2013-14 Bisons/CIS Thread

Jan 18: Bedrock claims OTW on Wild West Night


MANITOBA BISONS 3
CALGARY DINOSAURS 4
(in overtime)

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

This was one crazy Saturday night in the CW. Following along on the internet there were ups and downs all night. This was not a weekend where the Bisons expected to gain ground on Sask, yet Lethbridge came within an ace of a major upset, Regina and UBC were swept, and the Bisons came oh-so-close.

The Bisons had to play one man short when Ian Duval was unable to play. We'll be awaiting a report on that injury to be sure. The Herd got off to a good start, leading the game 1-0 after the 1st on Luke Cain's 5th goal of the season.

The Dinos took charge of the 2nd period, taking a 2-1 lead on a pair of powerplay goals (by Pritz and Wintoneuk). However, the Bisons levelled the game on their own late powerplay goal by Jesse Paradis. So, 2-2 after two.

Travis Bobbee scored his 2nd of the season to give the Bisons an early 3-2 3rd period lead, to which they were clinging for almost the whole period. However, Bedrock U tied the game with goaltender Jacob Deserres on the bench in favour of an extra attacker, on a goal by Taylor Stefishen.

After the 4-on-4 overtime produced no goals, the teams went 3-on-3. With only 8 seconds left, Chris Collins scored the winner for the Dinos.

While the Bisons fall to 9-10-3, they have completed their schedules against the top 3 teams. They definitely have the inside track on a top 4 finish and home ice advantage in the quarter-finals. Next week is a bye week for them.

The Dinos are now 19-0-1 and are 3 points ahead of the Evil Monkeys. The Dinos are off to UBC next weekend.

OUT OF TOWN SCOREBOARD


MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS 3
REGINA COUGARS 0

Links:
:. [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
:. [U of R Game Story] : [U of R Boxscore]
:. [[url=<]MRU Game Story[/url]] : [[url=<]MRU Boxscore[/url]]

Since this one was on CanadaWest.tv I focused on it. MRU really took it to their fellow Cougars in this one to sweep the series. This sweep puts Regina's playoff hopes in jeopardy. Although Regina leads MRU by 3 points, and UBC by 5, both of those teams have two games in hand. The games in hand will be made up next weekend whenRegina has a bye. However, after their bye Regina has to face Manitoba, Alberta, and Saskatchewan. Regina went 7-7-0 their first time through the league. So far they are 1-5-2 their second time through.

The New-Kittens-on-the-Block look well-positioned for a playoff run. They looked solid in losing to the Bisons last weekend, and while not a big threat to unseat the top 4 they are perhaps the best of rest right now. Cody Cartier scored his 9th and 10th goals of the season and Calgary Christmas transfer Tyler Fiddler scored his 2nd.


SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 2
LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS 1
(in overtime)

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

Like last weekend, the H0rny Ones were blitzed on Friday night and then lost in overtime on Saturday. However, unlike last Saturday, this one was a very evenly played contest and not just the case of a hot goaltender bailing out his team. Nursing a 1-0 lead heading into the 3rd period, the 'Horns went from carrying the play to hanging on. The Banjo-Mutts did tie the game in the 3rd and then won in the 2nd period of overtime, in 3-on-3.

Sask is now 4 points ahead of the Bisons as they enter a bye week.Their next series will be against Calgary.


ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 5
UBC THUNDERBIRDS 2

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

In the end, the Evil Monkeys are always going to beat the Tweety-Birds, aren't they? UBC needed wins to get a playoff spot, they knocked off some NCAA teams, but still they are nowhere near the Monkeys. It was close (3-2) after two periods. But 38-28 shots pretty much tell me it was a tidy road win for Saudi Alberta.

Next weekend, Alberta plays home and away against Mount Royal and UBC hosts Calgary. These series were moved from the January 3-4 weekend to accommodate non-conference games.

OUT EAST:


Links: [LeagueStat Daily]

Jan. 18
Queen's 4 Concordia 0
RMC 2 McGill 7
Ottawa 3 Laurentian 2
Waterloo 2 Windsor 4
UQTR 5 UOIT 1
Ryerson 7 Lakehead 1


Links: [AUS Schedule/Results]

Jan. 18
St. Thomas 2 StFX 4
UPEI 3 Saint Mary's 2
Dalhousie 1 UNB 4
Acadia 5 Moncton 6 - OT

UP NEXT:

Jan. 21
Queen's at RMC
   
Jan. 22
Saint Mary's at Dalhousie

Jan. 23
York at Laurier
W. Ontario at Guelph

Jan. 24
St. Thomas at UNB
Saint Mary's at StFX
Acadia at Dalhousie
Moncton at UPEI
Queen's at Carleton
UOIT at UQTR
Concordia at Nipissing
Laurier at Brock
Ryerson at Waterloo
Toronto at W. Ontario
Lakehead at Windsor
McGill at Laurentian
Alberta at Mount Royal
Calgary at UBC

[CIS Schedule/Results]

This is the CW bye week. Due to non-conference games played on January 3rd and 4th, UBC, Alberta, Calgary, and MRU are playing this coming weekend. So, no Bison preview.

The Bisons have an upcoming fundraising banquet featuring guest speaker Barry Trotz, former Bison coach and current coach of the Nashville Predators. Details are at the link.

In other news, the University Cup organizing committee announced that Marty McSorley and Kelly Hrudey will be the guest speakers at the U-Cup banquet in March. The story is also in the links.

Weekend Links:
:. [Live Stats Friday] : [Live Stats Saturday]
:. [Bison ... hold annual fundraiser dinner ...]
:. [CW Weekend Preview]
:. [CIS Site] : [Schedule/Results/Links] : [Standings]
:. [CW Site] : [Schedule/Results/Links] : [Standings]
:. [CW Weekly Media Notes #13 (pdf)]
:. [CIS Top Ten Story]
:. [CW: McSorley & Hrudey headline 2014 University Cup CIS Gala]
:. [Every Link Re: CIS Hockey]

THE SERIES:


CALGARY DINOSAURS (19-0-1, 26-5-2, OHT36 #1)
UBC THUNDERBIRDS (7-12-1, 11-14-1, OHT36 #21)

Links:
:. [Live Audio (Friday only)]
:. [UBC Preview Story] : [Wudrick Story]
:. [UBC announces initial sport review results]
:. [TSN: Future ... in Question]
:. [U of C Preview Story]
:. [Crowchild Classic Story] : [reposted at CW]

In the past two seasons a late season battle between Bedrock U and British California was a battle for 4th place and the right to host a quarter-final series. This season was widely expected to produce a similar confrontation. Not to be. Bedrock has yet to lose in regulation, while UBC is sitting in 7th place.

So are the Dinos due for a loss? They started the new year with a split of non-conference games against MRU, needed overtime to sweep Lethbridge, and barely escaped a pair of games against Manitoba.

Meanwhile, during the same period UBC swept two NCAA teams, needed a shoot-out to sweep Regina, then wsre swept aside by the Evil Monkeys.

The addition of Geordie Wudrick (a former WHLer, German pro, and UNB player) could be what UBC needs. The 'Birds have delivered spotty performances so far this year. I suspect that they may get 2 points here and end the Dino streak.

This is also a tense time for UBC. Their intention is to drop a slew of sports, and men's hockey never made the first cuts. Only 8 teams did, and only in basketball did both men and women's teams survive. The other men's teams with good news were football, rugby, and soccer. Women survived in field hockey, volleyball, and hockey. Seems like an odd assortment.


ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS (18-2-0, 31-4-1, OHT36 #2)
MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS (8-11-1, 10-14-1, OHT36 #17)

Links:
:. [Live Video (both nights)]
:. [U of A Preview Story] : [U of A Ostman Story]
:. [MRU Preview Story] : [MRU Crowchild Classic Story]

In a unique scheduling twist, both series being played feature a team fighting for 1st with a team fighting for 6th. This battle between the New-Kittens-on-the-Blcok and the Evil Monkeys is a home-and-home affair. Saturday's game in Edmontown will start at an unusual 3:00 p.m. local time, or 4:00 p.m. CST.

The Apes are 3 points behind Bedrock and face them on the final weekend. They need to pick up two points on them somehow in advance of that rematch. Now that Calgary escaped their Manitoba series, the opportunities to gain ground are growing very slim.

Mount Royal sit just two points ahead of UBC. They would be satisfied to leave this weekend in the same relative position.

The links contain a story from Alberta about Joel Ostman, a new defenceman they have recruited from Sweden. He has played in the Swedish Elite League and for Sweden's U17 and U18 teams.

The Crowchild Classic is an all-sport series between MRU and Bedrock U patterned on the Bison-Wesmen Duckworth Challenge in Winnipeg. The game will be played before a huge crowd at the Saddledome. MRU won last year. For them, it was like winning the Stanley Cup. If I were the favourite I would not like this. In a normal game the Dinos would be heavy favourites. But in a game like this anything can happen.

OUT EAST:


Links: [LeagueStat Daily]

Jan. 21
Queen's 3 RMC 0

Jan. 23
York at Laurier
W. Ontario at Guelph

Jan. 24
Queen's at Carleton
Concordia at Nipissing
Laurier at Brock
Ryerson at Waterloo
Toronto at W. Ontario
Lakehead at Windsor
McGill at Laurentian
UOIT at UQTR


Links: [AUS Schedule/Results]

Jan. 24
St. Thomas at New Brunswick
Saint Mary's at St. F-X
Acadia at Dalhousie
Moncton at at UPEI

[CIS Schedule/Results]

Jan 24: The Night of the Upsets



The Bisons are enjoying their bye week, hoping to get completely healthy for next week's games at home against Regina. But from the sidelines could be seen two remarkable performances from the teams desperately chasing down playoff berths in the CW.

Links:
:. [CW Story (on all games)]
:. [CIS Thursday Roundup]
:. [CIS Friday Roundup]

OUT OF TOWN SCOREBOARD


ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 3
MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS 4
(in overtime)

Links:
:. [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
:. [MRU Game Story] : [MRU Boxscore]
:. [U of A Reposted Story] : [U of A Linescore]

The Evil Monkeys made a quick trip south to face Cowtown's little guys, the New-Kittens-on-the-Block, to pick up an easy two points so that they could chase down Cowtown's big guys, Bedrock U, for 1st place. Didn't quite turn out that way. You see, the Kittens are in their own race with UBC (and maybe Regina) for the 6th and final playoff berth.

This was not a case of a goaltender holding in his over-matched teammates whilst an opportunistic goal-scorer capitalizes on a rare chance to snatch a fortunate victory. In fact the Kittens outshot the Monkeys 35-30 on the night, and Alberta needed a late 3rd period goal to at least escape with a point. Eric Galbraith picked up a hat-trick (his 7th, 8th, and 9th goals of the season), which included ghe winner. Kurtis Mucha was in the Monkey goal as per their usual rotation, and Dalyn Flette was as always in the Kitty Litter.

The Kittens are a decent sized team, IMO the type of team to which the Monkeys are vulnerable. We'll see how the rematch goes Saturday at 3 MST, 4 CST, on CanadaWest.tv.

Alberta is 18-2-1 and remain 3 points behind Bedrock U. MRU is now 9-11-1 and are within 1 point of idle Regina.


CALGARY DINOSAURS 2
UBC THUNDERBIRDS 3
(in overtime)

Links:
:. [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
:. [UBC Game Story (with video)] : [UBC Boxscore]
:. [U of C Game Story] : [U of C Boxscore]

This game was only available in on-line audio from CITR.ca. The Tweety-Birds were playing with a bit of a pall hanging over their heads. It would seem they used it as incentive for a good performance. Bedrock U got off to a 2-0 lead in the 1st period. However, UBC scored once each in the 2nd, 3rd, and OT periods to claim 2 points and remain 2 points behind MRU in the race for 6th.

Cole Wilson had his 11th and 12th goals of the year, including the OT winner. Steven Stanford and Kris Lazaruk were the goaltenders, as per their team rotations.

The rematch goes Saturday at 5 PST, 7 CST.

OUT EAST:


Links: [LeagueStat Daily]

Jan. 23
York 5 Laurier 2
W. Ontario 4 Guelph 0

Jan. 24
Queen's 2 Carleton 3
Concordia 3 Nipissing 2
Laurier 2 Brock 3 - OT
Ryerson 0 Waterloo 3
Toronto 1 W. Ontario 7
Lakehead 2 Windsor 1
McGill 6 Laurentian 5
UOIT 0 UQTR 7


Links: [AUS Schedule/Results]

Jan. 24
St. Thomas 4 New Brunswick 6
Saint Mary's 4 StFX 3 - SO
Acadia 7 Dalhousie 2
Moncton 1 UPEI 2

UP NEXT:

Jan. 25
Mount Royal at Alberta - 3:00 PM MST [video]
Calgary at UBC - 5:00 PM PST
St. F-X at Acadia
Moncton at St. Thomas
New Brunswick at UPEI
UQTR at Ottawa
McGill at Nipissing
Guelph at York
UOIT at Carleton
Brock at Toronto
Lakehead at Windsor
Concordia at Laurentian

[CIS Schedule/Results]

Jan 25: Back to Normal Night



The bye week ends for the Herd and now every team has hit the 22 game mark. The Bisons remain in 4th place, 4 points behind 3rd place Sask and 1 point up on 5th place Regina.

Links:
:. [CW Story (on all games)]
:. [CIS Saturday Roundup]

OUT OF TOWN SCOREBOARD


MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS 1
ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 6

Links:
:. [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
:. [MRU Game Story] : [MRU Boxscore]
:. [U of A Game Story/Linescore]

After a Friday night loss one would have expected the Evil Monkeys to come out like big ugly apes in the rematch, and that they did. I was unable to catch this game on-line due to my son's hockey, but the stats speak for themselves. The Monkeys do have to a bit concerned that they gave up 16 shots on goal in the 1st period. Luke Siemens was in goal as per the usual Monkey rotation, and he held the fort. Dalyn Flette was pulled from the Kittens' goal after 35 minutes and 4 goals against, in favour of seldom-used Kris Moore.

Alberta is now 19-2-1 and MRU is now 9-12-1. Alberta continues their desperate chase of Bedrock U next weekend when they host Lethbridge. Meanwhile, MRU hosts UBC in a series which may determine the final playoff berth.


CALGARY DINOSAURS 3
UBC THUNDERBIRDS 1

Links:
:. [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
:. [UBC Game Story (with video)] : [UBC Boxscore]
:. [U of C Game Story] : [U of C Boxscore]

Like the Primates, Bedrock U needed to bounce back with a strong performance. They got the win but were far from dominant. In fact, UBC had a slight edge in shots (25-23). Steven Stanford started once again in UBC's goal, and Bedrock U switched to Jacob DeSerres in their goal.

Calgary is now 20-0-2 and are off to Sask next weekend, nursing a 3 point lead over Alberta. UBC is now 8-13-1 and remain 2 points behind MRU, who they play next weekend.

OUT EAST:


Links: [LeagueStat Daily]

Jan. 25
UQTR 3 Ottawa 1
McGill 4 Nipissing 2
Guelph 2 York 5
UOIT 1 Carleton 4
Brock 5 Toronto 3
Lakehead 0 Windsor 3
Concordia 6 Laurentian 2
x Army 5 RMC 2 [Story and Summary]


Links: [AUS Schedule/Results]

Jan. 25
St. F-X 3 Acadia 4
Moncton 5 St. Thomas 1
New Brunswick 5 UPEI 4 - OT

UP NEXT:

Jan. 28
Saint Mary's at Dalhousie
Waterloo at Laurier

Jan. 29
UPEI at Moncton
Concordia at UQTR

Jan. 30
Laurier at York
Waterloo at Guelph
Brock at Ryerson
Laurentian at UOIT

Jan. 31
Regina at Manitoba
UBC at Mount Royal
Calgary at Saskatchewan
Lethbridge at Alberta
St. Thomas at Dalhousie
Saint Mary's at Moncton
St. F-X at New Brunswick
UPEI at Acadia
Windsor at McGill
Nipissing at RMC
Carleton at UOIT
Ottawa at Lakehead
W. Ontario at Waterloo
Queen's at Concordia

[CIS Schedule/Results]

Weekend preview: Cougars at Bisons


REGINA COUGARS (9-11-2, 12-15-2, OHT36 #17)
MANITOBA BISONS (9-10-3, 14-15-4, OHT36 #11)

Friday, January 31st, 7:00 CST @ Wayne Fleming Arena
Saturday, February 1st 1:00 CST @ Wayne Fleming Arena

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

Manitoba Links:
:. [U of M Preview Story] : [Corfield & Grimson to Hall of Fame]
:. [LS Stats] : [LS Schedule/Results]
:. [Twitter] : [Facebook]

Regina Links:
:. [U of R Site]
:. [LS Stats] : [LS Schedule/Results]
:. [Twitter] : [Facebook]

Other Links:
:. [CW Weekend Preview]
:. [CIS Site] : [Schedule/Results/Links] : [Standings]
:. [CW Site] : [Schedule/Results/Links] : [Standings]
:. [CW Weekly Media Notes #14 (pdf)]
:. [CIS Top Ten Story]
:. [Every Link Re: CIS Hockey]
:. [LeagueStat Head-to-Head Stats]

Prior games:
Sept 20: Man 6 Reg 3: [LS Summary]
Sept 21: Man 4 Reg 1: [LS Summary]
Nov 8: Reg 2 Man 1: [U of M Story] : [LS Summary]
Nov 9: Reg 7 Man 4: [U of M Story] : [LS Summary]

Yee-haw! The Banjo-Cats is leaving Hillbillyland for a trip to Friendly Manitoba. Time to strap a big trailer to the tractor, load up with moonshine, and hit the Trans-Canada. In this weather, they will truly appreciate the indoor plumbing once they arrive.

The Kittens were at one time in serious contention for 3rd place in the CW. But they have hit the skids. They are only 1-5-2 in the second half of the season. And their remaining games are against Manitoba, Alberta, and Saskatchewan. They'll be the underdog in every game. With UBC and MRU showing signs of life, Regina could be in 6th by Sunday and teetering on the brink of 7th if they lose twice to the Bisons.

However, the Kittens are only 1 point behind the Bisons. This is on the strength of a first half where they went 8-6-0. In that first half run they managed to sweep the Herd. The first game was a 2-1 close-fought battle which could have gone either way. The second game was a weird one. Goaltender Deven Dubyk was pulled after giving up 6 goals on 26 shots through two periods. Joe Caligiuri came on and has been #1 in goal since then. The Bisons bombarded the Cats with 53 shots on the night.

Last season, the Bisons beat the Cats 7 times in 8 games (including pre-season and playoffs). In fact, Regina has not come close to beating the Bisons at the U of M for a very long time.

Both sides are coming off a bye week. The Bisons needed it to hopefully get some players back from sick bay, including Ian Duval.

You will note a link to a story about Stu Grimson and Stacy Corfield being inducted into the Bison Hall of Fame. The Grim Reaper is a former Bison who went on to the NHL and is now a lawyer. Corfield is a former goaltender who led the Bison Broads to a conference title and is now a fabulous babe.

Note that Saturday's game is Minor Hockey Day and as such starts at 1:00 p.m. Bring your kid in their team jersey and he/she gets in free.

ELSEWHERE:


CALGARY DINOSAURS (20-0-2, 27-5-3, OHT36 #1)
SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES (12-9-1, 15-11-1, OHT36 #6)

Links:
:. [[url=<]No Live Video[/url]]
:. [U of S Preview Story] : [U of C Preview Story]

This series should be interesting, however it is the onoy one not available on CanadaWest.tv. The Banjo-Mutts are holding this series at the Credit Union Centre, home of this year's University Cup. Bedrock U has yet to lose in regulation time. However, I view them as living on borrowed time. The Dinos have a 3 point lead on Alberta atop the standings. If the Monkeys want to gain ground before they play on the final weekend, this is the weekend where it could happen.


LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS (2-17-3, 2-23-3, OHT36 #34)
ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS (19-2-1, 32-4-1, OHT36 #2)

Links:
:. [Live Video (both nights)]
:. [U of A Preview Story] : [Clare Drake appointed to Order of Hockey in Canada] : [reposted at CW]
:. [U of L Site]

This series is the mismatch of the week. In the last 5 years Alberta has a 20-2 edge over Lethbridge. Although the H0rny Ones have shown some spunk in recent weeks, one has to believe that one game will be a whipping and the other  modest win for the Monkeys.

The linked story about Clare Drake is interesting. He joins very select company with his appointment. On Hockey Day in Canada a suggestion was made that he should be included in the Hockey Hall of Fame.


UBC THUNDERBIRDS (8-13-1, 12-15-1, OHT36 #18)
MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS (9-12-1, 11-15-1, OHT36 #15)

Links:
:. [Live Video (both nights)]
:. [MRU Preview Story] : [UBC Preview Story]
:. [Canucks star Kevin Bieksa to enlist teammates in helping save UBC men’s hockey]

As far as playoff implications go, this is the feature series of the weekend. #6 v #7. The New-Kittens-on-the-Block have a 2 point edge over the 'Birds. And MRU closes with a nicer schedule (Bedrock and Lethhbridge as opposed to Sask and Manitoba). Regina will just be hoping that only 4 points are awarded. Saturday's game in this series is also a matinee.

OUT EAST:


Links: [LeagueStat Daily]

Jan. 28
Waterloo 2 Laurier 3 - SO

Jan. 29
UQTR 4 Concordia 1

Jan. 30
Laurier at York
Waterloo at Guelph
Brock at Ryerson
Laurentian at UOIT

Jan. 31
Windsor at McGill
Nipissing at RMC
Carleton at UOIT
Ottawa at Lakehead
W. Ontario at Waterloo
Queen's at Concordia


Links: [AUS Schedule/Results]

Jan. 28
Saint Mary's 3 Dalhousie 0

Jan. 29
UPEI 2 Moncton 4

Jan. 31
St. Thomas at Dalhousie
Saint Mary's at Moncton
St. F-X at New Brunswick
UPEI at Acadia

[CIS Schedule/Results]
:. [Tuesday Roundup] : [Wednesday Roundup]

REGINA COUGARS 3
MANITOBA BISONS 1

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

The Kittens scratched and clawed their way to an unlikely win over the depleted Bison squad on Friday night. The Bisons were still missing Jeremy Schappert on D but are now also missing Ian Duval and Paul Ciarelli. This caused a massive shuffling of the forward lines. In fact, the returning Darren Bestland and newcomer Kyle Rous were switched from the blue line to the forward line for the game. Here's how the teams aligned:

<

The 1st period was even and scorelesss. The Bisons then took control as the 2nd period wore on. However, Regina scored on both forays into the Bison zone to take a 2-0 lead into the 3rd period.

The 3rd period was one-way traffic. The shots were 15-3 for the Bisons. Yet it took a last-minute goal by Craig Scott to break Andrew Hayes' shutout bid.

This allows the Cats to leap over the Bisons into 4th place. The Bisons now have the pressure on them to win Saturday's 1:00 p.m. rematch.

OUT OF TOWN SCOREBOARD


UBC THUNDERBIRDS 4
MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS 5
(in overtime)

Links:
:. [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
:. [MRU Game Story] : [MRU Boxscore]
:. [UBC Game Story]

The New-Kittens-on-the-Block took a hug step to securing a playoff berth. However, UBC was able to munt a 3rd period comeback to at least salvage a point. MRU had a 4-2 lead but UBC took over the 3rd and tied the game with 2 seconds left. CanadaWest.tv had only audio but it sounded like MRU was quite perturned at not holding the lead.

If UBC wants a playoff spot they must win Saturday afternoon's rematch, which is available on CanadaWest.tv at 2:00 MST or 3:00 CST.


CALGARY DINOSAURS 3
SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 4

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

Bedrock U suffered their first regulation loss. And this came from a 3-goal 3rd period by the Banjo-Mutts. IMO these teams are now on a collision course for a semi-final series. The Dinos have been dodging bullets lately and this was inevitable.


LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS 0
ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 13

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

Wow. The H0rny Ones are really bad on Friday nights. However, as we have seen, they have bounced back on Saturdays with some reasonable games.

OUT EAST:


Links: [LeagueStat Daily]

Jan. 30
Laurier 2 York     1 - OT
Waterloo 3 Guelph 7
Brock     5 Ryerson 4
Laurentian 1 UOIT 6

Jan. 31
Windsor 4     McGill     3 - SO
Nipissing 3     RMC     4 - OT
Carleton 3     UOIT     2 - OT
Ottawa 4     Lakehead 3 - SO
W. Ontario 3     Waterloo 2
Queen's 6     Concordia 2


Links: [AUS Schedule/Results]

Jan. 31
St. Thomas     8     Dalhousie     6
Saint Mary's     4     Moncton     6
StFX     2     UNB     3  - OT
UPEI     5     Acadia     2

UP NEXT:

Feb. 1
Regina         Manitoba     1:00 PM CST
York         Ryerson     2:30 PM EST
UBC         Mount Royal     2:00 PM MST
St. Thomas     Acadia         7:00 PM AST
Saint Mary's     UNB         7:00 PM AST
UPEI         Dalhousie     7:00 PM AST
StFX         Moncton     7:00 PM AST
UQTR         RMC         7:00 PM EST
Windsor     McGill         7:00 PM EST
Nipissing     Queen's     7:30 PM EST
Laurier     Toronto     7:30 PM EST
Ottawa         Lakehead     7:30 PM EST
Guelph         W. Ontario     7:30 PM EST
Lethbridge     Alberta     6:00 PM MST
Calgary     Saskatchewan     7:00 PM CST

[CIS Schedule/Results]

Feb 1: OT sweep leaves Bisons scrambling


REGINA COUGARS 3
MANITOBA BISONS 2
(in overtime)

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

The Banjo-Cats came into town struggling seriously in the entire 2nd half of the season. But, though outplayed, they picked up 4 points to 1 for Manitoba and are now back in 3rd place. The result leaves Regina in 4th place, 2 points ahead of the Bisons and MRU and 4 points ahead of UBC. Before we look at what this means going down the home stretch, let us look at Saturday's game.

First, here's how the sides aligned:

Manitoba

Goal
1 Caligiuri (34 Dubyk)

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

Forwards
18 Kelly - 15 Scott - 29 Cain
27 DePape - 21 Dickin - 26 Gaudet
16 Paradis - 10 Rowinski - 20 Lewadniuk
8 Coates - 28 Rous

Scratches
D 4 Schappert
F 17 Lauder 19 Duval 25 Ciarelli
G 35 Rewucki

Notes:
Although Landry was listed, I did not see him play. Bestland returned to the defence. Rous stayed up front. Various centres were used between Coates and Rous, and Coates had seeral shifts on other lines as well.

Regina

Goal
35 Gore (30 Hayes)

Defence
4 Sonntag - 18 Luhning
7 Schneider - 2 Dech
8 Bourhuis - 5 Reeve

Forwards
10 Henry - 15 Murray - 22 Hunter
24 Szucki - 21 Hladun - 17 Selinger
16 Nargang - 12 Brennan - 27 Fowlie
13 Appleyard - 25 McNulty - 23 Magnus

Scratches
G 1 Kilgore
D 6 Turner 28 Niebrandt
F 9 Penny 11 Johnstone 14 Cuthbert
F 19 King 20 Sawka 29 Lange

The Bisons came out string and really carried the play in the 1st period. However, an inability to cash in bedevilled them once again.

Regina mounted very little in return until the Bisons took a series of 3 overlapping penalties which afforded the Cougars two stints of a 2-man advantage. It was basically the only time of the game where Regina generated a majority of the scoring chances. Both goals were scored by defencemen on shots from the blue line. No doubt Caligiuri would find those goals to be unacceptable. Schneider and Dech were the scorers.

The Bisons themselves scored on the powerplay within a couple minutes to close the gap. Jordan DePape, stopped pn 3 breakaways Friday night, finally cashed one in for the Herd.

The 3rd period was quite tight. Jesse Paradis tied the game with a short-handed goal. After that, Regina seemed pretty satisfied to take it into OT.

The 1st OT period was all-Bisons. The shots were 9-1 for the Bisons and many great chances were squandered, espceially Lee Christensen who had a wide open net at one point. However, Regina cashed in a 3rd goal from theor defence when John Sonntag converted another shot.

The Bisons next travel to Lethbridge while Regina hosts Alberta. One would expect the Bisons to at least close the gap in those games.

OUT OF TOWN SCOREBOARD


UBC THUNDERBIRDS 6
MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS 5
(in overtime)

Links:
:. [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
:. [MRU Game Story] : [MRU Boxscore]
:. [UBC Game Story]

This was like Friday's game, in reverse. This time UBC won the high scoring affair to give each side 3 points on the weekend. Cole Wilson scored a hattrick for the 'Birds, his 14th, 15th, and 16th goals of the season.

MRU moves into a tie with the Bisons for 5th place, with UBC two points behind. Next weekend MRU faces Calgary and UBC hosts Saskatchewan.


CALGARY DINOSAURS 2
SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 10

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

Bedrock U appears to have gotten the hang of losing. This scoreline was completely unexpected. Bedrock U also falls to 2nd place in the process.


LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS 1
ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 11

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

What can you say about the H0rny Ones? In recent weeks they at least rebounded to put up a fight on Saturday after being blitzed on Friday. The Bisons wlll be hoping that these teams repeat their performances next weekend.

OUT EAST:


Links: [LeagueStat Daily]

Feb. 1
York 7 Ryerson 5
UQTR 6 RMC 2
Windsor 2 McGill 6
Nipissing 1 Queen's 4
Laurier 0 Toronto 5
Ottawa 4 Lakehead 3 - OT
Guelph 7 W. Ontario 6 - OT


Links: [AUS Schedule/Results]

Feb. 1
St. Thomas 3 Acadia 8
Saint Mary's 5 UNB 6
UPEI 3 Dalhousie 7
St. F-X 2 Moncton 4

UP NEXT:

Feb. 2
Concordia at Carleton

Feb. 6
Laurier at Guelph
Calgary at Mount Royal

Feb. 7
Manitoba at Lethbridge
Mount Royal at Calgary
Alberta at Regina
Saskatchewan at UBC
Acadia at Saint Mary's
UNB at St. Thomas
UPEI at Moncton
Dalhousie at StFX
UOIT at McGill
UQTR at Carleton
Concordia at Ottawa
Nipissing at Laurentian
York at Toronto
Brock at Waterloo
RMC at Queen's
Lakehead at W. Ontario

[CIS Schedule/Results]

MANITOBA BISONS (9-11-4, 14-16-5, OHT36 #12)
LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS (2-19-3, 2-25-3, OHT36 #35)

Friday, February 7th, 7:00 MST/8:00 CST @ U of L
Saturday, February 8th, 7:00 MST/8:00 CST @ U of L

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

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

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

Other Links:
:. [CW Weekend Preview]
:. [CIS Site] : [Schedule/Results/Links] : [Standings]
:. [CW Site] : [Schedule/Results/Links] : [Standings]
:. [CW Weekly Media Notes #15 (pdf)]
:. [CIS Top Ten Story]
:. [Every Link Re: CIS Hockey]
:. [LeagueStat Head-to-Head Stats]

Prior games:
Nov 15: Man 3 Leth 0: [U of M Story] : [LS Summary]
Nov 16: Man 7 Leth 0: [U of M Story] : [LS Summary]

The Herd is off on their final roud-trup of the regular season as they role into Lethbridge to face The H0rny Ones. This has been a tough season for the 'Horns. It is not just the record that is bad. They have scored 37 goals. Next lowest is Mount Royal with 67. They have given up 140 goals. Next worst are Mount Royal and UBC, tied with 93. Last weekend they lost twice to the Monkeys, 13-0 and 11-1. In their first series of the season, the Bisons shut them out twice, 3-0 (outshot 43-17) and 7-0 (outshot 46 - 23).

Yet the H0rny Ones have come really close in two recent games. Before the Alberta series, they faced Calgary and Saskatchewan. Both times they were hammered on Friday night before rebounding on Saturday night only to lose in overtime. The Bisons likely fear that there will be one toss-up kind of game on the weekend.

The standings speak for themselves. The Bisons need all 4 points on offer in this series. If they get them they will have the inside track on a 4th place finish. Otherwise they could be playing for their lives against UBC next weekend.

Last weekend the Bisons were still missing Jeremy Schappert and Ian Duval. However, Darren Betsland made his return to the lineup after an extended absence.

ELSEWHERE:


CALGARY DINOSAURS (20-2-2, 27-7-3, OHT36 #3)
MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS (10-12-2, 12-15-2, OHT36 #13)

Links:
:. [[url=<]No Live Video[/url]]
:. [U of C Preview Story] : [MRU Preview Story]

This is the Crowchild Classic, a Duckworth Challenge copycat of the U of M v U of W series. The series goes Thursday at the Saddledome (MRU's home game) and Friday at Bedrock U.

After going all season without a regulation loss, Bedrock U was poised for a dream season. Then it all came crashing down in Saskatown, twice. They now find themselves a point behind the Monkeys innthe race for 1st. Meanwhile, the New-Kittens-on-the-Block are tied for 4th the Bisons and cling to a playoff spot. With Lethbridge on their horizon, even 2 points against the cross-town rivals could see them through to their first playoff berth.


ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS (21-2-1, 34-4-1, OHT36 #1)
REGINA COUGARS (11-11-2, 14-15-2, OHT36 #14)

Links:
:. [Live Video (both nights)]
:. [U of R Site] : [U of A Site]

The Banjo-Cats are riding high off their sweep of the Bisons. However, the Monkeys are on a roll. One has to think that the Primates will finish stromg so they can nail down 1st place.


SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES (14-9-1, 17-11-1, OHT36 #6)
UBC THUNDERBIRDS (9-13-2, 13-15-2, OHT36 #18)

Links:
:. [[url=>]No Live Video or Audio[/url]]
:. [UBC Preview Story] : [U of S Site]

This is do-or-die week for the Tweety-Birds. If the Bisons and MRU sweep their series and Regina wins once, UBC could be eliminated from the playoffs with a split. Barring collapse, the Banjo-Mutts are pretty much assured if 3rd place. It will be interesting to see what sort ofc rowds the T-Birds can pull this weekend. It is their last home weekend of the season and their program needs to pull off a plan to stay afloat.

OUT EAST:


Links: [LeagueStat Daily]

Feb. 6
Laurier at Guelph
RMC at Queen's

Feb. 7
UOIT at McGill
UQTR at Carleton
Concordia at Ottawa
Nipissing at Laurentian
York at Toronto
Brock at Waterloo
Lakehead at W. Ontario


Links: [AUS Schedule/Results]

Feb. 7
Acadia at Saint Mary's
New Brunswick at St. Thomas
UPEI at Moncton
Dalhousie at St. F-X

[CIS Schedule/Results]

MANITOBA BISONS 8
LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS 2

Links:
:. [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
:. [U of L Game Story] : [U of L Boxscore]
:. [U of M Site - story to be posted]
:. [CW Story (on all games)]
:. [CIS Friday Roundup]

It was Friday, therefore the H0rny Ones were mercilessly pounded. It is the formula. Although Lethbridge was also pounded last Saturday, the Bisons should be aware that in the preceeding weeks the 'Horns rebounded and forced overtime against Sask and Bedrock. We'll see.

Jory Coates and Jordan DePape each had a hattrick for the Bisons. Coates now has 6 goals on the season and DePape has 8. Ian Duval, Paul Ciarelli, and Austin Lauder returned to the Bison line-up. (Schappert, Gaudet, Rous, and Landry were scratched.) Lauder played on a 4th line with Scott and Coates and they had loads of ice time. Joe Caligiuri went the distance in the Bison goal.

The Bisons are now tied for 4th. Saturday's rematch goes at 8:00 CST and can be seen on-line at CanadaWest.tv.

OUT OF TOWN SCOREBOARD


CALGARY DINOSAURS 3
MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS 4
(in overtime)

Links:
:. [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
:. [MRU Game Story] : [MRU Boxscore]
:. [U of C Game Story] : [U of C Boxscore]


MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS 2
CALGARY DINOSAURS 5

Links:
:. [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
:. [U of C Game Story] : [U of C Boxscore]
:. [MRU Reposted Story] : [MRU Boxscore]

These cross-town rivals played Thursday and Friday. The Thursday game was played at the Saddledomw and was dubbed The Crowchild Classic. MRU won last season and repeated the trick again this year. Bedrock U then broke their 3-game losing streak with a key win in the Friday night rematch.

MRU had a 3-1 lead on Thursday and were trying desperately to hang on. However, Bedrock U rallied with two 3rd period goals, including one with only 7 seconds left, to force overtime and salvage a point. Despite needing some offence to tie the game, the Dinos had only 6 shots on goal in the 3rd period, while MRU replied with only 3.

On Friday night, MRU took a 1-0 lead which must have made the Dinos antsy. However, they took control of the game and won going away. The teams scored 5 powerplay goals on the night.

The New-Kittens-on-the-Block are now tied with Manitoba and Regina for 4th place, 4 points ahead of UBC. The Dinos are tied with Alberta for 1st.


ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 5
REGINA COUGARS 0

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

The Monkeys are throwing feces and swing on the vines in their cages now. They dusted off those pesky Banjo-Cats with a tidy victory. In fact, Despite trailing going into the 3rd period, all the Kittens could must was a platry 3 shots on the Mu-u-u-cha in the Monkeys' net.

Both sides are now tied in their races. The rematch goes Saturday at 7:00 CST and can be seen on CanadaWest.tv.


SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 3
UBC THUNDERBIRDS 1

Links:
:. [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
:. [UBC Game Story (with video)]
:. [U of S Reposted Story]

This was a loss the Tweety-Birds could ill afford. With the results on the out-of-town scoreboard, they are now 4 points out of a playoff berth. This game was by all accounts a tough battle. But the Huskies are coming on and UBC has just not been able to beat good teams in big games.

Looking at possible tie-breakers, UBC lost their season series to MRU 6-5 on points, beat Regina 6-3 on points, and are down 4-0 to Manitoba with two games to come next weekend. A loss on Saturday would eliminate them if Manitoba beats Lethbridge and Regina upsets Alberta.

OUT EAST:


Links: [LeagueStat Daily]

Feb. 6
Laurier 2 Guelph 4
RMC 2 Queen's 1

Feb. 7
UOIT 2 McGill 9
UQTR 3 Carleton 5
Concordia 3 Ottawa 4
Nipissing 6 Laurentian 1
York 0 Toronto 3
Brock 2 Waterloo 4
Lakehead 3 W. Ontario 4


Links: [AUS Schedule/Results]

Feb. 7
Acadia 5 Saint Mary's 2
UNB 6 St. Thomas 1
UPEI 3 Moncton 1
Dalhousie 2 St. F-X 3

UP NEXT:

Feb. 8
Manitoba at Lethbridge 7:00 PM MST
Alberta at Regina 7:00 PM CST
Saskatchewan at UBC 7:00 PM PST
UOIT at Concordia 2:00 PM EST     
Moncton at New Brunswick 7:00 PM AST
Dalhousie at Acadia 7:00 PM AST
St. Thomas at UPEI 7:00 PM AST
St. F-X at Saint Mary's 7:00 PM AST
Guelph at Waterloo 6:30 PM EST
RMC at Nipissing 7:00 PM EST
Lakehead at Brock 7:15 PM EST
Laurier at Ryerson 7:30 PM EST
Toronto at Windsor 7:30 PM EST
Carleton at Laurentian 7:30 PM EST
UQTR at Queen's 7:30 PM EST
York at W. Ontario 7:30 PM EST

[CIS Schedule/Results]

MANITOBA BISONS 6
LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS 3

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

The first thing I noticed was that the Bisons were playing short by two players. I believe that they often travel with just 20 players so maybe the guys left home were playable. But Saturday night, the line-up was down Darren Bestland on D and Luke Cain up front.

Nevertheless, the Herd racked up an eesential victory in convincing fashion. The scoreline in fact flattered the H0rny Ones.

The Bisons got goals from 6 different players (Lewadniuk's 12th, Dickin's 8th, Christensen's 1st, Rowinski's 5th, Scott's 4th, and Kelly's 5th). Ian Duval created mayhem when he was out there, and his line could have really racked up some numbers with a few bounces.

The host team was not just mailing this one in, however. Although outshot 52-29 on the night, they did pull the game even at 2-2 as late as 12 minutes into the 2nd period. It was a 3-goals-in-3-minutes stint towards the end of the 2nd period that sealed the win for Manitoba. Joe Caliogiurir went the distance in goal for Manitoba, and Dylan Tait faced the firing squad in the Lethbridge net.

Next weekend marks the end of the CW regular season, and the Bisons will host the desperate UBC Thunderbirds. Meanwhile, Lethbridge will play home-and-home against MRU.



OUT OF TOWN SCOREBOARD


ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 5
REGINA COUGARS 2

Links:
:. [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
:. [U of R Game Story (with video)] : [U of R Boxscore]
:. [U of A Reposted Story and Linsecore]

I saw this one on-line before the puck dropped in Lethbridge. The Evil Monkeys looked several levels better than the Banjo-Cats. The Apes-on-Skates dominated the shot clock 43-21, including 17-4 in the 2nd period. Kurtis Mu-u-u-cha was once again in the Monkey net. I believe this was the first time all season that the Saudi Albertans gave one goaltender both starts.

Both sides wrap up the regular season next weekend in home-and-home series against their traditional rivals. The Monkeys will face Bedrock U with a 2-point lead in the fight for 1st place. And the Banjo-Cats will face the Banjo-Mutts where side bets for moonshine should abound.


SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 1
UBC THUNDERBIRDS 5

Links:
:. [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore]
:. [UBC Game Story]
:. [U of S Site - check for Reposted Story]

I guess nobody expected that the Tweety-Birds would be swept at home in their hour of desperation. This was not on-line, but going by the stats it is hard to see how they pulled out such a convincing scoreline. The Mutts held a wide edge on the shot clock in every period. The Mutts opened scoring 10 seconds into the 2nd period on a goal by Derek Hulak. Somehow, UBC managed to tie the game and then take a lead despite scraping a meagre 8 shots on goal per period. Ryan Holfeld has played every game for Sask, bar one against Lethbridge. In that game Blake Voth gave up 1 goal in 66 minutes while facing 29 shots. Could Holfeld be worn out? He still has a .918 save percentage.

Meanwhile, Steven Stanford turned in a great performance in UBC's goal. Geordie Wudrick scored 2 goals, giving him 4 in 6 games since being recruited at Christmas time. Cole Wilson also had his 17th goal of the season. Bison fans can look forward to those names next weekend.

Where does this leave the CW heading into the finale? Here it is:

``````````````W-L-OL``Pts``Opponent
Alberta``````23-2-1`` 47`` Calgary
Calgary``````21-2-3`` 45`` Alberta
Saskatchewan 15-10-1``31`` Regina
Manitoba```` 11-11-4``26`` UBC
Regina`````` 11-13-2``24`` Saskatchewan
Mount Royal``11-13-2``24`` Lethbridge
UBC``````````10-14-2``22`` Manitoba
Lethbridge````2-21-3`` 7`` Mount Royal

OUT EAST:


Links: [LeagueStat Daily]

Feb. 8
UOIT 2 Concordia 4
Guelph 1 Waterloo 4
RMC 0 Nipissing 7
Lakehead 3 Brock 6
Laurier 2 Ryerson 3
Toronto 1 Windsor 5
Carleton 4 Laurentian 0
UQTR 2 Queen's 4
York 1 W. Ontario 3


Links: [AUS Schedule/Results]

Feb. 8
Moncton 0 New Brunswick 4
Dalhousie 1 Acadia 6
St. Thomas 1 UPEI 3
St. F-X 3 Saint Mary's 7

UP NEXT:

Feb. 12
Toronto at Ryerson 11:30 AM EST
Carleton at RMC 7:00 PM EST

Feb. 13
W. Ontario at York 7:00 PM EST     
Brock at Laurier 7:30 PM EST

Feb. 14
New Brunswick at Dalhousie 7:00 PM AST     
St. F-X at St. Thomas 7:00 PM AST
Moncton at Acadia 7:00 PM AST
Saint Mary's at UPEI 7:30 PM AST
Laurentian at Ottawa 7:00 PM EST
Windsor at York 7:00 PM EST
Queen's at UQTR 7:00 PM EST
Concordia at RMC 7:00 PM EST
Nipissing at McGill 7:00 PM EST
Waterloo at Lakehead 7:30 PM EST
UBC at Manitoba 7:00 PM CST
Regina at Saskatchewan 7:00 PM CST
Lethbridge at Mount Royal 7:00 PM MST
Calgary at Alberta 7:00 PM MST

[CIS Schedule/Results]

UBC THUNDERBIRDS (10-14-2, 14-16-2, OHT36 #19)
MANITOBA BISONS (11-11-4, 16-16-5, OHT36 #12)

Friday, February 14th, 7:00 CST @ Wayne Fleming Arena, U of M
Saturday, February 15th, 7:00 CST @ Wayne Fleming Arena, U of M

Live Links:
:. [Live Stats Friday] : [Live Stats Saturday]
:. [Live Video (both games)]
:. [UMFM 101.5]

Manitoba Links:
:. [DePape named Canada West Male Second Star of the Week]
:. [DePape Smitty's Bison Sports Athlete of the Week]
:. [LS Stats] : [LS Schedule/Results]
:. [Twitter] : [Facebook]

UBC Links:
:. [UBC Preview Story]
:. [LS Stats] : [LS Schedule/Results]
:. [Twitter] : [Facebook]
:, [Coach Drago floored by support]

Other Links:
:. [CW Weekend Preview]
:. [CIS Site] : [Schedule/Results/Links] : [Standings]
:. [CW Site] : [Schedule/Results/Links] : [Standings]
:. [CW Weekly Media Notes #16 (pdf)]
:. [CIS Top Ten Story]
:. [Every Link Re: CIS Hockey]
:. [LeagueStat Head-to-Head Stats]

Prior games:
Nov 22: Man 6 UBC 3: [U of M Story] : [LS Summary]
Nov 23: Man 6 UBC 4: [U of M Story] : [LS Summary]

The final weekend of the CW season is upon us and all we know for sure is that 3rd place will go the Saskatchewan Banjo-Mutts and 8th place will go to the Lethbridge H0rny Ones.

Remaining unknown are the race for 1st and 2nd places, which will go to the Alberta Evil Monkeys and the Bedrock Dinos, and the race for the 4th through 7th places, which will go to all of the rest.

The Bisons currently sit alone in 4th and therefore have their destiny in their own hands. Regina and MRU are both 2 points back, and UBC 4 points back. I have not seen anything official, but from the tie-breaking criteria listed in the standings, this is what I believe:
- Bisons would win a 2-way tie-breaker with Mount Royal
- Bisons would lose a 2-way tie-breaker with Regina or UBC
- in a 3-way tie with MRU and Regina, Regina gets 4th, MRU 5th, and Manitoba 6th
- in a 3-way tie with MRU and UBC, Manitoba gets 4th, UBC 5th, and MRU 6th (or all one place lower if tied behind Regina)
- in a 3-way tie with UBC and Regina, Regina gets 4th, UBC 5th, and Manitoba 6th (or all one place lower if tied behind MRU)
- in a 4-way tie, UBC gets 4th, MRU 5th, Regina 6th, and Manitoba 7th

Therefore, the Bisons could only miss the playoffs IF they lose both games in regulation time AND MRU gets 2 or more points AND Regina gets exactly 2 points.

Also, the Bisons would get 4th place and home ice advantage IF:

- they get 3 or more points; OR

- they get 2 points AND Regina gets 3 or fewer points; OR

- they get 1 point AND MRU gets 3 or fewer points AND Regina gets 2 or fewer points.

In recent years the Bisons have had some rough weekends against the T-Birds, but those have been series played in British California. The Bisons had two decisive wins at UBC and now one would have to expect that they are more likely to be hoping for 4th rather than fearing for 7th.

The last time the Bisons were at home they lost two games (albeit once in overtime) to the Banjo-Cats. That was the only positive weekend for Regina in the entire 2nd half so far. Otherwise, the Bison performances have generally been as expected, although the fact they only got one point each in their trips to Saskatchewan and Calgary remains a disappointment.

So, what should we expect on the weekend? Well, UBC has Cole Wilson, the 2nd leading scorer in the league. However, after him they have a lot of average and below average scorers. The goaltending has been slightly below average. Steven Stanford and Matt Hewitt have more-or-less split the duties, and usually they stick with one until he sputters.

Any way you slice it, the Bisons cannot expect anything other than UBC's best performance. They know they can make the playoffs for sure with two regulation-time wins. Anything else and they would need help. And help from a team (Sask or Lethbridge) which has nothing at stake.

Off ice, things are looking up for UBC's hockey program. Loads of donors have been coming through. Check the link for details.

ELSEWHERE:


LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS (2-21-3, 2-27-3, OHT36 #34)
MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS (11-13-2, 13-16-2, OHT36 #13)

Links:
:. [Live Video (Friday only)]
:. [U of L Site] : [MRU Preview Story]

The New-Kittens-on-the-Block need only two points to guarantee themselves a playoff berth, and my hunch is they'll get those points. However, I have a hunch that when this home-and-home series hits Lethbridge on Saturday we will see the 'Horns put up one last battle. They did so against Calgary and Saskatchewan, but were blown out twice by Alberta and Manitoba.

When these teams met earlier, although MRU swept, one game required a shoot-out. Last season, 3 of their 4 games went to overtime and in the end Lethbridge won the season series on points, 6-5.


CALGARY DINOSAURS (21-2-3, 28-7-4, OHT36 #3)
ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS (23-2-1, 36-4-1, OHT36 #1)

Links:
:. [Live Video (both nights)]
:. [U of C Preview Story] : [U of A Preview Story]

At one time, Bedrock U was riding high with no regulation losses. Now, they have hitb the skids. Meanwhile, the Monkeys have been racking up the wins and dominating everybody.

Both sides had a tough weekend on Jan 24-25, when Alberta lost to MRU and Bedrock lost to UBC. Alberta followed with 13-0 and 11-1 wins over Lethbridge and 5-0 and 5-2 wins over Regina. (Admittedly, those teams are made to be run over by the Monkeys.) Calgary went the other way, losing twice to Sask and splitting with MRU. Now they have only 2 wins in their last 6 games.

The Dinos need a sweep of the series to get 1st place, whether in regulation or overtime does not matter.


REGINA COUGARS (11-13-2, 14-17-2, OHT36 #14)
SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES (15-10-1, 18-12-1, OHT36 #5)

Links:
:. [Live Video (both nights)]
:. [U of S Preview Story] : [U of R Site]

The Battle of Banjoland is a home-and-home affair. Sask has 3rd place wrapped up. While it is true that the Canines have had a wonky season thus far and cannot afford to turn it "on" and "off" at will, the low-stakes weekend for them is a certain advantage for the Felines.

On the other hand, Regina is only 3-7-2 in the 2nd half of the season. Too bad for the Bisons that two of those wins were against them. The Cats also had a 3 point weekend against Lethbridge and a 1 point weekend against MRU.

OUT EAST:


Links: [LeagueStat Daily]

Feb. 12
Toronto 4 Ryerson 3
Carleton 9 RMC 1

Feb. 13
W. Ontario at York
Brock at Laurier

Feb. 14
Laurentian at Ottawa
Windsor at York         
Queen's at UQTR         
Concordia at RMC
Nipissing at McGill
Waterloo at Lakehead


Links: [AUS Schedule/Results]

Feb. 14
New Brunswick at Dalhousie         
St. F-X at St. Thomas         
Moncton at Acadia         
Saint Mary's at UPEI         

[CIS Schedule/Results]

MANITOBA BISONS 2
UBC THUNDEBIRDS 5

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

An odd game, this. The Bisons dominated the 1st and 3rd period, yet never scored a goal in either period. Both goals came during a stretch in the 2nd period where UBC amassed their only period of territorial advantage in the game.

I had to drop my son off at a gig then meet him there afterwards. So, I missed the 1st UBC goal, arriving just in time to hear the announcement. UBC added a 2nd goal when Aaron Lwadniuk for some unknown reason shot the puck towards his own boards after killing a penalty. It bounced off an offical to Antilla the Hun standing alone in the slot. Tough break. The Bisons outshot UBC 12-5, yet down 2-0.

Then came the 2nd period. Somebody coughed up the puck to Cole Wilson. (It was at the end of the ice away from me so I did not catch the number.) The 3-0 lead last only 18 seconds, when Lewadniuk cashed in a nice set-up. The Bisons barely did anything until Jordan DePape knocked a bouncing puck into the net to make it 3-2. UBC's Littlest Hoban made it 4-2 on the lone PP goal of the night. Until then there had barely been a scoring chance on the prior UBC PPs.

The 3rd period prtoduced nothing at all until UBC registered an empty-netter. The Bisons outshot UBC 16-7 in a desperate bid to tie the game.

Here's how they lined up:

MANITOBA

Goal:
1 Caligiuri (34 Dubyk)

Defence:
12 Sutherland - 2 Crowley
3 Landry - 24 Bobbee
5 Christensen - 6 Paulsen

Forwards:
16 Paradis - 19 Duval - 20 Lewadniuk
21 Dickin - 10 Rowinski - 27 - DePape
18 Kelly - 25 Ciarelli - 26 Gaudet
8 Coates - 15 Scott - 17 Lauder

Scratches:
4 Schappert - 22 Bestland
28 Rous - 29 Cain
35 Rewucki

UBC

Goal:
35 Stanford (30 Hewitt)

Defence:
5 Saip - 15 Yee
7 Wall - 24 Smith
18 Manning - 13 Schmidt
6 Underwood

Forwards:
9 Wilgosh - 17 McDonald - 27 Antilla
26 Wudrick - 11 Fleming - 16 Wilson
12 Buonassissi - 19 Fraser (often with 27)
33 Hilton - 10 Bandano - 20 Hoban

Scratches:
1 Wylde - 4 Vannieuwenhuizen
8 Cumberbirch - 21 Wray - 22 Toye
23 Lockhart - 29 - Wagner

So here's the deal. Bisons have 26 points, MRU 25, UBC and Regina 24 each. Here's what happens with each combo of wins and losses, both OT and regulation:

Manitoba 2, MRU 1/2, Regina 2, UBC 0/1
Manitoba 28
MRU 26/27
Regina 26
UBC 24/25

Manitoba 2, MRU 1/2, Regina 1, UBC 0
Manitoba 28
MRU 26/27
Regina 25
UBC 24

Manitoba 2, MRU 1/2, Regina 0/1, UBC 1
Manitoba 28
MRU 26/27
UBC 25
Regina 24/25

Manitoba 2, MRU 1/2, Regina 0, UBC 0/1
Manitoba 28
MRU 26/27
UBC 24/25
Regina 24

Manitoba 2, MRU 0, Regina 1, UBC 0
Manitoba 28
MRU 25
Regina 25
UBC 24

Manitoba 2, MRU 0, Regina 1, UBC 1
Manitoba 28
MRU 25
UBC 25
Regina 25

Manitoba 2, MRU 0, Regina 0, UBC 0/1
Manitoba 28
MRU 25
UBC 24/25
Regina 24

Manitoba 1, MRU 1/2, Regina 0/1/2, UBC 2
Manitoba 27
MRU 26/27
UBC 26
Regina 24/25/26

Manitoba 1, MRU 0, Regina 0/1, UBC 2
Manitoba 27
UBC 26
MRU 25
Regina 24/25

Manitoba 1, MRU 0, Regina 2, UBC 2
Manitoba 27
UBC 26
Regina 26
MRU 25

Manitoba 0, MRU 1, Regina 0/1, UBC 2
Manitoba 26
MRU 26
UBC 26
Regina 24/25

Manitoba 0, MRU 0, Regina 0/1, UBC 2
UBC 26
Manitoba 26
MRU 25
Regina 24/25

Manitoba 0, MRU 1, Regina 2, UBC 2
UBC 26
MRU 26
Regina 26
Manitoba 26

Manitoba 0, MRU 0, Regina 2, UBC 2
Regina 26
UBC 26
Manitoba 26
MRU 25

Manitoba 0, MRU 2, Regina 2, UBC 2
MRU 27
Regina 26
UBC 26
Manitoba 26

Manitoba 0, MRU 2, Regina 0/1, UBC 2
MRU 27
Regina 24/25
UBC 26
Manitoba 26
Regina 24/25

From the Bison POV, a win or an OTL gives them 4th place. And with a regulation loss they could get anything from 4th to 7th. Frankly, after a 1-point weekend at home to Regina, if they cannot at least get a 1-poiunt weekend at home to UBC they would not deserve a playoff spot.



OUT OF TOWN SCOREBOARD


REGINA COUGARS 2
SAKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 7

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

This game was 3-0 after the 1st and 7-0 after the 2nd. The Banjo-Mutts held off in the 3rd and the Banjo-Cats picked up two consolation goals. The Mutts have definitely picked it up in the 2nd half of the season. The question is how much motivation they will have in Saturday's return match.


LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS 6
MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS 5
(in overtime)

Links:
:. [LS Summary] : [[url=<]CIS Boxscore (not uploaded)[/url]]
:. [MRU Game Story] : [MRU Boxscore]
:. [U of L Reposted Story] : [U of L Boxscore]

The H0rny Ones are doing their best to help all the teams in the log-jam. They were down 4-2 after the 1st and outshot throughout the game. Yet they managed to rally and tie the game. Down 5-4 entering the 3rd period, they were outshot 17-4 yet scored the only goal of the period. They then took it with only a minute left in the 3-on-3 2nd OT period.


CALGARY DINOSAURS 3
ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 6

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

Bedrock U scored two late goals to make the scoreline more respectable. The Monkeys dominated them and have clinched 1st place. Not so long agoi the MOnkeys trailed the Dinos by 3 points. Mr. Slate is going to be angry. The rematch has been changed to9 Sunday night, but now has little consequence.

OUT EAST:


Links: [LeagueStat Daily]

Feb. 14
Laurentian 4 Ottawa 5 (so)
Windsor 3 York 1
Queen's 2 UQTR 3
Concordia 7 RMC 4
Nipissing 6 McGill 7 (ot)
Waterloo 4 Lakehead 6


Links: [AUS Schedule/Results]

Feb. 14
UNB 7 Dalhousie 0
StFX 5 St. Thomas 3
Moncton 2 Acadia 5
Saint Mary's 5 UPEI 2

UP NEXT:

Feb. 15
UBC at Manitoba
Saskatchewan at Regina
Mount Royal at Lethbridge
Windsor at Ryerson
Nipissing at UQTR
Ottawa at Concordia
Laurentian at Carleton
UNB at Acadia
StFX at UPEI
Saint Mary's at St. Thomas
Moncton at Dalhousie
Brock at W. Ontario
UOIT at Laurier
Waterloo at Lakehead
Guelph at Toronto

Feb. 16
Alberta at Calgary

[CIS Schedule/Results]

Feb 15: Herd Nails Down 4th


MANITOBA BISONS 2
UBC THUNDEBIRDS 0

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

This game went through many phases, but in the end it was goaltending and trademark physical defensive play that landed the Bisons a victory and 4th place. Combined with the other results around the league, we now know that next week's quarter-final round will see Manitoba host Mount Royal in one series and Saskatchewan host British California in the other.

The opening period was fairly even. However, the Bisons established the physical side of the game early-on when Aaron Lewadniuk levelled The Littlest Hoban (see picture). Also, the Bisons were skating and forechecking aggressively. In the first 5 minutes UBC iced the puck 4 times. The die was then cast for the remainder of the game. UBC would have fairly even territorial play for most of the game but would be mostly confined to perimeter shots, handled safely by Joe Caligiuri.

The Bisons had the edge in play during he 2nd period.  Lewadniuk scored on a pass from Ian Duval  just 35 seconds into the period. They appeared to score another but the ref ruled it hit the post. Still, it was a 1-0 lead on a night when goals were at a premium.

The 3rd period was extremely cautious for the most part, including by UBC. Although the shots were 12-11, the play seldom could be described as frantic. The goaltenders made some good saves but the puck was usually cleared easily. The Bisons shortened their bench and always had at least 3 guys back. Depape's ENG sealed the deal.

Here's how they lined up:

MANITOBA

Goal:
1 Caligiuri (34 Dubyk)

Defence:
12 Sutherland - 2 Crowley
28 Rous - 24 Bobbee
5 Christensen - 6 Paulsen

Forwards:
16 Paradis - 19 Duval - 20 Lewadniuk
21 Dickin - 10 Rowinski - 27 - DePape
18 Kelly - 25 Ciarelli - 29 Cain
8 Coates - 15 Scott - 26 Gaudet

Scratches:
3 Landry - 4 Schappert
17 Lauder - 22 Bestland
35 Rewucki

UBC

Goal:
35 Stanford (30 Hewitt)

Defence:
5 Saip - 15 Yee
7 Wall - 24 Smith
18 Manning - 13 Schmidt
6 Underwood

Forwards:
9 Wilgosh - 17 McDonald - 33 Hilton
26 Wudrick - 11 Fleming - 16 Wilson
12 Buonassissi - 19 Fraser - 27 Antilla
10 Bandano - 20 Hoban (often with 33 Hilton)

Scratches:
1 Wylde - 4 Vannieuwenhuizen
8 Cumberbirch - 21 Wray - 22 Toye
23 Lockhart - 29 - Wagner



OUT OF TOWN SCOREBOARD


SAKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 4
REGINA COUGARS 1

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

The Banjo Cup is obviously going north yet again. The Mutts are clearly on the ascent and the Cats are clearly on the descent. Earlier this year Regina was seriously in contention for 3rd place. Now, on the last day of the season, they get dumped to 7th via a tie-breaker. The teams' 2nd half records: Sask 11-3-0, Regina 3-9-2.

Blake Voth got a rare appearance in the Mutt crease and must have turned in a solid performance, facing 27 shots.


MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS 2
LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS 4

Links:
:. [LS Summary] : [CIS Boxscore - Sat]
:. [CIS Boxscore - Fri]
:. [U of L Game Story] : [U of L Boxscore]
:. [MRU Non-Game Story]

Wow! The H0rny Ones got themselves a sweep! This game was in an odd spot in that MRU knew they had not only a playoff berth but 5th place sewn up well before this game was over, due to Manitoba's win over UBC. So, the New-Kittens-on-the-Block will be the Bison opponent next weekend.

Good for Lethbridge. They have had a terrible season. And have been demolished the last two weeks by Alberta and Manitoba. Now, in one weekend, they doubled their season win total!

OUT EAST:


Links: [LeagueStat Daily]

Feb. 15
Windsor 3 Ryerson 4
Nipissing 6 UQTR 7 (so)
Ottawa at Concordia - Postponed
Laurentian 4 Carleton 10
Brock 4 W. Ontario 5 (ot)
UOIT 2 Laurier 1
Waterloo 2 Lakehead 3 (ot)
Guelph 2 Toronto 3


Links: [AUS Schedule/Results]

Feb. 15
UNB 2 Acadia 0
St. F-X 1 UPEI 4
Saint Mary's 6 St. Thomas 1
Moncton 7 Dalhousie 3

UP NEXT:

Feb. 16
Alberta at Calgary

[CIS Schedule/Results]

Feb 16: Regular Season Over

OUT OF TOWN SCOREBOARD


ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 5
CALGARY DINOSAURS 4

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

Bedrock U had a 4-2 lead with 7 minutes left then sat back and watched the Evil Monkeys rub salt into their wounds. The game had no bearing on the standings since the Monkeys wrapped up first place on Friday. Both sides get byes in next week's quarter-finals.

PLAYOFFS:

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

Canada West:
Byes: Alberta and Calgary
Saskatchewan v UBC
Manitoba v Mount Royal

OUA West:
W. Ontario v Guelph
Lakehead v York
Ryerson v Brock
Windsor v Toronto

OUA East:
Carleton v Nipissing
UQTR v UOIT
McGill v Concordia
Qieen's v Ottawa

Atlantic:
Byes: New Brunswick and Acadia
Moncton v St. F-X
UPEI v Saint Mary's

(all series are best-of-three)

UP NEXT:

Wed Feb 19 St. F-X at Moncton
Wed Feb 19 Saint Mary's at UPEI
Wed Feb 19 Lakehead at York
Wed Feb 19 Brock at Ryerson
Wed Feb 19 Carlton at Nipissing
Wed Feb 19 UQTR at UOIT
Wed Feb 19 Ottawa at Queen's
Wed Feb 19 Concordia at McGill

Thu Feb 20 Guelph at W. Ontario
Thu Feb 20 Windsor at Toronto    

Fri Feb 21 UBC at Saskatchewan (7:00)
Fri Feb 21 Mount Royal at Manitoba (7:00)
Fri Feb 21 Moncton at St. F-X
Fri Feb 21 UPEI at Saint Mary's
Fri Feb 21 York at Lakehead
Fri Feb 21 Ryerson at Brock
Fri Feb 21 Nipissing at Carlton
Fri Feb 21 McGill at Concordia
Fri Feb 21 Queen's at Ottawa    

Sat Feb 22 UBC at Saskatchewan (2:00)
Sat Feb 22 Mount Royal at Manitoba (7:00)
Sat Feb 22 York at Lakehead
Sat Feb 22 Brock at Ryerson
Sat Feb 22 Toronto at Windsor
Sat Feb 22 Nipissing at Carlton
Sat Feb 22 Ottawa at Queen's

Sun Feb 23 UBC at Saskatchewan (6:00)
Sun Feb 23 Mount Royal at Manitoba (3:00)
Sun Feb 23 St. F-X at Moncton 
Sun Feb 23 Saint Mary's at UPEI
Sun Feb 23 Guelph at W. Ontario
Sun Feb 23 Toronto at Windsor
Sun Feb 23 Concordia at McGill

TBD W. Ontario at Guelph – game 2
TBD UOIT at UQTR – game 2
TBD UOIT at UQTR – game 3

Links:
:. [U of M Announcement]
:. [MRU Announcement]
:. [CanadaWest.tv]
:. [UMFM.com - 101.5]

Both the U of M and MRU have issued playoff announcements and splashing announcement pictures (posted above). The MRU one has a synopsis of the seasobn series between the teams and the stats for the leading scorers.

Too bad for me, but my son's team plays Friday and Sunday nights. If it goes three games I am not sure how much of game 3 I might have to miss.

All three games could be viewed on-line at CanadaWest.tv. And there is a chance that some or all games will be on UMFM 101.5.



Link:
:. [Saskatoon Star-Phoenix Story]

Andrew Bailey has become the 5th player to play every one of his team's regular season games for all 5 years of eligibility, and is the second Banjo-Mutt to do so. That's 140 games, 28 games for each of 5 seasons. The others to have done so were Neil Pogany (Sask. 1989-94), Dave Stetch (Manitoba 1993-98), Jeff Lawson (Regina 1994-99), and Brock Nixon (Calgary 2008-13). Quite a milestone.



PLAYOFFS:

Links:
:. [CIS Playoff Schedule/Results]
:. [Canada West Schedule/Results]
:. [OUA LeagueStat Daily]
:. [AUS Playoffs]
:. [Guelph Hockey Site]
:. [UOIT Schedule Page]

The CIS playoff schedule/results pages has thus far uploaded only the opening two games from the AUS. The CW schedule/results page amd the LeagueStat site have uploaded all games. The OUA LeagueStat site has uploaded most games. The missing ones from the Goof U v Urban Cowboys and UOIT v UQTR are listed at the team links posted here. So we now have the full schedule for the full round.

Canada West:
Byes: Alberta and Calgary
Saskatchewan v UBC
Manitoba v Mount Royal

OUA West:
W. Ontario v Guelph
Lakehead v York
Ryerson v Brock
Windsor v Toronto

OUA East:
Carleton v Nipissing
UQTR v UOIT
McGill v Concordia
Qieen's v Ottawa

Atlantic:
Byes: New Brunswick and Acadia
Moncton v St. F-X
UPEI v Saint Mary's

(all series are best-of-three)

QUARTER-FINAL SCHEDULE:

Wed Feb 19 St. F-X at Moncton
Wed Feb 19 Saint Mary's at UPEI
Wed Feb 19 Carlton at Nipissing
Wed Feb 19 UQTR at UOIT
Wed Feb 19 Concordia at McGill
Wed Feb 19 Ottawa at Queen's
Wed Feb 19 Lakehead at York
Wed Feb 19 Brock at Ryerson

Thu Feb 20 Guelph at W. Ontario
Thu Feb 20 Windsor at Toronto

Fri Feb 21 UBC at Saskatchewan (7:00)
Fri Feb 21 Mount Royal at Manitoba (7:00)
Fri Feb 21 Moncton at St. F-X
Fri Feb 21 UPEI at Saint Mary's
Fri Feb 21 Nipissing at Carlton
Fri Feb 21 McGill at Concordia
Fri Feb 21 Queen's at Ottawa
Fri Feb 21 York at Lakehead
Fri Feb 21 Ryerson at Brock

Sat Feb 22 UBC at Saskatchewan (2:00)
Sat Feb 22 Mount Royal at Manitoba (7:00)
Sat Feb 22 Nipissing at Carlton * if required
Sat Feb 22 UOIT at UQTR
Sat Feb 22 Ottawa at Queen's * if required
Sat Feb 22 W. Ontario at Guelph
Sat Feb 22 York at Lakehead * if required
Sat Feb 22 Brock at Ryerson * if required
Sat Feb 22 Toronto at Windsor

Sun Feb 23 UBC at Saskatchewan (6:00) * if required
Sun Feb 23 Mount Royal at Manitoba (3:00) * if required
Sun Feb 23 St. F-X at Moncton * if required
Sun Feb 23 Saint Mary's at UPEI * if required
Sun Feb 23 UOIT at UQTR * if required
Sun Feb 23 Concordia at McGill * if required
Sun Feb 23 Guelph at W. Ontario * if required
Sun Feb 23 Toronto at Windsor * if required

Feb 19: Playoffs Start Out East


Links: [AUS Post-Season Schedule/Results]


ST. FRANCIS-XAVIER X-MEN 1
MONCTON AIGLES BLEUS 3
(Moncton leads AUS quarter-final 1-0)

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


SAINT MARY'S HUSKIES 1
UPEI PANTHERS 3
(UPEI leads AUS quarter-final 1-0)

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

The four teams playing in the AUS quarter-finals are all good teams and would be threats to beat almost any team in the CIS. So no result in either series would qualify as a surprise. The home sides were technically the higher seeds and the away sides were the teams with the stronger recent histories. The Blue Eggs were 7 points ahead of the Jeremies (34-27) and the Boys from Green Gables were 5 points ahead of the SMUskies (33-28). And the teams are ranked 9, 11, 16, and 17 in the OHT36.


Links: [LeagueStat Daily]


CARLETON RAVENS 4
NIPISSING LAKERS 2
(Carleton leads OUA East quarter-final 1-0)

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


UQTR PATRIOTES 8
UOIT RIDGEBACKS 3
(UQTR leads OUA East quarter-final 1-0)

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


CONCORDIA STINGERS 1
MCGILL REDMEN 3
(McGill leads OUA East quarter-final 1-0)

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


OTTAWA GEEGEES 2
QUEEN'S GOLDEN GAELS 3
(Queen's leads OUA East quarter-final 1-0)

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

The OUA East has been the most lop-sided division in the CIS and that has continued into the playoffs. All four quarter-finals started on Wednesday night. Due to travel distances, Carleton and UQTR started on the road and then get to host games 2 and 3 back-to-back. Those two and McGill are heavy favourites. But at least the Queen's-Ottawa series should be close. Carleton finished first which makes one think that the OUA East could be won by an Ontario-based team for the first time in ten years. Ottawa did the trick in 2003-04.


LAKEHEAD THUNDERWOLVES 4
YORK LIONS 2
(Lakehead leads OUA West quarter-final 1-0)

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

The rest of the OUA West will start on Thursday night. Originally Brock-Ryerson was also slated for a Wednesday start. Lakehead has home ice advantage over York but started away due to travel distances. After last season's disappointments one has to think that the Thundermutts will be determioned to put away the former Yeomen.

This is the division of toss-ups. The Urban Cowboys are the only B+ team, but the other playoff teams are all no worse than a B-. York and Goof have been teetering on demotion to a C level ranking.

UP NEXT:

Thu Feb 20 Brock at Ryerson
Thu Feb 20 Guelph at W. Ontario
Thu Feb 20 Windsor at Toronto
Fri Feb 21 UBC at Saskatchewan (7:00)
Fri Feb 21 Mount Royal at Manitoba (7:00)
Fri Feb 21 Moncton at St. F-X
Fri Feb 21 UPEI at Saint Mary's
Fri Feb 21 Nipissing at Carlton
Fri Feb 21 McGill at Concordia
Fri Feb 21 Queen's at Ottawa
Fri Feb 21 York at Lakehead
Fri Feb 21 Ryerson at Brock

[CIS Playoff Schedule/Results]

Weekend preview: Cougars at Bisons


MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS (11-14-3, 13-17-3, OHT36 #19)
MANITOBA BISONS (12-12-4, 17-17-5, OHT36 #12)

Friday, February 21st, 7:00 CST @ Wayne Fleming Arena, U of M
Saturday, February 22nd, 7:00 CST @ Wayne Fleming Arena, U of M
Sunday, February 23rd, 3:00 CST @ Wayne Fleming Arena, U of M (if necessary)

Live Links:
:. [Live Stats Friday] : [Live Stats Saturday] : [Live Stats Sunday]
:. [Live Video (all games)]
:. [UMFM 101.5 (tbc)]

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

MRU Links:
:. [MRU Twitter Story]
:. [LS Stats] : [LS Schedule/Results]
:. [Twitter] : [Facebook]

Other Links:
:. [CW Weekend Preview]
:. [CIS Site] : [Playoff Schedule/Results/Links] : [Standings]
:. [CW Site] : [Schedule/Results/Links]
:. [CW Weekly Media Notes #17 (pdf)]
:. [CIS Top Ten Story]
:. [Every Link Re: CIS Hockey]
:. [LeagueStat Head-to-Head Stats]

Prior games:
Oct. 18: Manitoba 1 MRU 0: [U of M Story] : [LS Summary]
Oct. 19: MRU 3 Manitoba 2: [U of M Story] : [LS Summary]
Jan. 10: Manitoba 5 MRU 2: [U of M Story] : [LS Summary]
Jan. 11: Manitoba 5 MRU 3: [U of M Story] : [LS Summary]

There was a bit of a preview earlier in the week when the teams made their playoff announcements. But here is the full deal.

The Bisons played one of their most sound games of the season last Saturday when they shut down UBC to sew up 4th place and home ice advantage. After a dreadful start to the season, when they were once shutout in 4 out of 5 games, they have found enough offence to rise to a solid 4th place. They always knew they had a strong defence and average goaltending. So once they found line combos that worked they were off to the races. The team is mostly healthy, however 3-time conference all-star defenceman Jeremy Schappert was lost for the season eons ago. The Herd did score 90 goals in regular season play, good for 4th overall. They also gave up 93, also good for 4th. The team had fairly balanced scoring with 4 players in double digits (Lewadniuk 14, and Paradis, Duval, and DePape with 10 each), and those four plus Rowinski all topped 20 points.

The New-Kittens-on-the-Block are coming off a sweep at the hands of Lethbridge. Nobody else managed that dubious feat all season. They were also outscored 111-80, which makes their record seem like a bit of a mirage. They also had 4 players score 10 or more goals, and those 4 also broke the 20 point barrier (Gannon, Cartier, Brown, and Galbraith).

In the regular season, Dalyn Flette started all 4 games in goal for MRU while Devin Dubyk and Joe Caligiuri each started twice for the Bisons. Caligiuri has taken over as #1 for the Bisons so I expect him to start all games.

One over-riding question is whether MRU is just happy to get this far. They are only in their 2nd season in the CWUAA, having moved up from the ACAC. On the other hand, the Bisons managed to lose a home series to Regina not so long ago, so nothing is assured here.



ELSEWHERE:


UBC THUNDERBIRDS (11-15-2, 15-17-2, OHT36 #20)
SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES (17-10-1, 20-12-1, OHT36 #5)

Links:
:. [Live Video - Sunday]
:. [U of S Preview Story] : [UBC Preview Story]

These teams have not met in a playoff series in a while. I looked up from 1990 onwards and saw no match-ups. UBC last won a series in 2007 when they beat Lethbridge 2-1 in a quarter-final. Are they due?

Sask has rallied and IMO are currently better than Calgary. However, UBC was very good against Manitoba last weekend. Both of these teams were better in the 2nd half of the season than they were in the 1st half. Sask went from 6-7-1 to 11-3-0. UBC went from 3-10-1 to 8-5-1.

The top 12 scorers in the CW include 10 from Alberta and Calgary. The other two are leading scorer Derek Hulak from the Banjo-Mutts and 4th place Chris Collins from UBC. In goal, Ryan Holfeld for Sask has the edge over Steven Stanford for UBC, but only slightly.

I don't think UBC can win the series, but they could throw a scare into the Mangy Ones.

Feb 20: OUA West Openers Complete


Links: [LeagueStat Daily]


GUELPH GRYPHONS 5
WESTERN ONTARIO MUSTANGS 4
(Guelph leads OUA West quarter-final 1-0)

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


BROCK BADGERS 3
RYERSON RAMS 4
(in overtime)
(Ryerson leads OUA West quarter-final 1-0)

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


WINDSOR LANCERS 3
TORONTO VARSITY BLUES 2
(Windsor leads OUA West quarter-final 1-0)

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

The OUA West is the toughest division to predict. And Thursday night's 3 1-hoal games emphasize that fact. It is surprising that the games were so wide-open. Goof U and the Urban Cowboys had 38 shots each. Brock and Ryerson had 46 shots each. Windsor broke the trend by out-shooting The Blahs 47-27. Wild stuff.

Goof U and the Urban Cowboys traded pairs of goals, after Goof U opened with a single. So los of lead changes. Goof U scored two late goals 38 seconds apart to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

Ryerson is the only team from The Big Lemon to win. Will they have a few brewskis if they win the series? One would hope.

The Windsor-Toronto series is another where the higher seed starts on the road then gets games 2 and 3 at home to save travel time. I think a lt of people have been waiting for Windsor to emerge as a better-than-average program. Since they go home to finish the series one has to like their odds.

UP NEXT:

Fri Feb 21 UBC at Saskatchewan (7:00)
Fri Feb 21 Mount Royal at Manitoba (7:00)
Fri Feb 21 Moncton at St. F-X
Fri Feb 21 UPEI at Saint Mary's
Fri Feb 21 Nipissing at Carlton
Fri Feb 21 McGill at Concordia
Fri Feb 21 Queen's at Ottawa
Fri Feb 21 York at Lakehead
Fri Feb 21 Ryerson at Brock

[Playoff Schedule/Results] : [Wednesday Roundup] : [Thursday Roundup]

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

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

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

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

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



OUT OF TOWN SCOREBOARD


UBC THUNDERBIRDS 5
SAKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 0

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

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

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

OUT EAST:


Links: [AUS Post-Season Schedule/Results]


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

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


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

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

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

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


Links: [LeagueStat Daily]


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

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


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

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


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

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

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


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

Links:
:. [L.U. Story]


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

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

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

UP NEXT:

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

[Playoff Schedule/Results] : [Friday Roundup]

Feb 22: Bisons & Huskies Rebound


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

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

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

MANITOBA

Goal:
1 Caligiuri (34 Dubyk)

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

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

MOUNT ROYAL

Goal:
35 Flette (1 Lanigan)

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

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

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

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

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

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



OUT OF TOWN SCOREBOARD


UBC THUNDERBIRDS 2
SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 5

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

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

OUT EAST:


Links: [LeagueStat Daily]


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

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

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


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

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


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

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


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

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

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

UP NEXT:

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

[Playoff Schedule/Results] : [Saturday Roundup]

Feb 23: Bisons Survive, On to Bedrock!


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

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

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

Here's the line-up:

MANITOBA

Goal:
1 Caligiuri (34 Dubyk)

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

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

MOUNT ROYAL

Goal:
35 Flette (1 Lanigan)

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

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

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

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

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



OUT OF TOWN SCOREBOARD


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

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

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

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

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

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

OUT EAST


Links: [AUS Post-Season Schedule/Results]


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

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

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

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


Links: [LeagueStat Daily]


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

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


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

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

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

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

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

[CIS Playoff Schedule/Results]

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

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





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

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

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



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

Canada West:
Alberta v UBC
Calgary v Manitoba

OUA West:
W. Ontario v Windsor
Lakehead v Ryerson

OUA East:
Carleton v Queen's
UQTR v McGill

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

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

SEMI-FINAL SCHEDULE:

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

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

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

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

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

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

* if required

Feb 26: Semi-finals start in OUA and AUS

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


Links: [AUS Post-Season Schedule/Results]


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

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

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

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

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


Links: [LeagueStat Daily]


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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

UP NEXT:

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

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

Weekend preview: Bisons at Bedrock


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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



ELSEWHERE:


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

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

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

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

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

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

Feb 27: meanwhile, out east ..

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


Links: [AUS Post-Season Schedule/Results]


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

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

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

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

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

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

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


Links: [LeagueStat Daily]


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

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

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

UP NEXT:

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

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

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

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

* if required



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

Feb 28: Bisons lose in Bedrock


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

OUT OF TOWN SCOREBOARD


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

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

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

OUT EAST


Links: [LeagueStat Daily]


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

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

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

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

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

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

UP NEXT:

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

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

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

* if required

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