Saturday's game is also on CanadaWest.tv at 8:00 CDT.

OUT OF TOWN SCOREBOARD:


SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 5
REGINA COUGARS 2

|> [U of R Story - at U of S] : [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore] : [Star-Phoenix Preview]

The game followed a typical pattern for the Feline Hillbillies: Get badly outshot and hang on for dear life. Only this time the Canine Hillbillies racked up an early 3 goal lead and coasted to a win. Starting goaltender A.J. Whiffen was yanked in less than 5 minutes when Sask scored on 3-of-5 shots. So the Melons shall be worn on the heads of the Huskies tonight! The rematch shifts to the 'Toon for Saturday night.


UBC THUNDERBIRDS 3
LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS 4
(in a shoot-out)
|> [U of L Story] : [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]

This one was also on CanadaWest.tv and I checked it out on occasion. It seemed a fairly evenly-played game. UBC built a 2-0 lead. Then the Viagra kicked in for he H0rny Ones and they took control while building a 3-2 lead. UBC were able to force OT. The shoot-out produced one goal in 10 attempts.

NEXT UP:

Oct. 15
Regina at Saskatchewan : [Live Stats] : [Live Video]
UBC at Lethbridge : [Live Stats] : [Live Video]
Manitoba at Alberta : [Live Stats] : [Live Video]

OUT EAST:

Oct. 12
Concordia 2 UQTR 3

Oct. 14
Saint Mary's 2 UPEI 5
St. Thomas 1 Dalhousie 2
St. F-X 1 UNB 3
Moncton 2 Acadia 9
Windsor 3 McGill 6
Lakehead 4 Ottawa 2
Guelph 0 Carleton 6
Laurier 2 UQTR 6
W. Ont. 4 Nipissing 5 - 2OT
York 3 RMC 4 - OT
Waterloo 7 Ryerson 3
UOIT 2 Queen's 7
Brock 1 Concordia 5

OUA LeagueStat Page - has all summaries
AUS schedule/results : AUS stats

October 15, 2011

HERD COMPLETES GRAND SLAM!


MANITOBA BISONS 2
ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 1
(in overtime)
|> [U of A Summary] : [U of M Story] : [CW Saturday Recap]
|> [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore] : [CIS Saturday Round-up]

I saw this one on CanadaWest.tv. They had three games on tonight but since they all started at the same time I saw very little of the other two games. The game did not have the mean streak of Friday's game. It was still a well-played hockey game but was basically a normal 1-1 tie. Until the end.

The game went into overtime and the first OT (4 on 4) was scoreless. So they went to the second OT (3 on 3). The Evil Monkeys had two extra Monkeys jump out on the ice when they should have been swinging from a branch. One was fed a pass and before you know it the puck was in the net. But not so fast. The linesmen noticed the skullduggery and pointed it out to the referees. Since linesmen can call too many men, but cannot whistle the play dead, the call had to await the next whistle, which happened when the Primates were celebrating their "goal". After a pow-wow the call was made, a bench minor was called and the goal waived off. On the ensuing powerplay, Blair Macaulay notched his 3rd goal of the year and the Herd had their sweep.

Dane Crowley had Manitoba's first goal. Joe Caligiuri stopped 34 of 35 shots for his 4th straight win. The Bisons gradually too control of the game, and outshot the Monkeys 8-5 in the 3rd period and 8-3 in overtime.

Folks, that's four wins in four games in Saudi Alberta against the top two rated CW teams in the pre-season coaches' poll. The Bisons will only play 10 more away games this season (double-headers in Sask, UBC, Regina, Lethbridge, and Calgary).

OUT OF TOWN SCOREBOARD:


REGINA COUGARS 4
SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 5

|> [U of R Story] : [U of S Story] : [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]

The Banjo-Cats always have a performance boost against the Banjo-Mutts. They came up with their best performance of the season so far, yet fell short. Instead of being grossly outshot and relying upon a bamboozled goaltender, they actually outshot Sask 28-21 and had a 4-3 lead until Kyle Bortis scored twice late in the 3rd to give the Mutts the win.


UBC THUNDERBIRDS 5
LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS 3

|> [U of L Story] : [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore] : [Friday UBC Story]

UBC came from behind 2-0 to gain a split. Pretty much the expected result between these two teams. So it is another 3 point weekend for the Tweety-Birds. The `Birds outshot the H0rny Ones 37-24 on the night.

NEXT UP:

Oct. 21-22
Regina at Manitoba : [Live Stats Friday] : [Live Stats Saturday]
Lethbridge at Saskatchewan : [Live Stats Friday] : [Live Stats Saturday] : [Live Video both nights]
Calgary at Alberta : [Live Stats Friday] : [Live Video Friday]
Alberta at Calgary : [Live Stats Saturday] : [Live Video Saturday]

OUT EAST:

Oct. 15
Laurier 4 Concordia 5
Windsor 4 McGill 5
St. FX 5 UPEI 2
Moncton 7 Dalhousie 2
St. Thomas 1 Acadia 3
Saint Mary's 1 UNB 3
Guelph 2 Nipissing 5
UOIT 2 RMC 3
Lakehead 3 Ottawa 1
York 2 Queen's 3
W. Ontario 3 Toronto 1
Brock 6 UQTR 2
Waterloo 2 Carleton 6

OUA LeagueStat Page - has all summaries
AUS schedule/results : AUS stats

WEEKEND PREVIEW



REGINA COUGARS (0-4-0, 24th in OHT34)
MANITOBA BISONS (4-0-0, 2nd in OHT34)

Friday, October 21st, 7:00 p.m. CDT @ Max Bell U of M
Saturday, October 22nd, 7:00 p.m. CDT @ Max Bell U of M
LIVE LINKS: [Live Stats Friday] : [Live Stats Saturday] : No Audio or Video
MANITOBA LINKS: [Team Site] : [LS Roster] : [LS Schedule/Results] : [LS Stats]
REGINA LINKS: [Team Site] : [LS Roster] : [LS Schedule/Results] : [LS Stats]
OTHER LINKS: [CIS Site] : [CW Site] : [LS Daily - Live Updates]
OTHER STORIES: [The Manitoban]

The Bisons have been away for quite some time now. It will be nice to see them return home after racking up four big wins in Saudi Alberta. Conversely, the Feline Melonheads have been the least impressive team in the CW so far.

In the pre-season, Regina came to town to face the Herd and won the Friday game 1-0 on the back of a 49 save shut-out by rookie goaltender Lucas Gore. The Hillbillies were badly outshot and outplayed in both pre-season games here, then both games in the States, and then both games in Alberta. Granted, they were facing highly rated teams. But still, things looked bad for the Puddy-Tats. Last weekend against Sask the Friday game was another kickin', but Saturday was a tight game.

Former Bison Terrance Delaronde returned to Regina's line-up last weekend and scored two goals. No other Cougar has more than one. IMO he will be a key player for them, along with their goaltenders.

The Bison leaders have been goaltender Joe Caligiuri (PotW in week #1), defenceman Dane Crowley (PotW in week #3), and forward Blair Macaulay (leading the team with 3 goals and 2 assists).

One objective the Bisons will have is to minimize penalties. They have racking up the PIMs. Now some of that is attributable to referees gone wild in Alberta. But if Regina gets some PP breaks, you never know what might happen.

ELSEWHERE:


LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS (1-2-0, 22nd in OHT34)
SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES (3-0-0, 3rd in OHT34)
|> [Live Stats Friday] : [Live Stats Saturday] : [Live Video Both Nights]
|> [U of S Preview - at CW Site] : [Suspended Game Rescheduled]

The H0rny Ones had a dismal pre-season and were on their way to a home sweep by these same Canine Melonheads when a leaking Zamboni caused suspension of a game they trailed 3-0. The above link tells us that the game will be made up in January. However, last weekend they seemed to return to normal when they had the expected split with UBC. I find it odd that these teams are playing twice in rapid succession but so be it. The Banjo-Mutts may just have found the form they have been seeking over the last two years. On paper, they aren't as good as they once were. But past teams have been dramatic under-achievers as well.


CALGARY DINOS (1-3-0, 11th in OHT34)
ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS (2-1-1, 5th in OHT34)
|> [Live Stats Friday] : [Live Stats Saturday] : [Live Video Both Nights]
|> [U of C Preview] : [U of A Preview]

The Battle of Alberta is a home-and-home affair with Friday's game in Calgary and Saturday's return match in Edmonton. Hopefully a pre-game coaches' meeting can take place where they can discuss what it's like to get your *** handed to you by the Bisons!

The Evil Monkeys have loads of scoring talent. And after a week off Calgary should have their highly-touted recruits ready to go. This is a hard series to handicap. I just hope that they play two 2-point games.

OUT EAST:

The OUA got the weekend off to an early start with five mid-week games. Guelph finally tallied their first win. The rest of the games were not at surprising.

Oct. 19
Queen's 4 RMC 2
UOIT 1 Guelph 8
Ryerson 3 Toronto 5
UQTR 3 Concordia 2 - OT

Oct. 20
Windsor 2 Waterloo 5

October 21, 2011

UNDERDOGS RULE FRIDAY NIGHT IN THE C.W.


REGINA COUGARS 6
MANITOBA BISONS 1

|> [U of M Story] : [U of R Story] : [CW Friday Recap]
|> [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore] : [CIS Friday Round-up]

All three games in the CW were won by the underdog Friday night, so Saturday morning's standings are just a little tighter. I guess in Manitoba, it was the Undercats who prevailed.

But don't let the scoreline fool you. The Bisons carried the play and for most of the night the Puddy-tats looked like they'd rather be running around with watermelons on their heads. In the 1st period the shots were 9-9, but Regina only had the puck in Manitoba's end on the PP. Fortunately for the Banjo-Cats, they had abundant PP opportunities. And the cashed them to build a 3-0 lead. The controversial call was a 5-minute major for interference and game misconduct on Chad Erb. He did hit Lucas Isley late. However it was a solid shoulder to the chest made worse by the fact that Isley was skating full tilt into Erb. Isley went down like he was dead but returned shortly thereafter. Same thing happened to him in the exhibition games. (Sedin-like?)

The 2nd and 3rd periods were one-wa action, with the Bisons leading 26-10 in shots. However, Bison goaltending was less than stellar. Joe Caligiuri was replaced by Jesse Deckert for the last 9 minutes. Deckert, too, let in a softie.

If the two teams play the same way Saturday, I would expect a split. I will have to follow Live Stats online because I have Jets tickets tonight.

Here's how they lined up:

MANITOBA BISONS

Goal:
Caligiuri (51 min.), Deckert (9 min.)

Defence:
Schappert - Crowley
Rumsey - Mealy
Erb - Lockerby

Forwards:
Dittmer - Walker - Macaulay
Hellyer - Benias - Lowry
Cowan - Duval - Davis
Bestland - Lauder - Flynn

Scratches:
Rowinski - Bobbee - Schmidt - Friesen

Note: Neal Prokop is no longer listed on the roster. He played the first two games in Calgary and the pre-season.

REGINA COUGARS

Goal:
Gore (Whiffen did not play)

Defence:
Schneider - Neilson
Fossum - Tendler
Kot - McPherson

Forwards:
Hunter - Brennan - Bhungal
Strueby - Cuthbert - Leffler
Sawka - Sawa - Selinger
DeLaronde - Henry - Isley

Scratches:
Sonntag - Reeve - Penny - Appleyard - Zubko

OUT OF TOWN SCOREBOARD:


LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS 3
SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 1

|> [U of S Story - at U of L] : [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]

Although this one was on CanadaWest.tv I did not see it because I was at the Bison game. Tonight's rematch is the only one available on-line. The H0rny Ones needed a win almost as badly as the Cougars did. They built a 3-0 lead after two periods and then hung on for dear life. They only had 3 shots in the 3rd period and obviously were in a defensive shell. Scott Bowles made 30 save for the win.


CALGARY DINOS 4
ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 3
(in overtime)

|> [U of A Story] : [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]

I saw the ending of this game on CanadaWest.tv and was able to witness the Evil Monkeys lose their 3rd straight on home ice. The downside for the rest of the league is that this a 3-pointer. In a strange twist, Alberta plays their first away game tonight. They also play at home against Sask next weekend. So if they dig themselves a hole now they will have to dig out of it with a whole lot of road games the rest of the way.

The Flintstones scored 2 goals on 4 shots in the 1st period against Real Cyr. After a scoreless 2nd period they then made it 3-0 early in the 3rd. One would have thought the Monkeys would have been toast at that point in time. But Alberta chipped away with 3 goals to force OT. I saw the 3-on-3 portion of overtime and it was end-to-end mayhem and very entertaining. I much prefer that to a shoot-out.

Please note that Saturday's rematch in Calgary is NOT going to available on-line.

NEXT UP:

Oct. 22
Regina at Manitoba : [Live Stats Saturday]
Lethbridge at Saskatchewan : [Live Stats Saturday] : [Live Video]
Alberta at Calgary : [Live Stats Saturday]

OUT EAST:

Oct. 21
UPEI 1 Saint Mary's 4
Acadia 4 Moncton 6
Dalhousie 5 St. Thomas 3
UNB 7 StFX 6
Toronto 4 Nipissing 3 - OT
Carleton 2 Ottawa 1 - OT
UQTR 4 McGill 3 - OT
Lakehead 7 York 2
Windsor 1 Brock 4

OUA LeagueStat Page - has all summaries
AUS schedule/results : AUS stats

October 22, 2011

HERD GETS REVENGE


REGINA COUGARS 1
MANITOBA BISONS 5

|> [U of M Story] : [[url=>]U of R Story[/url]] : [CW Saturday Recap]
|> [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore] : [CIS Saturday Round-up]

Perhaps I shall open tonight's report with a tune ... What's new pussycat? Whoa - oooo - oh - oooo oh oh ...

OK, enough of that. And my Tom Jones pants are getting kind of tight these days. Suffice it to say that all was back to normal for the Banjo-Cats. They were outshot 42-12 and it seems were never really in this one. Down 4-1 entering the 3rd period, they only got 3 shots on goal. In other words the best they could have hoped for was a tie even if they scored on every shot they took.

I was at the Jets-Hurricanes game (5-3 win, yippee!) so all I have to go by is the stats and recaps. It really seems that Regina will be reliant on strong goaltending and opportunistic PP goals to stay in games this year. It is not a great formula for success but it may be the only card they have to play. They'll need to get some points against the Tweety-Birds next weekend. (They better beware of little old ladies armed with umbrellas!)

I also see that the Bisons made some line-up changes. Tyler Schmidt made his first start of the regular season, after having played in some exhibitions once he returned from the Edmonton Oilers' camp. And two other highly touted recruits, Travis Bobbee (D) and Brendan Rowinski (F), saw their first action of any type after rehabbing injuries. Short straws were drawn by Pat Flynn, Darren Bestland, and Austin Lauder. Although Flynn and Bestland are defencemen, they joined Lauder on the 4th line on Friday. It would appear that Brandon Lockerby was moved from D to F and that Bobbee also played up front. With 10 good defencemen in the line-up the Bisons will be shuffling some of them up front throughout the season.

Also, 5th year back-up Jesse Deckert had a rare start in goal and made 11 saves. Scoring-wise, Blair Macaulay had his 4th and 5th goals of the season. Singles went to Jared Walker (his 3rd), and Jordan Davis and Del Cowan notched their first.

The Bisons have a second bye week next weekend. (Crappy scheduling IMO.) Their next action is November 4th and 5th at Saskatchewan. Their next home series is November 11th and 12th against Lethbridge.

OUT OF TOWN SCOREBOARD:


LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS 2
SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 3
(in overtime)

|> [U of S Story - at U of L] : [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]

I saw a small blurb of this on CanadaWest.tv but missed the ending. The H0rny Ones seem to be back to normal after an abysmal pre-season. They managed a 3-2 series win on points. And this was not one of those games where they were saved by their goaltender. The Banjo-Mutts will be at Alberta next weekend in a series that will be a real measuring stick for these teams.

The Mangy Ones have a nice 4-1 record (and a 5th win in suspended animation) but have only played Lethbridge and Regina so far. The Evil Monkeys are 2-2-2 and have played only one away game.


ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 1
CALGARY DINOS 2

|> [U of C Story] : [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]

The Evil Monkeys will be tossing some feces at the walls after yet another sweep. At least this weekend they played an away game. The Flintstones are now 3-3 and the Primates 2-2-2, which is the new .500 as well. This is not where these two were expected to be after being ranked #1 and #2 in the pre-season coaches' poll.

Both sides took a defensive outlook on this game. It was scoreless after two periods and each team had only 13 shots on goal. Although there were 3 goals in the 3rd period, the teams still only combined for 12 shots on goal (6 apiece).

Maybe Calgary is finding some form. Maybe the Monkeys are just better on paper than on the ice. I guess we'll have to see how they do next weekend. I am not counting them out just yet.



NEXT UP:

Oct. 28-29
Regina at UBC : [Live Stats Friday] : [Live Stats Saturday]
Lethbridge at Calgary : [Live Stats Friday]
Calgary at Lethbridge : [Live Stats Saturday] : [Live Video Saturday]
Saskatchewan at Alberta : [Live Stats Friday] : [Live Stats Saturday] : [Live Video Friday and Saturday]

OUT EAST:

Oct. 22
Dalhousie 1 Moncton 5
Acadia 7 St. Thomas 5
UPEI 2 StFX 3
UNB 4 Saint Mary's 2
Nipissing 3 Ryerson 4
Brock 3 UOIT 4
Lakehead 4 York 3

OUA LeagueStat Page - has all summaries
AUS schedule/results : AUS stats

October 28, 2011

WEEKLY NEWS:

Just like 3 weeks ago, the Bisons again have a bye week. Without Bison games to review I have to satisfy myself with the out-of-town scoreboard and news from the week just passed.

First, here's the weekly news.

The CW reversed the decision in the Bison OTW over the Evil Monkeys. To recap, in the 2nd OT segment (3-on-3) two Monkeys jumped onto the ice before two Monkeys could jump off. This created a breakaway during which the Monkeys scored. Miraculously, two referees missed the infraction and did not call a penalty. However, at least one linesman did and at the whistle the penalty was called, and the goal waived off. The Bisons scored and won.

The CW evidently believe that the Monkeys' infraction was not evil enough. The logic appears to be that by not calling the penalty right away it could not be called at all. The story is reported at the U of M and U of A sites.

The Official Top Ten was also released. The Bisons were #2 and The Evil Monkeys unranked. Read the OHT34, it's better! Alberta's absence for the first time in 16 years is discussed at SCS,

Here are the weekly blog entries:
SCS: First-year Five : Ranking the CW newbies - The story profiles 5 rookies from the CW.
SCS: Week 4 wrap: Searching for elite status - This points out the losses last Friday for most of the leading CIS teams.
CIS Blog: AUS Weekly Update
CIS Blog: Canada West weekly roundup

OUT OF TOWN SCOREBOARD:

[CW Site] : [CIS Site] : [CW Friday Recap] : [CIS Friday Round-up]


UBC THUNDERBIRDS 1
REGINA COUGARS 5

|> [U of R Preview - at CW] : [U of R Summary]
|> [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]

Puddy-Tats v Tweety-Birds may not be an epic match-up. But these two usually are fairly close in the standings.  Regina was in desperate need of another win to avoid falling out of the race. They remain two points behind UBC and UBC has two games in hand.

The shots were fairly even so maybe Regina has given up on the idea of being grossly outshot and praying the rope-a-dope works. Lucas Gore was in net for the Hillbillies and had another solid outing, although anything under 40+ shots must seem like a stroll in the park. UBC split the game between their two goalies.


LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS 1
CALGARY DINOS 5

|> [U of C Preview] : [U of C Story] : [U of L Preview] : [U of L Story]
|> [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]

The Flintstones have gotten their team going whilst the H0rny Ones are seriously short of Viagra. The Dinos outshot the 'Horns 16-2 and outscored them 3-0 in the 1st period. That pretty much wrapped this one up. Veterans Reid Jorgenson and Brock Nixon had two goals each.


SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 5
ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 4
(in shoot-out)

|> [U of A Story] : [U of S Story]
|> [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]

The Evil Monkeys are losing plenty of games on home ice this year. Unless they can somehow pull strings to be allowed to count illegal goals they simply cannot beat any contending teams - on home ice yet. Yes, it went to a shoot-out. But with loads of road games coming these bonus points are just not enough.

NEXT UP:

Oct. 29
UBC at Regina : [Live Stats]
Calgary at Lethbridge : [Live Stats] : [Live Video]
Saskatchewan at Alberta : [Live Stats] : [Live Video]

Nov. 4
Manitoba at Saskatchewan : [Live Stats] : [Live Video]
Calgary at UBC : [Live Stats] : [Live Video]

OUT EAST:

Oct. 26
StFX 3 Saint Mary's 5
Carleton 7 UQTR 1

Oct. 27
W. Ontario 5 York 1
Brock 0 Guelph 5

Oct. 28
St. Thomas 3 Saint Mary's 4
Moncton 4 StFX 2
Dalhousie 2 UPEI 6
Acadia 0 UNB 3
RMC 1 Nipissing 3
Concordia 2 McGill 3
Waterloo 2 Brock 5
Ryerson 2 Queen's 0
UOIT 2 Lakehead 9
York 4 Windsor 1   

OUA LeagueStat Page - has all summaries
AUS schedule/results : AUS stats

October 29, 2011

OUT OF TOWN SCOREBOARD:

[CW Site] : [CIS Site] : [CW Saturday Recap] : [CIS Saturday Round-up]


UBC THUNDERBIRDS 3
REGINA COUGARS 2
(in overtime)

|> [U of R Story] : [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]

Regina held a 2-0 lead until they were repeatedly struck about the head by little old ladies with umbrellas defending the Tweety-Birds. But with the OTL the Puddy-Tats take the series 3-2 on points.


CALGARY DINOS 4
LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS 1

|> [U of L Story - at U of C] : [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]

The teams switched to Lethbridge for the return encounter but the Dinos took it convincingly once more. Kris Lazaruk made his debut as a starter in the Calgary goal. It is hard to find games for 3 goaltenders.


SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 1
ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 2
(in overtime)

|> [U of A Story] : [U of S Story] : [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]

I saw the ending of this one on CanadaWest.tv. Alberta outplayed Sask and really dominated in OT. So each side gets 3 points on the weekend, which stinks for the rest of the league.

NEXT UP:

Nov. 4
Manitoba at Saskatchewan : [Live Stats] : [Live Video]
Calgary at UBC : [Live Stats] : [Live Video]

Nov. 5
Manitoba at Saskatchewan : [Live Stats]
Alberta at Lethbridge : [Live Stats] : [Live Video]
Calgary at UBC : [Live Stats] : [Live Audio]

Nov. 6
Alberta at Lethbridge : [Live Stats] : [Live Video]

OUT EAST:

Oct. 29
Ottawa 4 Carleton 2
Moncton 3 Saint Mary's 1
Dalhousie 1 UNB 10
St. Thomas 6 StFX 4
Acadia 3 UPEI 5
RMC 0 Ryerson 3
Toronto 3 Queen's 4 - OT
Guelph 2 W. Ontario 3 - OT
Laurier 2 Windsor 4
UOIT 3 Lakehead 5

OUA LeagueStat Page - has all summaries
AUS schedule/results : AUS stats

WEEKEND PREVIEW



MANITOBA BISONS (4-1-1, 2nd in OHT34)
SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES (5-1-1, 3rd in OHT34)

Friday, November 4th, 8:00 p.m. CDT @ Saskatoon
Saturday, November 5th, 8:00 p.m. CDT @ Saskatoon

LIVE LINKS: [Live Stats Friday] : [Live Video Friday] : [Live Stats Saturday]
MANITOBA LINKS: [Team Site] : [LS Roster] : [LS Schedule/Results] : [LS Stats]
SASKATCHEWAN LINKS: [Team Site] : [LS Roster] : [LS Schedule/Results] : [LS Stats]
OTHER LINKS: [CIS Site] : [CW Site] : [LS Daily - Live Updates]
OTHER STORIES: [CW Preview] : [WHL Scholarships Story at CW - at GoBisons.ca]

The Bisons are coming off their 2nd bye week of the season and have to travel to Canada's armpit. That's right, Saskatchewan, home of the Banjo-Mutts. After a couple seasons of under-achieving it may finally be the year of The Mange. This is a first-place match-up and I would expect tightly contested games.

Check out the links on the WHL scholarships. They list all the WHL players attending school this year. There are 27 attending the U of M:

University of Manitoba – Winnipeg, MB (27)
Lucas Alexiuk – Winnipeg, MB – Lethbridge
Darren Bestland – Brunkild, MB – Brandon**
Travis Bobbee – Arborg, MB – Lethbridge**
Joe Caligiuri – Winnipeg, MB – Brandon**
Joel Cowan – Hartney, MB – Brandon**
Dane Crowley – Winnipeg, MB – Everett**
Jesse Deckert – Winnipeg, MB – Prince Albert**
Tyler Dittmer – Brandon, MB – Brandon**
Ian Duval – Winnipeg, MB – Calgary**
Chad Erb – Sanford, MB – Brandon**
Mark Friesen – Calgary, AB – Victoria**
Nathan Green – Winnipeg, MB – Brandon
Cody Gross – Winnipeg, MB – Prince Albert
Mike Hellyer – Brandon, MB – Prince Albert**
Andrew Hewitt – Winnipeg, MB – Swift Current
Kyle Krzyzaniak – Neepawa, MB - Brandon
Brandon Lockerby – Douglas, MB – Edmonton**
Matt Lowry – Neepawa, MB – Medicine Hat**
Blair Macauley – Winnipeg, MB – Saskatoon**
Brett Martyniuk – Winnipeg, MB – Tri-Cities
Mark Olafson – Winnipeg, MB – Lethbridge
Neal Prokop – Winnipeg, MB – Moose Jaw
Brendan Rowinski – Winnipeg, MB – Calgary**
Myles Rumsey – Winnipeg, MB – Swift Current**
Jeremy Schappert – Winnipeg, MB – Seattle**
Tyler Schmidt – Winnipeg, MB – Tri-Cities**
Jared Walker – Winnipeg, MB –Prince George**

ELSEWHERE:


ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS (4-2-2, 8th in OHT34)
LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS (2-4-1, 19th in OHT34)
|> [Live Stats Saturday] : [Live Stats Sunday] : [Live Video Both Nights]
|> [U of L Preview] : [World Juniors]

The Evil Monkeys will visit the H0rny Ones for a Saturday-Sunday series. After lounging on home ice for most of the season, the Monkeys have to prove themselves on the road. The Pronghorns had a poor pre-season then appeared to be getting their act together. However, they were easily dispatched twice by the Dinos last weekend. I think that the other contenders would be happy to see Alberta held to 2 points.

Alberta also announced their exhibition games against Denmark and Czech Republic in preparation for the World Junior championship. Check the link for details. Too bad there is no Team Canada game.


CALGARY DINOS (5-3-0, 5th in OHT34)
UBC THUNDERBIRDS (3-1-2, 13th in OHT34)
|> [Live Stats Friday] : [Live Stats Saturday] : [Live Video Friday] : [Live Audio Saturday]

This is the second series for these two. UBC had a win and an OTL last time. Calgary were highly touted in the off-season then sputtered once the season started. Their sweep of Lethbridge has people thinking they have found their form. I'll be interested to see if UBC can hold form. On paper, they are weak. However, their results so far are encouraging.

November 4, 2011

BISONS DOWNED IN O.T.


MANITOBA BISONS 4
SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 5
(in overtime)

|> [U of S Story] : [U of M Story] : [CW Friday Recap]
|> [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore] : [CIS Friday Round-up]

I was able to watch most of the game on-line at CanadaWest.tv. The Bisons fell behind 2-0 early but scored four goals in the last half of the 1st period, including 2 goals in the last minute, to take a 4-2 lead into intermission. Bisons scorers were Brandon Rowinski (his first as a Bison), Tyler Dittmer, Matthew Lowry, and Ian Duval. By the end of the period the Herd had 16 shots on goal and had the Mutts running around.

The 2nd period belonged to the Boys from the Outhouse. The Bisons seemed content to hold the lead on the road. The only Sask goal came mid-way on a PP. (On the night Sask had 7 PP to 3 for the Bisons, which seemed quite slanted.)

The Bisons defended well and picked up the play in the 3rd period, outshooting the Mangy Ones 14-7. But Sask got the only goal. The refs put away the whistles in the 3rd. While this helped the game flow, it also cost the Bisons some PP opportunities which would otherwise have been awarded as Sask used cross-checks for rebound control purposes whilst under pressure.

Of note, the Bisons dressed 9 forwards and 9 defencemen. The Bisons really need white numbers on their sweaters so I can better tell how they align themselves. Pat Flynn usually plays forward even though listed as a defenceman. Same for Darren Bestland who was scratched, along with Austin Lauder, Jordan Davis, and Mark Friesen.

OUT OF TOWN SCOREBOARD:


CALGARY DINOS 3
UBC THUNDERBIRDS 1

|> [UBC Preview] : [UBC Story] : [LS Summary] : [check for CIS Boxscore]

This was a tight game throughout. It was 2-0 when Calgary scored an empty-netter in the last minute. Then UBC spoiled the shut-out with 10 second sleft, much to the chagrin of Mr. Slate. Dustin Butler was in goal for Calgary. UBC is missing leading scorer Justin McCrae, out indefinitely with an undisclosed injury.



NEXT UP:

Nov. 5
Manitoba at Saskatchewan : [Live Stats]
Alberta at Lethbridge : [Live Stats] : [Live Video]
Calgary at UBC : [Live Stats] : [Live Audio]

Nov. 6
Alberta at Lethbridge : [Live Stats] : [Live Video]

OUT EAST:

Nov. 3
W. Ontario 5 Guelph 4 - OT

Nov. 4
Saint Mary's 6 Acadia 5 - OT
UNB 6 Moncton 3
UPEI 3 St. Thomas 6
StFX 7 Dalhousie 2
RMC 2 Carleton 5
Nipissing 4 UQTR 3
Queen's 2 Ottawa 3 - 2OT
Toronto 2 McGill 3
Brock 4 York 3
Lakehead 3 Laurier 1
Ryerson 1 Concordia 3
UOIT 3 Waterloo 2 - OT
W. Ontario 3 Windsor 4 - OT

OUA LeagueStat Page - has all summaries
AUS schedule/results : AUS stats

November 5, 2011

BISONS LOSE A TIGHT ONE


MANITOBA BISONS 1
SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 2

|> [U of S Story] : [U of M Story] : [CW Saturday Recap]
|> [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore] : [CIS Saturday Round-up]

This was not available on-line so all I have is the stats to go by. The teams exchanged 1st period goals, with Del Cowan scoring for the Bisons. The Bisons outshot Sask 12-9 in each of the 2nd and 3rd periods. But Sask's 2nd period goal by Andrew Bailey was all there was. Both sides changed goaltenders from Friday with Jesse Deckert starting for Manitoba and Ryan Holfield for the Mutts.

The best news for the Bisons is that they have now played 6 away games against the top three contenders with their home games still to come.

OUT OF TOWN SCOREBOARD:


ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 3
LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS 1

|> [U of L Story] : [U of A Story] : [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]

I tried to watch this one on CanadaWest.tv, however they had no play-by=play announcer. Hopefully they'll have one in tonight's rematch. Alberta had a big edge in the 1st period and ended it with a 2-0 lead and a 12-3 lead in shots. By the end pf the game, though, the H0rny Ones were even on shots and it took an empty-netter to salt it away for the Evil Monkeys.


CALGARY DINOS 3
UBC THUNDERBIRDS 5

|> [UBC Story] : [U of C Story] : [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore - Friday]

The Tweety-Birds took the game to split the series. They have now managed 5 points in 4 games from the Flintstones. Both sides used two goaltenders. Dustin Butler was yanked after two periods by the Dinos, after giving up 3 goals on 12 shots. UBC pulled Steven Stanford after he gave up 2 goals on 7 shots in the 1st period. There were a load of misconducts doled out in this one as well.



STANDINGS:

Code:


              GP  W  L  OTL  PTS
Saskatchewan  9  7  1  1  15
Calgary      10  6  4  0  12
Alberta        9  5  2  2  12
Manitoba      8  4  2  2  10
UBC            8  4  2  2  10
Lethbridge    8  2  5  1    5
Regina        8  2  5  1    5

NEXT UP:

Nov. 6
Alberta at Lethbridge : [Live Stats] : [Live Video]

Nov. 11-12
Lethbridge at Manitoba : [Live Stats Friday] : [Live Stats Saturday]
Calgary at Regina : [Live Stats Friday] : [Live Stats Saturday]
UBC at Alberta : [Live Stats Friday] : [Live Stats Saturday] : [Live Video both nights]

OUT EAST:

Nov. 5
Ryerson 1 UQTR 9
Queen's 1 Concordia 6
Toronto 0 Carleton 3
Dalhousie 1 Acadia 5
St. Thomas 2 Moncton 4
UPEI 5 UNB 4
RMC 1 Ottawa 5
Nipissing 3 McGill 4 - SO
York 4 UOIT 3
Lakehead 2 Laurier 3
Waterloo 5 Guelph 4 - OT
Brock 3 Windsor 4

OUA LeagueStat Page - has all summaries
AUS schedule/results : AUS stats

WEEKEND PREVIEW



LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS (2-6-1, 20th in OHT34)
MANITOBA BISONS (4-2-2, 3rd in OHT34)

Friday, November 11th, 7:00 p.m. CDT @ Max Bell Arena U of M
Saturday, November 12th, 7:00 p.m. CDT @ Max Bell Arena U of M

LIVE LINKS: [Live Stats Friday] : [Live Stats Saturday]
MANITOBA LINKS: [U of M Preview] : [LS Roster] : [LS Schedule/Results] : [LS Stats]
LETHBRIDGE LINKS: [U of L Preview] : [LS Roster] : [LS Schedule/Results] : [LS Stats]
OTHER LINKS: [CIS Site] : [CW Site] : [LS Daily - Live Updates]
OTHER STORIES: [CIS Top Ten - at CW Site]

The H0rny Ones are in town this weekend for a double-header against the Bisons. There is no audio or video for the games. The 'Horns narrowly missed the playoffs the last two years (seasons in which 4 teams qualified) and were anticipated to be a team on the rise. However, their recruiting class was so-so and they had a rough pre-season. They seemed to be picking up but are currently on a 5 game losing skid. They are led by Taylor Gal, who has 5 goals in 10 games.

The Bisons have done well on the road against the top contenders. Now they have to capitalize at home. In their only other home series they split with Regina. One thing to look for is how they handle their over-abundance of d-men and lack of forwards. Last weekend they dressed 9 forwards and 9 defence for each game.

ELSEWHERE:


CALGARY DINOS (6-4-0, 5th in OHT34)
REGINA COUGARS (2-5-1, 23rd in OHT34)

|> [Live Stats Friday] : [Live Stats Saturday]
|> [U of R Site]

The Banjo-Cats are coming off a bye week. They get a win just often enough to keep me from writing them off. One would think they could get some points at home. Calgary is off to bit of a sub-par start, considering big things were expected of them. Here's to hoping both games are decided in regulation time.


UBC THUNDERBIRDS (3-1-2, 13th in OHT34)
ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS (6-2-2, 6th in OHT34)

|> [Live Stats Friday] : [Live Stats Saturday] : [Live Video both nights]
|> [U of A Preview]

This series is hard to handicap. Are UBC deserving of contender status? Are the Evil Monkeys now an also-ran? Stay tuned, Batman fans. Maybe the caped crusader will toss 'em both into the dungeon. Alberta on home ice NEED wins against the mediocre. If they fail to get them they will have a hard time getting a top-two place in the final standings. They cannot continue to seek, and be granted, the right to count goals scored with too many monkeys on the ice.

November 11, 2011

HERD RACKS UP CONVINCING WIN


LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS 2
MANITOBA BISONS 5

|> [U of M Story] : [U of L Story] : [CW Friday Recap]
|> [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore] : [CIS Friday Round-up]

The Bisons needed to rack up a win over the H0rny Ones and that's just what they did.

In the opening minute the 'Horns took a penalty and Blair Macaulay scored (his 5th of the year) on the ensuing PP. Chris Benias made it 2-0 a mere 16 seconds later. After a hiatus of 2:02, Mike Hellyer made it 3-0. In anther 23 seconds Brandon Rowinski made it 4-0. Scott Bowles was then yanked from the Lethbridge net and Dylan Tait finished.

To their credit, Lethbridge fought back with 1st period goals by Curtis Cooper and Winston Day Chief. But that was all they could score.

There was no scoring in the 2nd period. And the 3rd was scoreless until Myles Rumsey became the 4th Bison of the night to score for the second time of the season. It should be noted that the Bisons also rang a few off the cross-bar.

Jesse Deckert was in net for the Bisons. He did not distinguish himself in the 1st period. But his play picked up as he shut them out the rest of the way. He made 23 saves on the night. Still, his style makes me nervous. He does somersaults st times.

I am planning to attend Saturday's rematch. The Bisons need two more points. I like their chances.

Here's how they lined up:

MANITOBA BISONS

Goal:
Deckert (Caligiuri)

Defence:
Schappert - Crowley
Mealy - Rumsey
Erb - Schmidt
- Bobbee
(Mealey/Erb rotated with Rumsey/Schmidt/Bobbee)

Forwards:
Dittmer - Walker - Macaulay
Lowry - Duval - Hellyer
Cowan - Benias - Rowinski
- Davis - Lockerby
(other LW also inserted on 4th line)

LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS

Goal:
Bowles - Tait

Defence:
Hlookoff - McDougall
Gilbert - Pottruff
Hollinger - Conway - Cooper
(Gilbert/Pottruff also paired with Hollinger/Conway/Cooper who otherwise did not play)

Forwards:
Gal - Hotson - Moore
Skauge - Snopek - Henke
Iwanski - Mappin - Day Chief
- Howe - Hall

OUT OF TOWN SCOREBOARD:


CALGARY DINOS 1
REGINA COUGARS 4

|> [U of R Story] : [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]

Matt Strueby notched a hat-trick for the Melonheads en route to their upset over the Flintstones. Lucas Gore stole the win for Regina with 30 saves on 31 shots. This was an odd game in that Regina scored twice each in the 1st and 3rd periods, during which the shots on goal were 7-7. Calgary outscored Regina 1-0 in the 2nd period and outshot them 17-3. That is the Regina formula.


UBC THUNDERBIRDS 1
ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 4

|> [U of A Story] : [UBC Story]
|> [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]

In a game where the Evil Monkeys felt some pressure, they notched a key win. The stats appear fairly even. There were five different goal-scorers in this one. UBC has shown they can hang with Calgary. Now they have to show they can hang with the Big Three.

NEXT UP:

Nov. 12
Lethbridge at Manitoba : [Live Stats]
UBC at Alberta : [Live Stats] : [Live Video]
Calgary at Regina : [Live Stats]

OUT EAST:

Nov. 9
Dalhousie 1 Saint Mary's 6
McGill 1 UQTR 3

Nov. 10
Waterloo 4 York 3
Brock 1 Laurier 5

Nov. 11
Saint Mary's 2 St. Thomas 1 - OT
StFX 2 Moncton 3 - OT
UPEI 0 Acadia 5
UNB 9 Dalhousie 2
Carleton 3 RMC 2 = OT
Concordia 6 Nipissing 11
York 3 Brock 2 - OT
W. Ontario 4 Waterloo 2
UQTR 5 Toronto 11
Ottawa 2 Ryerson 3 - OT
Guelph 3 Lakehead 4 - OT
Windsor 5 UOIT 3
McGill 3 Queen's 2

OUA LeagueStat Page - has all summaries
AUS schedule/results : AUS stats

November 12, 2011

SECOND VERSE, SAME AS THE FIRST


LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS 2
MANITOBA BISONS 5

|> [U of M Story] : [U of L Story] : [CW Saturday Recap]
|> [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore] : [CIS Saturday Round-up*]

Although the final score was the same on Saturday as it was on Friday, the game was much different. On Saturday there was no early 4-0 lead. Instead, the H0rny Ones scored first and the Bisons gradually assumed control of the game en route to a solid and convincing victory.

The 1st period was fairly even until mid-way, after the teams exchanged goals a minute apart. Dustin Moore scored for the "horns and Ian Duval for the Herd. The Bisons then assumed control and in the end had a 14-9 edge in shots.

By the 2nd period the traffic was pretty much one-way. The Bisons launched 21 shots at Scott Bowles (who was put back in goal after being yanked on Thursday). Dane Crowley had given them a 2-1 lead after 36 seconds. But the 'Horns were hanging in until Brendan Rowinski scored unassisted 13 minutes in. The play was set up when Chris Benias laid all 5 feet of his body on a 'Horn defender to jar the puck loose.

The only goals of the 3rd period were a pair of break-aways by Blair Macaulay. The only assists on both were to defencemen who sprung him loose. A last-minute goal by Moore only served to enhance the score-line.

Joe Caligiuri was back in goal for the Bisons. He is much more comfortable to watch, since he never does somersaults.

Here's how they lined up:

MANITOBA BISONS

Goal:
Caligiuri (Deckert)

Defence:
Schappert - Crowley
Mealy - Rumsey
Erb - Schmidt
- Bobbee
(Mealey/Erb rotated with Rumsey/Schmidt/Bobbee)

Forwards:
Dittmer - Walker - Macaulay
Lowry - Duval - Hellyer
Cowan - Benias - Rowinski
- Davis - Lockerby
(other LW also inserted on 4th line)

LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS

Goal:
Bowles (Tait)

Defence:
Hlookoff - McDougall
Gilbert - Pottruff
Hollinger - Cooper

Forwards:
Gal - Hotson - Moore
Skauge - Snopek - Henke
Iwanski - Mappin - Day Chief
Conway - Howe - Hall

OUT OF TOWN SCOREBOARD:


CALGARY DINOS 6
REGINA COUGARS 1

|> [U of R Story] : [U of C Story]
|> [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]

The Banjo-Cats were unable to successfully apply their formula in this one, i.e. be badly outshot and hope for some breaks. Oddly, Calgary scored 3 times on 5 shots in the 1st period to acquire an insurmountable lead. The Cougars, even though trailing, did not attempt to mount an offensive comeback. They were outshot 19-2 on home ice in the 2nd period. They started the period down 3-1 and ended it down 5-1. Pretty futile, I would say.

Nevertheless, each team left the weekend with 2 points.


UBC THUNDERBIRDS 1
ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 4

|> [U of A Story] : [UBC Site*]
|> [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]

I had hoped to catch the ending on canadawest.tv when I got home from the Bison game, but the site was down. It seems that this, too, was a replay of Friday night's game. The first half of the game was scoreless and UBC actually took a lead. The Bisons will take on UBC on the coast next weekend.

NEXT UP:

Nov. 18-19
Saskatchewan at Calgary : [Live Stats Friday] : [Live Stats Saturday]
Regina at Lethbridge : [Live Stats Friday] : [Live Stats Saturday] : [Live Video both nights]
Manitoba at UBC : [Live Stats Friday] : [Live Stats Saturday] : [Live Audio Saturday]

OUT EAST:

Nov. 12
UPEI 6 Dalhousie 3
UQTR 5 Ryerson 4 - OT
St. Francis-Xavier 5 St. Thomas 6 - 2OT
Saint Mary's 4 Moncton 5 - 2OT
UNB 5 Acadia 6 - OT
Nipissing 5 Carleton 7
Ottawa 3 RMC 1
Laurier 3 Western Ontario 9
Windsor 10 UOIT 2
Guelph 4 Lakehead 5
Concordia 4 Toronto 3 - OT

OUA LeagueStat Page - has all summaries
AUS schedule/results : AUS stats

WEEKEND PREVIEW



MANITOBA BISONS (6-2-2, 3rd in OHT34)
UBC THUNDERBIRDS (4-4-2, 12th in OHT34)

Friday, November 18th, 9:00 p.m. CDT @ UBC
Saturday, November 19th, 9:00 p.m. CDT @ UBC

LIVE LINKS: [Live Stats Friday] : [Live Stats Saturday] : [Live Audio Saturday]
MANITOBA LINKS: [U of M Site] : [LS Roster] : [LS Schedule/Results] : [LS Stats]
UBC LINKS: [UBC Site] : [LS Roster] : [LS Schedule/Results] : [LS Stats]
OTHER LINKS: [CIS Site] : [CW Site] : [LS - Live Updates] : [CW Weekly Notes (pdf)]
OTHER STORIES: [CIS Top Ten - at Boxscore News] : [CUP: Fighting in CIS]

UBC usually has a preview story up when they host a series, but not this time. So, all I have is the usual links to post. I have added the pdf format Canada West Weekly Notes. There is also the Canadian University Press Story on the aspect of almost no fighting in the CIS.

Anyhow, the Bisons have had trouble with weak UBC teams the last two years. They often pick this trip to lay an egg. Points on the road are tough, and UBC has shown an ability to compete with and even on occasion defeat good teams. So the Bisons should be well focused for the double header in British California.

ELSEWHERE:


SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES (7-1-1, 2nd in OHT34)
CALGARY DINOS (7-5-0, 7th in OHT34)

|> [Live Stats Friday] : [Live Stats Saturday]
|> [U of C Preview]

The Banjo-Mutts have exceeded expectations thus far, after having been under-achievers the last couple of years. Meanwhile, the Flintstones were everybody's pick to challenge for a national title. There is clearly a difference between looking good on paper and on the ice. If Calgary wants to mount a challenge then they need to win the series on home ice.


REGINA COUGARS (3-6-1, 22nd in OHT34)
LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS (2-8-1, 25th in OHT34)

|> [Live Stats Friday] : [Live Stats Saturday] : [Live Video both nights]
|> [U of L Preview]

This series may not be generating national interest. But with the CW returning to the 6 team playoff format, this is a key series. These two seemed destined to be in a battle for that 6th and final playoff berth. Regina has mastered
the art of being pounded mercilessly and still scrounging a split on the weekend.

November 18, 2011

BISONS EDGED IN NIGHT OF UPSETS


MANITOBA BISONS 2
UBC THUNDERBIRDS 1

|> [UBC Story - at GoBisons.ca] : [CW Friday Recap]
|> [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore*] : [CIS Friday Round-up*] : [CW Standings]

The Bisons suffered a tough loss on the coast. However, it was a game whre they seemed to gain momentum as it went on. UBC outshot the Bisons 13-7 in the 1st period, but it was a 1-1 draw. The Tweety-Birds notched the only goal in the 2nd period, although they were outshot 15-9. So the shots were 22-22 entering the 3rd period.

It appears that UBC played the dangerous "go into a shell" plan in the 3rd. The Bisons outshot them 19-4 in the period. But Jordan White stopped all those shots so the game ended 2-1 for UBC. Here's how the UBC writer saw it:

... “I thought Whitey was great tonight,” said UBC head coach Milan Dragicevic of White. “I thought he was the difference. We need goaltenders to steal us games. Tonight, he stole us a game.”

Wyatt Hamilton (3rd, Cochrane, AB) scored the game-winning goal in the second period after UBC's Marc Desloges (5th, Vancouver, BC) and Manitoba's Matthew Lowry traded first period tallies.

Hamilton's goal came at 10:16 of the second period on a partial 2-on-1. Skating down the right side, he snapped home a Scott Wasden (3rd, Westbank, BC) pass from the leftcircle.

The goal came against the flow of play as Manitoba dominated puck possession in the second and third periods, outshooting UBC 35-13 after the Thunderbirds had a 13-6 advantage in the opening frame. ...

Matt Lowry was the only Bison to score. Jesse Deckert got the start in goal. It appears that he and Joe Caligiuri are rotating for now.

OUT OF TOWN SCOREBOARD:


SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 2
CALGARY DINOS 3

|> [U of C Story - at U of S]
|> [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]

This was a key win for the Dinos. The fact that only 2 points were awarded no doubt suits the Bisons and Alberta just fine. Calgary has been struggling to make their mark as a contender, while Sask had the best record in the west. This was a defensive battle, with shots favouring Calgary by 21-19. I wish this was on CanadaWest.tv.


REGINA COUGARS 2
LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS 5

|> [U of L Story]
|> [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]

I saw bits of this on CanadaWest.tv, even though Lethbridge had no play by play announcer for it. The H0rny Ones exploded for 3 goals in the 3rd period in a must-win game. They had experienced 7 straight losses. This should be a battle for 6th place all season long.

NEXT UP:

Nov. 19
Saskatchewan at Calgary : [Live Stats Saturday]
Regina at Lethbridge : [Live Stats Saturday] : [Live Video both nights]
Manitoba at UBC : [Live Stats Saturday] : [Live Audio Saturday]

OUT EAST:

Nov. 17
Guelph 0 Waterloo 4

Nov. 18
Saint Mary's 5 StFX 1
Acadia 4 Dalhousie 2
Moncton 3 St. Thomas 2
UNB 2 UPEI 3
Toronto 2 UQTR 3 - 2OT
Ryerson 3 Ottawa 4 - 2OT
Laurier 0 Brock 3
York 2 Waterloo 6
Nipissing 6 Concordia 7 - 2OT
Lakehead 4 Windsor 3
Western Ontario 5 UOIT 3
Carleton 0 Queen's 1

OUA LeagueStat Page - has all summaries
AUS schedule/results : AUS stats

* link may be updated as you read

November 19, 2011

BISONS GAIN A SPLIT


MANITOBA BISONS 4
UBC THUNDERBIRDS 2

|> [UBC Story*] : [U of M Story] : [CW Saturday Recap]
|> [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore*] : [CIS Saturday Round-up*] : [CW Standings]

The Bisons got the needed split with a convincing win. They had a 3-1 lead heading into the 3rd period, where they outshot the Tweety-Birds 17-7 and mounted a 4-1 lead. A goal with 30 seconds left embellished the scoreline for UBC.

Brenden Rowinski opened scoring for the Bisons with his 4th of the season. Then Blair Macaulay scored his 8th, 9th, and 10th. Jesse Deckert started in goal. This was the first time he has ever started both games in a weekend in his 5 years in the league.

The results set up a tight finish to the first semester. With two weeks left Alberta and Calgary now have 18 points, and Sask and Manitoba have 16. Due to games in hand, Calgary would fall from 2nd to 4th by winning percentage.

OUT OF TOWN SCOREBOARD:


SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 3
CALGARY DINOS 4
(in overtime)

|> [U of C Story] : [U of S Story*]
|> [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]

Just when the Hillbillies seemed set to adopt the "Team to Beat" monicker they walk into Calgary and leave with one point for an OTL in two games. After a sputtering start, the two wins raise the Dinos to 9-5-0. And they have done so against a good team.

The Dinos will visit the Bisons next weekend. It appears that the top four will battle it out all season.


REGINA COUGARS 3
LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS 2
(in overtime)

|> [U of L Story]
|> [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]

I saw some of this one on CanadaWest.tv. Regina built a 2-0 lead but a quick shot of Viagra and the H0rny Ones came back to force OT. Though Regina won, the bonus point gave Lethbridge a 3-2 points edge on the weekend. Regina pulls a point ahead of Lethbridge in the race for 6th.

NEXT UP:

Nov. 25-26
Calgary at Manitoba : [Live Stats Friday] : [Live Stats Saturday] : [Live Audio Saturday]
UBC at Saskatchewan : [Live Stats Friday] : [Live Stats Saturday]
Alberta at Regina : [Live Stats Friday] : [Live Stats Saturday]

OUT EAST:

Nov. 19
RMC 3 UQTR 8
Toronto 7 Concordia 3
UOIT 3 Guelph 2
Ryerson 3 Carleton 5
Dalhousie 3 StFX 5
St. Thomas 3 UPEI 6
Acadia 4 Saint Mary's 2
Nipissing 1 Ottawa 7
Queen's 0 McGill 6
Lakehead 4 Windsor 2
Western Ontario 4 Laurier 5

OUA LeagueStat Page - has all summaries
AUS schedule/results : AUS stats

* link may be updated as you read