2012-13 Manitoba Bisons/CIS Thread

because Universities in USA absolutely DEPEND on funding from money raised in the sports whereas Canadian universities just say.. please sir.. can I have some more?

October 19, 2012

HERD CLAIMS A ROAD WIN


MANITOBA BISONS 4
MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS 1

Links:
|> [CIS Friday Round-Up] : [CW Friday Stories]
|> [CW Weekend Preview] : [CW Media Notes - Week 3 (pdf)]
|> [CIS Schedule/Results/Links] : [CW Schedule/Results/Links]
|> [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
|> [MRU Story (to be uploaded)] : [reposted at U of M]
|> Weekly news: [Crowchild Classic]

Without time to upload a preview post, there are a few extra links in this post. The Bisons played their first of four straight games in The Town of Bedrock (they visit the Dinos next weekend) and got off to a solid start.

Her Majesty's Royal Kittens kept the game scoreless until late in the 2nd period. But after 17 minutes, and despite being outshot 22-12, MRU opened the scoring.

However, the Bisons had a four-goal outburst in storage for the 3rd period. Luke Cain, Dane Crowley, Tyler Dittmer, and Matthew Lowry notched the goals. Jesse Deckert was once again defending the Bison goal.

The matinee rematch goes Saturday at 3:00 CDT and can be seen on-line at canadawest.tv.

And what is that Crowchild Classic link about? Well, the Town of Bedrock is copying Winnipeg's Duckworth Classic multi-sport competition between the Winnipeg Wesmen and Manitoba Bisons. They will count each game between all men's and women's teams in all sports.

OUT OF TOWN SCOREBOARD:


ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 1
SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 2

Links:
|> [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
|> [U of S Story] : [U of A Linescore]
|> [University Cup Announcement] : [reposted at CW Site]

The teams had one goal per period in this contest where the Banjo-Mutts prevailed over the Evil Monkeys. The Feces Throwers outshot the Feces Eaters 11-4 in the 2nd period, and 10-3 in the 3rd, yet lost it. Somewhat reminiscent of last weekend's loss to MRU. This series will also feature a Saturday afternoon matinee, and may be seen on canadawest.tv.


CALGARY DINOS 0
REGINA COUGARS 2

Links:
|> [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
|> [U of R Preview] : [U of C Preview]
|> [U of R Story] : [Calgary Sun Story on Brock Nixon]

If there was one thing I thought was obvious, it was this: the Regina Cougars absolutely stink. Yet, they now have 4 wins and a share of first place. Of course, they have yet to play Manitoba, Alberta, or Saskatchewan in regular season play.

But this win cannot be discounted. The Banjo-Cats had a slight edge in shots for each of first two periods, and scored once in each of those. Calgary outshot them 10-7 in a 3rd period where the Bedrock Boys needed a comeback. So this was not a fluky win attributable to a hot goaltender and bad luck.


LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS 1
UBC THUNDERBIRDS 5

Links:
|> [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
|> [UBC Preview] : [U of L Preview]
|> [UBC Story] : [reposted at U of L]
|> [Bieksa's Buddies beat UBC 8-7]

This win was #100 for Tweety-Birds' coach Milan Dragicevic, which is quite a milestone. BTW, I wonder when did he have his 100th loss? The H0rny Ones don't seem to have it this year.

The link about Bieksa's Buddies is about an exhibition game played this week between locked out players and the Tweety-Birds.

A cheque for $200,000 was presented to Canuck Place Children's Hospice, The Canucks Autism Network and The Canucks Family Education Centre before the opening faceoff. Half was raised through the game; the other half came through a matching donation from Vancouver musician Michael Buble.

“It was great,” said former Art Ross Trophy winner Daniel Sedin of the efforts to help the three groups, “and to see Michael Buble matching our $100,000 was awesome.”

“We're not playing hockey right now but we can still do a good job in the community and that is what the Vancouver Canucks are all about.”

OUT EAST:

Sunday, October 14
UOIT 6 Windsor 0 : [CIS boxscore]
Nipissing 2 Toronto 5 : [CIS boxscore]

Tuesday, October 16
Guelph 7 UOIT 4 : [CIS boxscore]

Wednesday, October 17
Guelph 4 Western Ontario 2 : [CIS boxscore]
Concordia 3 UQTR 6

Thursday, October 18
Brock 2 York 4 : [CIS boxscore]
Carleton 2 Toronto 1 (so) : [CIS boxscore]
Laurier 1 UOIT 3 : [CIS boxscore]

Friday, October 19
Acadia 7 St. Thomas 1 : [CIS boxscore]
Dalhousie 4 Moncton 6 : [CIS boxscore]
New Brunswick 4 Saint Mary’s 0 : [CIS boxscore]
UPEI 2 St. Francis Xavier 3 (ot) : [CIS boxscore]
RMC 4 Nipissing 5 : [CIS boxscore]
Windsor 4 Brock 1 : [CIS boxscore]
Queen’s 5 Ryerson 3 : [CIS boxscore]
Ottawa 5 Concordia 3 : [CIS boxscore]
Lakehead 4 Waterloo 5 (ot) : [CIS boxscore]
x McGill 1 Harvard 5 : [McGill Story]
x Guelph 3 Princeton 2 : [Guelph Story]

UP NEXT:

Saturday, October 20
Acadia at Moncton
Dalhousie at St. Thomas
New Brunswick at St. Francis Xavier
UPEI at Saint Mary’s
Waterloo at York
Windsor at Western Ontario
RMC at Ryerson
Queen’s at Toronto
Lakehead at Laurier
McGill at Dartmouth [non-conference]
Guelph at Princeton [non-conference]
Brock at Cornell [non-conference]
Alberta at Saskatchewan : canadawest.tv
Manitoba at Mount Royal : canadawest.tv
Calgary at Regina
Lethbridge at UBC

Sunday, October 21
Carleton at Ottawa

NEWS:

The AUS is imposing a roster cap of 21 players for next season, goaltenders excluded. IMO, this is dumb. When injuries strike teams will be forced to play short-handed.
Link: [Chronicle-Herald Story]

The Lakehead players walked out on Coach Scherban earlier this week and the AD fired him. Mike Busniuk has been named as the team’s Interim Head Coach. He was an assistant.
Link: [CIS Story]

It is clear that the defending national champs from McGill have hit the skids. They have 11 newbies.
Link: [Montreal Gazette]

The latest official top ten is out and of course it lacks in comparison to the Official Hollywood Top 35. There were also a load of mid-week games in the OUA. The links go to the CIS daily round-ups which in turn lead to boxscore links.
Links: [CIS] : [reposted at CW] : [OHT35 #1]
Mid-week CIS Daily Updates: [Tuesday] : [Wednesday] : [Thursday]

October 20, 2012

BISONS SWEEP THE BLUE KITTIES


MANITOBA BISONS 3
MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS 2

Links:
|> [CIS Saturday Round-Up] : [CW Saturday Stories]
|> [CIS Schedule/Results/Links] : [CW Schedule/Results/Links]
|> [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
|> [MRU Story (to be uploaded)] : [reposted at U of M]
|> [Friday's MRU Story]

MRU is kind of late posting their game stories, but they do make them available for the U of M and CW sites to post at least.

Anyhow, the Bisons pumped their Feline hosts for 3 unanswered 2nd period goals, in a period in which they outshot them 14-7. Jeremy Schappert and Jesse Paradis notched their first goals of the year, and Tyler Dittmer claimed his third.

A couple of 3rd period goals allowed MRU to pull close. Oddly, there were three "interference on the goaltender" penalties. The final one (by MRU) was accompanied by a pair of 10 minute misconducts and a game misconduct.

The scratches for the Bisons were goaltender Devan Dubyk, defencemen Brock Sutherland and Darren Bestland, and forwards Brendan Rowinski, Brett Chartier, Nathan Green, and Craig Scott. Jesse Deckert went the distance in the Bison net.

OUT OF TOWN SCOREBOARD:


ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 3
SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 4

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

This was the other matinee on Saturday afternoon. Once again, the Evil Monkeys outshot the Banjo-Mutts but could not win. The Monkeys got off to a fast start but faster than you can say "have another banana" they have amassed a three game losing streak.

Ryan Holfield in the Sask goal stopped all 15 3rd period shots from the Primates in a goal-less period.

Looking at the last two weekends, Sask went 3-1 but would likely have considered themselves lucky to be 2-2.


CALGARY DINOS 4
REGINA COUGARS 1

Links:
|> [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
|> [U of R Story] : [U of C Story]
|> [Friday's U of C Story]

The Dinos could ill afford another loss to the Banjo-Cats. IN the end they won this in what appears to have been a convincing fashion. Regina held a 1-0 lead after one period. But the Bedrock Boys scored two goals in each of the 2nd and 3rd periods to claim victory. The Dinos will be the Bisons' opponent next weekend.


LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS 2
UBC THUNDERBIRDS 3

Links:
|> [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
|> [UBC Story] : [reposted at U of L]

The H0rny Ones tightened things up considerably in game 2 of the series but, in the end, all they got was a closer-than-usual loss. The frightening thing for them is that they have yet to face one of the traditional Big Three (Manitoba, Sask, and Alberta). Then again, neither has UBC. The forecast would have to be that UBC should finish somewhere near the middle and Lethbridge should finish somewhere near the bottom.

OUT EAST:

AUS
Acadia 3 Moncton 2 : [CIS boxscore]
Dalhousie 5 St. Thomas 2 : [AUS boxscore]
New Brunswick 4 St. Francis Xavier 2 : [AUS boxscore]
UPEI 0 Saint Mary’s 4 : [AUS boxscore]

OUA
Waterloo 4 York 3 : [OUA LS Summary]
Windsor 5 Western Ontario 4 : [OUA LS Summary]
RMC 1 Ryerson 2 : [OUA LS Summary]
Queen’s 1 Toronto 8 : [OUA LS Summary]
Lakehead 4 Laurier 0 : [OUA LS Summary]
x McGill 1 Dartmouth 2 : [OUA LS Summary]
x Guelph 6 Princeton 5 : [Guelph Game Story]
x Brock 2 Cornell 2 : [Cornell Game Story] : [Cornell Summary]

UP NEXT:

CW
Oct. 26-27
Mount Royal at Regina
Manitoba at Calgary
Alberta at Lethbridge
Saskatchewan at UBC

OUA (see schedule links for full slate of mid-week games)
Oct. 21
Carleton at Ottawa

AUS
Oct. 26
Saint Mary's at Moncton
St. Francis-Xavier at St. Thomas
UPEI at Dalhousie
New Brunswick at Acadia

The Link Post has been updated by adding the Acadia fan site and updating all links to 2012-13 that had not previously been updated. It has every link you need to follow CIS hockey. If a link should be added, let me know and I will do so.


The Crowchild Classic is now reported at The Boxscore News. This is a multi-sport competition between Calgary's two universities. Also, the MRU link for Friday's game now has stories for both weekend games, rather than a separate link for each game.


A nice game story on Ryerson's debut v Queen's at the Mattamy Athletic Centre (the former Maple Leaf Gardens) is up at The CIS Blog. It is a nice story about both the game and the atmosphere.


The AUS decision to cap rosters seems no more sensible to me today than it did when announced. It is further discussed at The Halifax Herald and The CIS Blog. Not much new in the stories. The AUS says it is for "cost cutting". I guess when you get down to 15 or 16 skaters for a road trip, you can save the expense of a room.

Also, The CIS Blog has a complete AUS Preview, which has arrivals, departures, and outlooks for every AUS team. Their forecast:
1 - UNB
2 - Acadia
3 - Moncton
4 - St. F-X
5 - St. Mary's
6 - UPEI
7 - St. Thomas
8 - Dalhousie

WEEKEND PREVIEW


MANITOBA BISONS (3-3-0, 6-5-0-1, OHT35 #7)
CALGARY DINOS (4-2-0, 7-5-0, OHT35 #12)

Friday, October 26th, 8:00 p.m. CDT @ Calgary
Saturday, October 27th, 7:00 p.m. CDT @ Calgary

Live Links:
|> [Live Stats Friday] : [Live Stats Saturday]
|> [no on-line audio or video]

Manitoba Links:
|> [Team Site] : [Roster] : [Schedule/Results]
|> [LS Roster] : [LS Stats] : [LS Schedule/Results]
|> [Twitter] : [Facebook]

Calgary Links:
|> [U of C Preview Story] : [reposted at CW]
|> [LS Roster] : [LS Stats] : [LS Schedule/Results]
|> [Twitter] : [Facebook]

Other Links:
|> [CIS Site] : [CIS Schedule/Results/Links]
|> [CW Site] : [CW Schedule/Results/Links]
|> [LeagueStat Daily] : [CW Weekly Media Notes #4]
|> [Every Link Re: CIS Hockey]

This weekend marks the beginning of the scheduling cross-over. Thus far, the league has had two groups playing a round-robin. The Bedrock Boys have been in with UBC, Regina, and Lethbridge. The Bisons were in with Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Mount Royal.

Calgary is of to a so-so start. They went 3-3 in pre-season, with all games against CW opponents. They swept Lethbridge (once in OT) then split with both UBC and Regina. Their lack of home webcasts makes it hard to tell just what they have to offer.

On the Bison side, this is their second trip in a row to Bedrock, after having played Mount Royal last weekend. I will be looking to see which scratches from last weekend might return to the line-up, and whether Jesse Deckert will again start both games in goal.

ELSEWHERE:


ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS (3-3-0, 11-3-0, OHT35 #5)
LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS (0-5-1, 2-10-1, OHT35 #33)

Links:
|> [Live Stats Friday] : [Live Stats Saturday]
|> [Live Video – Both Nights – CanadaWest.tv]
|> [U of L Preview] : [Lethbridge Twitter]
|> [Alberta Site] : [Alberta Twitter]

The Evil Monkeys absolutely have to break their 3 game losing streak against the H0rny Ones. In all three losses they have outshot their opponents by a wide margin. Well, Lethbridge is used to being severely outshot themselves. The conference contenders will do cartwheels if the Monkeys exit the weekend with less than 4 points.


MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS (1-5-0, 2-7-1, OHT35 #23)
REGINA COUGARS (4-2-0, 5-8-0, OHT35 #27)

Links:
|> [Live Stats Friday] : [Live Stats Saturday]
|> [no on-line audio or video]
|> [U of R Site] : [Regina Twitter]
|> [Mount Royal Site] : [Mount Royal Twitter]

Regina sports fans will look at this Cougars v Cougars match-up with all the fond remembrances of the Roughriders v Rough Riders games back in the day.

MRU has had a tough schedule so far, so I would not be concerned about their 1-5 start. The fact is they have put up a much better fight against good teams than Regina or Lethbridge did in the pre-season games.

But what about Regina? They looked absolutely dreadful in pre-season against the Bisons, and were also very badly outplayed against all other good teams. But they have split their games against UBC and Calgary. Have Regina improved? Did they get lucky? Or are Calgary and UBC not as close to Alberta, Sask., and Manitoba as we thought? This series will set the stage in the race for 6th place.


SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES (5-1-0, 7-2-1, OHT35 #1)
UBC THUNDERBIRDS (4-1-1, 7-2-1-1, OHT35 #11)

Links:
|> [Live Stats Friday] : [Live Stats Saturday]
|> [no on-line audio or video]
|> [UBC Preview Story] : [UBC Twitter]
|> [Sask. Site] : [Sask. Twitter]

IMO the Banjo-Mutts have had horseshoes up every orifice so far. They needed a last-second goal to beat MRU to start and later racked up 3 wins against Manitoba and Alberta when they were outshot and fairly well dominated. But any way you slice it, this is a first place showdown. So long as neither games goes into overtime, everybody will be happy.

OUT OF TOWN SCOREBOARD:

Wednesday, October 24 [CIS Wednesday Round-Up]
Queen’s 0 McGill 3
UQTR 0 Carleton 2

Thursday, October 25 [CIS Thursday Round-Up]
Ryerson 2 Toronto 3
UOIT 4 York 1
Waterloo 6 Guelph 3

OUT EAST:

Friday, October 26
Saint Mary’s at Moncton
New Brunswick at Acadia
St. Francis Xavier at St. Thomas
UPEI at Dalhousie
Ottawa at Carleton
Toronto at Nipissing
York at Brock
McGill at Queen’s
Western Ontario at Lakehead
Laurier at Windsor
RMC at Concordia
UQTR at Norwich [non-conference]

Saturday, October 27
Saint Mary’s at St. Thomas
New Brunswick at Dalhousie
St. Francis Xavier at Moncton
UPEI at Acadia
Nipissing at Ryerson
Concordia at RMC
Brock at UOIT
Western Ontario at Lakehead
Windsor at Waterloo
Guelph at Laurier

Sunday, October 28
UQTR at Ottawa

NEWS:

This was a slow news week around the CIS. Nobody was fired or suspended. The only announcement was another top 10, which is of course not as good as the OHT35. The CIS Blog does have an AUS weekly round-up and a weekend preview, linked below.
Links: [CIS] : [reposted at CW] : [OHT35]
CIS Blog: [AUS Weekly Update] : [Weekend Games to Watch]

October 26, 2012

YABBA DABBA DOO! BISONS BEAT BEDROCK BOYS


MANITOBA BISONS 4
CALGARY DINOS 1

Links:
|> [CIS Friday Round-Up] : [CW Friday Stories]
|> [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
|> [Check for story at U of C Site : [and at U of M Site]

The Bisons racked up their third straight victory in the Town of Bedrock on Friday night. I would like to have a bit more information, and a complete set of links, but the home sides are slow in uploading game stories tonight. Those might be up as you read, so check the team sites.

The Herd led throughout the evening, taking a 1-0 lead on a goal by Jeremy Schappert (his 2nd) within 4 minutes of Oh Canada. Second period goals by James Henry and Brendan Rowinski gave the Bisons a 3-0 heading into the 3rd period. The Dinosaurs made Jesse Deckert's shutout go extinct mid-way through the 3rd period on a two-man advantage. Tyler Feakes got 2 minutes for roughing, which was coupled with a bench minor, so I gather there was controversy about the call. In any event, that was the only goal for the Dinos. Lee Christensen scored a couple minutes later to conclude the scoring.

The goals by Henry, Rowinski, and Christensen were their 1st of the season. Schappert, Blair Macaulay, and Ian Duval each had two assists.

Scratches for the Bisons were Brock Sutherland, Brett Chartier, Nathan Green, Craig Scott, Darren Bestland, Tyler Dittmer, and Deven Dubyk.

It would appear that Rowinski took Dittmer's place on the top line with Duval and Macaulay.

The rematch goes Saturday at 6:00 MDT, 7:00 CDT.

OUT OF TOWN SCOREBOARD:


ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 7
LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS 1

Links:
|> [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
|> [Check for story at U of L Site] : [U of A Linescore]

This was the only game of the night available on CanadaWest.tv, and it wasn't much to watch. The Evil Monkeys opened the scoring on a goal by goaltender Kurtis Mucha. There was a delayed penalty and the H0rny Ones shot it into their own net. After that they went limp. They look awfully discouraged. Can they rally on home ice in the Saturday rematch? That is questionable.


MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS 1
REGINA COUGARS 2

Links:
|> [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
|> [Check for story at U of R Site] : [and at MRU Site]

The Banjo-Cats won the first ever Cat Fight. This was a tight game and a key win for the Hillbillies. They are now 3-0 against the teams with whom they expected to compete for the 6th and final playoff berth. Regina scored once in the 1st and 2nd periods before MRU made it close in the 3rd. If Regina can take the sweep on Saturday it would be getting difficult to see them being caught by MRU or Lethbridge. And, no, I don't see Regina challenging for 1st place.


SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 5
UBC THUNDERBIRDS 4

Links:
|> [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
|> [Check for story at UBC Site] : [and at U of S Site]

This was an odd game. UBC scored twice to lead 2-0, then trailed 3-2. They rallied to take a 4-3 lead, only to lose 5-4. It is hard to glean to much from the stats. But the numbers would suggest this was a game of tremendous ebb and flow. UBC turned things around in the 2nd period when the outshot Sask 18-3 to stake themselves to a 4-3 lead heading into the 3rd period. But then the Banjo-Mutts dominated the 3rd period, with a 12-5 edge in shots. Oddly, the GWG was scored by Brennan Bosch shorthanded. One has to give UBC some chance in Saturday's rematch. They will have to win such games if they are to be seen as something better than a mid-pack team.

OUT EAST:

Friday, October 26
Saint Mary’s 2 Moncton 7 : [CIS boxscore]
New Brunswick 2 Acadia 4 : [CIS boxscore]
St. Francis Xavier 3 St. Thomas 2 : [CIS boxscore]
UPEI 0 Dalhousie 3 : [CIS boxscore]
Ottawa 5 Carleton 2 : [CIS boxscore]
Toronto 3 Nipissing 2 : [CIS boxscore]
York 5 Brock 4 (ot) : [CIS boxscore]
McGill 3 Queen’s 2 (ot) : [CIS boxscore]
Western Ontario 2 Lakehead 3 : [CIS boxscore]
Laurier 4 Windsor 3 : [CIS boxscore]
RMC 3 Concordia 2 : [CIS boxscore]
UQTR 4 Norwich 5 [non-conference] : [NU Story & Summary]

UP NEXT:

Saturday, October 27
Manitoba at Calgary
Mount Royal at Regina
Saskatchewan at UBC
Alberta at Lethbridge : canadawest.tv
Saint Mary’s at St. Thomas
New Brunswick at Dalhousie
St. Francis Xavier at Moncton
UPEI at Acadia
Nipissing at Ryerson
Concordia at RMC
Brock at UOIT
Western Ontario at Lakehead
Windsor at Waterloo
Guelph at Laurier

Sunday, October 28
UQTR at Ottawa

Friday night's links are now up:

4 1
Links:
|> [U of C Story] : [reposted with stats at U of M Site]

7 1
Links:
|> [U of L Story] : [U of A Linescore]

1 2
Links:
|> [U of R Story]

5 4
Links:
|> [UBC Story : [reposted at U of S Site]

October 27, 2012

BISONS DOWNED IN FIRST SHOOT-OUT OF THE SEASON


MANITOBA BISONS 2
CALGARY DINOS 3
(in shoot-out)

Links:
|> [CIS Saturday Round-Up (to be posted)] : [CW Saturday Stories]
|> [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
|> [U of C Story] : [reposted at U of M Story]

The Bisons built up a 2-0 3rd period lead on goals by Matthew Lowry (2nd) and Tyler Feakes (1st) but then surrendered the lead en route to a shoot-out loss. The result still gives the Bisons the series by a 3-2 margin in points, which is a respectable for a road trip to the Town of Bedrock. But when you are that close to a sweep ....

The Bisons also played short one man. Jesse Paradis played Friday but was scratched and not replaced for Saturday's game. This is a great example as to why the AUS is out to lunch with their roster limit of 21 skaters per season starting next year. Jesse Deckert once again started in the Bison goal while the Dinos replace Dustin Butler with Jacob DeSerres.

Both sides get next weekend off. Don't ask. For some reason the whole CW had an off-weekend (but for MRU and Alberta who moved their series from January 4-5), and that comes after they jump-started the league with a full slate of games September 27-29. Manitoba will the host Lethbridge and Calgary will play home-and-home with Alberta November 9-10.

OUT OF TOWN SCOREBOARD:


ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 10
LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS 3

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

This was once again the only contest available on CanadaWest.tv. Good lord, the H0rny Ones need help. Maybe time to try Cialis. Dylan Tait git the start in goal but gave up 5 goals on 20 shots before being pulled after 16 minutes. Damien Ketlo then surrendered 5 goals on 34 more shots. They look disheartened. They are also the Bisons' next opponent in two weeks' time. I am sure the Bisons would rather face them tomorrow, before they have time to regroup.


MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS 6
REGINA COUGARS 3

Links:
|> [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
|> [U of R Story] : [Friday story reposted at MRU Story]

In Cat Fight II the Blue Kitties gained revenge over the Green Kitties. MRU notched 4 goals on 6 shots in the 1st period to chase Andrew Hayes from the Hillbilly net. This happened with MRU playing two men short as well. The way Lethbridge looks, it could be that the Kitties will be fighting for 6th place at the end of the year. Alberta will play home-and-home with MRU and Calgary over thext two weekends.


SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 5
UBC THUNDERBIRDS 1

Links:
|> [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
|> [UBC Story (with video)] : [check for U of S Story]

So, it looks like UBC is as they normally are. A sweep of Lethbridge, splits with Regina and Calgary, and a sweep at the hands of Sask. That list of results could have been from any one of the last 15 years. These teams also get a week off, after which UBC will face MRU and Sask will play Regina as aforesaid.

STANDINGS:

```````````` GP`` PTS
Saskatchewan``8`` 14
Alberta`````` 8`` 10
Calgary`````` 8`` 10
Regina````````8`` 10
Manitoba``````8````9
UBC`````````` 8````9
Mount Royal`` 8````4
Lethbridge````8````1

OUT EAST:

Saturday, October 27
Saint Mary’s 5 St. Thomas 0 : [CIS boxscore] 
New Brunswick 4 Dalhousie 2 : [CIS boxscore]
St. Francis Xavier 2 Moncton 4 : [CIS boxscore]
UPEI 4 Acadia 2 : [CIS boxscore]
Nipissing 6 Ryerson 3 : [CIS boxscore]
Concordia 1 RMC 3 : [CIS boxscore]
Brock 2 UOIT 1 (so) : [CIS boxscore]
Western Ontario 3 Lakehead 2 : [CIS boxscore]
Windsor 7 Waterloo 5 : [CIS boxscore]
Guelph 6 Laurier 2 : [CIS boxscore]

UP NEXT:

Sunday, October 28
UQTR at Ottawa

Thursday, November 1
Laurier at Ryerson

Friday, November 2
St. Thomas at Acadia
Moncton at Dalhousie
St. Francis Xavier at New Brunswick
Saint Mary’s at UPEI
York at McGill
Western Ontario at Nipissing
Lakehead at Carleton
Waterloo at UQTR
Laurier at RMC
Brock at Queen’s
UOIT at Concordia
Windsor at Toronto
Alberta at Mount Royal

November 3, 2012

OUT OF TOWN SCOREBOARD:


MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS 0
ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 7

Links:
|> [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
|> [U of A Linescore and Story] : [CW Site]
|> [U of A Friday Story]

You know you were out of it when ... Even if you scored on every shot you took in the 3rd period you still would have lost.

That's what happened to the Her Majesty's Kittens Saturday in Edmontown. The Evil Monkeys scored 5 goals in the first period, and only one more per period thereafter. MRU surrendered meekly, with only 4 shots in the 3nd period and 3 more in the 3rd.

Were MRU that bad, or the Monkeys that good? Well, next week the Monkeys play home-and-home with Calgary whilst MRU hosts UBC.

OUT EAST:

Moncton 0 Acadia 4 : [CIS boxscore]
St. Thomas 0 Dalhousie 2 : [CIS boxscore]
Saint Mary’s 4 New Brunswick 3 : [CIS boxscore]
St. Francis Xavier 2 UPEI 3 (ot) : [CIS boxscore]
Guelph 3 Concordia 0 : [CIS boxscore]
Brock 4 UQTR 6 : [CIS boxscore]
Lakehead 5 Carleton 4 : [CIS boxscore]
York 4 Ottawa 3 (ot) : [CIS boxscore]
Waterloo 2 McGill 5 : [CIS boxscore]
Western Ontario 5 Ryerson 3 : [CIS boxscore]
UOIT 4 RMC 3 (ot) : [CIS boxscore]
Nipissing 3 Queen’s 2 (ot) : [CIS boxscore]
Windsor 3 Toronto 1 : [CIS boxscore]

UP NEXT:

Sunday, November 4
Guelph at Ottawa

Wednesday, November 7
Saint Mary’s at Dalhousie
Ryerson at Brock

Thursday, November 8
Toronto at Guelph

Friday, November 9
Lethbridge at Manitoba
Regina at Saskatchewan
Calgary at Alberta
UBC at Mount Royal
Acadia at Saint Mary’s
New Brunswick at St. Thomas
Dalhousie at St. Francis Xavier
UPEI at Moncton
McGill at Western Ontario
Concordia at York
Ryerson at Nipissing
Toronto at Brock
Queen’s at UOIT
Ottawa at Waterloo
UQTR at Lakehead
Carleton at Laurier
RMC at Windsor

WEEKEND PREVIEW


LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS (0-7-1, 2-12-1, OHT35 #35)
MANITOBA BISONS (4-3-1, 7-5-1-1, OHT35 #7)

Friday, November 9th, 7:00 p.m. CST @ Max Bell Arena - U of M
Saturday, November 10th, 7:00 p.m. CST @ Max Bell Arena - U of M

Live Links:
|> [Live Stats Friday] : [Live Stats Saturday]
|> [no on-line audio or video, but check back at CanadaWest.tv just in case]

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

Lethbridge Links:
|> [U of L Preview Story]
|> [LS Roster] : [LS Stats] : [LS Schedule/Results]
|> [Twitter] : [Facebook]

Other Links:
|> [CIS Site] : [CIS Schedule/Results/Links]
|> [CW Site] : [CW Schedule/Results/Links]
|> [LeagueStat Daily] : [CW Weekly Media Notes #6]
|> [Every Link Re: CIS Hockey]

Finally, the Bisons have come back to the Max Bell. After back-to-back weekends in Calgary, they had a bye week. That's 3 weekends in a row without a home game. But this weekend marks the beginning of 3 home weekends out of 4 to wrap up the first semester.

If anything can temper my enthusiasm for these games, it is the fact that the H0rny Ones have been dreadful so far this year. And they seem to be getting worse. They started out being outplayed by Calgary, but forced overtime to escape with a point. That result has been followed by 7 consecutive losses in conference play, and 3 more non-conference losses on a horrid trip through the NCAA. Their leading scorer, Chase Schaber, has 3 goals and 6 assists in 8 games. Nobody else has more than 4 points.

What positives are there for the H0rny Ones? Well, if Viagra isn't working then maybe Cialis or Levitra could work. Or maybe all they needed was an extra week's rest.

The Bisons really need a four point weekend. They are one of 5 teams with 3 losses so far. Before the week off they seemed to be down in numbers, so I'll be interested to see just who dresses for the series.

ELSEWHERE:


CALGARY DINOS (5-3-0, 8-6-0, OHT35 #12)
ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS (7-3-0, 15-3-0, OHT35 #3)

Links:
|> [Live Stats Friday] : [Live Stats Saturday]
|> [Live Video – Friday – CanadaWest.tv]
|> [U of C Preview : [reposted at CW]
|> [U of A Preview]

This home-and-home series could tell us a lot about the Evil Monkeys. They started hot but then fell upon a 3 game losing streak. Then in the last two weekends they steamrolled Lethbridge and Mount Royal. The Dinos seem to be on their way to a traditional solid 4th place finish and will serve as an excellent measuring stick. The Primates have severely outshot their opponents even in their losses, which gives the impression that Calgary may have to "steal" whatever points they might be able to muster.


UBC THUNDERBIRDS (4-3-1, 7-4-1-1, OHT35 #15)
MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS (2-8-0, 3-10-1, OHT35 #27)

Links:
|> [Live Stats Friday] : [Live Stats Saturday]
|> [Live Video – both nights – CanadaWest.tv]
|> [UBC Preview Story] : [Mount Royal Site]

MRU's weak record is somewhat attributable to a tough schedule. They are 1-7 against the Big Three (1-3 v Alberta and 0-2 against each of Sask and Manitoba). Against those teams, UBC have thus far played only Sask and went 0-2. Their only other common opponent is Regina, and they both split. The question is whether MRU are feeling shell-shocked in their first season of CIS hockey.


REGINA COUGARS (5-3-0, 6-9-0, OHT35 #25)
SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES (7-1-0, 9-2-1, OHT35 #1)

Links:
|> [Live Stats Friday] : [Live Stats Saturday]
|> [Live Video – Friday Only – CanadaWest.tv]
|> [U of S Preview Story] : [U of R Site]

The Battle of Banjoland will be a home-and-home series and features two possibly over-achieving teams. Sask is off to a good start and rank 1st in both the OHT35 rankings and the CIS official top ten. Good fortune smiled upon them when they wrangled a split against Manitoba, and even moreso when they swept the Monkeys. Is more good fortune coming their way?

But what about Regina? They were hopelessly outclassed in pre-season games against Manitoba and Sask. They have yet to face either of those teams, or Alberta. So their schedule has not been a tough one. However, they have split their series with UBC, Calgary. and MRU. And they swept Lethbridge.

OUT OF TOWN SCOREBOARD:

Wednesday, November 7 [CIS Wednesday Round-Up]
Saint Mary’s 7 Dalhousie 4
Ryerson 4 Brock 6

Thursday, October 25 [CIS Thursday Round-Up]
Toronto 4 Guelph 7

OUT EAST:

Friday, November 9
Acadia at Saint Mary’s
New Brunswick at St. Thomas
Dalhousie at St. Francis Xavier
UPEI at Moncton
McGill at Western Ontario
Concordia at York
Ryerson at Nipissing
Toronto at Brock
Queen’s at UOIT
Ottawa at Waterloo
UQTR at Lakehead
Carleton at Laurier
RMC at Windsor

Saturday, November 10
Moncton at St. Thomas
Acadia at St. Francis Xavier
New Brunswick at UPEI
Nipissing at York
Ottawa at Western Ontario
McGill at UOIT
Queen’s at Guelph
Carleton at Waterloo
UQTR at Lakehead
Concordia at Laurier
RMC at Windsor

NEWS:

Other than the usual Top Ten release, the only other news story making the rounds was a kerfuffle over officiating in the AUS.
Links: [CIS] : [reposted at CW] : [reposted at Boxscore News] : [OHT35]
CIS Blog: [AUS Players and Fans Deserve Better]

November 9, 2012

BISONS OPEN WITH WIN


LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS 1
MANITOBA BISONS 4

Links:
|> [CIS Friday Round-Up] : [CW Friday Stories]
|> [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
|> [U of M Story] : [reposted at U of L Site]

The Bisons achieved a tidy victory on Friday night. The `Horns clearly utilized their bye week to regroup and recharge. In general they left the impression that they played as well as they could. Problem is, they were still outshot 39-22 and, but for a period of 3-4 minutes in the 2nd period, were dominated.

The Dittmer-Duval-Macaulay line scored three goals to pace the Bison attack. The line notched the only goal in the first period when Ian Duval scored after a period of sustained pressure and a pass from Tyler Dittmer.

Despite being outplayed, the H0rny Ones seemed to get a dose of momentum in the 2nd period when Hayden Rintoul scored a softy. Jesse Deckert seemed to take his eye off a bouncer, and suddenly it was 1-1. However, on a PP Bison captain Dane Crowley took a shot from the point which picked off the water bottle to put the Bisons in front to stay.

After Lethbridge had their moments the Bisons once again took control. Dittmer set up Blair Macaulay with a perfect pass and all Macaulay had to do was dump it into a wide-open net. That goal gave the Bisons a 3-1 lead heading into the 3rd period.

There was not much activity in the 3rd period. Whistles were few and far between and the Bisons appeared to like it that way. There was no scoring until there were less than 4 minutes to go.

The rematch goes Saturday night at 7:00 pm at the Max Bell Arena.

Here's how they lined up:

Manitoba

Goal:
35 Deckert (1 Caligiuri)

Defence:
4 Schappert - 20 Lockerby
5 Christensen - 2 Crowley
3 Mestery - 24 Bobbee

Forwards:
23 Dittmer - 19 Duval - 26 Macaulay
10 Rowinski - 21 Cowan - 9 Lowry
29 Cain - 11 Henry - 27 Feakes
18 Kelly - 25 Ciarelli - 17 Lauder

Scratches:
G: 34 Dubyk
D: 12 Sutherland - 22 Bestland
F: 14 Green - 15 Scott - 16 Paradis - 28 Chartier

Lethbridge

Goal:
29 Ketlo (35 Tait)

Defence:
24 Machacek - 15 Campbell
55 McDougall - 7 McMullen
10 Hlookoff - 4 Lund

Forwards:
14 Chikie - 19 Schaber - 9 Hutt
26 Conway - 17 Fraser - 44 Hall
27 Henke - 12 Iwanski - 18 Letts
21 Mappin - 22 Rintoul - 11 Kalinski

Scratches:
G: 1 Wenham
F: 16 Skauge - 25 McLachlan - 77 Cumiskey

OUT OF TOWN SCOREBOARD:


REGINA COUGARS 1
SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 2
(in overtime)

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

The Battle of Banjoland went to the Mutts over the Kittens, but not before it went into overtime. The Mutts enjoyed a generous lead on the shot clock. But there was no scoring until the 3rd period. The nightcap of the series shifts south to Regina on Saturday.


CALGARY DINOS 2
ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 5

Links:
|> [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
|> [U of A Linescore - Story to come] : [reposted at U of C Site]

I caught the ending of this game on CanadaWest.tv. This was odd: There were only 5 minor penalties in the game but those produced 3 power play goals. The Dinos went 2-for-2 with the man advantage. It would appear that the Evil Monkeys held the edge throughout. The series shifts to Calgary for game 2 on Saturday.


UBC THUNDERBIRDS 7
MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS 2

Links:
|> [[u]LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
|> [MRU Story] : [reposted at UBC Site]

This decisive win for UBC has to raise a few eyebrows. MRU really needs a win in Saturday's rematch if they want to stay at least close to a playoff spot. UBC started fast, outshooting MRU 10-4 whilst building a 2-0 lead after the 1st period. The 2nd period must have been wild, with UBC outscoring MRU 3-2 and outshooting them 16-15. Cole Wilson fired a hat-trick for the Tweety-Birds. Saturday night's rematch is the only game on CanadaWest.tv, but without play-by-play.

OUT EAST:

Friday, November 9
Acadia 3 Saint Mary’s 2 : [CIS boxscore]
New Brunswick 6 St. Thomas 1 : [CIS boxscore]
Dalhousie 4 St. Francis Xavier 5 (ot) : [CIS boxscore]
UPEI 6 Moncton 3 : [CIS boxscore]
McGill 4 Western Ontario 8 : [CIS boxscore]
Concordia 0 York 5 : [CIS boxscore]
Ryerson 3 Nipissing 4 : [CIS boxscore]
Toronto 5 Brock 2 : [Live Stats]
Queen’s 5 UOIT 2 : [CIS boxscore]
Ottawa 2 Waterloo 3 (ot) : [CIS boxscore]
UQTR 3 Lakehead 2 (ot) : [CIS boxscore]
Carleton 1 Laurier 4 : [CIS boxscore]
RMC 0 Windsor 5 : [CIS boxscore]

UP NEXT:

Saturday, November 10
Alberta at Calgary
Lethbridge at Manitoba
Saskatchewan at Regina
UBC at Mount Royal : canadawest.tv
Moncton at St. Thomas
Acadia at St. Francis Xavier
New Brunswick at UPEI
Nipissing at York
Ottawa at Western Ontario
McGill at UOIT
Queen’s at Guelph
Carleton at Waterloo
UQTR at Lakehead
Concordia at Laurier
RMC at Windsor

November 10, 2012

BISONS SWEEP A CHIPPY ENCOUNTER


LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS 2
MANITOBA BISONS 4

Links:
|> [CIS Saturday Round-Up (yet to be posted)] : [CW Saturday Stories]
|> [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
|> [U of M Story] : [reposted at U of L Site]

Saturday's game was very similar to Friday's. The Bisons dominated play (shots were 40-18) and could have really run up the score had they capitalized on their abundant chances. At no point in time did Lethbridge ever give the impression that they would even come close to winning the hockey game.

It is true that the H0rny Ones gave it all they had. They just lack talent to mount a threat. They played it quite chippy and by the last half of the game there were scrums after every whistle. After a bye week they were no doubt prepared for this series. As the season marches on I can easily see them being stomped.

Both sides switched goaltenders, the Bisons replaced Eric Mestery with Brock Sutherland, the `Horns juggled their 3rd and 4th lines, and otherwise the lineups were identical to Friday night.

The Bisons took a 2-0 lead 13 minutes into the 1st period. Jeremy Schappert scored (his 3rd) unassisted from along the boards immediately after a sustained scramble in fron of the Lethbridge net. A few minutes later Luke Cain cashed in (also his 3rd) on a wide-open net.

Tyler Dittmer scored (his 4th) only 9 seconds into the 2nd period, following which the game deteriorated with the pushing, shoving, and cheap shots coming in droves. And the puck seldom leaving the Lethbridge end of the rink.

A mini-comeback was launched 44 seconds into the 3rd period when Hayden Rintoul scored (his 3rd) on a crazy rebound off the glass behind the Bison goal. Thereafter, however, the 'Horns only had 3 more shots on goal. Each team had one more score. Ian Duval cashed in (his 3rd) on the best passing play of the night. Killian Hutt notched his 2nd of the season on a PP for Lethbridge's only orthodox goal of the weekend. Bison Matthew Lowry was snakebit, and even hit the post on an empty-net chance.

The Bisons are off to British California next weekend before coming home for their final two series of the semester, against Regina and Saudi Alberta. Lethbridge plays home-and-away with Mount Royal.

Here's how they lined up:

Manitoba

Goal:
1 Caligiuri (35 Deckert)

Defence:
4 Schappert - 20 Lockerby
5 Christensen - 2 Crowley
12 Sutherland - 24 Bobbee

Forwards:
23 Dittmer - 19 Duval - 26 Macaulay
10 Rowinski - 21 Cowan - 9 Lowry
29 Cain - 11 Henry - 27 Feakes
18 Kelly - 25 Ciarelli - 17 Lauder

Scratches:
G: 34 Dubyk
D: 3 Mestery - 22 Bestland
F: 14 Green - 15 Scott - 16 Paradis - 28 Chartier

Lethbridge

Goal:
35 Tait (29 Ketlo)

Defence:
24 Machacek - 15 Campbell
55 McDougall - 7 McMullen
10 Hlookoff - 4 Lund

Forwards:
14/8 Chikie - 19 Schaber - 9 Hutt
26 Conway - 17 Fraser - 44 Hall
22 Rintoul - 12 Iwanski - 27 Henke
21 Mappin - 11 Kalinski - 18 Letts

Scratches:
G: 1 Wenham
F: 16 Skauge - 25 McLachlan - 77 Cumiskey

OUT OF TOWN SCOREBOARD:


SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 1
REGINA COUGARS 2

Links:
|> [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
|> [U of R Story] : [reposted at U of S Site] : [U of R Friday Story]

Normally when a contender loses to Regina they outshoot them by a wide margin but Regina's goaltender steals the show. However, the Banjo-Mutts had only 20 shots on the Banjo-Cats as the Felines clamped down on the Canines Saturday in Regina.

This win, IMO, makes it official that Regina is a mid-pack team in the CW. They looked gawd-awful in the pre-season, soundly beaten by Manitoba, Sask, and Alaska.

Lucas Gore was in goal for Regina, after Andrew Hayes played Friday. Ryan Holfield started again for Sask, as he has for every game this season. Last year he split games with David Reekie every weekend. Reekie is injured now.

Matt Strueby scored his 5thand Ryan Deck his 1st for the Cougars. Strueby, Tyler Henry, and Troy Hunter account for the vast majority of Regina's goals. D-man Zach Stebner had the Huskies' goal.

IMO, Sask's record is deceptive. They were badly outshot and outplayed in their split with Manitoba and sweep of Alberta. Had they lost those games they would be 5-5 and tied with Calgary for #5. But, wins are wins and so they (justifiably) entered the weekend ranked #1 in both the national CIS Official Top Ten and the OHT35.


ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 4
CALGARY DINOS 4

Links:
|> [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
|> [U of C Story] : [reposted with linescore at U of A Site]

The Evil Monkeys shut down the Dinos in the Town of Bedrock to sweep the home-and-home. But for a 3-game losing skid, the Monkeys have run the table thus far. It seems that the teams replayed Friday's game. Both sides shifted goaltenders, the Dinos using Dustin Butler Friday and Jacob DeSerres Saturday, and Alberta using Kurtis Mucha Friday and Real Cyr Saturday.

Next weekend Alberta is off to Regina and Calgary hosts Sask. IMO these games will help us gauge all four of those teams a little better.


UBC THUNDERBIRDS 3
MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS 2

Links:
|> [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
|> [MRU Story (both games)] : [reposted at UBC Site]

This was a series Her Majesty's Royal Kittens could not afford to lose, but the did. They did outshoot UBC but that is small consolation. This puts MRU a distant 7th in league standings. They need something dramatic, like a sweep of Lethbridge next weekend, if they want back into the race.

UBC will host the Bisons next weekend. This is traditionally a tough road-trip for the Bisons.

OUT EAST:

Saturday, November 10
Moncton 3 St. Thomas 2 : [CIS boxscore]
Acadia 2 St. Francis Xavier 1 : [CIS boxscore]
New Brunswick 3 UPEI 2 : [CIS boxscore]
Nipissing 1 York 2 : [CIS boxscore]
Ottawa 0 Western Ontario 4 : [CIS boxscore]
McGill 3 UOIT 1 : [CIS boxscore]
Queen’s 0 Guelph 4 : [CIS boxscore]
Carleton 3 Waterloo 1 : [CIS boxscore]
UQTR 2 Lakehead 3 : [CIS boxscore]
Concordia 4 Laurier 7 : [CIS boxscore]
RMC 0 Windsor 3 : [CIS boxscore]

UP NEXT:

Thursday, November 15
Waterloo at UOIT
Queen’s at Ryerson
Western Ontario at Laurier

Friday, November 16
Alberta at Regina
Saskatchewan at Calgary
Mount Royal at Lethbridge : canadawest.tv
Manitoba at UBC : on-line audio
Moncton at Saint Mary’s
Dalhousie at New Brunswick
St. Thomas at St. Francis Xavier
Acadia at UPEI
Ottawa at Carleton
Toronto at Nipissing
Ryerson at RMC
Lakehead at Brock
York at Windsor
Guelph at Waterloo
McGill at UQTR

WEEKEND PREVIEW


MANITOBA BISONS (6-3-1, 9-5-1-1, OHT35 #6)
UBC THUNDERBIRDS (6-3-1, 9-4-1-1, OHT35 #14)

Friday, November 16th, 9:00 p.m. CST @ ubc
Saturday, November 17th, 9:00 p.m. CST @ UBC

Live Links:
|> [Live Stats Friday] : [Live Stats Saturday]
|> [On-Line audio - CITR]

Manitoba Links:
|> [U of M Site] : [Roster] : [Schedule/Results]
|> [LS Roster] : [LS Stats] : [LS Schedule/Results]
|> [Twitter] : [Facebook]

UBC Links:
|> [UBC Preview Story]
|> [LS Roster] : [LS Stats] : [LS Schedule/Results]
|> [Twitter] : [Facebook]

Other Links:
|> [CIS Site] : [CIS Schedule/Results/Links]
|> [CW Site] : [CW Schedule/Results/Links]
|> [LeagueStat Daily] : [CW Weekly Media Notes #7] : [CW Preview Story]
|> [Every Link Re: CIS Hockey]

The Herd is thundering off to British California this weekend, a place where they have underperformed in the not-so-distant past. The Tweety-Birds have been, as expected, a solid opponent thus far. At issue is whether they can finally break through into the upper echelons of the CW. While they don't look like a conference champion thus far, they certainly are capable of beating teams. The only teams UBC has yet to play this season are the Bisons and the Monkeys. So a week from Monday we will know all about what kind of team UBC has this year.

For the Bisons, will they split the goaltending duties? Joe Caligiuri had one game against Lethbridge last weekend, but Jesse Deckert had the other and has started 8 of the 10 regular season games thus far. I suspect that if the Macaulay-Duval-Dittmer unit is firing on all cylinders the Bisons could earn a sweep. I will also wonder if the #2 unit, Rowinski-Cowan-Lowry, can convert their good opportunites into goals.

ELSEWHERE:


ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS (9-3-0, 17-3-0, OHT35 #3)
REGINA COUGARS (6-3-1, 7-9-1, OHT35 #17)

Links:
|> [Live Stats Friday] : [Live Stats Saturday]
|> [no on-line audio or video]
|> [U of R Preview Story]

The official CIS rankings have Alberta replacing Sask as #1. Now, I agree that Alberta is the better team. But Sask beat them, twice, already. So the OHT35 has Sask at #1 and Alberta at #3.

But will any of this scare the Banjo-Cats? These cute little kitties looked like they were begging to be euthanized at an over-crowded animal shelter when I saw them in pre-season. In the pre-season coaches' poll they were a consensus #8 in the CW. Once the regular season started these guys found another gear. They have split with Sask, Calgary, UBC, and MRU, and swept Lethbridge. They started the season playing mostly the bottom half of the conference, but last weekend the then #1 Banjo-Mutts had to fight for a split.

The Evil Monkeys have, incredibly, already played 20 games. They lost 3 straight, and in all of those outshot their opponent by a wide margin. If anybody can set the Puddy-Tats back in their place, it is the Primates. Can they succeed where Sask failed? This series will tell us a lot.


MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS (2-10-0, 3-12-1, OHT35 #28)
LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS (0-9-1, 2-14-1, OHT35 #35)

Links:
|> [Live Stats Friday] : [Live Stats Saturday]
|> [Live Video – both nights – CanadaWest.tv]
|> [U of L Preview Story] : [Mount Royal Site]

The New Kittens on the Block have been off to a rough start. However, they have been able to say, "just look at our schedule". They have played 4 games against Alberta and 2 each against Manitoba and Sask. Winning one of those 8 games is not so bad. But last weekend's sweep at the hands of UBC, coupled with an earlier split against Regina, leaves them in a desperate state as they visit Lethbridge.

After a Viagra-less start, the H0rny Ones seemed to have some vigour when they visited Manitoba last weekend after a bye week. Unfortunately, vigour does not substitute for talent. Can Lethbridge use last weekend as a stepping-stone? This weekend has a "last-chance" feel to it, even this early in the season.


SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES (8-2-0, 10-3-1, OHT35 #1)
CALGARY DINOS (5-5-0, 8-8-0, OHT35 #18)

Links:
|> [Live Stats Friday] : [Live Stats Saturday]
|> [no on-line audio or video]
|> [U of C Preview Story] : [U of S Site]

Whilst Sask holds the #1 place in the OHT35, they are on somewhat wobbly ground. Their top line is one of the best, but after that not so much. They are lucky to be hosting the Nationals this year and get the host team berth for that reason.

Calgary is, as always, a solid opponent. Especially on home ice. The Bisons escaped the Town of Bedrock with 3 points, and Sask would glady take such a result for themselves. The rest of the league has but one request: To have only 4 points allocated over the weekend. After they went to triple overtime in game 3 of last year's championship series, one always has to be concerned about overtime and 3 point games.

OUT OF TOWN SCOREBOARD:

Thursday, November 15 [CIS Thursday Round-Up - if they upload it!]
Queen's 4 Ryerson 1
Waterloo 6 UOIT 3
Western Ontario 4 Laurier 3 - OT

OUT EAST:

Friday, November 16
Acadia at UPEI
St. Thomas at St. F-X
Moncton at Saint Mary's
Dalhousie at UNB
Ottawa at Carleton
Ryerson at RMC
Toronto at Nipissing
Lakehead at Brock
Guelph at Waterloo
York at Windsor
McGill at UQTR

NEWS:

The CIS Blog throws in a "games to watch" story in addition to the Top Ten news release from the CIS.
Links: [CIS] : [reposted at CW and Boxscore News] : [OHT35]
CIS Blog: [Suggestions for games to watch this weekend ]

November 16, 2012

THUNDERBIRDS TAKE THE OPENER


MANITOBA BISONS 2
UBC THUNDERBIRDS 5

Links:
|> [CIS Friday Round-Up] : [CW Friday Stories]
|> [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
|> [UBC Game Story] : [reposted at U of M Site]
|> [On-line audio at CITR.ca]

The Bisons walked into British California and outshot their hosts 41-19 yet lost 5-2 in a game they once trailed 4-0. I listened to the first period on-line before falling asleep. So all I know is from the summary.

The 1st period was scoreless and the Bisons outshot the 'Birds 15-6, so all seemed well.

The 2nd period saw the Bisons outshoot UBC 16-8. However, UBC scored on 3 of those 8 shots to chase starting goaltender Jesse Deckert from the Bison goal.

After scoring early in the 3rd, UBC allowed the Bisons to again control the 3rd period. The Bisons scored twice (Dane Crowley scored his 4th and Paul Ciarelli his 1st as a Bison) before an empty-netter on a PP sealed the deal for UBC.

OUT OF TOWN SCOREBOARD:


MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS 3
LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS 4

Links:
|> [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
|> [U of L Game Story] : [reposted at MRU Site]

The H0rny Ones have done it! Victory at last. This is their finest hour.

The New Kittens on the Block rolled up a 2-0 lead after the 1st period and Lethbridge could have folded their tent. Instead, they outshot MRU 20-10 in the 2nd period and levelled the score. The 3rd period was for all the marbles and Lethbridge was not to be denied on home ice.

Saturday's rematch is the only game available on CanadaWest.tv.


ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 3
REGINA COUGARS 2
(in overtime)

Links:
|> [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
|> [U of R Game Story] : [reposted with linescore at U of A Site]

The Banjo-Cats now have too many good results to be taken lightly after their dismal pre-season. The Evil Monkeys were forced to endure a trip to Regina and found themselves down 2-0 on goals from Tyler Henry (7th) and Sanfred King (3rd). The bananas for goals incentive program worked as Primates Rhett Rachinski (2nd) and Jordan Hickmott (11th) tied the game before Kruise Reddick (3rd) scored a PP goal in OT.


SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 0
CALGARY DINOS 8

Links:
|> [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
|> [U of C Game Story] : [reposted at U of S Site]

The Banjo-Mutts were flattered by their good record thus far, and they really fell back to Earth with a massive thud on Friday night. Jimmy Bubnick and Derek Hulak were both missing from the Sask line-up and this result may show just how little depth they have. Jacob DeSerres was in goal once again for the Bedrock Boys, for the 2nd game in a row. Ryan Holfeld was pulled 5 minutes into the 3rd period, once it was 6-0. Blake Voth saw his first action of the season.

OUT EAST:

Friday, November 16
Acadia 4 UPEI 2 : [CIS boxscore]
St. Thomas 1 St. Francis Xavier 4 : [CIS boxscore]
Moncton 3 Saint Mary's 2 - OT : [CIS boxscore]
Dalhousie 3 UNB 6 : [CIS boxscore]
Ottawa 3 Carleton 6 : [CIS boxscore]
Ryerson 4 RMC 2 : [CIS boxscore]
Toronto 1 Nipissing 2 - OT : [CIS boxscore]
Lakehead 5 Brock 2 : [CIS boxscore]
Guelph 2 Waterloo 1 - SO : [CIS boxscore]
York 0 Windsor 2 : [CIS boxscore]
McGill 1 UQTR 3 : [CIS boxscore]

UP NEXT:

Saturday, November 17
Saskatchewan at Calgary
Alberta at Regina
Lethbridge at Mount Royal : canadawest.tv
Manitoba at UBC : audio at CITR.ca
Acadia at New Brunswick
St. Thomas at Saint Mary’s
Moncton at St. Francis Xavier
Dalhousie at UPEI
Carleton at Concordia
UOIT at Guelph
Brock at Western Ontario
York at Windsor
Nipissing at Queen’s
Lakehead at Laurier
RMC at Toronto

Sunday, November 18
Concordia at Ottawa

November 17, 2012

BISONS LOSE MARATHON


MANITOBA BISONS 1
UBC THUNDERBIRDS 2
(in double overtime)

Links:
|> [CIS Saturday Round-Up] : [CW Friday Stories]
|> [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
|> [UBC Game Story] : [to be reposted at U of M Site]

The Bisons and 'Birds played this one tight to the vest. Each side scored once in the 1st period and then nothing at all until the 2nd overtime was almost ready to give way to a shoot-out. While the Bisons cannot be happy about the sweep, they at least escape with a point. With the first trip around the league coming to a conclusion next weekend, there exists a very tight race for places 2-6.

Of note, Joe Caligiuri was the Bison goaltender, Dylan Kelly scored his first goal as a Bison, Austin Lauder did not dress and the Bisons played one man short, and the Macauly-Duval-Dittmer line was 0-for-11 in shots on goal.

OUT OF TOWN SCOREBOARD:


LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS 2
MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS 3
(in double overtime)

Links:
|> [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
|> [MRU Game Story] : [reposted at U of L Site]

The New Kittens on the Block needed a win (actually, the same can be said for the H0rny Ones). Anyhow, this split was likely warranted and also denies both sides the sweep they needed to get in the same time zone as a playoff race. Lethbridge took a 1-0 lead after the 1st period. But Mount Royal amassed 36 shots over the 2nd and 3rd periods and pulled into a draw. On the night the shots were 52-31 for MRU, a rather incredible total. Here's an interesting quip:

Prior to Saturday’s game Mount Royal University honoured their military history with an on-ice ceremony. The Cougars also wore throw-back jerseys that had poppies emblazoned on the front.

The school’s campus is built on the former site of the Number 3 Flying Training School for pilots. Since the institution’s founding in 1910, 28 members of the Mount Royal community have given their lives while serving Canada. The school remembers those service people with 28 military memorial bursaries, each in the name of a fallen soldier.

ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 5
REGINA COUGARS 2

Links:
|> [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
|> [U of R Game Story] : [reposted with linescore at U of A Site]

After the Banjo-Cats threw a scare into the Evil Monkeys on Friday night, the rematch was more according to script. Still, the shots were 37-28, not the one-sided butt-kicking we might have seen in the pre-season had these two played. Torrie Dyck scored a hat-trick for the Apes (giving him 9 on the year).

These teams will be the Bisons opponents the next two weekends, the last games the Bisons will have this semester, and both at home.


SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 5
CALGARY DINOS 4

Links:
|> [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
|> [U of C Game Story] : [reposted at U of S Site]

After an 8-0 drubbing on Friday, one has to give the Banjo-Mutts credit for rallying their troops and, in the end, escaping with a split.

Calgary seemed to pick up where they left off, leading 2-0 after the 1st period and outshooting their Hillbilly guests 18-6 in the process. What makes the Sask rally more remarkable is that they scored 5 goals on only 17 shots over the 2nd and 3rd periods. Dustin Butler was back in Calgary's goal while Ryan Holfeld was yet again in the Doghouse.

OUT EAST:

Saturday, November 17
Acadia 2 New Brunswick 4 : [CIS boxscore]
St. Thomas 0 Saint Mary’s 4 : [CIS boxscore]
Moncton 3 St. Francis Xavier 4 (ot) : [CIS boxscore]
Dalhousie 4 UPEI 1 : [CIS boxscore]
Carleton 3 Concordia 2 : [CIS boxscore]
UOIT 1 Guelph 3 : [CIS boxscore]
Brock 4 Western Ontario 5 : [CIS boxscore]
York 1 Windsor 4 : [CIS boxscore]
Nipissing 4 Queen’s 3 : [CIS boxscore]
Lakehead 2 Laurier 4 : [CIS boxscore]
RMC 0 Toronto 7 : [CIS boxscore]

UP NEXT:

Sunday, November 18
Concordia at Ottawa

Thursday, November 22
Calgary at Mount Royal : canadawest.tv
Laurier at York
Western Ontario at Guelph

Friday, November 23
Regina at Manitoba
Lethbridge at Saskatchewan
UBC at Alberta : canadawest.tv
Mount Royal at Calgary
Dalhousie at Acadia
St. Thomas at Moncton
St. Francis Xavier at Saint Mary’s
UPEI at New Brunswick
Toronto at McGill
Queen’s at Ottawa
Waterloo at Western Ontario
Ryerson at UQTR
RMC at Carleton
UOIT at Brock
Windsor at Lakehead
Nipissing at Concordia

WEEKEND PREVIEW


REGINA COUGARS (6-4-2, 7-10-2, OHT35 #16)
MANITOBA BISONS (6-4-2, 9-6-2-1, OHT35 #9)

Friday, November 23rd, 7:00 p.m. CST @ Max Bell Arena - U of M
Saturday, November 24th, 7:00 p.m. CST @ Max Bell Arena - U of M

Live Links:
|> [Live Stats Friday] : [Live Stats Saturday]
|> [no on-line audio or video]

Manitoba Links:
|> [U of M Story] : [Roster] : [Schedule/Results]
|> [LS Roster] : [LS Stats] : [LS Schedule/Results]
|> [Twitter] : [Facebook]

Regina Links:
|> [Regina Site]
|> [LS Roster] : [LS Stats] : [LS Schedule/Results]
|> [Twitter] : [Facebook]

Other Links:
|> [CIS Site] : [CIS Schedule/Results/Links]
|> [CW Site] : [CW Schedule/Results/Links]
|> [LeagueStat Daily] : [CW Weekly Media Notes #8] : [CW Preview Story]
|> [Every Link Re: CIS Hockey (newly updated this week!)]
|> [Jesse Deckert - WHL Grad of the Month] : [also at CW]

This weekend wraps up the first half of the season in the CW, after which every team will have played one series against each other team. (Except that MRU and Alberta played their second series early in a bye week.)

The Banjo-Cats are coming into the Max Bell Arena for the second time this season, the first coming in pre-season. At that time they looked every bit as bad as they were last season. The Bisons whipped them three times in pre-season, as did Sask. and the two Alaskan teams.

But somehow this rag-tag collection has pulled it together. Maybe not showing enough to be a contender but at least enough to get back to the mid-pack level at which they have typically been over the years.

Both sides are 6-4-2 in conference play, which makes this series a big one. Regina's record may be overstated, but not by much. The Bisons have the potential for a much better record. After a bad opening weekend in Edmontown, they have either picked up points or lost a game where they outshot their opponent. The Bisons have the 2nd best defensive record in the league. Their offence is generating shots but not yet getting the goals. A slightly higher conversion ratio on their scoring chances would vault them into 2nd place. That, however, could be easier said than done.

ELSEWHERE:


UBC THUNDERBIRDS (8-3-1, 11-4-1-1, OHT35 #5)
ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS (11-3-0, 19-3-0, OHT35 #1)

Links:
|> [Live Stats Friday] : [Live Stats Saturday]
|> [Live Video - both nights – CanadaWest.tv]
|> [UBC Preview Story] : [Alberta Preview Story]

The Tweety-Birds have been solidly moving up the standings and now face the Evil Monkeys. This weekend could tell us whether they will be mounting a threat to at last move into the hgh rent district. However, I tend to think that any points they get will be a bonus. The Monkeys lead the league in both offence and defence.


CALGARY DINOS (6-6-0, 9-9-0, OHT35 #19)
MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS (3-11-0, 4-13-1, OHT35 #30)

Links:
|> [Live Stats Thursday] : [Live Stats Friday]
|> [Live Video – Thursday – CanadaWest.tv]
|> [MRU Preview Story] : [Calgary Preview Story]

Calgary seem to be spinning their wheels. The New Kittens on the Block will be up for a series against their cross-town rivals. These match-ups are always fraught with danger. This series, along with the match-ups between these schools in other sports, are part of the Crowchild Classic. So expect some fireworks. I know that the Duckworth Challenge between Manitoba and Winnipeg always draws extra attention.


LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS (1-9-2, 3-14-2, OHT35 #35)
SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES (9-3-0, 11-4-1, OHT35 #2)

Links:
|> [Live Stats Friday] : [Live Stats Saturday]
|> [no on-line audio or video]
|> [U of L Preview Story] : [U of S Preview Story]

So, have the H0rny Ones finally found themselves? After a bye week, they found some intensity against Manitoba, and then a win against Mount Royal. I know the rest of the conference would love to see them steal a point or two this weekend. After Sask lost 8-0 to Calgary, they must be considered a possibility to lose on any given night.

OUT EAST:

Thursday, November 22
Laurier at York
Western Ontario at Guelph

Friday, November 23
Dalhousie at Acadia
St. Thomas at Moncton
St. Francis Xavier at Saint Mary’s
UPEI at New Brunswick
Toronto at McGill
Queen’s at Ottawa
Waterloo at Western Ontario
Ryerson at UQTR
RMC at Carleton
UOIT at Brock
Windsor at Lakehead
Nipissing at Concordia

NEWS:

The usual rankings releases are accompanied by a story on Torrie Dyck, an Evil Monkey acquired from the ACAC.
Links: [CIS] : [reposted at CW and Boxscore News] : [OHT35]
Edmonton Journal: [Evan Daum's story on Torrie Dyck]

“Any time you get to play with Ringrose and Lazo, you could put Elmer Fudd on their line and he’d score goals. That definitely factors into a lot as well,” Dyck said of his impressive offensive numbers.

November 23, 2012

BISONS SEND KITTENS TO INGLORIOUS DEFEAT - REMATCH GOES SATURDAY AT 2:30 PM


REGINA COUGARS 0
MANITOBA BISONS 6

Links:
|> [awaiting upload: CIS Friday Round-Up] : [CW Friday Stories]
|> [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
|> [U of M Game Story]

The Banjo-Cats looked like they were overwhelmed by their trip to civilization. The Bisons scored early and often leaving the Kittens looking as sad and disheartened as a feline can be.

Frankly, based on tonight's performance I am wondering how Regina managed 6 wins and 2 OTLs against the rest of the league. They looked like the same sad-sacks the Bisons trampled twice in pre-season, and last year as well. They also surrendered quite meekly without the chippiness (or intensity) of the H0rny Ones two weeks ago.

Six different Bisons scored on the evening. James Henry (2nd) and Luke Cain (4th) gave the Herd a 2-0 lead before the crowd was even settled. The 1st period was then mostly one-way traffic with the Bisons doubling the Cougars 18-9 on the shot clock. A last-minute goal by Tyler Dittmer (5th) made it 3-0.

The only goal of the 2nd period came early from Brandon Lockerby (1st) on a point shot which at first they thought was deflected by Henry for his second of the night. The Bisons outshot the Hillbillies 14-5. By the end of the period each side only had one minor penalty each.

There was absolutely no threat pf a 3rd period comeback. Dylan Kelly (2nd) scored after 3 minutes and then Matthew Lowry (4th) scored shorthanded after 6. Jesse Deckert stopped 22 shots, including a breakaway from Carter Selinger in the final 2 minutes.

Here's how they lined up:

Manitoba

Goal:
35 Deckert (1 Caligiuri)

Defence:
4 Schappert - 20 Lockerby
5 Christensen - 2 Crowley
3 Mestery - 24 Bobbee

Forwards:
23 Dittmer - 19 Duval - 26 Macaulay
21 Cowan - 9 Lowry - 10 Rowinski
29 Cain - 11 Henry - 27 Feakes
18 Kelly - 25 Ciarelli - 16 Paradis

Scratches:
G: 34 Dubyk
D: 12 Sutherland - 22 Bestland
F: 14 Green - 15 Scott - 17 Lauder - 28 Chartier

Regina

Goal:
35 Gore (30 Hayes)

Defence:
8 Friedel - 5 Reeves
4 Sonntag - 18 Nielson
7 Schneider - 2 Deck

Forwards:
29 Strueby - 10 Henry - 17 Selinger
13 Appleyard - 14 Cuthbert - 9 Penny
16 Nargang - 15 Murray - 19 King
24 Szucki - 12 Brennan - 20 Sawka

The Bisons' 3rd line was the most productive, with 3 goals. Henry (with a goal and two assists) was the 1st star, followed by Deckert and Lockerby.

Please note that Saturday's game starts at 2:30 p.m.

OUT OF TOWN SCOREBOARD:


LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS 3
SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 4

Links:
|> [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
|> [U of S Game Story] : [reposted at U of L Site]

The H0rny Ones came close to pulling an upset. They walked into Saskatown and staked themselves to a 2-1 lead after the 1st period. But they could not hang on. They were outshot 30-11 over the final two periods and only a last minute goal by themselves made it close.


UBC THUNDERBIRDS 0
ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 2

Links:
|> [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
|> [U of A Game Story with Linescore (to be posted)] : [UBC Game Story]

This one was on CanadaWest.tv, as will be the Saturday rematch. The Evil Monkeys had to fight hard for the win. Kurtis Mucha needed only 21 saves for the shutour. The final goal was an empty-netter.


Thursday:
CALGARY DINOS 2
MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS 3

Links:
|> [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
|> [MRU Game Story] : [reposted at U of C Site]

Friday:
MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS 1
CALGARY DINOS 4

Links:
|> [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
|> [U of C Game Story] : [MRU Gmae Story]

These cross-town rivals played a home-and-home series in the Town of Bedrock as part of the Crowchild Classic multi-sport competition. This one went Thursday-Friday, with the New Kittens on the Block taking game 1 before the Dinos rallied to salvage a split.

Thursday's game was a defensive one. MRU built up a 3-2 after two periods, while edging Calgary 15-14 in shots. MRU then played cling on in the 3rd, being outshot 13-4 in a scoreless period.

The Dinos had the edge throughout Friday's rematch. Only a goal with 5+ minutes left broke the shutout for MRU.

Calgary once again split the games between goaltenders Jacob Deserres (Thursday) and Dustin Butler (Friday). Neither one seems to be hitting full stride.

OUT EAST:

Thursday, November 22
Laurier 2 York 4
Western Ontario 2 Guelph 1

Friday, November 23
Dalhousie 1 Acadia 4
St. Thomas 4 Moncton 1
St. Francis Xavier 2 Saint Mary’s 5
UPEI 3 New Brunswick 4
Toronto 2 McGill 3
Queen’s 1 Ottawa 2
Waterloo 5 Western Ontario 6
Ryerson 3 UQTR 7
RMC 3 Carleton 5
UOIT 4 Brock 6
Windsor 2 Lakehead 4
Nipissing 5 Concordia 6

UP NEXT:

Saturday, November 24
Regina at Manitoba
UBC at Alberta
Lethbridge at Saskatchewan
St. Francis Xavier at Dalhousie
Saint Mary’s at Acadia
New Brunswick at Moncton
UPEI at St. Thomas
Ryerson at Concordia
Toronto at UQTR
Queen’s at Carleton
Nipissing at McGill
RMC at Ottawa
York at UOIT
Brock at Waterloo
Windsor at Lakehead
Laurier at Guelph

November 24, 2012

BISONS SWEEP BANJO-CATS


REGINA COUGARS 2
MANITOBA BISONS 7

Links:
|> [awaiting upload: CIS Saturday Round-Up] : [CW Saturday Stories]
|> [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
|> [U of M Game Story] : [U of R Series Story]

The Banjo-Cats opened and closed the scoring, which would normally be a good sign. Problem is that in between there were 7 unanswered goals by the Bisons.

Darren Bestland made his return to the Bison line-up and got a penalty right off the bat. Carter Selinger then scored the first goal of the weekend and the Hillbillies had broken the goose egg. James Henry (3rd) and Brendan Rowinski (2nd), both scoring with set-ups from defencemen, gave the Herd the lead heading into the intermission.

The 2nd period was where the Bisons turned out the lights for their Hillbilly neighbours. They outshot them 20-8 and outscored them 4-0. Blair Macaulay (6th) scored a sniper's goal on a PP, Henry (4th) converted a 3-way passing play, Travis Bobbee (2nd) scored on a PP point shot, and Jeremy Schappert (4th) picked a rebound out of mid-air on another PP.

The 3rd period was just an exercise in letting the clock tick down. Tyler Dittmer (6th) converted a nice passing play and it was 7-1. The period was grinding to a halt with the Kittens rarely doing anything when suddenly Mark Schneider scored in the last minute.

Here's how they lined up:

Manitoba

Goal:
35 Deckert (1 Caligiuri)

Defence:
4 Schappert - 20 Lockerby
22 Bestland - 2 Crowley
3 Mestery - 24 Bobbee

Forwards:
23 Dittmer - 19 Duval - 26 Macaulay
21 Cowan - 9 Lowry - 10 Rowinski
29 Cain - 11 Henry - 27 Feakes
18 Kelly - 25 Ciarelli - 16 Paradis

Scratches:
G: 34 Dubyk
D: 5 - Christensen - 12 Sutherland
F: 14 Green - 15 Scott - 17 Lauder - 28 Chartier

Regina

Goal:
30 Hayes (35 Gore)

Defence:
8 Friedel - 5 Reeves
4 Sonntag - 18 Nielson
7 Schneider - 2 Deck

Forwards:
29 Strueby - 14 Cuthbert* - 17 Selinger
16 Nargang - 12 Brennan* - 24 Szucki
13 Appleyard - 15 Murray* - 9 Penny
11 Lange - 14 Cuthbert* - 20 Sawka
* the three centres rotated with the four pairs of wingers
6 - Sawa - listed at LeagueStat but was not seen out there

Scratches:
G: 1 Kilgore
F: 10 Henry 19 King 21 Hladun 22 Hunter

The two teams have now played one series against each team in the league. The Bisons are 8-4-2 and are in 3rd place, while Regina must be happy with a 6-6-2 record and a tie for 5th place.

OUT OF TOWN SCOREBOARD:


LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS 4
SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 9

Links:
|> [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
|> [U of S Game Story] : [reposted at [U of L Site]

After the H0rny Ones threw a scare into the Banjo-Mutts on Friday night, the Banjo-Mutts put the boots to their guests on Saturday. I see that Lethbridge had to play two men down. Despite the one-sided win, Ryan Holfield again went the distance in the Husky goal, as he has done every game this year. The Huskies amassed 50 shots on goal to 25 by Lethbridge.

Here's an interesting stat: With the two games this weekend the Huskies have now only outshot their opponents in 6 of 14 games. They are also 8-1-0 in one-goal games.


UBC THUNDERBIRDS 2
ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 6

Links:
|> [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore (check for upload)]
|> [to be updated: U of A Game Story with Linescore] : [UBC Game Story]

This one was on CanadaWest.tv. However, it was a very one-sided game. However, the boys from British California were hanging in after two periods, trailing only 2-1. In the 3rd period the Evil Monkeys outshot the Tweety-Birds 15-4 and scored four unanswered goals. Saudi Alberta has now outshot their opponents in every game so far.

OUT EAST:

|> [AUS Box Scores] : [OUA Box Scores]

Saturday, November 24
St. Francis Xavier 5 Dalhousie 2
Saint Mary’s 3 Acadia 2 (ot)
New Brunswick 6 Moncton 2
UPEI 4 St. Thomas 3
Ryerson 0 Concordia 4
Toronto 2 UQTR 6
Queen’s 2 Carleton 4
Nipissing 3 McGill 4
RMC 0 Ottawa 2
York 5 UOIT 1
Brock 2 Waterloo 3 (ot)
Windsor 7 Lakehead 4
Laurier 0 Guelph 2

STANDINGS:

``Team``````````GP`` W`` L``OL PTS

1 Alberta`````` 16``13`` 3`` 0``26
2 Saskatchewan``14``11`` 3`` 0``22
3 Manitoba``````14`` 8`` 4`` 2``18
4 UBC`````````` 14`` 8`` 5`` 1``17
5 Calgary`````` 14`` 7`` 7`` 0``14
6 Regina````````14`` 6`` 6`` 2``14
7 Mount Royal`` 16`` 4``12`` 0`` 8
8 Lethbridge````14`` 1``11`` 2`` 4

UP NEXT:

Thursday, November 29
Lethbridge at Calgary
Western Ontario at York
Laurier at UOIT

Friday, November 30
Alberta at Manitoba
Mount Royal at Saskatchewan
Regina at UBC
Saint Mary’s at St. Thomas
New Brunswick at Dalhousie
St. Francis Xavier at Moncton
UPEI at Acadia
UQTR at RMC
Waterloo at Brock
McGill at Ryerson
Guelph at Windsor
Ottawa at Toronto
Concordia at Queen’s
Carleton at Nipissing

WEEKEND PREVIEW


ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS (13-3-0, 21-3-0, OHT35 #1)
MANITOBA BISONS (8-4-2, 11-6-2-1, OHT35 #10)

Friday, November 30th, 7:00 p.m. CST @ Max Bell Arena - U of M
Saturday, December 1st, 7:00 p.m. CST @ Max Bell Arena - U of M

Live Links:
|> [Live Stats Friday] : [Live Stats Saturday]
|> [Live Audio - Friday - 101.5 UMFM.ca]

Manitoba Links:
|> [U of M Preview Story - site has links to roster and schedule/results]
|> [LS Roster] : [LS Stats] : [LS Schedule/Results]
|> [Twitter] : [Facebook]

Alberta Links:
|> [Alberta Site]
|> [LS Roster] : [LS Stats] : [LS Schedule/Results]
|> [Twitter] : [Facebook]

Prior Games:
|> [Sept 28: Alberta 4-2] : [Sept 29: Alberta 7-2]

Other Links:
|> [CIS Site] : [CIS Schedule/Results/Links]
|> [CW Site] : [CW Schedule/Results/Links]
|> [LeagueStat Daily] : [CW Weekly Media Notes #9] : [CW Preview Story]
|> [Every Link Re: CIS Hockey (updated with Wikia historical results)]

The Evil Monkeys will be in Winnipeg for their only regular season appearance and it should be quite a confrontation. IMO, the Apes are unlucky to be only 13-3. In their 3 losses they outplayed and outshot their opponents by a wide margin. Check the LeagueStat links to get their past summaries if you want. They lead the league in GF and GA.

So how can the Bisons win? Well, they are 2nd in GA. So if anybody can cage the Monkeys, it is them. And we need to look at the size factor. The Bisons have big strong players throughout their line-up, whilst the Monkeys are rife with quick little buggers. Of late the Cain-Henry-Feakes line has been racking up the goals for the Bisons. The two big wingers set up Henry and also grind down the opponent. We'll see how they do against the Primates.

This weekend marks the start of the second half of the season and brings to an end the first semester. After this weekend it is time for exams and a Christmas break lasting until January 4th. Alberta pre-played MRU during a bye week, so when play resumes Jan. 4-5 they will play a non-conference series against NAIT while the Bisons will travel to Sask. So if the Bisons can sweep the next two series they would be in a first place tie. Easier said than done, for sure, but it represents the only path they might have to first place.

ELSEWHERE:


LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS (1-11-2, 3-16-2, OHT35 #35)
CALGARY DINOS (7-7-0, 10-10-0, OHT35 #18)

Links:
|> [Live Stats Thursday] : [Live Stats Saturday]
|> [Live Video - Saturday – CanadaWest.tv]
|> [U of C Preview Story] : [U of L Preview Story]

This series is a Thursday-Saturday home-and-home, which is unique. Calgary is at the mid-point of the OHT35. Can they vault themselves into the CW top 4? If that is their aim they need 4 points against the H0rny Ones. While the Dinos roster took some hits this year they should be capable of a rally. The H0rny Ones have been putting in the effort but I think they'd be thrilled with 2 points on the weekend.


MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS (4-12-0, 5-14-1, OHT35 #28)
SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES (11-3-0, 13-4-1, OHT35 #3)

Links:
|> [Live Stats Friday] : [Live Stats Saturday]
|> [no on-line audio or video]
|> [U of S Preview Story] : [MRU News]

Sask have been stumbling of late and probably are looking forward to a break. Ryan Holfield has started every game in goal, due to the absence of Dave Reekie. The rest of the league would be shocked to see MRU steal any points from Sask in this series. Sask needed a last second goal in the season opener to be the New Kittens on the Block.


REGINA COUGARS (6-6-2, 7-12-2, OHT35 #19)
UBC THUNDERBIRDS (8-5-1, 11-6-1-1, OHT35 #13)

Links:
|> [Live Stats Friday] : [Live Stats Saturday]
|> [no on-line audio or video]
|> [UBC Preview Story] : [U of R Site]

Regina had a surprising first half and after seeing them I have my doubts that they will get another 14 points in the 2nd half. UBC is better at home than on the road. Still, all eyes will be on the Puddy-Tats to see if they'll catch that bloody Tweety-Bird or get an umbrella upside the head.

OUT EAST:

Thursday, November 29
Western Ontario at York
Laurier at UOIT

Friday, November 30
Saint Mary’s at St. Thomas
New Brunswick at Dalhousie
St. Francis Xavier at Moncton
UPEI at Acadia
UQTR at RMC
Waterloo at Brock
McGill at Ryerson
Guelph at Windsor
Ottawa at Toronto
Concordia at Queen’s
Carleton at Nipissing

NEWS:

The CIS Blog has a story on the AUS. Otherwise all we have is the usual rankings releases.
Links: [CIS] : [reposted at CW] : [OHT35]
CIS Blog: [AUS Update]

November 29, 2012

OUT OF TOWN SCOREBOARD:


LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS 1
CALGARY DINOS 10

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

What a whuppin'. But before we get too big on the Dinos, remember that they opened with an 8-0 win over Sask not so long ago, yet walked away from the weekend with 2 points when Sask took game 2.

It looks like the H0rny Ones did a double yank on their goaltenders. Ketlo started and gave up 5 goals, and was. pulled with 6:52 left. Tait then proceeded to surrender 4 goals on 9 shots to finish the period and they went back to Ketlo for the 3rd.

OUT EAST:

|> [AUS Box Scores] : [OUA Box Scores]

Western Ontario 10 York 5
Laurier 3 UOIT 5

November 30, 2012

SHOOTOUT DECIDES OPENER


ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 3
MANITOBA BISONS 2
(in shoot-out)

Links:
|> [awaiting upload: CIS Friday Round-Up] : [CW Friday Stories]
|> [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
|> [U of M Game Story] : [reposted at U of A Linescore]

This was a hard-fought game throughout and, in the end, was decided by one of those dreadful shootouts. It was also a game where nobody scored an even-strength goal.

My impression of the Evil Monkeys is that they are a very vulnerable team. Basically, they lack character. They are a team of divers. Rather than hit, they poke their sticks at their opponents' skates. I can see where they have used superior depth to rack up wins. That might work well during the regular season. In the playoffs? Ask the Sedins.

The good news for the Bisons was that both goals came from the snake-bit 2nd line, with Matt Lowry notching his 4th and 5th goals of the season. The other lines generated their fair share of scoring chances as well. In all, each line gave as good as they got.

IMO the star of the game was Kurtis Mu-u-ucha in the Monkey goal. On separate power plays he stopped Ian Duval and Del Cowan on breakaways they had from across centre. Either one of those short-handed goals could have turned the game around.

Here's how they lined up:

Manitoba

Goal:
35 Deckert (1 Caligiuri)

Defence:
4 Schappert - 20 Lockerby
22 Bestland - 2 Crowley
3 Mestery - 24 Bobbee

Forwards:
23 Dittmer - 19 Duval - 26 Macaulay
21 Cowan - 9 Lowry - 10 Rowinski
29 Cain - 11 Henry - 27 Feakes
18 Kelly - 25 Ciarelli - 16 Paradis

Scratches:
G: 34 Dubyk
D: 5 Christensen - 12 Sutherland
F: 14 Green - 15 Scott - 17 Lauder - 28 Chartier

Alberta

Goal:
31 Mucha (32 Cyr)

Defence:
15 Joe 22 Craige
52 Rowley 5 Carr
6 Lindemulder 25 Barteuax

Forwards:
12 Hickott 11 Reddick 40 Koper
20 Rachinski 8 Ferguson 19 Dailey
16 Ringrose 23 Dyck 9 Lazo
18 Dobrowolski 21 Gardiner 37 Toomey

Scratches:
7 Nichol 10 Laplante 14 Rogers
17 Gullimore 26 Yadlowski 28 Meropoulis
55 Smith

OUT OF TOWN SCOREBOARD:


MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS 2
SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 6

Links:
|> [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
|> [U of S Game Story] : [reposted at MRU Site]

The Banjo-Mutts scored 3 goals in less than 7 minutes after the drop of the puck and that ended hopes for the New Kittens on the Block. Kyle Bortis scored his 5th and 6th goals for Sask, allowing him first choice of tunes at the post-game accordion party.


REGINA COUGARS 0
UBC THUNDERBIRDS 3

Links:
|> [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
|> [UBC Game Story with video]

This was a must-win for the Tweety-Birds if they wish to escape their life-long status as a bottom-half team in the CW. Steven Stanford, #2 goalie, posted the shut-out. The Banjo-Cats outshot the hosts 21-15 over the first two periods yet trailed 2-0. Rather then pour it on in the 3rd, the Cats had only 2 shots the entire period and surrendered meekly.

OUT EAST:

Friday, November 30
UPEI 1 Acadia 3
UNB 5 Dalhousie 2
StFX 4 Moncton 3 - OT
Saint Mary's 3 St. Thomas 2
Carleton 3 Nipissing 2 - OT
UQTR 4 RMC 3 - 2OT
Waterloo 3 Brock 4
McGill 4 Ryerson 2
Concordia 2 Queen's 3 - 2OT
Windsor 2 Guelph 3
Ottawa 4 Toronto 6

UP NEXT:

Saturday, December 1
Alberta at Manitoba
Mount Royal at Saskatchewan
Calgary at Lethbridge
Regina at UBC
Saint Mary’s at Moncton
New Brunswick at Acadia
St. Francis Xavier at St. Thomas
UPEI at Dalhousie
Carleton at Ryerson
Ottawa at Nipissing
McGill at RMC
UOIT at Waterloo
Guelph at Windsor
Concordia at Toronto
York at Laurier
UQTR at Queen’s

OTHER STORIES:

By Sheryl Ubelacker, The Canadian Press: Concussions in male, female varsity hockey players more common than reported - READ THE STORY, it was based on CIS players:

But getting coaches and team trainers to recognize when a player may have suffered a concussion and needs to be pulled from the ice for assessment — and possibly from further play for a time — continues to be a huge challenge, said Echlin, who works with injured athletes at the Elliott Sports Medicine Clinic in Burlington, Ont.

"Once you start removing players and testing them, then it becomes oppositional," he said, noting there was "huge pushback" during the study, in which physicians observed 55 regular- and post-season games played by the varsity squads.

As one physician-observer reported: "I had negative feedback from the coach who thought that the study was a waste of money ... he didn't want his players to get assessed in fear that they would be declared as concussed and advised not to play ... the players didn't want to be declared as concussed since it would limit their playing time."

In another incident, a player diagnosed with a minor concussion in the second period was sent back on the ice for the third. At the end of the game, the player said she was still feeling “iffy” and “off” and slightly dizzy.

The study doctor advised that she be excluded from upcoming games to give her brain time to heal, Echlin writes in an editorial overview of three linked studies published in the journal Neurosurgical Focus.

While the coach acknowledged the symptoms were concerning and the player “had the rest of her life ahead of her,” she challenged the doctor's authority to make the call — even though her own career playing hockey had been ended due to multiple concussions.

By Ashley Prest, Winnipeg Free Press: Bison blur kills with speed, smarts - This is a profile of Blair Macaulay and his ascent from grinder to goal scorer.

December 1, 2012

BISONS SQUASH PRIMATES


ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 2
MANITOBA BISONS 4

Links:
|> [CIS Saturday Round-Up] : [CW Saturday Stories]
|> [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
|> [U of M Game Story] : [reposted at U of A Linescore]

This year's Monkeys are a frustrating team to watch. Those bogus pokes at skates and the dives really wore thin. Maybe some game film should be circulated to refs so they can be forewarned.

The Bisons never had the clear-cut breakaways like they did Friday night when killing penalties, but they still had numerous quality chances. On both nights, rather than racking up high shot totals they instead had lots of 2-on-1 and very high quality scoring chances. If there is a concern heading into the break it is the sheer volume of good shots missing the net.

The Bisons opened scoring in the 1st period when Ian Duval cashed in a nice pass (his 4th) from Blair Macaulay while killing a penalty.

I thought the Bisons were going to score another in the 2nd period, which may well have put the Monkeys out of reach. However, a chintzy call led to a late power play and Shawn Ringrose equalized on a scramble.

I had much confidence heading into the 3rd because the Bisons had been laying the body on the Monkeys and they never had much to say about it. And over the weekend the Apes' PP got less proficient. And they had yet to score an even-strength goal.

After only a minute of play, Ian Duval restored the lead (his 5th). The play continued as normal, with Monkeys poking at skates and playing a dump-and-run style, and suddenly a bogus call arises against Macaulay for interference on an offensive zone faceoff. (The call also followed an incident where a Monkey gave James Henry an elbow to the back of the head no more than 6 feet away from one ref.) Ben Lindemulder tied the game on a point shot that Deckert should have had. So it was 2-2 with half a period left.

When Macaulay got back on the ice he gave the referee some heck and then after the face-off burst in and scored (his 7th). 21 seconds after the Monkeys tied the game, the Bisons were back on top. Travis Bobbee scored (his 3rd) on a point shot

Here's how they lined up:

Manitoba

Goal:
35 Deckert (1 Caligiuri)

Defence:
4 Schappert - 20 Lockerby
22 Bestland - 2 Crowley
3 Mestery - 24 Bobbee

Forwards:
23 Dittmer - 19 Duval - 26 Macaulay
21 Cowan - 9 Lowry - 10 Rowinski
29 Cain - 11 Henry - 27 Feakes
18 Kelly - 25 Ciarelli - 16 Paradis

Scratches:
G: 34 Dubyk
D: 5 Christensen - 12 Sutherland
F: 14 Green - 15 Scott - 17 Lauder - 28 Chartier

Alberta

Goal:
32 Cyr (31 Mucha)

Defence:
52 Rowley 5 Carr
15 Joe 25 Barteuax
22 Craige 26 Yadlowski
6 Lindemulder

Forwards:
16 Ringrose 23 Dyck 9 Lazo
12 Hickott 11 Reddick 40 Koper
8 Ferguson 21 Gardiner 37 Toomey
20 Rachinski 19 Dailey

Scratches:
7 Nichol 10 Laplante 14 Rogers
17 Gullimore 18 Dobrowolski 28 Meropoulis
55 Smith

OUT OF TOWN SCOREBOARD:


MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS 3
SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 6

Links:
|> [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
|> [U of S Game Story] : [reposted at MRU Site]

So Sask beat the New Kittens on the Block 6-2, 6-3 on the weekend. That sounds like a result at Wimbledon. MRU played 2 men shy of a full roster. Mount Royal's goals were scored by Eric Galbraith, his 10th, 11th, and 12th of the year. That vaults him into the CW lead in that category. When play resumes, Sask will be the next Bison opponent (Jan. 4-5) and MRU will be the next Bison home opponent (Jan. 11-12).


REGINA COUGARS 3
UBC THUNDERBIRDS 0

Links:
|> [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
|> [UBC Game Story]

This result is a turning-of-the-tables from Friday night. Same score, different winner. First period goals by Brayden Nargang and Tyler Penny gave the Banjo-Cats a 2-0 lead. There was no scoring in the 2nd period. UBC dominated the 3rd period, outshooting Regina 15-4 but unable to capitalize. Regina now has an 8 point lead in the race for 6th.


CALGARY DINOS 4
LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS 0

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

Well, at least this result was an improvement over Thursday for the H0rny Ones. The 1st period was wild (shots 17-14 for Calgary) yet no goals were scored. Calgary then dominated the 2nd and 3rd periods, with a 39-18 edge in shots. Brock Nixon notched a hat-trick for the Bedrock Boys. The Lethbridge roster was also down 2 men.

OUT EAST:

|> [AUS Box Scores] : [OUA Box Scores]

Saturday, December 1
Saint Mary’s 5 Moncton 2
New Brunswick 2 Acadia 3
St. Francis Xavier 4 St. Thomas 5 (so)
UPEI 2 Dalhousie 3
Carleton 2 Ryerson 3 (ot)
Ottawa 4 Nipissing 3 (ot)
McGill 7 RMC 2
UOIT 1 Waterloo 4
Guelph 2 Windsor 5
Concordia 2 Toronto 7
York 4 Laurier 3
UQTR 2 Queen’s 1 (ot)

STANDINGS:

Code:

Team          W  L OT  Pts
Alberta      14  4  0  28
Saskatchewan 13  3  0  26
Manitoba      9  4  3  21
UBC          9  6  1  19
Calgary      9  7  0  18
Regina        7  7  2  16
Mount Royal  4 14  0  8
Lethbridge    1 13  2  4

UP NEXT:

Sunday, December 2
Brock at Western Ontario

Non-conference Games:

Friday, December 28
McGill at Lakehead
UBC vs Arizona State (at SFU)

Saturday, December 29
Toronto at Acadia
Moncton vs UPEI (at Tignish, PEI)
Queen’s vs Carleton (at Kemptville, Ont.)
McGill at Lakehead
UBC vs Oklahoma State (at SFU)

Sunday, December 30
Team Russia vs New Brunswick (at Saint John, NB)
Toronto vs Saint Mary’s (at Truro, NS)
Guelph at York
Windsor at Western Ontario

Monday, December 31
Team Russia at New Brunswick

NEWS AND NOTES FROM AROUND THE CIS


You might recall that the Dal-Hosers had to can Pete Beliveau for undisclosed reasons. All we know is that CIS was launching an investigation. Well, it looks like we will be waiting until January to find out just what the heck this is all about. Here's all we know by way of updates:

A decision by Canadian Interuniversity Sport following its investigation of the Dalhousie Tigers men’s hockey team will likely come in the new year.

Tom Huisman, the CIS director of operations and development, said via email that “in all likelihood, we are looking at post-Christmas in January.”

Dalhousie spokesman Charles Crosby confirmed in October that the school was preparing a written disclosure for the CIS. That came on the heels of the university dismissing former men’s hockey coach Pete Belliveau.

Belliveau was serving as team manager at the time of his dismissal.

Crosby said in an interview last month that the university is “looking forward to hearing back from (the CIS)” but wasn’t given any timeline.

“We’re anxious to hear their thoughts,” Crosby said. “When we do, we’ll be proactive and we’ll certainly be sharing that information.”

Links:
|> [Halifax Chronicle Herald]


The official top ten was released. It comes close to the OHT35. Here's the comparison:

CIS Official Poll:
1. Alberta
2. Acadia
3. Saskatchewan
4. UNB
5. Western Ontario
6. UQTR
7. Saint Mary’s
8. Windsor
9. Manitoba
10. Carleton

Official Hollywood Top 35:
A
1 ALBERTA
2 ACADIA
3 SASK.
4 UNB
5 W.ONTARIO
6 WINDSOR
7 UQTR
8 ST. MARY'S
9 MANITOBA
10 LAKEHEAD
11 ST. F-X
12 CARLETON
B+
13 UBC
14 GUELPH
15 MONCTON
16 MCGILL
B
17 CALGARY
18 OTTAWA
19 WATERLOO
20 REGINA
B-
21 UPEI
22 YORK
23 TORONTO
C+
24 DALHOUSIE
25 BROCK
26 LAURIER
27 UOIT
C
28 MOUNT ROYAL
29 QUEEN'S
30 NIPISSING
31 CONCORDIA
32 RYERSON
C-
33 ST. THOMAS
34 RMC
35 LETHBRIDGE

Links:
|> [CIS News Release] : [reposted at Canada West, U of S, Hockey Scene & UNB Hockey Fans]


The WHL grad-of-the-month award goes to Banjo-Mutt Kyle Bortis. Bison goaltender Jesse Deckert won the award in October.

Links:
|> [CW News Release] : [reposted at CIS & U of S]


The annual list of WHL scholarships is always interesting. You can check out the full list at the links. I have listed all those who are at CW schools but not playing on the hockey team, along with the total at each university:

University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK (34)
Max Adolph – Saskatoon, SK – Kelowna
Mitch Berg – Saskatoon, SK – Saskatoon
Graham Hildebrand – Saskatoon, SK – Brandon
Andrew Herle – Wilke, SK – Prince Albert
Kyle Jahraus – Saskatoon, SK – Prince George
Curtis Kulchar – Martensville, SK – Saskatoon
Garrett Leedahl – Saskatoon, SK – Spokane
Drew McDermott – Saskatoon, SK – Everett
Ryan McDonald – Prince Albert, SK – Regina
Jadon Potter – Hoey, SK – Victoria
Taylor Procyshen – Emerald Park, SK – Tri-Cities
Colton Stephenson – Saskatoon, SK – Edmonton

University of Manitoba – Winnipeg, MB (28)
Lucas Alexiuk – Winnipeg, MB – Lethbridge
David Conrad – Winnipeg, MB – Spokane
Mark Friesen – Calgary, AB – Victoria
Jason Gardiner – Winnipeg, MB – Tri-Cities
Cody Gross – Winnipeg, MB – Red Deer
Andrew Hewitt – Winnipeg, MB – Swift Current
Kyle Krzyzaniak – Neepawa, MB – Spokane
Brett Martyniuk – Winnipeg, MB – Regina
Neal Prokop – Winnipeg, MB – Moose Jaw
Tyler Schmidt – Winnipeg, MB – Tri-Cities

University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB (26)
Karl Benke – Edmonton, AB – Swift Current
Michael MacAngus – Edmonton, AB – Regina
Scott Maetche – Lacombe, AB – Chilliwack
Linden Rowat – Cochrane, AB – Regina
Tanner Sohn – Medicine Hat, AB – Saskatoon

University of Calgary – Calgary, AB (21)
Austin Baecker – Kelowna, B.C. – Seattle
Daniel Medland-Marchen – Kelowna, BC – Prince George
Jesse Pauls – Chilliwack, B.C. – Victoria
Andrew Sullivan – Calgary, AB – Swift Current
Jarrett Toll – Maple Ridge, B.C. – Tri-City

University of Lethbridge – Lethbridge, AB (20)
Shayne Brown – Stony Plain, AB – Medicine Hat
Tyler Kizuik – Indian Head, SK – Prince George
Max Moline – Lethbridge, AB – Tri-Cities
Craig Orfino – Edmonton, AB – Lethbridge

University of British Columbia, - Vancouver, BC (19)
Erik Fleming – Calgary, AB – Seattle
Brandon Regier – Abbotsford, B.C. – Brandon
Nolan Toigo – Delta, BC – Vancouver

Mount Royal University – Calgary, AB (12)
Spencer Asuchak – Kamloops, B.C. – Prince George
Jason MacDonald – Calgary, AB – Kelowna

University of Regina – Regina, SK (11)
Ryan Bender – Regina, SK – Regina
Kurtis Decker – Yorkton, SK – Medicine Hat
Tanner Exner – Regina, SK – Victoria
Drew Hoff – Redvers, SK – Tri-Cities

Links:
|> [CW News Release] : [reposted at CIS]


The Selkirk College Saints have turned things around. The perennial doormats have won all 12 games in the first half of the season to take a commanding lead. They had only 13 wins in the last 5 years (last year's 5 was a previous high). The SFU Clan are the only other side above .500. The Clan are promoting the Great Northwest Classic. I guess it is "classic" if the visiting teams from Oklahoma State and Arizona State were coming here to play football or basketball. But instead they are bringing their ACHA hockey squads in to play SFU and UBC. This is poor competition for UBC, but they will be the only CW team to face an opponent this holiday season.

Links:
|> [Standings] : [Great Northwest Showcase]


The ACAC has really subdivided into a first tier (with NAIT, Augustana, and SAIT), a second tier (with Portage, Keyano, Concordia, and MacEwan), and the Briercrest way behind the rest. The 0-16 Clippers have been outscored 116-21. Portage beat Williston State College (NJCAA) 6-3 and 5-3 over the weekend. Augustana will face both Williston and Rosetown (Senior AAA) on Dec 29-30. NAIT will face the Evil Monkeys on Jan 4-5.

Links:
|> [ACAC Site] : [WSC Tetons]

December 12, 2012 - 2:30 CST - at Calgary
TEAM CANADA U-20
ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS

December 13, 2012 - 1:00 CST - at Calgary
TEAM CANADA U-20
SOUTHERN ALBERTA ROYAL DINO-HORNS

Links:
|> [On-line Video - Both Games] : [CW Reposted Preview Stories]
|> [Wednesday Game Summary] : [U of A Preview]
|> [Thursday Game Summary] : [U of C Preview]

The Evil Monkeys will either hop into a bus or swing by vines south to the Town of Bedrock to face the TC Junior Squad. This game was added to the previously announced match-up against the Southern Alberta Trilogy of Universities.

The Canada West roster includes 19 players including 10 Dinos, five Mount Royal Cougars, and two Lethbridge Pronghorns. In addition, longtime pro Mark Bomersback of Rochester, Alta. – who most recently played with Lukko in the top pro league in Finland – along with former Los Angeles Kings draft pick T.J. Fast will join the Canada West squad.

The games are available on-line through Fast Hockey. It is free but one must register. Just check the links for instructions.


The AUS announced that UPEI Panther Mason Wilgosh has been suspended for 12 regular season games for an illegal check to the head of an opponent in a game against Acadia on November 30, 2012. That must have been some play for a suspension of such length.

Links:
|> [AUS Release] : [reposted at CIS Site]

EARLY JUMP PACES MONKEYS TO A WIN


ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 4
TEAM CANADA 1

Links:
|> [Hockey Canada Summary and CP Story]
|> [CP Story at TSN] : [TSN: Cuts Story]
|> [Sportsnet Game Story] : [Sportsnet: 5 Players Cut]
|> [Video: CAN 1, UAB 4] : [Video: Canada/U of Alberta Extended Highlights]
|> [Video: Closer to the Team?] : [Video: Reason for Concern?]

The Evil Monkeys got the jump on the Diaper Brigade and then rode a 3-0 lead to a comfy victory. I was able to see most of the 1st period on-line, and then the end of the 3rd period as well. The afternoon games are a pain, but apparently the TC management are trying to acclimatize the team on a gradual basis. By Dec. 26th they have to be ready to play at the equivalent of 3:30 am CST.

There are lots of links up as I post, and there are bound to be more by daybreak. The one painful thing is how the sports media seem unable to describe teams from the CIS. I appreciate that it is hard to name some past combined squads, but this was the U of A. How hard should that be to describe?

Torrie Dyck scored twice for the Primates, with singles coming from Johnny Lazo and Kruise "Pokey" Reddick.

Team Canada will face a Dino-laden melange on Thursday afternoon, also available on-line at Fast Hockey.

Here are the other recent Team Canada v Canada West results:
Dec. 14, 2004 Manitoba Bisons 4, Team Canada 2*
Dec. 15, 2004 Team Canada 6, Manitoba Bisons 3
Dec, 15, 2006 Calgary/Lethbridge 5, Team Canada 4 STORY
Dec. 15, 2009 Sask./Regina 4, Team Canada 2 STORY
Dec. 17, 2011 Team Canada 7, Calgary/Lethbridge 4 STORY