First up, I see that games 2 and 3 are now scheduled to be shown on CanadaWest.tv.
The Bisons came out full of life and had the Dinos reeling. But an inability to score game the Dinos a chance to counter-punch. Calgary's best scoring chances came with two breakaways from guys leaving the penalty box.
The opening goal came in the first minute of the 2nd period on a bit of a weak shot from Reid Jorgenson. Still, it seemed to change the period to one where the Bisons never got on track. There were no further goals.
The Bisons came out strong in the 3rd period. But the turning point in the game came 3 minutes in when Joe Caligiuri muffed a dump-in by Blake Clement. The rolling puck hit something and jumped over his goal stick. The Bisons missed lots of great scoring chances. But while killing a penalty they were taking chances and one resulted in Blair Macaulay setting Jered Walker in on a breakaway. He was hauled down and awarded a penalty shot. He came o=down the right side, cut across to the left, and when Dustin Butler followed him he dropped it back and backhanded the puck into an empty net.
This whipping was unexpected. The Evil Monkeys scored after 13 seconds of the 1st period and it was all downhill from there for the Banjo-Mutts. They fell behind 4-0 within the 1st period. Still, by the end of the 2nd period they had rallied to close to within 4-2. But that was as close as it got.
I suspect that game 2 will be a whole lot closer. Sask's top line was held scoreless on the night.
UQTR PATRIOTES -
MCGILL REDMEN - (McGill leads OUAE final 1-0.)
Game 2 goes Saturday night.
WESTERN ONTARIO MUSTANGS 5
WINDSOR LANCERS 2 (OUAW final tied 1-1.)
|> [CIS Boxscore] : [LS Summary]
So, when will Windsor play in a game when the home team wins? They lost at home to Lakehead then walked into T-Bay to take games 2 and 3. Then in this series they won in London to open the series before once again losing on home ice. The Urban Cowboys will now host game 3 on Sunday night.
UNB VARSITY REDS -
UPEI PANTHERS - (UNB already won AUS semi-final 3-0.)
SAINT MARY'S HUSKIES -
MONCTON AIGLES BLEUS - (Moncton leads AUS semi-final 2-1.)
Game 4 goes Saturday night.
I watched some of the Bison game on the web. Is everyone standing or is no one there? The stands looked pretty empty in the first period. I tuned in again in the third and there looked like more people sitting.
Saw the penalty shot. Cheeky move.
The webcast guys leave a bit to be desired. Lots of oohs and aahs when a play is made. On one Calgary PP, when it was ending, the goalie was banging his stick (as goalies do) to let the guys know that it is 5-on-5.
The announcer said something like: "Calgary was not successful on the PP and Butler is letting them know it by banging his stick on the ice."
Switched over to the UofA game and saw the last part of the second period. Good broadcast team there. But again not a large crowd.
I watched some of the Bison game on the web. Is everyone standing or is no one there? The stands looked pretty empty in the first period. I tuned in again in the third and there looked like more people sitting.
Saw the penalty shot. Cheeky move.
The webcast guys leave a bit to be desired. Lots of oohs and aahs when a play is made. On one Calgary PP, when it was ending, the goalie was banging his stick (as goalies do) to let the guys know that it is 5-on-5.
The announcer said something like: "Calgary was not successful on the PP and Butler is letting them know it by banging his stick on the ice."
Hollywood will have to confirm but I think this is the first webcast that Manitoba has hosted. So the webcast commentators probably were not very experience.
I didn't watch much of the game but did see Calgary's second goal. It was hard to tell on the webcast but it looked like the puck came to Caligiuri pretty slow. Can't believe it went it.
Its funny how the CIS shakes its self out this time of year. Manitoba was top 3 on most everyone's list. Calgary came to thunder bay in December and lost both games to the thunderwolves. After that the thunderwolves started to lose to weaker teams. Windsor knocks LU out ( beating them 2x in thunder bay which never happens in the playoffs) and are taking western to a third and deciding game in London. I thought Calgary was a weak team, Middle of the road. Then they come out and knock out the top team in my book. 2-0 no less. CIS parody at its best. Parody aside from UNB that is. Right now they look like they will cruise through whoever they play in freddy. Mcgill is in. my guess is western and windsor (who has a great goalie) will represent the OUA. Westen is a strong team. Better than last year. Depending on how the pools end up, I would say UNB and Western are the teams in the final.
Shorthanded goal no less. Must be a really though loss to take.
My symptahies Hollywood. Was hoping to see you in Fredericton.
geez i go away to get warm hoping to see the CW finals next week and boom the bisons are out??
it was the best year ever by a Bison team but darn it boys
tough loss
but wow what a great year!!
First off, this is a double-post for Saturday and Sunday games on the weekend of March 3-4. Sorry for the delay, loyal readers. But my son's peewee hockey playoffs have intervened.
The Bison loss on Saturday night was a tough one to swallow. The opening period was fairly even but a PP goal after 13 minutes by Jered Walker gave the Herd a 1-0 lead. The Dinos had their own PP goal by Kodie Curran after 12 minutes of the 2nd period. However, a last minute goal by Travis Bobbee gave the Bisons the break they needed so as to enter the 3rd period with a 2-1 lead.
Calgary notched a pair of weak goals, or at least goals contrary to the flow of play, to take a 3-2 lead. The Bisons outshot the Dinos 13-6 in the period. It looked like the Bisons were going down when Travis Mealy tied it with only 1:35 to go.
Though the concession booth had closed, one employee was still there and decided to re-open. The beer sales were immense as everybody readied for OT.
Once the OT started the Bisons had control and forced a Dino penalty. However, Brock Nixon pounced on a loose puck and scored shorthanded to give the Dinos the win and the series.
After the Evil Monkeys stuffed the Banjo-Mutts in game one, the pair of overtime wins in games two and three set up an anomalous situation where #3 and #4 will meet in the CW final. Kyle Bortis had two goals in game two and Brennan Bosch had two in game three. Real Cyr started both games in the Monkey net, while the Mutts continued to rotate Holfeld and Reekie.
MCGILL REDMEN 5
UQTR PATRIOTES 4 (in overtime)
(McGill wins OUAE final 2-0.)
|> [CIS Boxscore] : [LS Summary]
The double overtime win on Saturday gave the McGilligutties a guaranteed berth in the nationals. UQTR is not out. They will play a bronze medal game against Windsor for the wild-card spot.
WINDSOR LANCERS 0
WESTERN ONTARIO MUSTANGS 2 (UWO wins OUAW final 2-1.)
|> [CIS Boxscore] : [LS Summary]
The Cinderella story ended for Windsor on Sunday, albeit in a tight series. So the Urban Cowboys will host the McGilligutties for the OUA title even though both will go to the nationals.
UNB VARSITY REDS -
UPEI PANTHERS - (UNB already won AUS semi-final 3-0.)
SAINT MARY'S HUSKIES 1
MONCTON AIGLES BLEUS 2 (Moncton wins AUS semi-final 3-1.)
|> [CIS Boxscore] : [AUS Boxscore]
In yet another upset, Moncton wins to get back to the nationals. I suspect that they would be more vulnerable than other AUS teams may have been. So it will be Aigles v Reds in the AUS final with both sides assured of a trip to the U-Cup.
This was an unlikely final, featuring the #3 and #4 seeds in the CW. I tuned in to CanadaWest.tv to see the 3rd period of the final and ended up watching four periods of hockey. Game 3 went into triple overtime, and those are full 20 minute periods, not the 5 minute stanzas played in the regular season.
So after a 3-way fight for first place, which Sask lost, they end up with the big prize, no doubt celebrating with banjos, moonshine, and a cousin. Meanwhile, after being perhaps the biggest under-achievers in the CIS regular season, the Bedrock Boys gain a large measure if redemption.
Sask will not go down in history as one of the CW power-house champions. Since they will host the U-Cup in 2013 and 2014 we have to ask if they are on the verge of bigger and better things. Or will they be like Lakehead and stumble through a couple of non-descript seasons? Frankly, I would not be surprised if they fail to reach the CW final in either of the next two years. Alberta has lots of young talent. Manitoba will have a solid veteran defence for at least two more seasons even if they recruit nobody. Calgary should be able to do better with what they've already got, and they seem to be getting their share of prime recruits now. UBC over-achieved a bit this year. But now that their NCAA flirtation is over perhaps they will be able to up their recruiting of WHL grads.
OUT EAST:
Queen's Cup: Saturday, March 10th MCGILL REDMEN 4
WESTERN ONTARIO MUSTANGS 1 (McGill wins OUA final 1-0.)
|> [CIS Boxscore] : [LS Summary]
Since the OUA East dominated the West this year (for a change) one would expect that thay would claim the crown. In an oddity, the Urban Cowboys hosted the game because an Ontario must host the Queen's Cup. Also, their final is a one-off game instead of a best-of-three or best-of-five series.
This is not a normal fixture. It was played because the OUA was given three berths (out of six) in the University Cup this year. No, that makes no sense at all. The upstart Lancers deserve credit for getting this far. But a 4-1 second period onslaught from the Pats put this one away. Whether this was a one-off playoff run for a team in a weak division catching fire at the right time, or whether Windsor is on the verge of becoming a contender, is something we will have to wait and see. (Remember Brock?) Anyhow, UQTR will be a familiar face at the nationals. The Bisons beat them 4-1 in the 2005 nationals.
Game 1: Wednesday, March 7th MONCTON AIGLES BLEUS 3
UNB VARSITY REDS 8 |> [CIS Boxscore] : [AUS Boxscore]
Game 2: Thursday, March 8th MONCTON AIGLES BLEUS 2
UNB VARSITY REDS 4 |> [CIS Boxscore] : [AUS Boxscore]
Game 3: Sunday, March 11th MONCTON AIGLES BLEUS 0
UNB VARSITY REDS 4 (UNB wins AUS final 3-0.)
|> [CIS Boxscore] : [AUS Boxscore]
Like the CW final, the AUS final went three games. However, since they play a best-of-five final this was a sweep. And what a sweep it was. Monkey Town was crushed by the Squirrels. That UNB won was not a surprise. They have been at or near the top of the CIS and OHT34 rankings all year. But the AUS final (since it is a true series and not a one weekend or a one game event) is generally one of the big events of the CIS season. The Aigles must be given credit for their return to the podium. They were once perennial contenders for national titles. So I would take this year as a step back to their natural order.
The University Cup has 6 teams, divided into two pools of three teams each. Each pool plays a round-robin and the two winners play in the final. I have never been a fan of either the format, nor the means of team selection. Berths are allocated as follows:
AUS: one spot
CW: one spot
OUA: two spots (one for Ontario and one for Quebec)
Host: one spot
Wild-card: one spot (rotates amongst non-host conferences)
So in a six year period, assuming each conference hosts for one two year period, the allocation of berths would be:
OUA: 16 spots
AUS: 10 spots
CW: 10 spots
Anyhow, all information on the tournament is at the Tournament Site. The Pools were:
Pool A: New Brunswick, Western Ontario, UQTR
Pool B: McGill, Saskatchewan, Moncton
Game 1 : Pool B : Thursday, March 22nd MCGILL REDMEN 6
MONCTON AIGLES BLEUS 3 |> [CIS Recap/Boxscore/Video]
Game 1 : Pool A : Thursday, March 22nd UNB VARSITY REDS 6
UQTR PATRIOTES 1 |> [CIS Recap/Boxscore/Video]
Game 2 : Pool B : Friday, March 23rd MONCTON AIGLES BLEUS 5
SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 1 |> [CIS Recap/Boxscore/Video]
Game 2 : Pool A : Friday, March 23rd UQTR PATRIOTES 2
WESTERN ONTARIO MUSTANGS 1 (in overtime)
|> [CIS Recap/Boxscore/Video]
Game 3 : Pool B : Saturday, March 24th SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 4
MCGILL REDMEN 3 |> [CIS Recap/Boxscore/Video]
Game 3 : Pool A : Saturday, March 24th WESTERN ONTARIO MUSTANGS 3
UNB VARSITY REDS 2 |> [CIS Recap/Boxscore/Video]
Let me begin with Pool A. UNB must have been licking their lips. They were slated to host for the second year in a row and were drawn against two OUA teams. Both were A level teams in the OHT34, but not really the type of team who could beat a side that rolled through the AUS playoffs barely breaking a sweat.
So, on opening night they crush the cute little Patriotes. Like Moncton, making a return to the U-Cup and maybe just happy to be there. Then with little to play for, UQTR still pushes the Urban Cowboys into overtime before losing a game they could easily have won. This sets up a true semi-final on Rogers Sportsnet on national TV. So the Squirrels take this glorious opportunity to give up 3 goals in a 5 minute stretch of the 1st period. They dozed their way through the 2nd then drew back two goals late in the 3rd. So they gathered their nuts and went back into their tree.
Now to Pool B, aka the "toss up" pool. You had the cream of the OUA against better-than-average teams from the AUS and CW who had fought through the playoffs to get here.
The fact that Monkey Town lost the opener to McGill was not a shock, but the margin certainly was. So when the Aigles came back to beat Sask one had to be shocked. The Banjo Mutts had made a habit of losing their first game, then bouncing back with two wins, in conference playoffs. Only one problem. In this tournament you don't get that 3rd game unless you catch a break and have a good plus/minus. So when the Mutts downed the McGilligutties in a "semi-final" they still lost. The lucky losers this year are the McGilligutties.
So this sets up a final between the Urban Cowboys and the McGilligutties. If McGill wins then there will be 5 of 6 teams leaving Fredericton with one loss, and one (UQTR) with none. Tune into Rogers Sportsnet at 6:00 CDT for live coverage. It will be tape-delayed in Alberta.
It seems appropriate to report on the conclusion of the "little leagues" out west since championships are wrapping up now.
Yes, the Vikings have won BOTH the ACAC and the BCIHL. But no, one team did not win both leagues. The Augustana Vikings won the ACAC and the Victoria Vikings won the BCIHL. Here's how it happened.
For complete standings and stats on the ACAC you can refer to their LeagueStat page. Their League Site has the most recent results right on the main page.
The top two teams (Mount Royal and Augustana) got byes and the bottom two teams (Portage and Briercrest) were eliminated. The rest were paired off 3-6 and 4-5, with the winners joining the top two in the semi-finals.
In the quarter-finals, the SAIT Trojans beat the MacEwan Griffins 2-0 and the NAIT Ooks beat the Concordia Thunder 2-1. Those were expected since there was a big gap between the top four and the bottom four this year.
In the semi-finals, the Augustana Vikings beat SAIT 3-1 in a series where there were some looking for an upset. The shocker was when NAIT beat the Mount Royal Cougars 3-2. Especially so since MRU had built a 2-0 series lead.
Augustana then beat NAIT 3-1, including 3-2 in overtime in game 4. This is the first title for Augustana since 1975, when they were called "Camrose Lutheran College". By my count, the title board stands as follows:
NAIT 13 (none since 1996)
SAIT 12
MRU 8 (joining CIS in 2012-13)
Red Deer 8 (no longer operating)
Augustana/Camrose 2
MacEwan 1
Concordia 1
Unforunately, there is no longer a national title for the ACAC winner to seek.
The BCIHL Site does not have a specific playoff page. But you can get their standings and schedule/scores pages and figure it out. The league has 7 teams. Trinity Western and Selkirk College were eliminated and the other five went to Kamloops for a championship tournament. They have a Brier-style page system which worked as follows:
#4 v #5 (A side quarter-final)
Victoria Vikings 5, Eastern Washington Eagles 1
#2 v #3 (A side semi-final)
Okanagan Coyotes 3, Thompson Rivers Wolfpack 2
loser 4/5 v loser 2/3 (B side quarter-final)
Thompson Rivers Wolfpack 2, Eastern Washington Eagles 1
#1 v winner 4/5 (A side semi-final)
Victoria Vikings 3, Simon Fraser Clan 2
loser 1/4/5 v winner B quarter-final (B side semi-final)
Simon Fraser Clan 3, Thompson Rivers Wolfpack 0
winners of A semi-finals (A side final)
Victoria Vikings 7, Okanagan Coyotes 6
loser A final v winner B semi-final (B side final)
Simon Fraser Clan 4, Okanagan Coyotes 3
winner A final v winner B final (Championship game)
Victoria Vikings 4, Simon Fraser Clan 3
The league has operated since 2006-07. Victoria and Simon Fraser now have three championships each.
I never did make a final post on many forums so here it goes. Fitting, because as of today I can start work on the 2012-13 thread!
While this game was close throughout, I had the distinct impression that McGill was a much stronger team. They started the season by narrowly beating so-so team after so-so team and then got stronger.
So what may be the world's oldest hockey team has won their first national title. There is hope for the Leafs yet!
Interesting stuff on those two leagues, one a seven team and one an 8 team, that is something else considering they operate alongside the Canada West conference. The BCIHL, is that an independent league? are they governed by anyone? I had no idea there were that many teams.
Interesting stuff on those two leagues, one a seven team and one an 8 team, that is something else considering they operate alongside the Canada West conference. The BCIHL, is that an independent league? are they governed by anyone? I had no idea there were that many teams.
The BCIHL is an independent league. I know that before the 2010-11 season Trinity Western gave their team full varsity status. I don't know about the rest.
The BCIHL is not "governed" by the CIS. Their CIS schools cannot qualify for the University Cup.
The ACAC is a full-fledged athletic conference which has comparable conferences in the other provinces. But Alberta is the only one with a hockey league. The BCCAC used to have a hockey league but some of its teams joined CIS (e.g. TRU, TWU, FVUC). So the BCIHL came out of that. There used to be a national championship but the Ontario equivalent discontinued their hockey league. The last collge national championship was in 2001. Check the ACAC history page for information.
I had the distinct impression that McGill was a much stronger team.
I agree. I saw Western play a number of times this past year and you could never describe them as a dominant or even crisp team. But as I reflect, they were a team that seemed to have the ability to find a way to win, regardless of circumstances. If you go back and look at their results from last year, with the exception of one blowout game against Laurier, their games were all pretty close. They were more grit or opportunistic than pure talent. And they were a bounce away from being CIS Champions. Having said that, McGill was very deserving of their first national championship.
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