2025-26 Manitoba Bisons/CW Hockey

Preview: December 30, 2025: MANITOBA at NEBRASKA-OMAHO

Manitoba-2025-head-brown-73×73.jpg Nebraska-Omaha-black-2024-73×73.jpg
MANITOBA BISONS (6-9-1, 11-14-1, OHT35 #21)
NEBRASKA-OMAHA MAVERICKS (3-7-0, 7-11-0, NCHC #8)

New Links:
➤ UNO: Schedule & Results & Live Links
➤ UNO: Hockey hosts exhibition game against Manitoba
➤ UNO Video: 1997 Complete Game: Manitoba at Omaha
➤ NCHC: NCHC TV
➤ Audio: The Varsity Network
➤ UNO: Live Sidearm Stats

The Mavericks have added some links, as I had expected. I do not know the cost to stream the game video, but I believe that the audio is free. It is also on their local radio station 1290 KOIL. We used to have a 1290 when TSN operated here.

That 1997 game I linked was the one that started their program. The Bisons won 3-2, and in 1997-98 went 14-7-7 (there were no points for OTLs then). They beat Brandon 2-0 in the first round, then lost 2-1 to Sask, Sask beat Alberta 2-1 in the final.

OUT WEST

2026_Viking_Cup_50x50.jpg
Sun Dec 28 Midland University 2 SJHL All-Stars 6
Sun Dec 28 Czechia University Selects 5 UA-Augustana 1
Mon Dec 29 Midland University 0 S.A.I.T. 8
Mon Dec 29 Czechia University Selects 2 SJHL All-Stars 7
Tue Dec 30 Czechia University Selects v Midland University 12:00 MST/1:00 CST
Tue Dec 30 S.A.I.T. at Augustana 6:00 MST/7:00 CST
Wed Dec 31 SJHL All-Stars at Augustana 2:00 MST/3:00 CST
Thu Jan 01 S.A.I.T. v Czechia University Selects 12:00 MST/1:00 CST
Thu Jan 01 Midland at Augustana 6:00 MST/7:00 CST
Fri Jan 02 S.A.I.T. v SJHL All-Stars 12:00 MST/1:00 CST
Sat Jan 03 3rd v 4th 12:00 MST/1:00 CST
Sat Jan 03 1st v 2nd 6:00 MST/7:00 CST

Links:
➤ HF Boards: Tournament Thread
➤ Viking Cup: Schedule & Results Links

Happy New Year!

Here’s a mini-update:
Wed Dec 31 Guelph (OUA) 2 Niagara (NCAA) 4
Wed Dec 31 SJHL All-Stars 7 Augustana (ACAC) 3
Thu Jan 01 S.A.I.T. (ACAC) 4 Czechia University Selects 2
Thu Jan 01 Midland (ACHA) 1 Augustana 6 (ACAC)

Preview: January 2, 2026: MANITOBA at MINNESOTA-DULUTH

MANITOBA BISONS (6-9-1, 11-15-1, OHT35 #21)
MINNESOTA-DULUTH BULLDOGS (7-5-0, 14-6-0, NCHC #3)

Friday, January 2nd at 7:00 CDT at AMSOIL Arena, Duluth

New Links (at https://forums.hfboards.com/threads/2025-26-manitoba-bisons-cw.3006066/page-7#post-203265134):
➤ GoBisons: Team Website
➤ UMD: Schedule & Results & Live Links
➤ Audio: Northland News – KDAL
➤ Video: NCHC TV (pay)
➤ Live Stats: Sidearm Stats
➤ UMD: No. 5 UMD will Welcome Manitoba to AMSOIL for Exhibition Game Friday
➤ Northern News: My 9 Sports

After I did the preview, a series of links were posted by UMD. Here they are, with the game scoreless mid-way through the 1st period.

• This reply was modified 2 months, 2 weeks ago by Hollywood2.

January 8 2026: SUPPLEMENTARY PREVIEW

When I posted the preview post, five of eight teams had new stories. Since then seven have added stories, four of those being second stories. Here we go …..

SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES (11-4-1, 17-6-3, OHT35 #4)
MANITOBA BISONS (6-9-1, 11-16-1, OHT35 #21)

Links:
➤ GoBisons: Teamwork makes the dream work for Bisons forwards Zaplitny, Bruce
➤ UofS: Huskie Men’s Hockey Signs Former AHL & ECHL Goaltender Nolan Maier

The second story at GoBisons.ca is about forwards Caden Zaplitny and Skyler Bruce and their jobs acting as respite workers for two disabled persons. An interesting away-from-the-rink kind of story.

Meanwhile, there is both a second semester addition and a deletion from the Banjo-Mutts.

Departing is Ty Prefontaine, a defenceman who wore an “A”. This was his 6th season on the roster – the Covid season with no GPs, four full seasons, and this half. It is highly likely that his schooling was done. He’s off to the Allen Americans of the ECHL.

Arriving is goaltender Nolan Meier from the Idaho Steelheads of the ECHL. He has played 3 ½ seasons of pro, and started with the Saskatoon Blades in 2017-18. He can’t have much eligibility left. Goaltending was not really a problem for the Mutts in the first half of the season. But Meier’s numbers are good:
WHL: 122-17-18, 2.89 GAA, .905 S%
AHL: 6-3-2, 2.88 GAA, .886 S%
ECHL: 41-40-8, 3.05 GAA, .897 S%

ELSEWHERE IN THE CW

CALGARY DINOSAURS (15-3-0, 20-4-1, OHT35 #3)
REGINA COUGARS (2-14-0, 4-16-2, OHT35 #33)

The Banjo-Cats had their new recruiting announcement earlier, with Dylan Ernst arriving. Meanwhile the big annual game at The Saddledome between Bedrock U and the Bluegars will be on January 29th at 4:30 MDT. This has become a nice annual event.

TRINITY WESTERN SPARTANS (3-14-1, 7-16-1, OHT35 #32)
MACEWAN GRIFFINS (7-8-3, 10-12-3, OHT35 #17)

Since the original preview, we now have the usual Holy Trinity all-sport preview and MacEwan now has their story, with a video clip, featuring Kadyn Chabot.

MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS (11-5-2, 15-7-2, OHT35 #10)
U.B.C. THUNDERBIRDS (15-1-2, 19-2-3, OHT35 #2)

Links:
➤ UBC: Top ten showdown to open 2026 as No. 1 ranked T-Birds host Mount Royal Cougars
➤ CBC Gem: Canada West: Men’s Hockey – Mount Royal vs UBC (Friday Game)
➤ YouTube: Canada West: Men’s Hockey – Mount Royal Cougars vs. UBC Thunderbirds (Friday Game)

Both of these teams uploaded stories earlier, and both followed up with second stories now. The Bluegars have an announcement of the Crowchild Classic which mirrors that of the Dinos.

The Friday game of the series is being streamed free-of-charge byb the CBC and can be seen at CBC Gem or on their YouTube channel.

OUT EAST

OUA
Thu Jan 08 York 1 Toronto Metropolitan 6
Thu Jan 08 Waterloo 3 Toronto 4 (so)

AUS
Mon Jan 05 Dalhousie 0 Acadia 8
Wed Jan 07 Moncton 3 U.P.E.I. 4
Wed Jan 07 St. F.X. 2 Saint Mary’s 3 (so)

January 16, 2026: BISONS PICK UP OTW ON THE COAST

MANITOBA BISONS 4
TRINITY WESTERN SPARTANS 3
(in overtime)

Quick Summary
Man: L. Brennan (01:41 2nd) , D. Pasternak (02:34 2nd) , S. Bruce (18:47 2nd) , J. Arpin (01:13 1st OT)
TWU: R. Landmanis (05:44 1st) , M. Simchuk (18:21 1st) , A. Knutson (05:04 2nd)
Goal: Man: Holt (33 shots, 30 saves), TWU: Audet (37 shots, 33 saves)

The Bisons kept their faint hopes alive with this come-from-behind victory. Holy Trinity is playing better, on occasion, but not as good as Regina. The Bisons are now 7-10-2, and are 12 points behind Saskatchewan for a playoff berth. Mikhailo Simchuk, Truinity’s Ukrainian recruit, now has 12 goals in a bit of an under-the-radar kind of season.

OUT-OF-TOWN SCOREBOARD

REGINA COUGARS 4
ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 3
(in overtime)

Quick Summary
Reg: L. Barlage (15:10 2nd) , P. Bjorklund (16:54 2nd) , C. Whyte (09:36 3rd) , J. Doucet (04:14 1st OT)
Alta: T. Laventure (04:40 1st) , J. Hall (03:51 3rd) , A. Hall (12:30 3rd)
Goal: Reg: Cunningham (37 shots, 34 saves), Alta: Kruger (32 shots, 28 saves)

The surprise here was not the Banjo-Cats beat the Evil Monkeys. It is that the former Dynasty of the Apes looks to be truly over. Since they beat MRU on November 7th, they are 1-4-3, their only win coming over MacEwan in a December 6th shootout. They are now 8-7-4 and sinking. The Kittens, at 3-16-1, are playing fairly well lately and could easily play spoiler every once in a while. To add insult to injury, the winning goal was shorthanded right through the 5-hole on a long distance shot.

U.B.C. THUNDERBIRDS 4
CALGARY DINOSAURS 0

Quick Summary
UBC: J. Lee (02:32 1st) , S. Mutala (18:13 1st) , J. Williams (00:41 3rd) , J. Wright (15:42 3rd)
Calg: none
Goal: UBC: Mirwald (23 shots, 23 saves), Calg: Tetachuk (23 shots, 19 saves)

In this year’s CW, when one team seems to get going about the crowd, you can rely upon them to fall back again. UBC was looking like world beaters, then were swept by MRU last weekend. So now they travel to Bedrock and achieve a shut-out victory. I was watching the Bison game and, before it started, the MRU-Sask game so I did not catch too much of this one.

SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 4
MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS 5
(in overtime)

Quick Summary
Sask: D. Holt (14:32 1st) , E. Regnier (12:28 2nd) , E. Regnier (16:27 2nd) , C. Jordan (04:53 3rd)
MRU: S. Moe (10:27 1st) , B. Stevenson (04:21 2nd) , C. Bouchard (16:57 2nd) , K. Walker (02:23 3rd) , C. Bouchard (03:07 1st OT)
Goal: Sask: Kooy (32 shots, 27 saves), MRU: Farkas (31 shots, 27 saves)

This was a back-and-forth game all the way through. The Banjo-Mutts were led by Ethan Regnier, with his first two goals of the year, and the Bluegars by Connor Bouchard, with his 9th and 10th goals of the season. The results leave Sask 12 points ahead of the Bisons.

NEXT UP

Sat Jan 17 U.B.C. at Calgary 3:00 MST/4:00 CST
Sat Jan 17 Saskatchewan at Mount Royal 5:00 MST/6:00 CST
Sat Jan 17 Regina at Alberta 7:00 MST/8:00 CST
Sat Jan 17 Manitoba at Trinity Western 7:00 PST/9:00 CST

OUT EAST

OUA
Fri Jan 16 Guelph at Laurier TBA
Fri Jan 16 Lakehead 5 Waterloo 4
Fri Jan 16 Queen’s 2 McGill 4
Fri Jan 16 Toronto 1 Western Ontario 3
Fri Jan 16 Carleton 5 Nipissing 2
Fri Jan 16 Toronto Metropolitan 4 Windsor 1
Sat Jan 17 Ontario at Tech Nipissing 4:00 EST/3:00 CST
Sat Jan 17 Ottawa at U.Q.T.R. 4:00 EST/3:00 CST
Sat Jan 17 York at Toronto 7:00 EST/6:00 CST
Sat Jan 17 Queen’s at Concordia 7:00 EST/6:00 CST
Sat Jan 17 Lakehead at Laurier 7:00 EST/6:00 CST
Sat Jan 17 Western Ontario at Windsor 7:30 EST/6:30 CST
Sat Jan 17 Toronto Metropolitan at Guelph 7:30 EST/6:30 CST
Sun Jan 18 Brock at York 2:00 EST/1:00 CST
Sun Jan 18 R.M.C. at Carleton 7:00 EST/6:00 CST

AUS
Fri Jan 16 New Brunswick 3 Acadia 1
Fri Jan 16 Moncton 9 Dalhousie 3
Fri Jan 16 U.P.E.I. 4 Saint Mary’s 3 (ot)
Sat Jan 17 St. F.X. at Moncton 3:30 AST/1:30 CST
Sat Jan 17 U.P.E.I. at Acadia 7:00 AST/5:00 CST
Sat Jan 17 New Brunswick at Saint Mary’s 7:00 AST/5:00 CST

OUT WEST

ACAC
Fri Jan 16 Portage College 8 S.A.I.T. 5
Fri Jan 16 Red Deer Poly 2 UA-Augustana 6
Fri Jan 16 Briercrest College 7 Concordia-Edmonton 4
Sat Jan 17 Portage College at S.A.I.T. 2:15 MST/3:15 MST
Sat Jan 17 Briercrest College at Concordia-Edmonton 2:30 MST/3:30 CST
Sat Jan 17 UA-Augustana at Red Deer Poly 7:00 MST/8:00 CST

Non-Conference Games
Fri Jan 16 Chinese National Team 4 N.A.I.T. 2
Sat Jan 17 Chinese National Team at N.A.I.T. 6:00 MST/7:00 CST

BCIHL
Fri Jan 16 Vancouver Island 5 Simon Fraser 0
Fri Jan 16 Victoria 4 Logan Lake 5
Sat Jan 17 Simon Fraser at Vancouver Island 7:15 PST/9:15 CST
Sat Jan 17 Victoria at Okanagan 5:30 PST/7:30 CST

Non-Conference Game
Sat Jan 17 Simon Fraser (NCAA2) at Colorado College 3:00 PST/5:00 CST

Links:
➤ CW Hockey Tech: Daily Schedule: https://canadawest.hockeytech.com/men/stats/daily-schedule
➤ OUA: Daily Schedule
➤ AUS: Schedule & Results
➤ ACAC: Schedule & Results
➤ BCIHL: Schedule & Results

January 22, 2026: UBC POSTS A COME-FROM-BEHIND WIN

U.B.C. THUNDERBIRDS 5
TRINITY WESTERN SPARTANS 4

Links:
➤ Summary: Game Centre
➤ UBC: Team Website
➤ TWU: Team Website

Quick Summary
UBC: J. Lee (00:52 1st) , R. Kotai (18:17 1st) , C. Douglas (07:18 3rd) , L. Doust (09:37 3rd) , S. Atkinson (10:36 3rd)
TWU: C. Lowe (10:27 1st) , D. Korzhyletskyi (07:20 2nd) , A. Knutson (16:32 2nd) , C. Lowe (15:45 3rd)
Goal: UBC: Mirwald (27 shots, 23 saves), TWU: Audet (67 shots, 63 saves)

Holy Trinity came close to their first CW win over the T-irds on Thursday night. (They won a 1988 exhibition game as an independent team, before the BCIHL was formed.)

The Spartans led 3-2 entering the 3rd period. A pair of delay of game penalties against Trinity coming just 22 seconds apart turned this one around. The T-irds outshot Holy Trinity 68-27 on the night.

OUT EAST

Image
Thu Jan 22 Laurier 1 Toronto Metropolitan 2 (ot)
Thu Jan 22 Brock 1 Guelph 3

Links:
➤ OUA: Daily Schedule

January 23, 2026: BISON COMEBACK LEADS TO OTW

MANITOBA BISONS 4
MACEWAN GRIFFINS 3
(in overtime)

Quick Summary
Man: E. Alarie (06:59 1st) , L. Brennan (17:44 2nd) , M. King (02:41 3rd) , D. Pasternak (02:41 1st OT)
MacU: C. Cabana (05:30 1st) , B. Tallman (08:28 1st) , S. Simard (09:31 1st)
Goal: Man: Holt (28 shots, 25 saves), MacU: Onyskiw (16 shots, 12 saves)

The Family Guys scored on 3 of their first 6 shots on goal, before Braden Holt shut the door on their next 22 shots to allow for the comeback victory. The Bisons were running some lays reminiscent of the Harlem Globetrotters. There was one particular stretch in the 2nd period that looked like a powerplay. Problem was that not many shots were getting through.

The Bisons continued the line shuffling, seemingly aiming for the balanced approach as they “spread the wealth”.

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OUT-OF-TOWN SCOREBOARD

ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 4
SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 6

Quick Summary
Alta: T. Laventure (02:55 1st) , T. Laventure (06:01 2nd) , T. Laventure (17:16 2nd) , A. Hall (18:25 2nd)
Sask: R. Rhinehart (19:16 1st) , C. Roulette (03:39 2nd) , C. Stebbings (04:12 2nd) , D. Holt (07:15 2nd) , C. Stebbings (08:35 2nd) , C. Stebbings (02:52 3rd) , C. Jordan (18:21 3rd)
Goal: Alta: Kruger (30 shots, 24 saves), Sask: Maier (32 shots, 28 saves)

This was my “back-up” game for viewing purposes. It was entertaining. The Mutts built leads of 3-1 and 5-2, but the Evil Monkeys showed some determination to make it close. At the end of the 7-goal 2nd period, it was 5-4 for the Banjo-Mutts. It is a rare event to see both teams have a player with a hat-trick.

MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS 9
REGINA COUGARS 2

Quick Summary
MRU: T. Zandee (04:03 1st) , V. Watterodt (15:06 1st) , J. Tarzwell (17:44 1st) , J. Tarzwell (19:56 1st) , C. Hanus (01:47 2nd) , T. Zandee (04:36 2nd) , C. Hanus (05:22 2nd) , J. Wiens (08:39 2nd) , C. Bouchard (15:57 2nd)
Reg: J. Steele (07:30 1st) , J. Steele (10:06 1st)
Goal: MRU: Farkas (13 shots, 11 saves), Reg: Cunningham L (35 shots, 26 saves), Maric (15 shots, 15 saves)

This Cougar fight turned out to be a domination. It was “only” 4-2 after the 1st period. The Bluegars then scored 5 in the 2nd to put it away. Two Banjo-Cats had 10-minute misconducts, and one was tossed. So the Bisons get one win and zero help.

TRINITY WESTERN SPARTANS 1
U.B.C. THUNDERBIRDS 9

Quick Summary
TWU: L. Shearon (19:43 3rd)
UBC: S. Atkinson (03:21 1st) , J. Lee (05:51 1st) , N. Sullivan (08:42 1st) , J. Wright (13:51 1st) , R. Kotai (06:37 2nd) , M. Smith (09:58 2nd) , C. McNabb (19:27 2nd) , L. Kindree (03:08 3rd) , R. Kotai (05:59 3rd)
Goal: TWU: Sommer L (41 shots, 34 saves), Savage (12 shots, 10 saves), UBC: Schwebius (13 shots, 12 saves)

This was bad. I saw the ending since it was the late game. The T-irds have now clinched 1st place in the West Division and will host one of the semi-final series.

NEXT UP

Sat Jan 24 Manitoba at MacEwan 3:00 MST/4:00 CST
Sat Jan 24 Mount Royal at Regina 5:00 CST
Sat Jan 24 Alberta at Saskatchewan 7:00 CST

OUT EAST

OUA
Fri Jan 23 Western Ontario 2 Waterloo 5
Fri Jan 23 Toronto Metropolitan 3 Toronto 2
Fri Jan 23 Ontario Tech 4 Carleton 5 (ot)
Fri Jan 23 Nipissing 0 U.Q.T.R. 1
Fri Jan 23 Queen’s 0 Ottawa 2
Fri Jan 23 Lakehead 0 York 2
Sat Jan 24 Nipissing at McGill 3:00 EST/2:00 CST
Sat Jan 24 Ontario Tech at Ottawa 3:00 EST/2:00 CST
Sat Jan 24 Western Ontario at Laurier 7:00 EST/6:00 CST
Sat Jan 24 Queen’s at Carleton 7:00 EST/6:00 CST
Sat Jan 24 Waterloo at Toronto 7:00 EST/6:00 CST
Sat Jan 24 U.Q.T.R. at Concordia 7:00 EST/6:00 CST
Sat Jan 24 Windsor at York 7:00 EST/6:00 CST
Sat Jan 24 Lakehead at Guelph 7:30 EST/6:30 CST
Sun Jan 25 Windsor at Brock 4:00 EST/3:00 CST

Non-Conference
Sat Jan 24 R.M.C. at Army time TBA

AUS
Fri Jan 23 Dalhousie 3 U.P.E.I. 4
Fri Jan 23 Saint Mary’s 0 Acadia 7
Fri Jan 23 St. F.X. 1 New Brunswick 4
Sat Jan 24 Dalhousie at New Brunswick 4:00 AST/2:00 CST
Sat Jan 24 St. F.X. at U.P.E.I. 7:00 AST/5:00 CST
Sat Jan 24 Moncton at Saint Mary’s 7:00 AST/5:00 CST

OUT WEST

ACAC
Fri Sat 23 UA-Augustana 5 Briercrest College 2
Fri Sat 23 Red Deer Poly 1 N.A.I.T. 5
Fri Sat 23 S.A.I.T. 5 Concordia-Edmonton 0
Sat Jan 24 UA-Augustana at Briercrest College 1:00 MST/2:00 CST
Sat Jan 24 N.A.I.T. at Red Deer Poly 7:00 MST/8:00 CST
Sat Jan 24 Concordia-Edmonton at S.A.I.T. 7:15 MST/8:15 CST

Non-Conference
Fri Jan 23 Chinese National Team 5 Portage College 6
Sat Jan 24 Chinese National Team at Portage College 12:00 MST/1:00 CST

BCIHL
Fri Jan 23 Okanagan 7 Simon Fraser 5
Fri Jan 23 Logan Lake 4 Victoria 3
Sat Jan 24 Logan Lake at Vancouver Island 7:15 PST/9:15 CST
Sat Jan 24 Simon Fraser at Okanagan 6:15 PST/8:15 CST

Links:
➤ CW Hockey Tech: Daily Schedule
➤ OUA: Daily Schedule
➤ AUS: Schedule & Results

January 24, 2026: BISONS WIN 4TH STRAIGHT 4-3 GAME

MANITOBA BISONS 4
MACEWAN GRIFFINS 3
(in overtime)

Quick Summary
Man: K. Coyle (08:56 1st) , J. Hooker (18:49 2nd) , L. Brennan (19:44 3rd) , J. Hooker (03:06 1st OT)
MacU: M. Gauld (02:16 1st) , K. Chabot (07:50 1st) , S. Simard (14:06 2nd)
Goal: Man: Plowman (26 shots, 23 saves), MacU: Ward (27 shots, 23 saves)

Second verse, same as the first. As on Friday, the Bisons rallied from down 3-1 to win 4-3 in overtime. This makes it a string of four straight wins, all by scores of 4-3. Has that ever happened before? By any team, in any league?

The Bisons made a couple of usual line-up changes, with Dekay for Boucher up front, and Turner for Willick on the blueline. They also made an unusual change with 3rd string goaltender Cole Plowman making his first start of the regular season. Each of the three goaltenders now has a win on this streak.

The Family Guys started strong, outshooting the Bisons 13-2 in the opening period. However, by the end of the game the shots were 27-26 in favour of the Herd. The Bisons tied the game with just 16 seconds left. Lucas Brennan (team leader in goals with 9) scored from Dawson Pasternak (team leader in assists with 17). Captain Hooker scored twice, including the overtime winner, giving him 8 goals on the season.

The Bisons are now 2-10-2 against their top four opponents (UBC, MRU. Calgary, & Sask) and 8-0-0 against their bottom four opponents (Alberta, MacEwan, Trinity, and Regina). Their only two games of the season against Alberta are next weekend. Although the Bisons could well finish 5th overall, they are now incapable of rising above 4th place in the East Division.

OUT-OF-TOWN SCOREBOARD

MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS 12
REGINA COUGARS 1

Quick Summary
MRU: V. Watterodt (03:44 1st) , S. Moe (10:27 2nd) , S. Moe (12:15 2nd) , T. Zandee (13:22 2nd) , J. Lies (01:58 3rd) , K. Walker (04:08 3rd) , J. Lies (07:01 3rd) , J. Tarzwell (08:53 3rd) , B. Singleton (09:33 3rd) , B. Stevenson (13:56 3rd) , A . Izyk (15:31 3rd) , J. Lies (19:23 3rd)
Reg: P. Bjorklund (04:41 1st)
Goal: MRU: Buenaventura (23 shots, 22 saves), Reg: Maric L (29 shots, 20 saves), Cunningham (10 shots, 7 saves),

I watched this in between the end of the Bison game and beginning of the Jet game. This one looked like a competitive catfight, with the Bluegars not taking a 2-1 lead until mid-2nd period. Then things went wild. It was 4-1 at intermission, then an incredible 8 goals in the 3rd. The Banjo-Cats had been playing better, but that 3rd period defies description. My back-up viewing was the Alberta-Saskatchewan game so I never saw the 3rd period and was shocked by the score.

ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 2
SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 6

Quick Summary
Alta: N. Boyko (04:33 1st) , S. Popowich (09:09 2nd)
Sask: J. Pillar (05:01 1st) , E. Regnier (08:34 1st) , L. Bairos (09:42 1st) , C. Bertholet (01:20 2nd) , L. Keeler (18:28 3rd) , D. Holt (19:12 3rd)
Goal: Alta: Kruger (33 shots, 28 saves), Sask: Maier (20 shots, 18 saves)

The Evil Monkeys are not at all a contender for the first time in my memory following this league. They are a point behind MacEwan in the race for 2nd in the East Division. They are no better than a mid-level team in the CW, and sinking. Although next weekend’s series will have no substantive implications for the Bisons, they’d probably like to finish in the CW’s top five.

SATURDAY MORNING LINK

UBC’s Friday link was not uploaded on time for me (although Holy Trinity’s was), but it’s here now. They had 5,036 fans in attendance, which is their annual Winter Classic game.

Links:
➤ UBC (Friday): Total T-Bird domination in Winter Classic rout over Spartans (with boxscore & video)

NEXT UP

Thu Jan 29 Mount Royal at Calgary 7:00 MST/8:00 CST
Fri Jan 30 Regina at Saskatchewan 7:00 CST
Fri Jan 30 Alberta at Manitoba 7:00 CST
Fri Jan 30 MacEwan at U.B.C. 7:00 PST/9:00 CST
Fri Jan 30 Trinity Western at Simon Fraser (NCAA2) 7:00 PST/9:00 CST

STANDINGS

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OUT EAST

OUA
Sat Jan 24 Nipissing 0 McGill 5
Sat Jan 24 Ontario Tech 1 Ottawa 3
Sat Jan 24 Western Ontario 3 Laurier 4
Sat Jan 24 Queen’s 6 Carleton 2
Sat Jan 24 Waterloo 2 Toronto 1
Sat Jan 24 U.Q.T.R. 1 Concordia 5
Sat Jan 24 Windsor 5 York 0
Sat Jan 24 Lakehead 3 Guelph 2 (ot)
Sun Jan 25 Windsor at Brock 4:00 EST/3:00 CST
Thu Jan 29 Concordia at Ontario Tech 7:00 EST/6:00 CST
Fri Jan 30 Laurier at Brock 6:00 EST/5:00 CST
Fri Jan 30 Carleton at U.Q.T.R. 7:00 EST/6:00 CST
Fri Jan 30 Toronto at Lakehead 7:00 EST/6:00 CST
Fri Jan 30 McGill at R.M.C. 7:00 EST/6:00 CST
Fri Jan 30 Toronto Metropolitan at Waterloo 7:00 EST/6:00 CST
Fri Jan 30 York at Western Ontario 7:00 EST/6:00 CST
Fri Jan 30 Concordia at Guelph 7:30 EST/6:30 CST
Fri Jan 30 Guelph at Windsor 7:30 EST/6:30 CST

AUS
Sat Jan 24 Dalhousie 2 New Brunswick 6
Sat Jan 24 St. F.X. 4 U.P.E.I. 1
Sat Jan 24 Moncton 4 Saint Mary’s 2
Wed Jan 28 Acadia at Saint Mary’s 7:00 AST/5:00 CST
Fri Jan 30 Saint Mary’s at Moncton 7:00 AST/5:00 CST
Fri Jan 30 New Brunswick at St. F.X. 7:00 AST/5:00 CST
Fri Jan 30 U.P.E.I. at Dalhousie 7:00 AST/5:00 CST

OUT WEST

ACAC
Sat Jan 24 UA-Augustana 2 Briercrest College 6
Sat Jan 24 N.A.I.T. 1 Red Deer Poly 6
Sat Jan 24 Concordia-Edmonton 2 S.A.I.T. 5 (2nd period)
Fri Jan 30 N.A.I.T. at Portage College 7:00 MST/8:00 CST
Fri Jan 30 Concordia-Edmonton at Red Deer Poly 7:00 MST/8:00 CST
Fri Jan 30 UA-Augustana at S.A.I.T. 8:00 MST/9:00 CST

Non-Conference
Sat Jan 24 Chinese National Team 3 Portage College 1
Fri Jan 30 Chinese National Team at Briercrest College 6:00 MST/7:00 CST
Sat Jan 31 Chinese National Team at Briercrest College 11:00 MST/12:00 CST

BCIHL
Sat Jan 24 Logan Lake 3 Vancouver Island 4
Sat Jan 24 Simon Fraser 5 Okanagan 8
Fri Jan 30 Vancouver Island at Victoria 7:30 PST/9:30 CST
Sat Jan 31 Victoria at Vancouver Island 7:15 PST/9:15 CST
Sat Jan 31 Simon Fraser at Logan Lake 7:00 PST/9:00 CST

Links:
➤ CW Hockey Tech: Daily Schedule
➤ OUA: Daily Schedule
➤ AUS: Schedule & Results

Preview: January 30-31, 2026: ALBERTA at MANITOBA

ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS (9-9-4, 12-13-4, OHT35 #18)
MANITOBA BISONS (10-10-2, 15-17-2, OHT35 #12)

Friday, January 30 at 7:00 CST at Wayne Fleming Arena, Winnipeg
Saturday, January 31 at 2:00 CaST at Wayne Fleming Arena, Winnipeg

It is not often that the Bisons are favoured in a series with the Evil Monkeys. Maybe they are not favoured here. (Fan Duel and other shyster gambling sites don’t cover the CW, thankfully.) But these teams have 22 points each, one behind MacEwan. The twist is that the Bisons are eliminated from playoff contention, and the Monkeys and Family Guys are competing to see which team will host a quarter-final series.

Therefore, this is a key series in the race (?) for 5th place. If that’s a thing. The Bisons could well finish 4th in their division, 5th in the conference, and close to the Top Ten nationally. That would be very odd.

The CW had a clear Tier 1 and Tier 2 the last two years, but this year a more normal spread has evolved. The league’s upper echelon now has four teams (all in the Top Ten of both the USports and OHT35 rankings). Those are UBC, Calgary, MRU, and Sask. In the middle we have three teams: Manitoba, Alberta, and MacU. At the bottom we have Regina and Holy Trinity. Manitoba and Mac are getting better, and Alberta is slipping.

In that middle group, the Bisons play each team just one series. The two Edmontown-based teams play each other in three home-and-home series.

Against the Top Four, the Bisons are 2-10-2, slightly behind Alberta’s 2-8-0 and Mac’s 3-7-0.

Against one another, only one of six games was decided in regulation time. The Bisons are 2-0-0, Alberta is 3-0-1, and Mac is 1-1-4.

Against the minnows, the Bisons are 6-0-0, Alberta is 4-1-3, and Mac is 5-0-1.

When all is said and done, the Bisons will have a breakdown of 16 games against the Top Four, 4 games against the middle, and 8 games against the minnows. Comparatively, Alberta’s and MacEwan’s breakdowns will be 12/8/8.

The Evil Monkeys come into town with two wins in the their last 10 games, an OTW over Mac and a RW over Regina. Granted, they are still 2-5-3 because they have OTLs against Trinity, Mac, and Regina in that stretch.

ELSEWHERE IN THE CW

MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS (16-6-2, 20-8-2, OHT35 #7)
CALGARY DINOSAURS (17-5-0, 23-6-1, OHT35 #4)

This is a Thursday/Saturday schedule between these cross-town rivals. These two teams and Saskatchewan are in a tight race (34 points each) for the top three spots in the CW’s East Division. Thursday is the annual Crowchild Classic game at the Saddledome and is sold out. That game is also streamed on CBC Gem and their YouTube channel.

Connor Bouchard won an MRU Athlete-of-the-Week award. He had a nine-point weekend where he set MRU’s USports all-time goals record. In 23 games he has 11 goals and 25 assists, which puts him 3rd in the CW scoring race.

This series features a host of Top 20 scorers. Calgary has Adam Kydd (7-30-37) and the Bluegars have Josh Tarzwell (15-16-31), Teague Patton (6-21-27), and Jayden Wiens (7-17-24), in addition to Bouchard.

REGINA COUGARS (3-19-0, 5-21-2, OHT35 #33)
SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES (16-4-2, 22-6-4, OHT35 #5)

This home-and-home Banjoland Series looks like a foregone conclusion. The Banjo-Cats appeared to be getting it together, then came their destruction by MRU last weekend. The Banjo-Mutts are in a 3-way tie for first with MRU and Bedrock U, so they will be unlikely to drop any points here.

MACEWAN GRIFFINS (9-8-5, 12-12-5, OHT35 #21)
U.B.C. THUNDERBIRDS (19-2-3, 23-3-4, OHT35 #1)

MacU names three stars from all programs every week, and this is Kadyn Chabot’s 4th such award. Chabot has led the Family Guys all season. His stats line is 16-13-29. The T-irds are cruising this year and with first place sewn up, complacency could be their enemy here. In four games between these teams this season, The Family Guys have two wins (one in OT) and the T-irds also have two wins.

TRINITY WESTERN SPARTANS (3-19-2, 7-21-2, OHT35 #32)

Holy Trinity was supposed to play a non-conference game against Simon Fraser on January 30th. That game has now been cancelled. I don’t know why. Simon Fraser’s non-conference Globetrotters team is 4-11-2 so far and their last game was on January 17th. They have three games left, games at Stonehill College on February 27th & 28th, Michigan on March 5th. IMO, that team needs a conference ASAP. It could happen in 2027-28.

COMPLETE SCHEDULE

Thu Jan 29 Mount Royal at Calgary 7:00 MST/8:00 CST
Fri Jan 30 Regina at Saskatchewan 7:00 CST
Fri Jan 30 Alberta at Manitoba 7:00 CST
Fri Jan 30 MacEwan at U.B.C. 7:00 PST/9:00 CST
Fri Jan 30 Trinity Western at Simon Fraser (NCAA2) cancelled
Sat Jan 31 Alberta at Manitoba 2:00 CST
Sat Jan 31 MacEwan at U.B.C. 3:00 PST/5:00 CST
Sat Jan 31 Saskatchewan at Regina 7:00 CST
Sat Jan 31 Calgary at Mount Royal 7:00 MST/8:00 CST

OUT EAST

OUA
Sun Jan 25 Windsor 1 Brock 4
Thu Jan 29 Concordia at Ontario Tech 7:00 EST/6:00 CST
Fri Jan 30 Laurier at Brock 6:00 EST/5:00 CST
Fri Jan 30 Carleton at U.Q.T.R. 7:00 EST/6:00 CST
Fri Jan 30 Toronto at Lakehead 7:00 EST/6:00 CST
Fri Jan 30 McGill at R.M.C. 7:00 EST/6:00 CST
Fri Jan 30 Toronto Metropolitan at Waterloo 7:00 EST/6:00 CST
Fri Jan 30 York at Western Ontario 7:00 EST/6:00 CST
Fri Jan 30 Concordia at Guelph 7:30 EST/6:30 CST
Fri Jan 30 Guelph at Windsor 7:30 EST/6:30 CST
Sat Jan 31 Nipissing at Queen’s 2:00 EST/1:00 CST
Sat Jan 31 Ontario Tech at R.M.C. 2:00 EST/1:00 CST
Sat Jan 31 Toronto Metropolitan at Western Ontario 3:00 EST/2:00 CST
Sat Jan 31 York at Brock 4:00 EST/3:00 CST
Sat Jan 31 Laurier at Windsor 4:00 EST/3:00 CST
Sat Jan 31 Ottawa at U.Q.T.R. 4:00 EST/3:00 CST
Sat Jan 31 Guelph at Waterloo 4:00 EST/3:00 CST
Sat Jan 31 Toronto at Lakehead 7:00 EST/6:00 CST
Sun Feb 01 Nipissing at Ottawa 3:00 EST/2:00 CST
Sun Feb 01 McGill at Carleton 7:00 EST/6:00 CST

AUS
Wed Jan 28 Acadia 2 Saint Mary’s 3
Fri Jan 30 Saint Mary’s at Moncton 7:00 AST/5:00 CST
Fri Jan 30 New Brunswick at St. F.X. 7:00 AST/5:00 CST
Fri Jan 30 U.P.E.I. at Dalhousie 7:00 AST/5:00 CST
Sat Jan 31 U.P.E.I. at St. F.X. 7:00 AST/5:00 CST
Sat Jan 31 New Brunswick at Dalhousie 7:00 AST/5:00 CST
Sat Jan 31 Moncton at Acadia 7:00 AST/5:00 CST

OUT WEST

ACAC
Fri Jan 30 N.A.I.T. at Portage College 7:00 MST/8:00 CST
Fri Jan 30 Concordia-Edmonton at Red Deer Poly 7:00 MST/8:00 CST
Fri Jan 30 UA-Augustana at S.A.I.T. 8:00 MST/9:00 CST
Sat Jan 31 S.A.I.T. at UA-Augustana 6:00 MST/7:00 CST
Sat Jan 31 Portage College at N.A.I.T. 6:00 MST/7:00 CST
Sat Jan 31 Red Deer Poly at Concordia-Edmonton 7:00 MST/8:00 CST

Non-Conference Games
Fri Jan 30 Chinese National Team at Briercrest College 6:00 MST/7:00 CST
Sat Jan 31 Chinese National Team at Briercrest College 11:00 MST/12:00 CST

BCIHL
Fri Jan 30 Vancouver Island at Victoria 7:30 PST/9:30 CST
Sat Jan 31 Victoria at Vancouver Island 7:15 PST/9:15 CST
Sat Jan 31 Simon Fraser at Logan Lake 7:00 PST/9:00 CST

Links:
➤ CW Hockey Tech: Daily Schedule: https://canadawest.hockeytech.com/men/s … y-schedule

January 29, 2026: BLUEGARS WIN CROWCHILD CLASSIC

MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS 2
CALGARY DINOSAURS 1

Links:
➤ Summary: Game Centre
➤ MRU: Team Website
➤ UofC: Team Website

Quick Summary
MRU: V. Watterodt (07:58 1st) , C. Hanus (05:54 2nd)
Calg: J. Poole (14:13 1st)
Goal: MRU: Farkas (24 shots, 23 saves), Calg: Tetachuk (41 shots, 39 saves)

The Bluegars were only up 2-1 after two periods, despite holding an edge in play. Then they dominated the 3rd period, outshooting Bedrock U 15-3. However, there were no goals. This puts the Bluegars temporarily into first place, two points ahead of the Dinos and Banjo-Mutts. The game stories are not yet uploaded, and I am not staying up late.

OUT EAST

OUA
Thu Jan 29 Concordia 3 Ontario Tech 1

Links:
➤ OUA: Daily Schedule

January 30, 2026: BISON COMEBACK FALLS SHORT

ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 4
MANITOBA BISONS 3

Quick Summary
Alta: V. Lamanna (10:46 1st) , A. Hall (14:15 1st) , N. Boyko (17:51 1st) , A. Hall (04:17 2nd)
Man: E. Alarie (15:41 1st) , T. Willick (12:03 3rd) , K. Coyle (17:33 3rd)
Goal: Alta: Kruger (20 shots, 17 saves), Man: Holt (36 shots, 32 saves)

The Bisons had their 5th straight 4-3 game, but this one was a loss. The Evil Monkeys turned up in their green jerseys, which are now their “Big A” look. Why would you sooner be a “Big A” than a Monkey? Weird!

This game had a lot of stages, and the Apes’ powerplay was the difference. The Evil Monkeys powerplay looked like the old days. It really turned the game in their favour as they led 4-1 and outshot the Bisons 29-7 after two periods. They scored on their first 3 of 5 powerplays in those periods.

The 3rd period saw the Bisons find their form, outshooting the Monkeys 13-7 and scoring twice. Eric Alarie opened scoring for the Herd in the 1st period (his 8th on the season), but it was their 3rd pair defencemen who made it a nail-biter. Tanner Willick scored his first as a Bison, and Kaycee Coyle scored his 4th. The Bisons continue to shuffle their forward lines every game so it seems.

OUT-OF-TOWN SCOREBOARD

REGINA COUGARS 5
SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 4

Quick Summary
Reg: K. Runke (02:19 1st) , J. Borysiuk (15:16 1st) , B. Barnett (04:37 2nd) , R. Silzer (08:35 2nd) , E. Pearce (16:26 2nd)
Sask: C. Hayes (08:44 1st) , G. Kinniburgh (03:18 2nd) , C. Petruic (02:21 3rd) , L. Keeler (11:58 3rd)
Goal: Reg: Cunningham (50 shots, 46 saves), Sask: Kooy (14 shots, 11 saves), Maier L (11 shots, 9 saves)

This stunning upset gives the Banjo-Cats their first win over the Banjo-Mutts in 17 games, the last win being on January 14, 2022. Before that, it was 18 straight losses going back to a win on February 13, 2016. No doubt the whole team is square dancing to their favourite banjo tunes and emptying several jugs of moonshine as they ride home in the back of their haywagon.

The Banjo-Mutts trailed 5-2 after two periods and then pulled out all stops in the 3rd, outshooting the Kittens 23-4. But all they could do is make it close. Since this one was on when the Bison game took place, I never saw any of it.

The result leaves the Mutts two points out of first place, behind MRU. They and Calgary still have two games in hand.

MACEWAN GRIFFINS 3
U.B.C. THUNDERBIRDS 8

Quick Summary
MacU: S. Simard (02:38 1st) , E. Sundar (18:58 1st) , V. Scott (11:20 2nd)
UBC: S. Mutala (08:10 1st) , C. Douglas (16:49 1st) , J. Weir (17:56 1st) , J. Weir (00:32 2nd) , J. Williams (05:17 2nd) , N. Sullivan (07:24 2nd) , J. Williams (02:39 3rd) , J. Wright (03:05 3rd)
Goal: MacU: Ward L (33 shots, 27 saves), Onyskiw (14 shots, 12 saves), UBC: Mirwald (23 shots, 20 saves)

This game was total domination by thye T-irds. They scored 8 powerplay goals on 10 chances. There was low-level chippiness until the end of the 3rd period, where each team had two 10-minute misconducts. Also, there was a significant delay here due to a broken pane of glass. The game was played at the Father David Bauer Arena, UBC’s older and former home rink.

NEXT UP

Sat Jan 31 Alberta at Manitoba 2:00 CST
Sat Jan 31 MacEwan at U.B.C. 3:00 PST/5:00 CST
Sat Jan 31 Saskatchewan at Regina 7:00 CST
Sat Jan 31 Calgary at Mount Royal 7:00 MST/8:00 CST

OUT EAST

OUA
Fri Jan 30 Laurier 5 Brock 4 (ot)
Fri Jan 30 Carleton 1 U.Q.T.R. 3
Fri Jan 30 Toronto 3 Lakehead 6
Fri Jan 30 McGill 6 R.M.C. 1
Fri Jan 30 Toronto Metropolitan 0 Waterloo 3
Fri Jan 30 York 1 Western Ontario 5
Fri Jan 30 Concordia 2 Queen’s 0
Fri Jan 30 Guelph 1 Windsor 6
Sat Jan 31 Nipissing at Queen’s 2:00 EST/1:00 CST
Sat Jan 31 Ontario Tech at R.M.C. 2:00 EST/1:00 CST
Sat Jan 31 Toronto Metropolitan at Western Ontario 3:00 EST/2:00 CST
Sat Jan 31 York at Brock 4:00 EST/3:00 CST
Sat Jan 31 Laurier at Windsor 4:00 EST/3:00 CST
Sat Jan 31 Ottawa at U.Q.T.R. 4:00 EST/3:00 CST
Sat Jan 31 Guelph at Waterloo 4:00 EST/3:00 CST
Sat Jan 31 Toronto at Lakehead 7:00 EST/6:00 CST
Sun Feb 01 Nipissing at Ottawa 3:00 EST/2:00 CST
Sun Feb 01 McGill at Carleton 7:00 EST/6:00 CST

AUS
Fri Jan 30 Saint Mary’s 5 Moncton 3
Fri Jan 30 New Brunswick 2 St. F.X. 3
Fri Jan 30 U.P.E.I. 5 Dalhousie 4
Sat Jan 31 U.P.E.I. at St. F.X. 7:00 AST/5:00 CST
Sat Jan 31 New Brunswick at Dalhousie 7:00 AST/5:00 CST
Sat Jan 31 Moncton at Acadia 7:00 AST/5:00 CST

OUT WEST

ACAC
Fri Jan 30 N.A.I.T. 5 Portage College 4
Fri Jan 30 Concordia-Edmonton 3 Red Deer Poly 6
Sat Jan 31 S.A.I.T. at UA-Augustana 6:00 MST/7:00 CST
Sat Jan 31 Portage College at N.A.I.T. 6:00 MST/7:00 CST
Sat Jan 31 Red Deer Poly at Concordia-Edmonton 7:00 MST/8:00 CST
Sun Feb 01 S.A.I.T. at UA-Augustana 1:00 MST/2:00 CST

Non-Conference Games
Fri Jan 30 Chinese National Team 1 Briercrest College 5
Sat Jan 31 Chinese National Team at Briercrest College 11:00 MST/12:00 CST

BCIHL
Fri Jan 30 Vancouver Island 4 Victoria 2
Sat Jan 31 Victoria at Vancouver Island 7:15 PST/9:15 CST
Sat Jan 31 Simon Fraser at Logan Lake 7:00 PST/9:00 CST

Links:
➤ CW Hockey Tech: Daily Schedule: https://canadawest.hockeytech.com/men/stats/daily-schedule

January 31, 2026: BISONS PICK UP A SPLIT

ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 2
MANITOBA BISONS 3

Quick Summary
Alta: A. Thacker (01:09 1st) , A. Hall (11:18 1st)
Man: J. Hooker (03:41 1st) , L. Brennan (02:22 2nd) , S. Bruce (08:51 3rd)
Goal: Alta: Kruger (24 shots, 21 saves), Man: Kieper (33 shots, 31 saves)

The Bisons bounced back to gain a split on Saturday afternoon, and with this outcome both the Bisons and Evil Monkeys have leapfrogged MacEwan in the CW standings. The Bisons did their usual line shuffling, but the only players added to the roster were (as usual) Zach Turner on the blueline and Ethan Dekay up front. Since the Willick/Coyle pairing did so well on Friday night, it was Sam Borschowa exiting the defence. Andrew Boucher came out of the forwards. The goaltending rotation seems to be a year-end thing. Since all three have similar junior credentials, that makes some sense as the team has to now have one eye on next year. Alberta’s lines were unstable on Friday, but things were more regular on Saturday. Here’s how they lined up:

MANITOBA
Goal:
30 Kieper (34 Plowman)

Defence:
13 Brenton – 8 Toth
4 Bonni – 6 Coyle
27 Turner – 22 Willick

Forwards:
9 Alarie – 20 Zaplitny -17 Bruce
21 Pasternak – 18 Hooker – 24 Brennan
23 Lane – 19 Arpin – 14 Swetlikoff
25 Dekay – 29 King – 28 Behun

Scratches:
G: 31 Holt
D: 3 Borschowa – 5 Bielik
F: 10 Bouvier – 11 Purdom – 16 Joss – 26 Boucher
No longer on roster: 12 Trimble

ALBERTA
Goal:
30 Kruger (1 Lawczynski)

Defence:
27 Yakimchuk – 5 Davidson
4 Gustafson – 19 McGregor
25 Dewitt – 52 Belcourt

Forwards:
12 A Hall – 9 J Hall – 36 Ruptash
29 Pacheco – 23 Tkach – 26 Popwich –
20 Lamanna – 8 Boyko – 17 Thacker
16 Joly – 18 Duguay – 14 Melnyk

Scratches:
G: 31 Sim – 35 Barwick
D: 3 Sexsmith – 7 Pederson – 22 Thornton – 24 Ward – 40 Liberman
F: 13 Visser – 29 Pacheco – 64 Ruiz

The TSN Turning Points in this game were the two-man advantage power plays each side had. At 8:23 of the 2nd period, Caden Zaplitny took a 4-minute penalty, then Ben Bonni took a minor at 11:00 minutes. However, after going 3-for-5 on Friday, and scoring once more on a 1st period PP, the Monkeys couldn’t cash in.

The Bisons, however, had overlapping powerplays 8 minutes into the 3rd period and Skylar Bruce converted a tic-tac-toe passing play from Dawson Pasternak and Captain Hooker to give the Bisons a 3-2 lead they would never relinquish. It was his 8th of the season.

Earlier, Hooker and Lucas Brennan both scored their10th goals of the season for the Bisons. Hooker also had his 10th and 11th assists, and Pasternak had his 18th and 19th assists.

Matthew Kieper made a couple of 5-alarm saves in the Bison goal. I suspect that they will keep the goaltender rotation going for their final four games.

OUT-OF-TOWN SCOREBOARD

SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES –
REGINA COUGARS –

A travel advisory in Banjoland has halted their Saturday schedule. Apparently, the outhouses are frozen solid. The men’s hockey game will go Sunday at 7:00 CST.

MACEWAN GRIFFINS 4
U.B.C. THUNDERBIRDS 6

Quick Summary
MacU: E. Sundar (00:14 1st) , S. Simard (00:42 1st) , C. Cabana (02:20 2nd) , D. Jean Jr. (18:39 2nd)
UBC: S. Mutala (01:17 1st) , C. Douglas (07:38 1st) , J. Williams (12:28 2nd) , J. Wright (15:11 2nd) , S. Atkinson (02:58 3rd) , L. Kindree (19:55 3rd)
Goal: MacU: Onyskiw (32 shots, 26 saves), UBC: Schwebius (23 shots, 19 saves)

This one was much closer than Friday’s game. After getting home from the Bison game, then watching the end of the Jets game, I had this one on my tablet. The game got off to a crazy start, with The Family Guys scoring twice in the first minute, and the T-irds mounting a rally at 1:17. In the end, things calmed down and an empty-netter put it away.

CALGARY DINOSAURS 3
MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS 4
(in a shootout)

Quick Summary

Calg: B. Lee (14:58 1st) , H. Pakkala (12:53 2nd) , H. Pakkala (18:20 2nd)
MRU: J. Lies (00:51 2nd) , J. Wiens (01:48 2nd) , M. Ladyman (07:49 3rd)
Goal: Calg: Stankowski (28 shots, 25 saves); MRU: Farkas (21 shots, 18 saves)

The Bluegars escaped with a narrow sweep of their Cowtown rivals. This one went to seven rounds of shootout, with only one goal. Hayden Pakkala had his 12th and 13th goals in a losing effort. MRU has a bye next week. Each side has a series with Saskatchewan, and Calgary ends at home against the Bisons.

NEXT UP

Sun Feb 01 Saskatchewan at Regina 7:00 CST
Fri Feb 06 Regina at Manitoba 7:00 CST
Fri Feb 06 Calgary at Saskatchewan 7:00 CST
Fri Feb 06 U.B.C. at Alberta 7:00 MST/8:00 CST
Fri Feb 06 MacEwan at Trinity Western 7:00 PST/9:00 CST

OUT EAST

OUA
Sat Jan 31 Nipissing 4 Queen’s 0
Sat Jan 31 Ontario Tech 2 R.M.C. 1 (ot)
Sat Jan 31 Toronto Metropolitan 3 Western Ontario 2
Sat Jan 31 York 3 Brock 1
Sat Jan 31 Laurier at Windsor ppd to Feb 04
Sat Jan 31 Ottawa 3 U.Q.T.R. 6
Sat Jan 31 Guelph 4 Waterloo 2
Sat Jan 31 Toronto 0 Lakehead 4
Sun Feb 01 Nipissing at Ottawa 3:00 EST/2:00 CST
Sun Feb 01 McGill at Carleton 7:00 EST/6:00 CST
Wed Feb 04 Brock at Western Ontario 7:00 EST/6:00 CST
Wed Feb 04 Laurier at Windsor 7:00 EST/6:00 CST
Thu Feb 05 Nipissing at Ontario Tech 7:00 EST/6:00 CST
Thu Feb 05 Toronto Metropolitan at Guelph 7:30 EST/6:30 CST
Thu Feb 05 Queen’s at R.M.C. 7:30 EST/6:30 CST

AUS
Sat Jan 31 U.P.E.I. 6 St. F.X. 4
Sat Jan 31 New Brunswick 6 Dalhousie 0
Sat Jan 31 Moncton 4 Acadia 3
Wed Feb 04 Dalhousie at Moncton 7:00 AST/5:00 CST
Fri Feb 06 St. F.X. at Dalhousie 7:00 AST/5:00 CST
Fri Feb 06 Acadia at U.P.E.I. 7:00 AST/5:00 CST
Fri Feb 06 Saint Mary’s at New Brunswick 7:00 AST/5:00 CST

OUT WEST

ACAC
Sat Jan 31 S.A.I.T. 7 UA-Augustana 3
Sat Jan 31 Portage College 4 N.A.I.T. 7
Sat Jan 31 Red Deer Poly 6 Concordia-Edmonton 3
Sun Feb 01 S.A.I.T. at UA-Augustana 1:00 MST/2:00 CST
Wed Feb 04 UA-Augustana at N.A.I.T. 6:00 MST

Non-Conference Games
Sat Jan 31 Chinese National Team 1 Briercrest College 6
Thu Feb 05 Chinese National Team at Concordia-Edmonton 4:00 MST/5:00 CST

BCIHL
Sat Jan 31 Victoria 2 Vancouver Island 3 (ot)
Sat Jan 31 Simon Fraser 2 Logan Lake 3
Fri Feb 06 Logan Lake at Simon Fraser 7:00 PST/9:00 CST
Sat Feb 07 Logan Lake at Okanagan 5:30 PST/7:30 CST

Links:
➤ CW Hockey Tech: Daily Schedule: https://canadawest.hockeytech.com/men/stats/daily-schedule

February 1, 2026: A SUNDAY SPECIAL, BANJO STYLE

SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 4
REGINA COUGARS 0

Quick Summary
Sask: C. Bertholet (05:22 2nd) , L. Keeler (07:05 2nd) , C. Stebbings (13:28 2nd) , C. Roulette (06:49 3rd)
Reg: none
Goal: Sask: Thomson (28 shots, 28 saves), Reg: Cunningham (26 shots, 22 saves)

Time for a very rare Sunday night Hollywood Report.

Everybody managed to save their moonshine for the post-storm party, and the Saturday games continued a day late. After an upset on Friday night, the Banjo-Cats were not expected to make it a double. However, it must be said that they played well, in fact outshooting the Banjo-Mutts 28-26.

I am wondering about the Mutts’ goaltending plans. Veteran Jordan Kooy and rookie Bryan Thomson were a good combo, then they added Nolan Maier from the ECHL at Christmas. It looked like Thomson was destined to be #3 in the pecking order. This shut-out should change that. Here are their comparative stats lines:
Thomson: 6-2-0 – .916 S% – 2.35 GAA
Kooy: 7-2-2 – .901 S% – 2.88 GAA
Maier: 4-1-0 – .876 S% – 3.19 GAA
Venne: 0-0-0 – 1.000 S% – 0.00 GAA

This puts the Mutts one point ahead of Calgary with the two sides facing off next weekend in Saskatown. They are now two points behind MRU, who are idle next week. This is quite a race for first place.

OUT EAST

OUA
Sun Feb 01 Nipissing 2 Ottawa 4
Sun Feb 01 McGill 6 Carleton 1

OUT WEST

ACAC
Sun Feb 01 S.A.I.T. 2 UA-Augustana 3

February 6, 2026: BISONS TRAMPLE KITTENS

REGINA COUGARS 1
MANITOBA BISONS 6

Quick Summary
Reg: E. Houk (10:12 1st)
Man: A. Boucher (12:46 1st) , E. Alarie (18:00 1st) , S. Bruce (02:48 2nd) , G. Lane (19:14 2nd) , M. King (02:26 3rd) , C. Zaplitny (03:11 3rd)
Goal: Reg: Cunningham (36 shots, 30 saves), Man: Holt (25 shots, 24 saves)

I missed the first half of this game due to a family dinner. (Homemade prime rib with mashed potatoes and gravy etc. Way better than arena hot dogs!)

After a stretch of too-close-for-comfort games against the Banjo-Cats, the Bisons finally put their hooves down and gave them a good trampling. The Kittens were purring last weekend and looked to be a challenge. But it was not to be.

This win moves the Bisons to 12-11-2, for 26 points and closing in on 5th overall.

With the season winding down, we must check out the tiebreakers:

If two or more teams are tied in points then the following tie breaking criteria shall be used to break the tie. A win in regulation time and a win in overtime are treated as equal. A loss in regulation time and a loss in overtime are treated as equal.

1. Two teams tied:
The following shall determine the final league standings:
a) The best win/loss record in head-to-head games between the two teams.
b) If still tied, the number of wins in league play.
c) If still tied, the best goals for/goals against differential in league play.

2. Three or more teams tied:
If three or more teams are tied, the following steps shall be used to determine the rank order of the tied teams:
a) The best win/loss record in head to head games between the three or more tied teams.
b) If three or more teams are still tied, the highest number of wins in league play.
c) If three or more teams are still tied, the best goals for/goals against differential in league play.

Note: Once a team is ranked so that it is no longer tied with any other team(s) at any one of these three steps, that team shall be ranked accordingly in the final standings. Any remaining tied teams shall then proceed to step 1 of the appropriate tiebreaker (depending on the number of teams still tied) to continue the process until all teams are ranked in the final standings.

This creates three problems from before:
1. It does not say what happens with shootouts.
2. It is not based on points.
3. The definition of “best” in paragraph 2 (a) is not stated.

OUT-OF-TOWN SCOREBOARD

CALGARY DINOSAURS 1
SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 4

Quick Summary
Calg: B. Lee (19:03 2nd)
Sask: C. Roulette (10:58 1st) , R. Pelletier (13:03 1st) , D. Holt (10:18 3rd) , C. Jordan (18:07 3rd)
Goal: Calg: Stankowski (29 shots, 26 saves), Sask: Maier (16 shots, 15 saves)

Since this game was directly opposite the Bison game, I never saw any of it. I did follow along on my phone. Of note, Bedrock U had just eight shots on goal in the last two periods. The Banjo-Mutts were led by two of their premiere scorers, with Conner Roulette notching his 14th and Dawson Holt racking up his 12th.

The Banjo-Mutts are now tied with the Bluegars, three points up on the Dinos.

Now, Sask and MRU are tied and play each other next weekend. In wins & losses, they are two-a-piece thus far. In points, it is 5-4 for Sask. (That may not matter in the tie-breaking formula.) Each side has 18 wins, one in a shootout. In goal difference, MRU is +50 and Sask is +45.

U.B.C. THUNDERBIRDS 7
ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 3

Quick Summary
UBC: C. Douglas (08:53 1st) , T. Thorpe (17:08 1st) , T. Thorpe (18:09 2nd) , B. Kotylak (01:55 3rd) , R. Kotai (11:54 3rd) , J. Lee (17:03 3rd) , J. Lee (18:04 3rd)
Alta: D. Ruptash (10:46 1st) , J. Joly (11:55 1st) , D. Ruptash (02:41 2nd)
Goal: UBC: Mirwald (19 shots, 16 saves), Alta: Kruger (12 shots, 10 saves), Sim L (25 shots, 20 saves)

The Evil Monkeys held leads of 2-1 and 3-2 in this game, and in fact it was 3-3 entering the 3rd period. So that 7-3 final score came from a dominant 3rd period. Chris Douglas of UBC scored his 16th of the season, and Jake Lee scored his 13th and 14th late in the 3rd period.

In the race for 2nd in the West Division, the Evil Monkeys trail MacEwan by one point, and in the race for 5th overall, they trail the Bisons by two.

MACEWAN GRIFFINS 6
TRINITY WESTERN SPARTANS 5
(in overtime)

Quick Summary
MacU: L. Hughes (16:22 1st) , B. Bamber (19:45 1st) , K. Chabot (01:19 2nd) , D. Jean Jr. (06:55 2nd) , S. Simard (18:34 3rd) , K. Dowhaniuk (00:50 1st OT)
TWU: A. Knutson (06:00 1st) , A. Knutson (18:08 1st) , M. Simchuk (13:51 2nd) , C. Lowe (18:10 2nd) , J. Krahn (05:54 3rd)
Goal: MacU: Ward (23 shots, 18 saves), TWU: Savage (37 shots, 31 saves)

This one was a back-and-forth affair all night long. The Family Guys needed a late goal to tie the game and force overtime, and then cashed in. This was one they absolutely needed. They are now one point ahead of the Evil Monkeys. It also allowed Holy Trinity to move a point ahead of Regina in the race for the wooden spoon.

NEXT UP

Sat Feb 07 Regina at Manitoba 5:00 CST
Sat Feb 07 Calgary at Saskatchewan 5:00 CST
Sat Feb 07 U.B.C. at Alberta 7:00 MST/8:00 CST
Sat Feb 07 MacEwan at Trinity Western 7:00 PST/9:00 CST

OUT EAST

OUA
Wed Feb 04 Brock 4 Western Ontario 3 (ot)
Wed Feb 04 Laurier 1 Windsor 4
Thu Feb 05 Nipissing 3 Ontario Tech 4 (ot)
Thu Feb 05 Toronto Metropolitan 1 Guelph 3
Thu Feb 05 Queen’s at R.M.C. ppd to Feb 07
Fri Feb 06 Waterloo 1 Brock 5
Fri Feb 06 York 3 Toronto Metropolitan 6
Fri Feb 06 Toronto 4 Laurier 1
Fri Feb 06 Ottawa 5 R.M.C. 2
Fri Feb 06 Carleton 3 Concordia 4
Fri Feb 06 Lakehead 2 Windsor 5
Fri Feb 06 McGill 3 Queen’s 2 (ot)
Sat Feb 07 Ottawa at Ontario Tech 3:00 EST/2:00 CST
Sat Feb 07 U.Q.T.R. at Nipissing 4:00 EST/3:00 CST
Sat Feb 07 Waterloo at Laurier 7:00 EST/6:00 CST
Sat Feb 07 McGill at Concordia 7:00 EST/6:00 CST
Sat Feb 07 Queen’s at R.M.C. 7:00 EST/6:00 CST
Sat Feb 07 Guelph at York 7:00 EST/6:00 CST
Sat Feb 07 Lakehead at Western Ontario 7:00 EST/6:00 CST
Sat Feb 07 Toronto at Windsor 7:30 EST/6:30 CST

AUS
Wed Feb 04 Dalhousie 1 Moncton 5
Fri Feb 06 St. F.X. 3 Dalhousie 6
Fri Feb 06 Acadia 4 U.P.E.I. 1
Fri Feb 06 Saint Mary’s 1 New Brunswick 4
Sat Feb 07 Acadia at New Brunswick 7:00 AST/5:00 CST
Sat Feb 07 Saint Mary’s at U.P.E.I. 7:00 AST/5:00 CST
Sat Feb 07 Moncton at St. F.X. 7:00 AST/5:00 CST

OUT WEST

ACAC
Wed Feb 04 UA-Augustana 1 N.A.I.T. 2
Fri Feb 06 Red Deer Poly 2 Portage College 1
Fri Feb 06 N.A.I.T. 1 UA-Augustana 2
Fri Feb 06 Briercrest College 5 S.A.I.T. 2
Sat Feb 07 Red Deer Poly at Portage College 1:00 MST/2:00 CST
Sat Feb 07 Briercrest College at S.A.I.T. 2:15 MST/3:15 CST

Non-Conference Game
Thu Feb 05 Chinese National Team 7 Concordia-Edmonton 4

Note: China goes 3-4 and one game cancelled on their tour of trhe ACAC.

BCIHL
Fri Feb 06 Logan Lake 7 Simon Fraser 8
Sat Feb 07 Logan Lake at Okanagan 5:30 PST/7:30 CST

Links:
➤ CW Hockey Tech: Daily Schedule
➤ OUA: Daily Schedule
➤ AUS: Schedule & Results
➤ ACAC: Schedule & Results

February 7, 2026: BANJO-CATS REBOUND FOR SECOND CONSECUTIVE SPLIT

REGINA COUGARS 3
MANITOBA BISONS 1

Quick Summary
Reg: P. Jasper (14:58 1st) , C. Wirun (15:43 2nd) , B. Heward (05:17 3rd)
Man: S. Bruce (18:10 2nd)
Goal: Reg: Ernst (34 shots, 33 saves), Man: Plowman (18 shots, 15 saves)

This was a chippy game, which is not what the Bisons needed to achieve a sweep of the Banjo-Cats. The powerplays tipped the balance, with Regina going 2-for-4 and the Bisons 0-for-5. There were also four occasions of offsetting penalties. Regina’s only non-PP goal was the opener, credited to Parker Jasper for his first goal of the season. It was a point shot re-directed by Michael King for an own-goal. At the time, the shots were 9-2 in favour of the Bisons and the game looked like another route in progress. The two power-play goals were just the second goals of the season for both Cole Wirun and Blake Heward. New Feline goaltender Dylan Ernst played very well in goal. He was a 2nd semester addition, playing his 2nd game for the Kittens.

The line-up changes for the Bisons saw Mitchell Joss return to the line-up for just the 2nd time since his 1st semester injury. The goaltending rotation continued, with Cole Plowman starting and Matthew Kieper backing up.

The Bisons thus end their home schedule and stand at an even .500, one point behind 5th place MacEwan.

OUT-OF-TOWN SCOREBOARD

CALGARY DINOSAURS 1
SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 2

Quick Summary
Calg: L. Hauer (18:48 2nd)
Sask: L. Kosior (10:05 1st) , D. Holt (19:04 1st)
Goal: Calg: Tetachuk (34 shots, 32 saves), Sask: Maier (30 shots, 29 saves)

The Banjo-Mutts completed a huge sweep to vault over the idle Bluegars into first place in the East Division. They are also assured of no worse than 2nd place. Meanwhile, Bedrock U could still catch MRU. The Bisons are off to Calgary next weekend, and it looks like the Dinos will need a sweep and some help to lift themselves from 3rd place.

U.B.C. THUNDERBIRDS 5
ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 2

Quick Summary
UBC: R. Kotai (13:24 1st) , N. Sullivan (03:03 3rd) , S. Atkinson (03:41 3rd) , S. Mutala (17:58 3rd) , J. Williams (18:21 3rd)
Alta: O. Pederson (09:02 1st) , O. Pederson (11:33 1st)
Goal: UBC: Schwebius (24 shots, 22 saves), Alta: Sim (26 shots, 23 saves)

The T-irds didn’t have much to play for in this one. But they did establish a team record for wins and, with a bye next weekend, they are looking at a 3-week break in the schedule. For the Evil Monkeys, they need a sweep next weekend just to finish .500.

The score is deceptive here. The Monkeys built a 2-0 lead in the first period and UBC’s last two goals were into an empty net. Of note, the T-irds had five different goal-scorers, all of whom are in the double-digits.

MACEWAN GRIFFINS 6
TRINITY WESTERN SPARTANS 1

Quick Summary
MacU: B. Bamber (19:40 1st) , E. Sundar (09:35 2nd) , S. Simard (03:45 3rd) , R. Dekowny (07:35 3rd) , K. Chabot (08:04 3rd) , B. Boyle (17:57 3rd)
TWU: A. Knutson (02:01 3rd)
Goal: MacU: Ironside (28 shots, 27 saves), TWU: Sommer (66 shots, 60 saves)

Well, Holy Trinity at least had one good game this weekend. I saw the 3rd period of this one and it was tedious. Whistles every few seconds and the chipiness level was off the charts. Family Guy Kadyn Chabot scored his 18th goal of the season, tops in the CW. Holy Trinity’s goaltenders are often hung out to dry. 66 shots must hurt.

MacEwan is now three points ahead of Alberta in the race for 2nd place in the West Division, and one point ahead of the Bisons for 5th overall. Alberta has won 3-out-of-4 games against MacEwan. So the Monkeys could steal 2nd place if they win both, and no more than one in overtime.

Holy Trinity is one point behind Regina in the race for 8th! Their series next weekend will determine the wooden spoon.

NEXT UP

Fri Feb 13 Trinity Western at Regina 7:00 CST
Fri Feb 13 MacEwan at Alberta 7:00 MST/8:00 CST
Fri Feb 13 Saskatchewan at Mount Royal 7:00 MST/8:00 CST
Fri Feb 13 Manitoba at Calgary 7:00 MST/8:00 CST

OUT EAST

OUA
Sat Feb 07 Ottawa 4 Ontario Tech 3
Sat Feb 07 U.Q.T.R. 2 Nipissing 3 (ot)
Sat Feb 07 Waterloo 3 Laurier 1
Sat Feb 07 McGill 3 Concordia 4 (ot)
Sat Feb 07 Queen’s 4 R.M.C. 3 (ot)
Sat Feb 07 Guelph 6 York 1
Sat Feb 07 Lakehead 5 Western Ontario 2
Sat Feb 07 Toronto 2 Windsor 3
Wed Feb 11 McGill at Carleton 7:00 EST/6:00 CST
Thu Feb 12 Brock at Toronto Metropolitan 6:15 EST/5:15 CST
Thu Feb 12 Western Ontario at Guelph 7:30 EST/6:30 CST
Fri Feb 13 Toronto at Waterloo 7:00 EST/6:00 CST
Fri Feb 13 U.Q.T.R. at R.M.C. 7:00 EST/6:00 CST
Fri Feb 13 Laurier at York 7:00 EST/6:00 CST
Fri Feb 13 Concordia at Ottawa 7:00 EST/6:00 CST
Fri Feb 13 Windsor at Lakehead 7:00 EST/6:00 CST
Fri Feb 13 Queen’s at Ontario Tech 7:00 EST/6:00 CST
Fri Feb 13 Carleton at Nipissing 7:00 EST/6:00 CST

AUS
Sat Feb 07 Acadia 3 New Brunswick 6
Sat Feb 07 Saint Mary’s 4 U.P.E.I. 3
Sat Feb 07 Moncton 2 St. F.X. 3 (so)
Wed Feb 11 Moncton at New Brunswick 7:00 AST/5:00 CST
Wed Feb 11 Acadia at Dalhousie 7:00 AST/5:00 CST
Fri Feb 13 U.P.E.I. at Moncton 7:00 AST/5:00 CST
Fri Feb 13 Saint Mary’s at St. F.X. 7:00 AST/5:00 CST

OUT WEST

ACAC
Sat Feb 07 Red Deer Poly 6 Portage College 3
Sat Feb 07 Briercrest College 5 S.A.I.T. 6
Fri Feb 13 Portage College at Briercrest College 6:00 MST/7:00 CST
Fri Feb 13 N.A.I.T. at S.A.I.T. 6:45 MST/7:45 CST
Fri Feb 13 Concordia-Edmonton at UA-Augustana 7:00 MST/8:00 CST

BCIHL
Sat Feb 07 Logan Lake 6 Okanagan 3
Fri Feb 13 Victoria at Logan Lake 7:00 PST/9:00 CST
Sat Feb 14 Victoria at Simon Fraser 7:00 PST/9:00 CST

Links:
➤ CW Hockey Tech: Daily Schedule

February 13, 2026: DINOS RIDE EMPTY NETTERS TO VICTORY

MANITOBA BISONS 1
CALGARY DINOSAURS 4

Quick Summary
Man: J. Arpin (12:13 2nd)
Calg: M. Stewart (12:49 2nd) , H. Pakkala (17:27 3rd) , A. Kydd (19:01 3rd) , R. Gannon (19:38 3rd)
Goal: Man: Holt (33 shots, 31 saves), Calg: Tetachuk (18 shots, 17 saves)

This was a 1-1 hockey game until Hayden Pakkala scored his 14th of the season with just over two minutes left to give the Dinos their first lead of the evening. A pair of empty-netters then put it away. This gave the Dinos a hope for a chance at 2nd place, because MRU was leading 2-1 at the time, but it was not to be. The Dinos are stuck in 3rd, and the Bisons in 4th. The only goal of significance on Saturday is therefore the Bison quest for a .500 season.

OUT-OF-TOWN SCOREBOARD

TRINITY WESTERN SPARTANS 5
REGINA COUGARS 2

Quick Summary
TWU: D. Korzhyletskyi (10:37 1st) , L. Shearon (19:17 1st) , D. Korzhyletskyi (03:33 2nd) , D. Korzhyletskyi (07:37 2nd) , C. Farren (03:15 3rd)
Reg: E. Houk (13:23 1st) , C. Belitski (08:30 2nd)
Goal: TWU: Audet (42 shots, 40 saves), Reg: Ernst L (14 shots, 10 saves), Cunningham (10 shots, 9 saves)

This win moves Holy Trinity one point ahead of the Banjo-Cats in the race for 8th place. I saw the beginning, since this was the only game which started at 7:00 pm CST. Regina could not get a save from their goaltender. He was yanked after giving up 4 goals. The Kittens actually had a wide edge in play.

MACEWAN GRIFFINS 6
ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 2

Quick Summary
MacU: S. Simard (10:12 1st) , E. Sundar (11:26 1st) , L. Dowhaniuk (00:23 2nd) , S. Simard (02:54 2nd) , C. Cabana (07:35 3rd) , V. Scott (18:13 3rd)
Alta: R. Melnyk (06:29 1st) , J. Joly (17:04 1st)
Goal: MacU: Ironside (34 shots, 32 saves), Alta: Sim (29 shots, 24 saves)

Since this one had the same start time as the Bison game, and the MRU/Sask battle for first was my back-up game, I never saw it. This assures The Family Guys of a 2nd place finish and they will host Calgary in next week’s quarter-final. The Evil Monkeys just haven’t got it, especially with a backup goaltender necessitated. I would not wager on either side advancing.

SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 2
MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS 3

Quick Summary
Sask: C. Roulette (01:59 1st) , C. Stebbings (07:08 2nd)
MRU: V. Watterodt (13:12 1st) , S. Moe (13:18 3rd) , J. Lies (17:33 3rd)
Goal: Sask: Maier (27 shots, 24 saves), MRU: Farkas (20 shots, 18 saves)

The Banjo-Mutts led the game 2-1 entering the 3rd period, despite having been outplayed. So it was poetic justice that the Bluegars rallied in the 3rd for a win. This means that Saturday’s rematch is a first place showdown, and that Calgary cannot steal 2nd spot. The loser will host the Evil Monkeys, and be heavy favourites. The winner will face the winner of the quarter-final series between MacEwan and Calgary.

A lot of big-time goal scorers scored in this one. Connor Roulette (15th) and Carter Stebbings (13th) scored for the Mutts. Vaughn Watterodt (9th), Spencer Moe (11th), and Justine Lies (14th) replied for the Bluegars.

NEXT UP

Sat Feb 14 Manitoba at Calgary 3:00 MST/4:00 CST
Sat Feb 14 Alberta at MacEwan 3:00 MST/4:00 CST
Sat Feb 14 Trinity Western at Regina 5:00 CST
Sat Feb 14 Saskatchewan at Mount Royal 5:00 MST/6:00 CST

OUT EAST

OUA
Fri Feb 13 Toronto 4 Waterloo 2
Fri Feb 13 U.Q.T.R. 4 R.M.C. 5 (ot)
Fri Feb 13 Laurier 6 York 2
Fri Feb 13 Concordia 4 Ottawa 1
Fri Feb 13 Windsor 3 Lakehead 7
Fri Feb 13 Queen’s 4 Ontario Tech 3
Fri Feb 13 Carleton 4 Nipissing 5 (ot)
Sat Feb 14 Concordia at R.M.C. 2:00 EST/1:00 CST
Sat Feb 14 Ottawa at McGill 3:00 EST/2:00 CST
Sat Feb 14 Queen’s at Nipissing 4:00 EST/3:00 CST
Sat Feb 14 Toronto Metropolitan at Waterloo 4:00 EST/3:00 CST
Sat Feb 14 U.Q.T.R. at Ontario Tech 5:00 EST/4:00 CST
Sat Feb 14 Western Ontario at York 7:00 EST/6:00 CST
Sat Feb 14 Windsor at Lakehead 7:00 EST/6:00 CST
Sat Feb 14 Brock at Toronto 7:00 EST/6:00 CST
Sat Feb 14 Laurier at Guelph 7:30 EST/6:30 CST

AUS
Fri Feb 13 U.P.E.I. 6 Moncton 2
Fri Feb 13 Saint Mary’s 2 St. F.X. 3 (so)
Fri Feb 13 Acadia 3 Dalhousie 1
Sat Feb 14 New Brunswick at U.P.E.I. 7:00 AST/5:00 CST
Sat Feb 14 St. F.X. at Acadia 7:00 AST/5:00 CST
Sat Feb 14 Dalhousie at Saint Mary’s 7:00 AST/5:00 CST

OUT WEST

ACAC
Fri Feb 13 Portage College 7 Briercrest College 6 (ot)
Fri Feb 13 N.A.I.T. 4 S.A.I.T. 3 (ot)
Fri Feb 13 Concordia-Edmonton 4 UA-Augustana 2
Sat Feb 14 Portage College at Briercrest College 1:00 MST/2:00 CST
Sat Feb 14 S.A.I.T. at N.A.I.T. 6:00 MST/7:00 CST
Sat Feb 14 UA-Augustana at Concordia-Edmonton 7:00 MST/8:00 CST

BCIHL
Fri Feb 13 Victoria 8 Logan Lake 5
Sat Feb 14 Victoria at Simon Fraser 7:00 PST/9:00 CST

Links:
➤ CW Hockey Tech: Daily Schedule: https://canadawest.hockeytech.com/men/stats/daily-schedule

February 14, 2026: BISON SEASON ENDS WITH SHOOTOUT LOSS

MANITOBA BISONS 2
CALGARY DINOSAURS 3
(in a shootout)

Quick Summary
Man: G. Lane (15:53 1st) , D. Pasternak (06:04 2nd)
Calg: H. Pakkala (17:01 1st) , G. Schmidt (02:01 3rd)
Goal: Man: Kieper (39 shots, 37 saves), Calg: Stankowski (27 shots, 25 saves)

Shootout
Calg Hayden Pakkala No
Man Lucas Brennan No
Calg Adam Kydd Yes
Man Skyler Bruce No
Calg Brendan Lee No
Man Dawson Pasternak No

The CW regular season came to an end on Saturday night. This shootout loss for the Bisons means they finish one point under .500. The playoff picture looks like this:

Calgary at MacEwan, winner plays Mount Royal
Alberta at Saskatchewan, winner plays UBC

The Dinos graduating seniors were honoured, and they include goaltender Carl Stankowski, leading scorer Adam Kydd, and their leading scorer amongst defenceman, Sean Strange.

This was a step forward for the Bisons, who likely deserved a playoff berth. The screwy CW divisional set-up rotates so that they are slated to play in a BC-Prairie division with Saskatchewan, Regina, UBC, and Trinity Western next year.

OUT-OF-TOWN SCOREBOARD

TRINITY WESTERN SPARTANS 2
REGINA COUGARS 4

Quick Summary
TWU: M. Simchuk (03:50 2nd) , M. Simchuk (13:11 3rd)
Reg: E. Houk (10:29 2nd) , J. Doucet (13:01 2nd) , K. Runke (06:15 3rd) , C. Whyte (19:59 3rd)
Goal: TWU: Sommer (31 shots, 28 saves), Reg: Cunningham (29 shots, 27 saves)

The season ends on a positive note for the Banjo-Cats, as they jump over Holy Trinity to avoid the wooden spoon. It was senior night for the Kittens, and they have nine (9) graduating players. That means they require a massive recruiting effort just to tread water. Leaving are Eric Pearce, Logan Barlage, Carter Belitski, Ayden Third, Paycen Bjorklund, Eric Houk, Jaxon Steele, Jackson Doucet, and Matt Culling. That list includes their top seven scorers.

ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 5
MACEWAN GRIFFINS 3

Quick Summary
Alta: J. Hall (07:41 1st) , V. Lamanna (07:46 2nd) , N. Boyko (10:53 2nd) , V. Lamanna (12:14 2nd) , J. Joly (19:26 3rd)
MacU: E. Sundar (08:18 1st) , M. Gauld (12:20 1st) , C. Chorney (08:35 2nd)
Goal: Alta: Barwick (13 shots, 10 saves), Sim W (9 shots, 9 saves), MacU: Onyskiw L (13 shots, 9 saves), Ironside (12 shots, 12 saves)

This game was anti-climatic following MacEwan’s clinching of 2nd place on Friday night. Both sides pulled their starting goaltender, and have big question marks heading into the playoffs. In my opinion, both sides are heavy underdogs.

SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 4
MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS 6

Quick Summary
Sask: C. Bertholet (12:05 2nd) , D. Holt (04:20 3rd) , C. Hayes (11:26 3rd) , C. Petruic (17:45 3rd)
MRU: J. Lies (07:46 1st) , T. Patton (08:56 1st) , T. Patton (11:25 1st) , V. Watterodt (07:50 2nd) , K. Walker (09:13 3rd) , V. Watterodt (19:41 3rd)
Goal: Sask: Maier (13 shots, 10 saves), Kooy (24 shots, 22 saves), MRU: Farkas (27 shots, 23 saves)

The Bluegars have steadily improved all season and really deserved this win. The Banjo-Mutts remain a threat to anybody, even UBC should they win their quarter-final and cross-over for the semi-final round. Of note, the Mutts’ new goaltender Nolan Meier was yanked to be replaced by former #1 Jordan Kooy. Their goaltending was fine before, and it seems that this 3-goalie system has disrupted things. This is one thing to check out for the playoffs.

NEXT UP

Quarter-finals
TBD Calgary at MacEwan (winner plays Mount Royal)
TBD Alberta at Saskatchewan (winner plays UBC)

OUT EAST

OUA
Sat Feb 14 Concordia 4 R.M.C. 3
Sat Feb 14 Ottawa 0 McGill 4
Sat Feb 14 Queen’s 4 Nipissing 0
Sat Feb 14 Toronto Metropolitan 3 Waterloo 0
Sat Feb 14 U.Q.T.R. 4 Ontario Tech 1
Sat Feb 14 Western Ontario 4 York 6
Sat Feb 14 Windsor 4 Lakehead 2
Sat Feb 14 Brock 4 Toronto 2
Sat Feb 14 Laurier 4 Guelph 3 (ot)

Playoff schedule TBA.

AUS
Sat Feb 14 New Brunswick 2 U.P.E.I. 1
Sat Feb 14 St. F.X. 2 Acadia 1 (ot)
Sat Feb 14 Dalhousie 1 Saint Mary’s 8

Playoff schedule TBA.

OUT WEST

ACAC
Sat Feb 14 Portage College 6 Briercrest College 4
Sat Feb 14 S.A.I.T. 1 N.A.I.T. 4
Sat Feb 14 UA-Augustana 1 Concordia-Edmonton 3
Fri Feb 20 Briercrest College at N.A.I.T. 6:00 MST
Fri Feb 20 Red Deer Poly at S.A.I.T. 6:45 MST
Fri Feb 20 Concordia-Edmonton at Portage College 7:00 MST
Sat Feb 21 Briercrest College at N.A.I.T. 2:00 MST
Sat Feb 21 Portage College at Concordia-Edmonton 7:00 MST
Sat Feb 21 S.A.I.T. at Red Deer Poly 7:00 MST `

Non-Conference Game
Wed Jan 21 Chinese National Team 3 UA-Augustana 1
This was not previously reported, which means China was 4-4-0 on their tour.

BCIHL
Sat Feb 14 Victoria 6 Simon Fraser 2
Fri Feb 20 Logan Lake at Victoria 7:30 PST
Sat Feb 21 Logan Lake at Vancouver Island 7:15 PST
Sat Feb 21 Simon Fraser at Okanagan 5:30 PST

Links:
➤ CW Hockey Tech: Daily Schedule:

February 18, 2026: PLAYOFFS START OUT EAST

LAKEHEAD THUNDERWOLVES 5
BROCK BADGERS 8
(Brock leads series 1-0)

Lakehead was on the road here, but get games 2 and 3 at home. In the OUA they have a 1-2 split instead of a 1-1-1 split when the teams are a certain distance apart. I am pulling for the Thundermutts because they have come to Winnipeg the last three years in pre-season.

GUELPH GRYPHONS 2
LAURIER GOLDEN HAWKS 1
(Guelph leads series 1-0)

Guelph outshot Laurier 47-13, so it is quite something that it was just a 2-1 game. I rated this one as a toss-up.

QUEEN’S GOLDEN GAELS 6
MCGILL REDBIRDS 2
(Queen’s leads series 1-0)

This lop-sided score ranks as a surprise. The stats were not so one-sided, though. UQTR and Concordia have the first round byes, so McGill needs to win to make it a predominantly Quebec playoff division, which the OUA East is normally.

OTTAWA GEEGEES 2
ONTARIO TECH RIDGEBACKS 1
(in double overtime)
(Ottawa leads series 1-0)

Ottawa won the U-Cup last year, but they are in tough in this series. They are at home in games two and three.

Next Up:

Fri Feb 20 Ontario Tech at Ottawa 7:00 EST/6:00 CST
Fri Feb 20 Brock at Lakehead 7:00 EST/6:00 CST
Fri Feb 20 McGill at Queen’s 7:30 EST/6:30 CST

Sat Feb 21 Ontario Tech at Ottawa 3:00 EST/2:00 CST *if necessary
Sat Feb 21 Brock at Lakehead 7:00 EST/6:00 CST *if necessary
Sat Feb 21 Laurier at Guelph 7:30 EST/6:30 CST

Sun Feb 22 Queen’s at McGill 3:00 EST/2:00 CST *if necessary
Sun Feb 22 Guelph at Laurier 6:30 EST/7:30 CST *if necessary

ST. FRANCIS XAVIER X-MEN 4
ACADIA AXEMEN 1
(St. FX leads series 1-0)

This is the 3rd v 6th match-up, however Acadia had 39 points and the Jeremies had 31 points in the regular season.

U.P.E.I. PANTHERS 5
SAINT MARY’S HUSKIES 2
(UPEI leads series 1-0)

This result means that the lower seeds both won on the road and have home games on Friday, where they could win the series. New Brunswick and Moncton have byes through this quarter-final round.

Next Up

Fri Feb 20 Saint Mary’s at UPEI 7:00 AST/5:00 CST
Fri Feb 20 Acadia at St. FX 7:00 AST/5:00 CST

Sun Feb 22 UPEI at Saint Mary’s 7:00 AST/5:00 CST *if necessary
Sun Feb 22 St. FX at Acadia 7:00 AST/5:00 CST *if necessary

Preview: February 20-22, 2026: CWUAA QUARTER-FINALS

ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS (11-13-4, 14-17-4, OHT35 #25)
SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES (19-7-2, 25-9-4, OHT35 #7)

In the CW criss-cross playoff format, the Banjo-Mutts, as the 2nd place team from the East Division, host the Evil Monkeys, the 3rd place team from the West Division. The winner of this series will then face UBC in the semi-final round.

Going into the season, there were high hopes in Saskatown. Although they had a respectable season, they never quite seemed to hit their stride. The Monkeys were hard to gauge, after being racked by NCAA defections. However, a sub-.500 season is hard to fathom. They only made the playoffs because of the CW’s split divisional format.

These teams played just once, on January 23-24, with Sask sweeping by scores of 7-4 and 6-2.

Sask is led by three of the top nine scorers in the CW, forwards Chantz Petruic (26 GP, 18 G, 18 A, 36 Pts), Dawson Holt (28 GP, 14 G, 22 A, 36 Pts), and Connor Roulette (28 GP, 15 G, 20 A, 35 Pts). Defenceman Landon Kosior was 17th (28 GP, 4 G, 25 A, 29 Pts). Forward Carter Stebbings also had a good season (27 GP, 13 G, 10 A, 23 Pts).

The conference had 7 players tied for 20th with 26 points, and three of those were Monkeys: Adam Hall (27 GP, 15 G, 11 A, 26 Pts), Justin Hall (22 GP, 9 G, 17 A, 26 Pts), and defenceman Dawson Davidson (27 GP, 2 G, 4 A, 26 Pts).

Goaltending is a question mark for both teams.

For Alberta, 4th year Ethan Kruger was their #1 goalie all season. I infer he was hurt on February 6th when he left a game against UBC and never did return. His career stats took a bit of a downturn this year, which reflects the team in front of him. This year’s numbers were around league average (7-6-3, 3.20 GAA, .891 S%). They now have to make do with two rookies, Drew Sim and Ethan Barwick.

For Saskatchewan, second semester addition Nolan Meier was handed the #1 position. His numbers were pretty good (6-2-0, 2.98 GAA, .889 S%) but not quite as good as Jordan Kooy (7-3-2, 2.86 GAA, .902 S%) and Bryan Thompson (6-2-0, 2.35 GAA, .916 S%).

All-in-all, the Mutts have to be considered a prohibitive favourite to win this series.

CALGARY DINOSAURS (19-8-1, 25-9-2, OHT35 #5)
MACEWAN GRIFFINS (12-11-5, 15-15-5, OHT35 #21)

This series is odd in that MacEwan (as the 2nd place team in the West Division with 29 points) gets to host the series, even though Calgary (as the 3rd place team in the East Division with 39 points) was vastly superior. The winner of this series will face MRU in the semi-final round.

The Family Guys deserve credit for making the playoffs two years in a row now, but they really caught a break here. In the regular season, Calgary won both ends of the home-and-home 5-3 and 4-1 on the World Series weekend.

At one point, the Dinos were having a Yabba Dabba Doo time, leading the CW and flirting with a #1 ranking nation-wide. However, in pre-season most observers had their doubts about this team, only to see them exceed those expectations from the pre-season to the Christmas break.

The Dinos are heavily reliant on Adam Kydd, 2nd in CW scoring (28 GP, 8 G, 33 A, 41 Pts). Fellow forwards Hayden Pakkala (28 GP, 15 G, 11 A, 26 Pts), Jake Poole (26 GP, 11 G, 13 A, 24 Pts), and Gavin Schmidt (28 GP, 8 G, 13 A, 21 Pts) also had good seasons, and defenceman Sean Strange (28 GP, 4 G, 19 A, 23 Pts) was 6th amongst blueliners in the CW.

Meanwhile, MacEwan has fewer players of renown. Kadyn Chabot (27 GP, 18 G, 17 A, 35 Pts) was frequently given awards and recognition all season. Other major contributors were Sam Simard (28 GP, 12 G, 16 A, 28 Pts), Ethan Sundar (27 GP, 10 G, 15 A, 25 Pts), and Vincent Scott (22 GP, 8 G, 14 A, 22 Pts).

The Bedrock Boys have more reliable goaltending. The duo of Carl Tetachuk and Carl Stankowski could be the CW’s best duo, and have been for four years. (Stankowski is in his 5th season.)

For The Family Guys, Eric Ward was the #1, then Zac Onyskiw assumed that role, but down the stretch former #3 Carson Ironside started the last three games. I don’t know if there are injury issues, and don’t know what to expect.

COMPLETE SCHEDULE

Fri Feb 20 Alberta at Saskatchewan 7:00 CST
Fri Feb 20 Calgary at MacEwan 7:00 MST/8:00 CST
Sat Feb 21 Alberta at Saskatchewan 7:00 CST
Sat Feb 21 Calgary at MacEwan 7:00 MST/8:00 CST
Sun Feb 22 Alberta at Saskatchewan 6:00 CST *if necessary
Sun Feb 22 Calgary at MacEwan 7:00 MST/8:00 CST *if necessary

OUT EAST

OUA
Fri Feb 20 Ontario Tech at Ottawa 7:00 EST/6:00 CST
Fri Feb 20 Brock at Lakehead 7:00 EST/6:00 CST
Fri Feb 20 McGill at Queen’s 7:30 EST/6:30 CST

Sat Feb 21 Ontario Tech at Ottawa 3:00 EST/2:00 CST *if necessary
Sat Feb 21 Brock at Lakehead 7:00 EST/6:00 CST *if necessary
Sat Feb 21 Laurier at Guelph 7:30 EST/6:30 CST

Sun Feb 22 Queen’s at McGill 3:00 EST/2:00 CST *if necessary
Sun Feb 22 Guelph at Laurier 6:30 EST/7:30 CST *if necessary

ACAC
Fri Feb 20 Saint Mary’s at UPEI 7:00 AST/5:00 CST
Fri Feb 20 Acadia at St. FX 7:00 AST/5:00 CST

Sun Feb 22 UPEI at Saint Mary’s 7:00 AST/5:00 CST *if necessary
Sun Feb 22 St. FX at Acadia 7:00 AST/5:00 CST *if necessary

OUT WEST

ACAC
Fri Feb 20 Briercrest College at N.A.I.T. 6:00 MST/7:00 CST
Fri Feb 20 Red Deer Poly at S.A.I.T. 6:45 MST/7:45 CST
Fri Feb 20 Concordia-Edmonton at Portage College 7:00 MST/8:00 CST
Sat Feb 21 Briercrest College at N.A.I.T. 2:00 MST/3:00 CST
Sat Feb 21 Portage College at Concordia-Edmonton 7:00 MST/8:00 CST
Sat Feb 21 S.A.I.T. at Red Deer Poly 7:00 MST/8:00 CST
(End of ACAC regular season.)

BCIHL
Fri Feb 20 Logan Lake at Victoria 7:30 PST/9:30 CST
Sat Feb 21 Logan Lake at Vancouver Island 7:15 PST/9:15 CST
Sat Feb 21 Simon Fraser at Okanagan 5:30 PST/7:30 CST

Links:
➤ CW Hockey Tech: Daily Schedule: https://canadawest.hockeytech.com/men/stats/daily-schedule

February 20, 2026: WEST STARTS, FIRST ELIMINATIONS HAPPEN OUT EAST

ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 0
SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 5
(Saskatchewan leads series 1-0)

Quick Summary
Alta: none
Sask: C. Roulette (02:01 1st) , J. Penner (02:15 2nd) , C. Petruic (09:29 2nd) , L. Keeler (08:59 3rd) , C. Petruic (19:13 3rd)
Goal: Kruger L (16 shots, 13 saves), Sim (11 shots, 9 saves), Maier (30 shots, 30 saves)

The Banjo-Mutts started fast, however the Evil Monkeys rallied and the play was actually very even. The score was misleading. Ethan Kruger made his return to the Monkey Enclosure but did not last. Perhaps returning from injury a little too soon?

Through two periods, the Monkeys were 0-for-4 on the PP, and trailed the game 3-0. Even one goal on those opportunities would have made for an interesting 3rd period.

Remember, if you don’t have CWTV, you can listen to an audio link at the Huskie Fan link.

CALGARY DINOSAURS 6
MACEWAN GRIFFINS 4
(Calgary leads series 1-0)

Quick Summary
Calg: B. Lee (11:27 1st) , H. Pakkala (16:59 1st) , B. Lee (19:12 1st) , M. Stewart (15:59 2nd) , H. Pakkala (19:18 2nd) , J. Poole (18:54 3rd)
MacU: M. Gauld (08:49 1st) , E. Sundar (07:40 2nd) , S. Simard (10:44 2nd) , D. Jean Jr. (02:21 3rd)
Goal: Calg: Stankowski (33 shots, 29 saves), MacU: Ironside (19 shots, 14 saves)

The Family Guys seemed to be playing catch-up all night in this one. They scored first, but then trailed 3-1. They evened the game by mid-way through the 2nd, then entered the 3rd down 5-3. Bedrock U was really on their back foot all period, being outshot 15-5. However, all Mac could do was come within one before an empty-netter sealed the deal. Of note, the Dinos were 3-for-3 on the PP.

Mac’s leading scorer, Kadyn Chabot, got a 10 minute misconduct after the empty-netter. I suspect for the use of one or more of George Carlin’s seven words.

NEXT UP

Sat Feb 21 Alberta at Saskatchewan 7:00 CST
Sat Feb 21 Calgary at MacEwan 7:00 MST/8:00 CST
Sun Feb 22 Alberta at Saskatchewan 6:00 CST *if necessary
Sun Feb 22 Calgary at MacEwan 7:00 MST/8:00 CST *if necessary

OUT EAST

OUA

BROCK BADGERS 2
LAKEHEAD THUNDERWOLVES 3
(in double overtime)
(Series tied 1-1)

Brock has pulled up their socks at the end of the season. Lakehead was flirting with 1st in the OUA West for most of the season, now they are in tough.

MCGILL REDBIRDS 1
QUEEN’S GOLDEN GAELS 2
(in overtime)
(Queen’s wins series 2-0)

This is a surprise result. Queen’s did not make the playoffs until the last day of the season when they won a head-to-head encounter with Nipissing. I believe that as the #6 seed, they will play #1 UQTR in the OUA East semi-finals. The shot clock was 43-19 in favour of Queen’s, which is unusual in a big upset like this.

ONTARIO TECH RIDGEBACKS 0
OTTAWA GEEGEES 4
(Ottawa wins series 2-0)

The defending champs are off to the OUA East semi-finals, where I believe they will face Concordia (Montreal).

Next Up
Sat Feb 21 Brock at Lakehead 7:00 EST/6:00 CST
Sat Feb 21 Laurier at Guelph 7:30 EST/6:30 CST
Sun Feb 22 Guelph at Laurier 6:30 EST/7:30 CST *if necessary

AUS

ACADIA AXEMEN 4
ST. FRANCIS XAVIER X-MEN 1
(Series tied 1-1)

Since the Cajuns were challenging for 1st place all year, it makes sense that they were not swept in this one. They return home for game 3.

SAINT MARY’S HUSKIES 2
U.P.E.I. PANTHERS 3
(UPEI wins series 2-0)

The SMUskies get bounced in two straight, but their season is not over. They host the Nationals, so they have a couple weeks of R&R. They outshot the Spuds 42-28, 16-5 in the 3rd period. I believe that if St. FX wins their series, they play UNB and UPEI would play Moncton in the next round. However, if Acadia wins, they play Moncton and UPEI would face UNB.

Next Up
Sun Feb 22 St. FX at Acadia 7:00 AST/5:00 CST

OUT WEST

ACAC
Fri Feb 20 Briercrest College 3 N.A.I.T. 1
Fri Feb 20 Red Deer Poly 4 S.A.I.T. 2
Fri Feb 20 Concordia-Edmonton 4 Portage College 3 (ot)
Sat Feb 21 Briercrest College at N.A.I.T. 2:00 MST/3:00 CST
Sat Feb 21 Portage College at Concordia-Edmonton 7:00 MST/8:00 CST
Sat Feb 21 S.A.I.T. at Red Deer Poly 7:00 MST/8:00 CST

NOTE: By CUE beating Portage in overtime, both sides moved ahead of Augustana, who have a bye, and assured playoff berths for themselves.

BCIHL
Fri Feb 20 Logan Lake 2 Victoria 5
Sat Feb 21 Simon Fraser at Okanagan 5:30 PST/7:30 CST
Sat Feb 21 Logan Lake at Vancouver Island 7:15 PST/9:15 CST

Link:
➤ CW Hockey Tech: Daily Schedule

February 21, 2026: A NIGHT OF WESTERN SWEEPS

ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 2
SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 3
(in overtime)
(Saskatchewan wins series 2-0)

Quick Summary
Alta: A. Yakimchuk (19:47 2nd) , J. Hall (19:08 3rd)
Sask: C. Roulette (01:17 1st) , J. Pillar (15:25 2nd) , K. Sorensen (10:15 1st OT)
Goal: Sim (26 shots, 23 saves), Maier (30 shots, 28 saves)

The Banjo-Mutts gained a measure of revenge over their perennial nemesis from next door with an entertaining overtime win. The Evil Monkeys deserve credit for not going down without a fight. Sask built a 2-0 lead and held the majority of the play. However, the Monkeys scored in the last minute of the 2nd period to give them some hope.

The 3rd period marked a turn-around. The Monkeys controlled most of the play, outshooting the Mutts 8-4. However, they never scored until they pulled the goaltender in the final minute of play.

However, the Mutts regained control in the overtime. They had a goal called back because the net was knocked off. There was a pile of players, looking like a football line of scrimmage play, or a rugby ruck. This just delayed the inevitable, I suppose. Keaton Sorenson netted the winner after a big scramble around the Monkey net.

In a line-up note, the Monkeys started Drew Sim in goal, and Ethan Kruger did not dress. Their backup was 2nd year Ethan Lawczynski, who has never seen action in a CW regular season game.

CALGARY DINOSAURS 4
MACEWAN GRIFFINS 1
(Calgary wins series 2-0)

Quick Summary
Calg: P. Bocharov (03:16 3rd) , A. Kydd (05:41 3rd) , J. Poole (17:51 3rd) , L. Hauer (19:27 3rd)
MacU: C. Cabana (13:24 2nd)
Goal: Calg: Tetachuk (25 shots, 24 saves), MacU: Ironside (24 shots, 22 saves)

The Family Guys led 1-0 going into the 3rd period, and a pair of empty-netters embellished the Dinos’ scoreline. This was my back-up viewing for most of the night, but it was a typcially defensive playoff game.

Bedrock U now returns to Calgary where they will face MRU next weekend in the semi-finals. MRU’s home rink is the Flames Community Arenas, which is a very low-capacity facility. I wonder if they will be able to line up one of Calgary’s arena options, such as the Winsport Arena often used for curling events. It seats about 3,000.

NEXT UP
Fri Feb 27 Saskatchewan at UBC TBA
Fri Feb 27 Calgary at Mount Royal TBA

OUT EAST

OUA

BROCK BADGERS 4
LAKEHEAD THUNDERWOLVES 2
(Brock wins series 2-1)

This has to rank as a disappointment for Lakehead. I always root for them, as a former GPAC team and frequent visitor to Manitoba. Brock has come on late this season.

LAURIER GOLDEN HAWKS 6
GUELPH GRYPHONS 3
(Series tied 1-1)

Laurier staved off elimination here. This is the only undecided divisional quarter-final series out of four in the OUA.

Next Up
Sun Feb 22 Guelph at Laurier 6:30 EST/7:30 CST

AUS

No games on Saturday.

Next Up
Sun Feb 22 St. FX at Acadia 7:00 AST/5:00 CST

OUT WEST

ACAC
Sat Feb 21 Briercrest College 2 N.A.I.T. 8
Sat Feb 21 Portage College 5 Concordia-Edmonton 2
Sat Feb 21 S.A.I.T. 5 Red Deer Poly 2

NOTE: This ends the ACAC regular season. Portage College, Briercrest College, Concordia (Edmonton), and Augustana all finish at 9-15, with OTLs sorting the standings. Those four teams and NAIT were all 5-9 at one point this season. Playoff schedules are TBA.

BCIHL
Sat Feb 21 Logan Lake 1 Vancouver Island 10
Sat Feb 21 Simon Fraser 2 Okanagan 4
Fri Feb 27 Simon Fraser at Victoria 7:30 PST/9:30 CST
Fri Feb 27 Okanagan at Logan Lake 7:00 PST/9:00 CST
Sat Feb 28 Simon Fraser at Vancouver Island 7:15 PST/9:15 CST
Sat Feb 28 Logan Lake at Okanagan 5:30 PST/7:30 CST
(End of BCIHL regular season.)

Non-Conference Games
Fri Feb 27 Simon Fraser (NCAA2) at Stonehill College 7:00 EST/6:00 CST
Sat Feb 28 Simon Fraser (NCAA2) at Stonehill College 7:00 EST/6:00 CST

Link:
➤ CW Hockey Tech: Daily Schedule: https://canadawest.hockeytech.com/men/stats/daily-schedule

February 22, 2026: WE ARE DOWN TO THE SWEET SIXTEEN

We are down to the final four in each conference. The top two seeds in each conference had byes. The rest had a play-in round, and the underdogs had a 5-3 edge. (Technically, Calgary counts as underdog because they were on the road against MacEwan.) Still the “Year-of-the-Dog” so far.

GUELPH GRYPHONS 4
LAURIER GOLDEN HAWKS 0
(Guelph wins series 2-1)

Laurier stumbled after challenging for a top two position in the 1st semester. They did rally with a pair of wins on the final weekend, including an OTW over Guelph.

Next Up:
TBA Guelph at Windsor
TBA Brock at Toronto Metropolitan
TBA Ottawa at UQTR
TBA Queen’s at Concordia

ST. FRANCIS XAVIER X-MEN 1
ACADIA AXEMEN 2
(Acadia wins series 2-1)

The Ragin’ Cajuns rallied after starting with a loss. The SMUskies are hosting the nationals, so the next round is for berths in the U-Cup with no alternative route.

Next Up:
TBA UPEI at New Brunswick
TBA Acadia at Moncton

February 25, 2026: OUA STARTS DIVISION SEMI-FINALS

OUT EAST

OUA

BROCK BADGERS 2
TORONTO METROPOLITAN BOLD 6
(TMU leads series 1-0)

This was decisive, after Brock surprised Lakehead in the opening round.

GUELPH GRYPHONS 2
WINDSOR LANCERS 5
(Windsor leads series 1-0)

The powerplays were clicking here. Guelph was 2-for-8, Windsor was 3-for-9. The OUA West favourites have it together, so it seems.

OTTAWA GEEGEES 1
U.Q.T.R. PATRIOTES 4
(UQTR leads series 1-0)

The Patriotes drew more than 1,000 fans for this one. Outside of Thunder Bay, that’s pretty good for a Wednesday night in the OUA.

QUEEN’S GOLDEN GAELS 3
CONCORDIA STINGERS 2
(Concordia leads series 1-0)

The Queens have been a late season surprise. They beat Nipissing on the last day of the season in a game for a playoff berth, and followed with an upset win over McGill. This was the only close game, and only upset, of the evening.

Next Up
Thu Feb 26 Windsor at Guelph 7:30 EST/6:30 CST
Fri Feb 27 U.Q.T.R. at Ottawa 7:00 EST/6:00 CST
Fri Feb 27 Concordia at Queen’s 7:30 EST/6:30 CST
Sat Feb 28 Toronto Metropolitan at Brock 4:00 EST/3:00 CST
Sat Feb 28 Guelph at Windsor 7:30 EST/6:300 CST *if necessary
Sun Mar 01 Queen’s at Concordia 2:00 EST/1:00 CST *if necessary
Sun Mar 01 Brock at Toronto Metropolitan 6:15 EST/5:15 CST *if necessary
Sun Mar 01 Ottawa at U.Q.T.R. 7:00 EST/6:00 CST *if necessary

AUS

Next Up
Fri Feb 27 U.P.E.I. at New Brunswick 7:00 AST/5:00 CST
Fri Feb 27 Acadia at Moncton 7:00 AST/5:00 CST
Sat Feb 28 U.P.E.I. at New Brunswick 7:00 AST/5:00 CST
Sat Feb 28 Acadia at Moncton 7:00 AST/5:00 CST

Preview: February 26, 2026: SEMI-FINALS WEEKEND, AND MORE BISON NEWS

BISON NEWS

After playing three games for the Tulsa Oilers of the ECHL, Bison Captain Jonny Hooker has been promoted to the San Diego Gulls of the AHL. He was previously also a captain for the Prince George Cougars of the WHL.

CWUAA

SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES (19-7-2, 2-0-0, 27-9-4, OHT35 #7)
U.B.C. THUNDERBIRDS (23-2-3, 27-3-4, OHT35 #1)

This could be the feature series of the weekend, nation-wide. The T-irds were eliminated by the Banjo-Mutts last year, in a series played in Saskatown. This year, the T-irds have home ice advantage due to finishing in first place in the conference. Will that make a difference? UBC was the best team in this year’s CW. However, Sask was expected to be. The teams faced each other on November 28-29. Sask won the first game, 3-2 in a shoot-out. UBC won the rematch 7-4.

For those without CWTV, the Friday game is to be streamed free of charge on CBC’s YouTube Channel (and presumably on Gem as well) and all three games can be heard at HuskieFan.ca.

CALGARY DINOSAURS (19-8-1, 2-0-0, 27-9-2, OHT35 #5)
MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS (20-6-2, 24-8-2, OHT35 #4)

The Bluegars had a so-so start, splitting their first six series of the season. However, they closed strong to get first place in the East Division. This included a sweep of UBC.

The Bedrock Boys surprised with their hot start before falling back a bit. They are IMO fully capable of winning this series. The Bluegars won the season series 4-2, including the feature game at the Saddledome – The Crowchild Classic.

I saw an Instagram post (now disappeared) stating that MRU grad Riley Sawchuk is the leading scorer with Lada Togliatti of the KHL. In 61 games he has 21 goals and 21 assists.

COMPLETE SCHEDULE

Fri Feb 27 Calgary at Mount Royal 7:00 MST/8:00 CST
Fri Feb 27 Saskatchewan at UBC 7:00 PST/9:00 CST * CBC
Sat Feb 28 Calgary at Mount Royal 7:00 MST/8:00 CST
Sat Feb 28 Saskatchewan at UBC 7:00 PST/9:00 CST
Sun Mar 1 Calgary at Mount Royal 7:00 MST/8:00 CST *if necessary
Sun Mar 1 Saskatchewan at UBC 7:00 PST/9:00 CST *if necessary

OUT EAST

OUA

WINDSOR LANCERS 3
GUELPH GRYPHONS 2
(in overtime)
(Windsor wins series 2-0)

Guelph tied it up with a last minute goal to force overtime. However, the Lancers slayed their Mythical Mutants of an opponent to become the first team into the OUA final four.

Next Up:
Fri Feb 27 U.Q.T.R. at Ottawa 7:00 EST/6:00 CST
Fri Feb 27 Concordia at Queen’s 7:30 EST/6:30 CST
Sat Feb 28 Toronto Metropolitan at Brock 4:00 EST/3:00 CST
Sun Mar 01 Queen’s at Concordia 2:00 EST/1:00 CST *if necessary
Sun Mar 01 Brock at Toronto Metropolitan 6:15 EST/5:15 CST *if necessary
Sun Mar 01 Ottawa at U.Q.T.R. 7:00 EST/6:00 CST *if necessary

AUS

Semi-Final Schedule
Fri Feb 27 U.P.E.I. at New Brunswick 7:00 AST/5:00 CST
Fri Feb 27 Acadia at Moncton 7:00 AST/5:00 CST
Sat Feb 28 U.P.E.I. at New Brunswick 7:00 AST/5:00 CST
Sat Feb 28 Acadia at Moncton 7:00 AST/5:00 CST
Tue Mar 03 New Brunswick at U.P.E.I. 7:00 AST/5:00 CST
Tue Mar 03 Moncton at Acadia 7:00 AST/5:00 CST
Wed Mar 04 New Brunswick at U.P.E.I. 7:00 AST/5:00 CST *if necessary
Wed Mar 04 Moncton at Acadia 7:00 AST/5:00 CST *if necessary
Fri Mar 06 U.P.E.I. at New Brunswick 7:00 AST/5:00 CST *if necessary
Fri Mar 06 Acadia at Moncton 7:00 AST/5:00 CST *if necessary

OUT WEST

ACAC

Quarter-Final Schedule
Fri Feb 27 Briercrest College at Portage College 2:00 MST/3:00 CST
Fri Feb 27 Concordia-Edmonton at NAIT 6:00 MST/7:00 CST
Sat Feb 28 Briercrest College at Portage College 7:00 MST/8:00 CST
Sat Feb 28 NAIT at Concordia-Edmonton 7:00 MST/8:00 CST
Sun Mar 1 Briercrest College at Portage College 1:00 MST/2:00 CST *if necessary
Sun Mar 1 Concordia-Edmonton at NAIT 6:30 MST/7:30 CST *if necessary

BCIHL

Fri Feb 27 Simon Fraser at Victoria 7:30 PST/9:30 CST
Fri Feb 27 Okanagan at Logan Lake 7:00 PST/9:00 CST
Sat Feb 28 Simon Fraser at Vancouver Island 7:15 PST/9:15 CST
Sat Feb 28 Logan Lake at Okanagan 5:30 PST/7:30 CST
* end of regular season

Non-Conference Games
Fri Feb 27 Simon Fraser (NCAA2) at Stonehill College 7:00 EST/6:00 CST
Sat Feb 28 Simon Fraser (NCAA2) at Stonehill College 7:00 EST/6:00 CST

February 27, 2026: MRU & SASK ON TRACK FOR FINALS, OUA GETS TWO MORE SWEEPS

CWUAA: https://men.canadawest.hockeytech.com/stats/schedule

CALGARY DINOSAURS 2
MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS 6
(MRU leads series 1-0)

Quick Summary
Calg: J. Poole (15:15 1st) , S. Strange (18:52 2nd)
MRU: T. Komzak (05:29 1st) , M. Ladyman (16:39 1st) , B. Stevenson (01:17 2nd) , T. Patton (09:12 2nd) , V. Watterodt (17:24 3rd) , J. Tarzwell (19:21 3rd)
Goal: Calg: Tetachuk (27 shots, 23 saves), MRU: Farkas (24 shots, 22 saves)

The Bluegars came out strong from the opening faceoff and looked like they could run the Dinos out of the rink. In the 1st period the shots were 13-5 but the score was just 2-1 for MRU. The Bluegars built up a 4-1 lead in the 2nd period, but Bedrock U would not give up. The scoreline is a bit misleading because MRU had two empty-net goals at the end of the 3rd.

Also, this game was a sell-out, albeit at the tiny Flames Community Arena which only holds 500 people.

SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 3
U.B.C. THUNDERBIRDS 2
(Sask leads series 1-0)

Quick Summary
Sask: C. Roulette (12:54 2nd) , C. Roulette (02:15 3rd) , E. Regnier (07:54 3rd)
UBC: C. Douglas (09:49 3rd) , S. Atkinson (16:37 3rd)
Goal: Sask: Maier (33 shots, 31 saves), UBC: Mirwald (22 shots, 19 saves)

This was a really good game. It started at the same time as the Jets v Ducks game, so it was my second game. The Banjo-Mutts built a 3-0 lead but two goals in the last half of the 3rd period made for a tense ending. I expect that every game in this series will be tight, and no result would surprise me.

NEXT UP

Sat Feb 28 Calgary at Mount Royal 7:00 MST/8:00 CST
Sat Feb 28 Saskatchewan at UBC 7:00 PST/9:00 CST
Sun Mar 1 Calgary at Mount Royal 7:00 MST/8:00 CST *if necessary
Sun Mar 1 Saskatchewan at UBC 7:00 PST/9:00 CST *if necessary

OUT EAST

OUA:
U.Q.T.R. PATRIOTES 5
OTTAWA GEEGEES 1
(UQTR wins series 2-0)

Last year, the Gee Gees were a surprise national champ as host team. This was no surprise to me. UQTR is the perennial powerhouse in the OUA.

CONCORDIA STINGERS 1
QUEEN’S GOLDEN GAELS 2
(Queen’s wins series 2-0)

With series wins over McGill and now Concordia, Queen’s can go for the Quebec Triple Crown in the OUA East final against UQTR. That seemed highly unlikely a couple of weeks ago. This means that all three OUA series in which two games have been played were sweeps.

Next Up:
Sat Feb 28 Toronto Metropolitan at Brock 4:00 EST/3:00 CST
Sun Mar 01 Brock at Toronto Metropolitan 6:15 EST/5:15 CST *if necessary

AUS

U.P.E.I. PANTHERS 1
NEW BRUNSWICK REDS 4
(UNB leads series 1-0)

Looks like a bit of a yawner, by the stats at least. The Squirrels are coasting now. I can now make my annual rant against the AUS playing a best-of-five semi-final round. Five games in 8 days is absolutely ridiculous for student athletes.

ACADIA AXEMEN 1
MONCTON AIGLES BLEUS 3

The Cajuns outshot the Eggs 27-19, so a potential reversal in game 2 is a possibility.

Next Up:
Sat Feb 28 U.P.E.I. at New Brunswick 7:00 AST/5:00 CST
Sat Feb 28 Acadia at Moncton 7:00 AST/5:00 CST
Tue Mar 03 New Brunswick at U.P.E.I. 7:00 AST/5:00 CST
Tue Mar 03 Moncton at Acadia 7:00 AST/5:00 CST
Wed Mar 04 New Brunswick at U.P.E.I. 7:00 AST/5:00 CST *if necessary
Wed Mar 04 Moncton at Acadia 7:00 AST/5:00 CST *if necessary
Fri Mar 06 U.P.E.I. at New Brunswick 7:00 AST/5:00 CST *if necessary
Fri Mar 06 Acadia at Moncton 7:00 AST/5:00 CST *if necessary

OUT WEST

ACAC

CONCORDIA-EDMONTON THUNDER 2
N.A.I.T. OOKS 3
(in overtime)
(NAIT leads series 1-0)

This is the ACAC’s version of the Battle of Edmontown. NAIT was in the big pile of five teams (after Red Deer Poly and SAIT) until they had a late-season surge to be comfortable in 3rd place. The goaltenders must have been sharp. The shots were 38-35 favouring the Ooks.

BRIERCREST CLIPPERS 9
PORTAGE VOYAGEURS 1
(Briercrest leads series 1-0)

This series should be a toss-up, so the margin shocks me. The Voyageurs held a 17-6 lead on the shot clock after one period, yet trailed 1-0. Then it was all Briercrest. They scored five goals in the 2nd period and the route was on. These teams were at one time the doormats of the ACAC. Briercrest turned around their program a few years ago, and this is Portage’s first playoff series in a long time. It would be nice if it were to go three games.

BCIHL
Fri Feb 27 Simon Fraser 1 Victoria 4
Fri Feb 27 Okanagan 4 Logan Lake 3
Sat Feb 28 Simon Fraser at Vancouver Island 7:15 PST
Sat Feb 28 Logan Lake at Okanagan 5:30 PST
(end of regular season)

Non-Conference Games
Fri Feb 27 Simon Fraser (NCAA2) 3 Stonehill College 9
Sat Feb 28 Simon Fraser (NCAA2) at Stonehill College 7:00 EST/6:00 CST

BCIHL NEWS

Simon Fraser is in the news on two fronts. The good news … they are hosting the BCIHL championship tournament starting March 5th. The bad news … their touring independent NCAA2 team is folding due to the request by the school to enter the CW, and the decision of school admins to ditch the team. Here’s a quote from the announcement by the Burnaby Mountain Hockey Alumni Society, which sponsored the independent team project:

As a club, 100% of the SFU Hockey operating budget is funded independent of institutional funding. …

When SFU announced it would depart the NCAA and pursue USports membership in November, we submitted a proposal that men’s and women’s hockey be included in SFU’s Canada West application, having already proven the Non-Conference team’s ability to compete against USports opponents. Unfortunately the university did not accept our proposal, and following this decision our student-athletes and coaching staff have begun to pursue opportunities at other NCAA and USports programs.

So it seems that this group was willing to fund a run for inclusion in the NCAA, but not to fund a run for USports. It is hard to tell exactly what the admins at SFU are trying to do, having first left USports for the NCAA, then folding their football program, and then apparently abandoning a team in progress.

The BCIHL will once again be using a tournament format for their championship. It is 5-team modified page system similar to that used in the Brier and other curling events. The 3rd, 4th, and 5th place teams have to walk through unbeaten, whereas the 1st and 2nd place teams have two lives to reach the sudden-death final.

February 28, 2026: BANJO-MUTTS ADVANCE TO FINAL, COWTOWN GOES DOWN TO THE WIRE

MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS 1
CALGARY DINOSAURS 2
(Series tied 1-1)

Quick Summary
Calg: G. Schmidt (11:00 1st) , R. Gannon (16:34 2nd)
MRU: J. Lies (09:00 2nd)
Goal: Calg: Stankowski (29 shots, 28 saves), MRU: Farkas (18 shots, 16 saves)

This was an extremely defensive game throughout, and especially by the Dinos once they had the lead. They had only 5 shots on goal in each of the last two periods. Bluegar all-star Connor Bouchard was cut and bleeding in the 2nd period. He did return but had to wear a replacement jersey due to blood stains. This game was also a sell-out. Too bad they were unable or unwilling to book the Winsport Arena.

U.B.C. THUNDERBIRDS 1
SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 4
(Sask wins series 2-0)

Quick Summary
Sask: R. Pelletier (02:42 2nd) , D. Holt (09:22 2nd) , L. Kosior (11:01 3rd) , E. Regnier (19:16 3rd)
UBC: N. Sullivan (01:56 1st)
Goal: Sask: Maier (27 shots, 26 saves), UBC: Mirwald (19 shots, 16 saves)

This, too, was a very defensive game. The T-irds came out strong, outshooting the Mutts 12-4 and takinmg a 1-0 lead after one period. But the Mutts gradually took control, so much so that UBC had just 6 shots in a 3rd period where they were trailing and their season was on the line. Sask had two powerplay goals, and an empty-netter.

This means that next weekend, the Mutts will either host Calgary, or visit MRU, in the conference final.

NEXT UP

Sun Mar 01 Calgary at Mount Royal 7:00 MST/8:00 CST
Fri Mar 06 Saskatchewan v Calgary/M.R.U. winner, times TBA

OUT EAST

OUA

TORONTO METROPOLITAN BOLD 2
BROCK BADGERS 3
(Series tied 1-1)

Like Queen’s, Brock is a team on the late season ascent. Game three goes Sunday night, and Windsor hosts the winner.

Next Up:
Sun Mar 01 Brock at Toronto Metropolitan 6:15 EST/5:15 CST
TBD Queen’s at U.Q.T.R.
TBD Brock/T.M.U. winner at Windsor

AUS

U.P.E.I. PANTHERS 2
NEW BRUNSWICK REDS 7
(UNB leads series 2-0)

Too bad this series isn’t over!

ACADIA AXEMEN 2
MONCTON AIGLES BLEUS 5

The Cajuns outshot the Eggs 26-12 through two periods, then ran out of gas in the 3rd. They needed some goals, but managed just 5 shots in the entire period.

Next Up:
Tue Mar 03 New Brunswick at U.P.E.I. 7:00 AST/5:00 CST
Tue Mar 03 Moncton at Acadia 7:00 AST/5:00 CST
Wed Mar 04 New Brunswick at U.P.E.I. 7:00 AST/5:00 CST *if necessary
Wed Mar 04 Moncton at Acadia 7:00 AST/5:00 CST *if necessary
Fri Mar 06 U.P.E.I. at New Brunswick 7:00 AST/5:00 CST *if necessary
Fri Mar 06 Acadia at Moncton 7:00 AST/5:00 CST *if necessary

OUT WEST

ACAC

N.A.I.T. OOKS 5
CONCORDIA-EDMONTON THUNDER 3
(NAIT wins series 2-0)

The Ooks are used to dominating the ACAC, so their rally into a 3rd place finish and a quarter-final win seems “normal” to outside observers. They will now fac ethe SAIT Trojans in the semi-finals.

PORTAGE VOYAGEURS 2
BRIERCREST CLIPPERS 1
(Series tied 1-1)

This is what I expected. A dead even game, with shots 31-31. What a difference a day makes.

Next Up:
Sun Mar 01 Briercrest College at Portage College 1:00 MST/2:00 CST
Fri Mar 06 Briercrest/Portage winner at Red Deer Poly TBA
Fri Mar 06 N.A.I.T. at S.A.I.T. TBA

BCIHL
Sat Feb 28 Simon Fraser 0 Vancouver Island 10
Sat Feb 28 Logan Lake 4 Okanagan 3
(end of regular season)

Non-Conference Games
Sat Feb 28 Simon Fraser (NCAA2) 2 Stonehill College 5
Thu Mar 05 Simon Fraser (NCAA2) at Michigan

Conference Playoffs
Thu Mar 05 Game 1 – Simon Fraser v Okanagan 12:15 PST/2:15 CST
Fri Mar 06 Game 2 – Vancouver Island v Victoria 11:30am PST/1:30 CS T
Fri Mar 06 Game 3 – Winner of Game 1 v Logan Lake 3:00 PST/5:00 CST
Sat Mar 07 Game 4 – Loser of Game 2 vs Winner of Game 3 3:00 PST/5:00 CST
Sun Mar 08 Game 5 – Winner of Game 2 vs Winner of Game 4 3:00 PST/5:00 CST

March 1, 2026: BLUEGARS ADVANCE

CALGARY DINOSAURS 1
MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS 2
(MRU wins series 2-1)

Quick Summary
Calg: P. Bocharov (13:10 1st)
MRU: J. Lies (08:15 2nd) , J. Wiens (05:24 3rd)
Goal: Calg: Tetachuk (38 shots, 36 saves), MRU: Farkas (19 shots, 18 saves)

This was a real nip-and-tuck battle, but the Bluegars controlled the play throughout. The Dinos took the lead with the only goal of the 1st period. That one was contrary to the flow of play. The Bluegars did control the 2nd and 3rd periods by wide margins (shots of 12-4 and 11-6 respectively), but their only two goals were on the powerplay (2-for-6 on the night). While the Dinos were capable of an upset in this series, it was pretty clear that the Bluegars were a level above.

Now Mount Royal will host their first ever CW Championship Series against Saskatchewan. Of note, in the regular season the Bluegars swept UBC, Calgary, and Saskatchewan the last time they played each of them.

SUNDAY MORNING LINKS

While the UofS website uploaded a game story on Saturday night, Huskie Fan and UBC both waited until the wee hours of Sunday morning. So here are the links now.

NEXT UP

Fri Mar 06 Saskatchewan at Mount Royal TBA

WOMEN’S SPECIAL REPORT

MANITOBA BISONS 6
MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS 1
(Manitoba wins series 2-1)

Quick Summary
Man: J. Bird (05:22 1st) , K. Huibers (13:18 1st) , S. Heidinger (17:12 2nd) , N. Collins (18:10 3rd) , J. Haner (18:36 3rd) , D. Goertzen (19:48 3rd)
MRU: S. Fomradas (14:38 3rd)
Goal: Man: Shippam (18 shots, 17 saves), MRU: Anderson (26 shots, 21 saves)

This is a surprise victory for the Bison Broads! They started the season 1-7-4 and nobody was thinking playoffs. They squeaked in, and last weekend travelled to Edmontown where they beat the Fat Pandas. This weekend, it was off to Cowtown to beat the Bluegars. They opened with a 2-1 loss, followed by a 3-1 win. This one was closer than the scoreboard would suggest. With a 3-1 lead, they registered a late empty-netter to make it 4-1 then added a couple more for good measure. The defence was the story here, as they allowed just 52 shots in 3 games.

MRU has been nationally ranked all year, and only UBC finished ahead of them. Can the Bison Broads waltz into British California and win another series on the road? Either way, they have secured a berth in the nationals.

Also, in volleyball news, both Manitoba squads were off to British California and both series went to a 3rd and deciding match. The women’s team (defending national champs) lost to Thompson Rivers, and are eliminated. The men’s team beat UBC-Okanagan, thus qualifying for the CW Final Four Tournament next weekend. Of note UBCO won on Friday and led 2 sets to none on Saturday. The Bisons came storming back to win 3-straight sets and force today’s decider, which they won 3-1. BTW, Winnipeg lost to Alberta in two straight. UBC and Holy Trinity also qualified for the Final Four.

OUT EAST

OUA

BROCK BADGERS 1
TORONTO METROPOLITAN BOLD 2
(TMU wins series 2-1)

Brock’s surprising run turned into a pumpkin on Sunday. They outshot The Bald 32-20, but were trailing for most of it. They were down 2-0 12 minutes into the 3rd before they finally scored. So, in the end, the OUA West final will be between the top two teams from the regular season, with TMU at Windsor likely on Wednesday. In any event, three of the four survivors will qualify for the U-Cup.

Next Up:
TBD Queen’s at U.Q.T.R.
TBD Toronto Metropolitan at Windsor

OUT WEST

ACAC

BRIERCREST CLIPPERS 3
PORTAGE VOYAGEURS 7
(Portage wins series 2-1)

With all the marbles on the line in this game three, they said “screw defence” and shots were 49-47 in favour of Portage. Briercrest led 2-1 after the 1st, and Portage led 4-3 after the 2nd. Portage has got to be everybody’s favourite underdog. They have not played in the playoffs since 2014 (a 3-game loss to Augustana) and in 2020 went 0-26-2. They have never had a winning record since the program started in 2008-09. Lac La Biche must be a happy town! I looked up the facilities. Their hockey arena holds 1,000 fans. It sounds great for a small place which covers college and community uses.

The Lac La Biche, Bold Center is home to the Portage College Voyageur Hockey, Curling, Soccer & Futsal Teams. The Bold Center is a 250,000 Sq foot Recreation Facility built by the County. The facility includes a twin ice arena, curling rink, two indoor field houses, running track, fitness & wellness center plus much more. The Bold Center’s outdoor facilites include a natural grass soccer pitch, a 400 m track with an artificial turf football & soccer pitch infield, three baseball diamonds and outdoor tennis and basketball courts.

Next Up:
Fri Mar 06 Portage College at Red Deer Poly TBA
Fri Mar 06 N.A.I.T. at S.A.I.T. TBA

March 4, 2026: NEWS UPDATE, AUS FINAL SET

There is a pre-preview because the OUA division final begins tonight, and the AUS finished their semi-final round on a Tuesday. The regular preview is tomorrow for the CW, ACAC, and BCIHL.

Captain Jonny Hooker turned pro with the Tulsa Oilers (ECHL) and was briefly loaned to the San Diego Gulls of the AHL. He’s back in Tulsa and scored his first two professional goals in a 2-0 win.

Link:
➤ Instagram: Video

OUT EAST

OUA
Wed Mar 04 U.Q.T.R. at Queen’s 7:30 EST/6:30 CST
Thu Mar 05 Windsor at Toronto Metropolitan 6:15 EST/5:15 CST
Sat Mar 07 Queen’s at U.Q.T.R. 7:00 EST/6:00 CST
Sat Mar 07 Toronto Metropolitan at Windsor 7:30 EST/6:30 CST
Sun Mar 08 Toronto Metropolitan at Windsor 4:00 EDT/3:00 CDT *if necessary
Sun Mar 08 Queen’s at U.Q.T.R. 7:00 EDT/6:00 CDT *if necessary

AUS

NEW BRUNSWICK REDS 2
U.P.E.I. PANTHERS 1
(in overtime)
(UNB wins series 3-0)

While this was a sweep, at least UPEI went down with a fight. The stats look to be pretty even.

MONCTON AIGLES BLEUS 3
ACADIA AXEMEN 1
(Moncton wins series 3-0)

The Rajin Cajuns kinda fell apart this year. They looked to be a good bet to be at the nationals, yet here they are with 3-straight losses.

Next up:

Sun Mar 08 Moncton at New Brunswick 4:00 ADT/2:00 CDT
Tue Mar 10 New Brunswick at Moncton 7:00 ADT/5:00 CDT
Thu Mar 12 Moncton at New Brunswick 7:00 ADT/5:00 CDT *if necessary

Preview: March 6-8, 2026: SASK at M.R.U. THE REMATCH: REPLAY OR REVENGE?

SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES (19-7-2, 4-0-0, 29-9-4, OHT35 #7)
MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS (20-6-2, 2-1-0, 26-9-2, OHT35 #4)

The Bluegars started the season splitting every series, but then steamrolled everybody. They swept their final series against UBC, Calgary, and Sask. Although they dominated Calgary in the semi-finals, it took three games and it was very close all along. Closer than it should have been, perhaps.

The Banjo-Mutts were pre-season favourites who never really got on a roll. They were very consistent all year, and may be peaking now. They dominated the Evil Monkeys in the quarter-finals then handled UBC fairly handily in the semi-finals. I would say that their 4-straight playoff wins are more impressive than MRU’s series win over Calgary.

Less than a month ago, the Bluegars swept the Mutts in a series to decide first place.

None of these games are slated for coverage on the CBC streaming options.

COMPLETE SCHEDULE

Fri Mar 06 Saskatchewan at Mount Royal 7:00 MST/6:00 CST
Sat Mar 07 Saskatchewan at Mount Royal 7:00 MST/6:00 CST
Sun Mar 08 Saskatchewan at Mount Royal 7:00 MDT/6:00 CDT *if necessary

OUT EAST

OUA
Sat Mar 07 Queen’s at U.Q.T.R. 7:00 EST/6:00 CST
Sat Mar 07 Toronto Metropolitan at Windsor 7:30 EST/6:30 CST
Sun Mar 08 Toronto Metropolitan at Windsor 4:00 EDT/3:00 CDT *if necessary
Sun Mar 08 Queen’s at U.Q.T.R. 7:00 EDT/6:00 CDT *if necessary

AUS
Sun Mar 08 Moncton at New Brunswick 4:00 ADT/2:00 CDT
Tue Mar 10 New Brunswick at Moncton 7:00 ADT/5:00 CDT
Thu Mar 12 Moncton at New Brunswick 7:00 ADT/5:00 CDT *if necessary

OUT WEST

ACAC
Fri Mar 06 N.A.I.T. at S.A.I.T. 6:45 MST/7:45 CST
Fri Mar 06 Portage College at Red Deer Poly 7:00 MST/8:00 CST
Sat Mar 07 N.A.I.T. at S.A.I.T. 6:00 MST/7:00 CST
Sat Mar 07 Portage College at Red Deer Poly 8:00 MST/9:00 CST
Sun Mar 08 Portage College at Red Deer Poly 5:00 MDT/6:00 CDT *if necessary
Sun Mar 08 N.A.I.T. at S.A.I.T. 7:15 MDT/8:15 CDT *if necessary

BCIHL
Thu Mar 05 Game 1 – Simon Fraser v Okanagan 12:15 PST/2:15 CST
Fri Mar 06 Game 2 – Vancouver Island v Victoria 11:30am PST/1:30 CS T
Fri Mar 06 Game 3 – Winner of Game 1 v Logan Lake 3:00 PST/5:00 CST
Sat Mar 07 Game 4 – Loser of Game 2 vs Winner of Game 3 3:00 PST/5:00 CST
Sun Mar 08 Game 5 – Winner of Game 2 vs Winner of Game 4 3:00 PDT/5:00 CDT

Non-Conference Games
Thu Mar 05 Simon Fraser (NCAA2) at Michigan 7:00 EST/6:00 CST

March 4-5, 2026: OUT-OF-TOWN SCOREBOARD

OUA

U.Q.T.R. PATRIOTES 3
QUEEN’S GOLDEN GAELS 5
(Queen’s leads series 1-0)

This one was played on Wednesday, hosted by Queen’s. UQTR gets the next two games at home. Queen’s has beaten McGill and Concordia, so they’re going for the Quebec hat-trick here.

WINDSOR LANCERS 2
TORONTO METROPOLITAN BOLD 1
(in double overtime)
(Windsor leads series 1-0)

This was a bit of a marathon at the former Maple Leaf Gardens. Windsor gets to host the rest of the series. Oddly, there are no Friday night games this weekend in the OUA.

Next Up:
Sat Mar 07 Queen’s at U.Q.T.R. 7:00 EST/6:00 CST
Sat Mar 07 Toronto Metropolitan at Windsor 7:30 EST/6:30 CST
Sun Mar 08 Toronto Metropolitan at Windsor 4:00 EDT/3:00 CDT *if necessary
Sun Mar 08 Queen’s at U.Q.T.R. 7:00 EDT/6:00 CDT *if necessary

BCIHL

SIMON FRASER RED LEAFS 6
OKANAGAN LAKERS 2
(SFU advance to quarter-finals, Okanagan eliminated)

The Lakers outshot SFU 45-22 yet lost by lots. They had a bit of a tailspin this year.

Next Up:
Fri Mar 06 Game 2 – Vancouver Island v Victoria 11:30am PST/1:30 CS T
Fri Mar 06 Game 3 – Simon Fraser v Logan Lake 3:00 PST/5:00 CST
Sat Mar 07 Game 4 – Loser of Game 2 vs Winner of Game 3 3:00 PST/5:00 CST
Sun Mar 08 Game 5 – Winner of Game 2 vs Winner of Game 4 3:00 PDT/5:00 CDT

Non-Conference Games
Thu Mar 05 Simon Fraser (NCAA2) 1 Michigan 8

This likely brings to an end the SFU experiment with independent scheduling. Personally, I’d like to see the team revived in a usual CWUAA format some time in the future. BTW, Michigan is currently #1 in NCAA rankings.

March 6, 2026: BANJO-MUTTS WIN THE OPENER

SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 5
MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS 0
(Sask leads series 1-0)

Quick Summary
Sask: C. Petruic (10:54 1st) , C. Petruic (12:15 2nd) , E. Regnier (18:06 2nd) , C. Petruic (05:04 3rd) , K. Sorensen (17:16 3rd)
MRU: none
Goal: Sask: Meier (33 shots, 33 saves), MRU: Farkas (21 shots, 16 saves)

What a busy day! It started with World Baseball Classic at 4:00 a.m. and went past midnight with rugby from New Zealand. In between there were a total of six international baseball games, two draws of the Brier, and rugby from Ireland and down under. And, of course, game one of the CW final.

Don’t let the score fool you. The Mutts converted their chances, and for the 4th straight game the Bluegars were unable to cash in on their numerous chances. Chance Petruic scored a hat-trick for the Mutts, and Nolan Maier notched a shutout.

In other Bison news, the Bison Broads hockey team lost game 1 of the league final to UBC, by 5-1. They have clinched a berth in the nationals. In men’s volleyball, the Bisons swept UBC 3-0 in a bit of an upset. They play for the conference title and have assured themselves of a berth in the nationals as well.

NEXT UP
Sat Mar 07 Saskatchewan at Mount Royal 7:00 MST/6:00 CST
Sun Mar 08 Saskatchewan at Mount Royal 7:00 MDT/6:00 CDT *if necessary

OUT WEST

ACAC

N.A.I.T. OOKS 3
S.A.I.T. TROJANS 4
(SAIT leads series 1-0)

The auld rivals here in Saudi Alberta. North v South. SAIT is on the ascent this year, foir the first time in a while.

PORTAGE VOYAGEURS 2
RED DEER KINGS 8
(Red Deer leads series 1-0)

Portage cannot like starting series getting whalloped in game 1. Can they turn it around two weeks in a row?

Next Up:
Sat Mar 07 N.A.I.T. at S.A.I.T. 6:00 MST/7:00 CST
Sat Mar 07 Portage College at Red Deer Poly 8:00 MST/9:00 CST
Sun Mar 08 Portage College at Red Deer Poly 5:00 MDT/6:00 CDT *if necessary
Sun Mar 08 N.A.I.T. at S.A.I.T. 7:15 MDT/8:15 CDT *if necessary

BCIHL

VICTORIA VIKINGS 2
VANCOUVER ISLAND MARINERS 3
(VIU advance to final, Victoria advance to semi-final)

The Mariners are the class of the league, however that was the case last year when the Vikes beat them in the final. It looked like this could be a blowout, but VIU could not cash in theior chips and in the end it was close. The shots were 19-5 for VIU in the 1st, then 23-17 over the last two periods.

SIMON FRASER RED LEAFS 1
LOGAN LAKE MINERS 6
(Logan Lake advance to semi-final, Simon Fraser eliminated)

I did not see any of this one due to overlapping viewing options, and having just four screens available to me. The Miners will be underdogs against the defending champs, but still have a decent shot. They beat UVic twice in five meetings this year,

Next Up:
Sat Mar 07 Game 4 – Victoria vs Logan Lake 3:00 PST/5:00 CST
Sun Mar 08 Game 5 – Vancouver Island vs Winner of Game 4 3:00 PDT/5:00 CDT

March 7, 2026: BANJO-MUTTS WIN THE TITLE

MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS 2
SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 4
(Sask wins series 2-0)

Quick Summary
Sask: D. Holt (04:38 1st) , C. Stebbings (11:50 1st) , C. Roulette (06:21 2nd) , C. Bertholet (15:29 2nd)
MRU: J. Tarzwell (11:14 3rd) , C. Hanus (12:51 3rd)
Goal: Sask: Meier (30 shots, 28 saves), MRU: Farkas L (14 shots, 10 saves), Buenaventura (7 shots, 7 saves)

Yet another exhausting day of trying to keep as much viewing as possible over four screens. The Banjo-Mutts came out strong and the Bluegars looked overwhelmed. After one period, it was 2-0 for Sask and shots were 10-5. Sask scored two more in the 2nd period, and by the time MRU started to look something like themselves it was all over. As a consolation, they outshot Sask 25-11 over the last two periods and scored twice in the last half of the 3rd period to generate a flattering scoreline.

NEXT UP
Thu Mar 19 or Fri Mar 20 University Cup quarter-finals – schedule TBA

OUT EAST

OUA

QUEEN’S GOLDEN GAELS 1
U.Q.T.R. PATRIOTES 2
(Series tied 1-1)

This looks like it was quite a battle. The Queens have certainly peaked at the right time.

TORONTO METROPOLITAN BOLD 1
WINDSOR LANCERS 3
(Windsor wins series 2-0)

This, too, was a tight battle all the way through. If I understand correctly, Windsor is assured of hosting the Queen’s Cup (better record than Queen’s, and Quebec teams can’t host it). The Bald will play a one-game playoff next weekend agaonst the loser of UQTR v Queen’s.

Next Up:
Sun Mar 08 Queen’s at U.Q.T.R. 7:00 EDT/6:00 CDT

OUT WEST

ACAC

S.A.I.T. TROJANS 5
N.A.I.T. OOKS 0
(SAIT wins series 2-0)

The Ooks won the shooting contest, 36-25. The first two periods were even (12-12 in thye 1st, and 10-10 in the 2nd). NAIT was determined in the 3rd (14-3 edge in shots), but still could not score.

PORTAGE VOYAGEURS 3
RED DEER KINGS 6
(Red Deer wins series 2-0)

Well, at least Portage got to play in the playoffs for a change. Red Deer has a solid team.

Next Up:
Fri Mar 13 S.A.I.T. at Red Deer Poly – schedule TBA

BCIHL

VICTORIA VIKINGS 5
LOGAN LAKE MINERS 2
(Victoria advance to final, Logan Lake eliminated)

The widely predicted final is going to happen. It’s a rematch of last year, where UVic pulled off an upset over VIU. Could it happen twice in a row?

Next Up:
Sun Mar 08 Game 5 – Final – Vancouver Island vs Victoria 3:00 PDT/5:00 CDT
Reminder: Available for free streaming on BCIHL YouTube Channel.

March 8, 2026: OUT-OF-TOWN SCOREBOARD

OUT EAST

OUA

QUEEN’S GOLDEN GAELS 1
U.Q.T.R. PATRIOTES 3
(UQTR wins series 2-1)

The victories here followed the home sides. This, as usual, qualifies UQTR for the U-Cup and a trip to Ontario for the Queen’s Cup. (The game cannot be played outside Ontario.)

Next Up:
Sat Mar 14 U.Q.T.R. at Windsor 2:00 EDT/1:00 CDT
Sat Mar 14 Queen’s at Toronto Metropolitan TBD

AUS

MONCTON AIGLES BLEUS 4
NEW BRUNSWICK REDS 3
(Moncton leads series 1-0)

The confrontation of these two provincial rivals will decide who gets a top-three seeding at the U-Cup. The Squirrels outshot them 35-19.

Next up:

Tue Mar 10 New Brunswick at Moncton 7:00 ADT/5:00 CDT
Thu Mar 12 Moncton at New Brunswick 7:00 ADT/5:00 CDT *if necessary

OUT WEST

VANCOUVER ISLAND MARINERS 8
VICTORIA VIKINGS 1
(VIU wins tournament final)

I did not see much of this one but the Mariners were a class above all season, and again in this game. The same could be said of last year, where they happened to lose the final to UVic.

Now we have to sit back and see what happens to the BCIHL next year. It looks like Simon Fraser will be beefed up with a potential player base from two squads available to them. After Selkirk College folded their program, Eastern Washington consolidated two teams into one in the ACHA, and Trinity Western moved to the CW, the league and BC Hockey in general, developed the concept of “independent college transfer teams” to maintain a five-team league. One proposed team, the Fraser Valley Brigade (UFV Cascades and smaller schools), never got off the ground. One other, the Thompson Okanagan Pioneers, was replaced by the Logan Lake Miners (TRU Wolfpack and Kamloops colleges). The other was the Okanagan Lakers (UBCO Heat,Okanagan College, ad Kelowna colleges). The Pac West College League hasn’t operated since 1989. The only other team formerly in the league was the UNBC Timberwolves. They only operated in the BCIHL in 2006.

BCIHL teams announced and scheduled a whole bunch of home exhibition games which were later cancelled. I never heard why. I’ll keep an eye out for something on this for next year.

March 10, 2026: OUT-OF-TOWN SCOREBOARD

The CW and BCIHL have finished, the OUA has two games remaining on Saturday, and the ACAC has two weekends of their championship series coming up. That leaves just the AUS.

OUT EAST

AUS

NEW BRUNSWICK REDS 4
MONCTON AIGLES BLEUS 3
(in overtime)
(Series tied 1-1.)

Link:
➤ AUS: Boxscore with Game Report

This was an even-Steven game, with shots ending 31-31. After back-to-back one-goal games one has to believe that game three is going to be close.

Next up:
Thu Mar 12 Moncton at New Brunswick 7:00 ADT/5:00 CDT

This impacts the seeding for the U-Cup. The three conference winners are seeded 1-2-3 and the OUA runner-up is seeded 4. IMO this year’s seeding is less significant than any other year because there are no awe-inspiring teams you want to avoid. I compare the official U-Sports rankings to the OHT35, and both are notable for the gaps where highly-ranked teams have been eliminated. Each has seen 6 of the top 12 eliminated already. Nine teams are still alive, with the OUA bronze game between Queen’s and TMU eliminating one of those teams.

U-Sports
2 Mount Royal
4 New Brunswick
5 Saskatchewan
6 U.Q.T.R.
8 Windsor
10 Toronto Metropolitan
13 Queen’s
14 Moncton
17 Saint Mary’s

OHT35
3 U.Q.T.R.
4 Mount Royal
6 New Brunswick
7 Saskatchewan
9 Moncton
11 Saint Mary‛s
13 Queen‛s
17 Windsor
19 Toronto Metropolitan

March 13, 2026: OUT-OF-TOWN SCOREBOARD

The first Friday night without anything in the CW since September, other than Christmas break. The season is dwindling away.

OUT EAST

OUA

Next Up:
Sat Mar 14 U.Q.T.R. at Windsor 2:00 EDT/1:00 CDT
Sat Mar 14 Queen’s at Toronto Metropolitan 4:00 EDT/3:00 CDT

AUS

MONCTON AIGLES BLEUS 1
NEW BRUNSWICK REDS 4
(New Brunswick wins series 2-1)

The Eggs scored first, then the Squirrels scored the rest. Kind of like the series, where Moncton started with a win then lost the rest. The shots were 29-17 in favour of UNB. Both sides will be going to the nationals. UNB should be seeded 1st or 2nd, and Moncton 5th or 6th.

Next up:
Thu Mar 19 University Cup Starts (TBA)

OUT WEST

ACAC

S.A.I.T. TROJANS 7
RED DEER KINGS 6
(SAIT leads series 1-0)

This was a wild one. After one period Red Deer led 5-3, but after two SAIT led 6-5. Each team had 33 shots on goal, not so extraordinary for such a big score. This final is a best-of-five series.

Next Up:
Sat Mar 14 Red Deer Poly at S.A.I.T. 7:15 MDT/8:15 CDT
Fri Mar 20 S.A.I.T. at Red Deer Poly 7:00 MDT/8:00 CDT
Sat Mar 21 Red Deer Poly at S.A.I.T. 7:15 MDT/8:15 CDT *if necessary
Sun Mar 22 S.A.I.T. at Red Deer Poly 5:00 MDT/6:00 CDT *if necessary

March 14, 2026: OUT-OF-TOWN SCOREBOARD

The OUA wrapped up, and the field, but not the schedule and brackets, for the University Cup is set. All three games across the country on Saturday night went to overtime.

OUT EAST

OUA

U.Q.T.R. PATRIOTES 5
WINDSOR LANCERS 4
(in overtime)
(UQTR wins Queen’s Cup)

UQTR had to play this game away due to the fact that the Queen’s Cup is an OUA trophy and UQTR is a RSEQ team. Even though the three Quebec teams have dominated this trophy in recent years, that seemingly does not bother the administrators from Ontario. It’s odd, I know. But this makes total sense to those people.

By rule, the OUA runner-up has to be seeded 4th in the nationals. Another odd rule that makes sense to those people. I would have UQTR seeded first, but I reckon they’ll be seeded 3rd.

QUEEN’S GOLDEN GAELS 4
TORONTO METROPOLITAN BOLD 3
(in overtime)
(Queen’s wins bronze medal)

It is not often that a bronze medal game is more consequential than a gold medal game. However, in the OUA, the bronze team gets a berth in the nationals. Other conferences get two berths each, and a final berth goes to the host team (Saint Mary’s this year).

Next up:
Thu Mar 19 University Cup Starts (TBA)

OUT WEST

ACAC

RED DEER KINGS 4
S.A.I.T. TROJANS 5
(in double overtime)
(SAIT leads series 2-0)

This is a best-of-five series which wraps next weekend. SAIT has two tight wins to their credit. Neither team is updating their website during playoffs, so no alternative source for a boxscore.

Next Up:
Fri Mar 20 S.A.I.T. at Red Deer Poly 7:00 MDT/8:00 CDT
Sat Mar 21 Red Deer Poly at S.A.I.T. 7:15 MDT/8:15 CDT *if necessary
Sun Mar 22 S.A.I.T. at Red Deer Poly 5:00 MDT/6:00 CDT *if necessary

Preview: March 19-21, 2026: UNIVERSITY CUP & ACAC

The final weekend preview of the year is upon us. All we have left is the 8 teams at the U-Cup, and the two in the ACAC final. Here are the links:

MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS (20-6-2, 2-3-0, 26-11-2, OHT35 #4)
WINDSOR LANCERS (18-7-3, 4-1-0, 22-12-3, OHT35 #17)

After a late season surge got the Bluegars firts place in the CW East, they were less than world-beaters in the playoffs. They narrowly beat their crosstown rivals from Bedrock U, then were handled by the Banjo-Mutts in the final. Windsor had a fairly consistent season. The quality of the OUA West is questionable. There were no East-West interlocking games in the OUA this year, until the Queen’s Cup. Windsor had a close loss to UQTR, and TMU had a close loss to Queen’s. So maybe this whole division is under-rated.

SAINT MARY’S HUSKIES (16-10-4, 0-2-0, 18-13-4, OHT35 #11)
SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES (19-7-2, 6-0-0, 31-9-4, OHT35 #7)

The Huskies v Huskies match-up should prompt the Halifax City Council to shelter all fire hydrants. The SMUskies are in as host, and lost out in the AUS quarter-finals. They are the lowly #8 seed. However, in the OHT35 I had them very close to Sask all season.

MONCTON AIGLES BLEUS (19-9-2, 4-2-0, 26-13-2, OHT35 #9)
U.Q.T.R. PATRIOTES (20-5-3, 5-1-0, 28-7-3, OHT35 #3)

This is a battle of the French. The Eggs appear better than the typical #2 seed from the AUS this year. UQTR is a perennial qualifier.

QUEEN’S GOLDEN GAELS (14-13-1, 6-2-0, 31-18-2, OHT35 #13)
NEW BRUNSWICK REDS (20-9-1, 5-1-0, 30-11-2, OHT35 #6)

The other three quarter-finals have a clever moniker, blue v blue, husky v husky, French v French. This one has nothing going for it. Queen’s were a fringe playoff team, only qualifyin on the last day of the regular season by eating Nipissing. Then they caught fire, winning the OUA bronze game. The Squirrels are a traditional power, humbled in the early going. But they rallied to finish 1st in the AUS and won 5-of-6 playoff games.

COMPLETE SCHEDULE

Thu Mar 19 Mount Royal v Windsor 1:00 ADT/11:00 CDT
Thu Mar 19 Saint Mary’s v Saskatchewan 7:00 ADT/5:00 CDT
Fri Mar 20 Moncton v UQTR 1:00 ADT/11:00 CDT
Fri Mar 20 Queen’s v New Brunswick 7:00 ADT/5:00 CDT
Sat Mar 21 Thursday Winners 1:00 ADT/11:00 CDT
Sat Mar 21 Friday Winners 7:00 ADT/5:00 CDT
Sun Mar 22 Bronze Game 9:00 am ADT/7:00 am CDT
Sun Mar 22 Queen’s v New Brunswick 1:00 ADT/11:00 CDT

OUT WEST

ACAC

This is a best-of-five series, which SAIT leads 2-0.

Next Up:
Fri Mar 20 S.A.I.T. at Red Deer Poly 7:00 MDT/8:00 CDT
Sat Mar 21 Red Deer Poly at S.A.I.T. 7:15 MDT/8:15 CDT *if necessary
Sun Mar 22 S.A.I.T. at Red Deer Poly 5:00 MDT/6:00 CDT *if necessary

March 19, 2026: QUARTER-FINALS BEGIN

Image
➤ USports: Tournament Main Page: https://en.usports.ca/championships/2025-26/2025-26_MICE/index

MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS 3
WINDSOR LANCERS 4

Through two periods this game was tied 1-1, and the Bluegars held a 23-11 lead in shots on goal. It seemed that it was just a matter of time before they would break through. However, the Lancers scored two goals 11 seconds apart early in the 3rd. Try as they might, the Bluegars could not overcome the deficit. In the end, they outshot the Lancers 41-20. This game was reminiscent of the semi-final series the Bluegars had with Calgary where they dominated play but were always tight on the scoreboard.

SAINT MARY’S HUSKIES 4
SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 3
(in overtime)

The Banjo-Mutts have patented the overtime game at the U-Cup. It seems to happen every year they qualify. Although the Mutts came out strong, the SMUskies gradually took over the play as the 1st period wore on. 15 minutes into the 2nd period, and the SMUskies were up 3-0 and the game looked over. However, the Sask trainers must have found a secret supply of Granny’s moonshine. The Banjo-Mutts rallied and tied the game, and could have even taken the lead. The shot clock tells the tale. The SMUskies were up 22-16 after two periods (after Sask’s late period rally), but in the 3rd the shots were 14-4 for the Banjo-Mutts. The overtime was very much back and forth, and was decided before the 3-on-3 segment would have taken place. The SMUskies have at times been much better than an 8th seed this season. They could slide their way into the championship game, which would certainly boost attendance.

NEXT UP
Fri Mar 20 Moncton v UQTR 1:00 ADT/11:00 CDT
Fri Mar 20 Queen’s v New Brunswick 7:00 ADT/5:00 CDT
Sat Mar 21 Windsor v Saint Mary’s 1:00 ADT/11:00 CDT
Sat Mar 21 Friday Winners 7:00 ADT/5:00 CDT
Sun Mar 22 Bronze Game 9:00 am ADT/7:00 am CDT
Sun Mar 22 Gold Game 1:00 ADT/11:00 CDT

March 20, 2026: FINAL FOUR IS SET

Tournament Links:
➤ USports: Tournament Main Page: https://en.usports.ca/championships/2025-26/2025-26_MICE/index

MONCTON AIGLES BLEUS 0
U.Q.T.R. PATRIOTES 4

This has to rate as a big disappointment for the Eggs. They challenged for first in the AUS all year only to lay an egg in the nationals. UQTR was toying with them after building an early lead. It was 3-0 after one period.

QUEEN’S GOLDEN GAELS 2
NEW BRUNSWICK REDS 5

This one-sided affair brought to an end a disappointing Friday slate of games. The Squirrels outshot the Gracious Queens 20-7 in the first period, and led 2-0. It could have been worse. You have to give the Stormy Ones credit for not giving up. They did come within 3-2 after 8 minutes of the third period. However, when you get just 7 shots per period, a rally is not particularly likely.

NEXT UP
Sat Mar 21 Windsor v Saint Mary’s 1:00 ADT/11:00 CDT
Sat Mar 21 UQTR v New Brunswick 7:00 ADT/5:00 CDT
Sun Mar 22 Bronze Game 9:00 am ADT/7:00 am CDT
Sun Mar 22 Gold Game 1:00 ADT/11:00 CDT

OUT WEST

ACAC

S.A.I.T. TROJANS 3
RED DEER KINGS 0
(SAIT wins series 3-0)

The 2nd place Condoms win the game, and series, 3-0 to claim their first ACAC title since 2014. Since then, ACAC titles have gone in streaks. Red Deer won the last three, MacEwan had a 3-peat before moving to the CW, and NAIT took all the rest.

So this year’s conference champions are:
CWUAA: Saskatchewan Huskies
OUA: U.Q.T.R. Patriotes
AUS: New Brunswick Reds
BCIHL: Vancouver Island Mariners
ACAC: S.A.I.T. Trojans

March 21, 2026: MORE BLOW-OUTS IN SEMI-FINAL ROUND

SAINT MARY’S HUSKIES 4
WINDSOR LANCERS 1

This followed a familiar, and unfortunate, pattern in this year’s U-Cup. The SMUskies built up a commanding 3-0 first period lead, blanked the second, and then hung on in the third for a fairly comfortable win. Even though down 3-0, the Lancers were outshot 12-5 in a scoreless second period. There was really no feeling on my part that Windsor had a reasonable shot at a comeback. They neve gave up, outshooting SMU 11-4 in the third.

U.Q.T.R. PATRIOTES 7
NEW BRUNSWICK REDS 4

UQTR built a 4-0 first period lead on NINE (9) shots on goal. It was then 7-2 until mid-third period. A pair of Squirrel goals improved the look of the scoreline. At the end, UNB led on the shot clock 27-23. Not one for goaltenders’ scrap books.

In an oddity, UNB came out in red jerseys as they were designated as “home” team for this game. UQTR wore black, but were forced to change into orange as it is their designated “away” jersey. They do not have white jerseys. So UQTR had to change after warm-ups.

NEXT UP
Sun Mar 22 Bronze Game: Windsor v New Brunswick 9:00 am ADT/7:00 am CDT
Sun Mar 22 Gold Game: Saint Mary’s v U.Q.T.R. 1:00 ADT/11:00 CDT

I doubt that I will be up at 7:00 a.m. to watch that bronze medal game. Oddly, the Jets v Rangers NHL game also starts at 11:00 a.m.

March 22, 2026: U-CUP FINAL REQUIRED EXTRA TIME

BRONZE GAME

WINDSOR LANCERS 1
NEW BRUNSWICK REDS 5

I saw just a bit of this one because it was on at 7:00 a.m. CDT. The Squirrels were running away with it by the time I tuned in, so I finished it off on my bedside tablet. The score after one period was 3-0, and the shots were 10-3, both in favour of UNB. Thereafter, they seemed to be happy to make it a low-event affair and coast to a bronze medal. Over the last two periods, the shots were just 12-11 in favour of UNB.

GOLD GAME

SAINT MARY’S HUSKIES 2
U.Q.T.R. PATRIOTES 3
(in overtime)

Finally, a close game! This hadn’t happened since the SMUskies beat the Banjo-Mutts on Thursday night. There was no jersey controversy in this one. UQTR showed up in orange, not black, and the SMUskies were in their mostly white with maroon stripes, and impossible to read numbers. I must say, the combination did look good.

UQTR never led the game until they won it in overtime. Twice, the SMUskies scored to take the lead. Twice, UQTR tied it up. The SMUskies had the edge in play, in fact coming dangerously close to winning at the end of regulation time. The shots were 47-33 in favour of SMU, which was in stark contrast to the low-action bronze game.

I admit that I have a problem with a host team winning this when they would not have otherwise qualified. Last year Ottawa won as host, and this year SMU was knocked out in the AUS quarter-finals by UPEI.

NEWS AROUND THE CW

Post-elimination, most teams had a new link or two from their websites. I previously updated the Bisons, and the Bluegars and Banjo-Mutts had U-Cup news. Alberta and Holy Trinity have nothing new. Here’s the rest:

Calgary
In the Town of Bedrock, post-season stories have continued to roll out. Captain Kydd, like Captain Hooker, signed a pro deal and scored in the ECHL. They also summarized all the award-winners:

Senator Joseph A. Sullivan Trophy (Player of the Year): Mika Cyr, Moncton
Clare Drake Award (Rookie of the Year): Conner Roulette, Saskatchewan
Defenceman of the Year: Simon Lavigne, Concordia
Goaltender of the Year: Thomas Couture, Acadia
Dr. Randy Gregg Award (Student-athlete Community Service): Blake Gustafson, Alberta
R.W. Pugh Fair Play Award (Most Sportsmanlike Player): Conor Frenette, UQTR
FOX 40 Coach of the Year: Derek Cormier, Moncton

First Team All-Canadians
F Sasha Mutala UBC
F Nolan Dann Guelph
F Mika Cyr Moncton
D Jake Lee UBC
D Simon Lavigne Concordia
G Thomas Couture Acadia

Second Team All-Canadians
F Reid Valade Saint Mary’s
F Conor Frenette UQTR
F Adam Kydd Calgary
D Charlie Callaghan StFX
D Landon Kosior Saskatchewan
G Max Donoso Windsor

All-Rookie Team
F Jeremy D’Astous Moncton
F Colton Smith Windsor
F Conner Roulette Saskatchewan
D Luca D’Amato UNB
D Jace Weir UBC
G Andrew Ness Laurier

Macewan
I think that The Family Guys had a men’s hockey player awarded a Three Stars honour every week this year.

Regina
The Banjo-Cats graduated almost half of their roster, and that includes most of their best players. So from that angle, it is good to see a host of announcements from them.

Noah Asmundson (F) – Estevan Bruins (SJHL)
Riley Fequet (F) – Winkler Flyers/Swan Valley Stampeders (MJHL)
Rylan Pearce (D) – Weyburn Red Wings (SJHL)/Regina Pats (WHL)
Merik Boles (F) – Niverville Nighthawks (MJHL)
Kurt Rookes (F/D) – Waywayseecappo Wolverines (MJHL)

Rookes also had some prior time with Wenatchee and Swift Current of the WHL, and Asmundson had prior time with Niverville in the MJHL. So 4-out-of-5 have some MJHL history.

UBC
After having the best season of anybody, the T-irds fell apart against Sask in the CW semi-finals, thus not even getting an appearance an the U-Cup. The linked story gives a lot of background on each of their CW and USports acknowledgements.