current forum:Winnipeg Sports

[Hollywood]

March 5, 2010

HERD ON THE BRINK OF ELIMINATION


MANITOBA BISONS 2
SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 5
(Saskatchewan leads best-of-three series 1-0)
|> [LEAGUESTAT SUMMARY] ~ [SCORER'S SHEET] ~ [CIS BOXSCORE]
|> [C.W. STORY] ~ [U OF S STORY] ~ [U OF M STORY]

A bad start did the Bisons in. It took only 28 seconds for the Huskies to score. By 3 minutes it was 2-0. The Bisons were able to mount a comeback and for the most part controlled the 2nd and 3rd periods. The Bison goals both came from the blueline with Chad Erb and Kip Workman scoring. Kyle Howarth was injured on a high stick. There was no penalty on the play but he was taken to hospital. We'll see what line-up changes the Bisons might make. I am not sure if Riley Dudar is playable.

If you have a lap-top I would suggest tuning into game 2 whilst watching Hockey Night in Canada on TV. The Bisons will technically be the home team for game 2. If game 3 is necessary then the Huskies will go back to being the home team.

ELSEWHERE:


CALGARY DINOSAURS 2
ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 5
(Alberta leads best-of-three series 1-0)
|> [LEAGUESTAT SUMMARY] ~ [SCORER'S SHEET] ~ [CIS BOXSCORE]
|> [C.W. STORY] ~ [U OF A STORY]

The Wild Rose series went the Evil Monkeys' way in game 1. It was 3-2 after the 1st and then calmed down with very few shots by either side in the last 2 periods. The Dinos will be facing elimination tonight.

OUA East final:


UQTR PATRIOTES 4
MCGILL REDMEN 7
McGill wins best-of-three series 2-0.
|> [MAR 5 LEAGUE STAT SUMMARY]

McGill is now assured of a berth in the nationals. But since Lakehead is hosting this year, UQTR still has a chance. If Lakehead defeats Western Ontario (they lead 1-0) then UQTR and UWO would play for the 6th place in the tournament. However, if UWO wins the OUA West then they will qualify and Lakehead will settle for their host berth.

NEXT UP:

March 6 7:00 CST Manitoba at Saskatchewan [WEBCAST - VIDEO]
March 6 8:30 CST Calgary at Alberta [WEBCAST - AUDIO]
March 7 7:00 CST Manitoba at Saskatchewan [WEBCAST - VIDEO] (if necessary)
March 7 8:00 CST Calgary at Alberta [WEBCAST - AUDIO] (if necessary)

[Hollywood]

WOMEN'S PLAY:

MANITOBA BISONS 0
ALBERTA PANDAS 2
|> [LEAGUESTAT SUMMARY] ~ [SCORER'S SHEET]
|> [U OF M STORY] ~ [C.W. STORY]

These teams were extremely d-oriented in this one. They combined for only 33 SOG. In fact, Manitoba had only 2 SOG in the 2nd, and Alberta had only 2 in the 3rd. Manitoba's starting goaltender Stacy Corfield remains on the DL. But if they can't score it won't matter. Last year the Bisons won the ladies' title. They need a weekend sweep to replicate that feat.

BOOKMARKS:

~ ~ ~
[SCHEDULE & RESULTS PAGE] ~ [LEAGUESTAT PAGE]
[CIS PLAYOFFS SCHEDULE & RESULTS PAGE]

[Hollywood]

March 6, 2010

BISONS PULL EVEN ... GAME THREE SUNDAY


MANITOBA BISONS 4
SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 2
(Best-of-three series tied 1-1)
|> [LEAGUESTAT SUMMARY] ~ [SCORER'S SHEET]
|> [C.W. STORY] ~ [U OF S STORY] ~ [U OF M STORY (not active as I post)]

I caught most of the game on the U of S Webcast. While the 2nd period encountered significant transmission problems, I did get a good sense of the action. The Bisons led 2-1 after the 1st period on a pair of goals by Jered Walker. Kyle Bortis relied for Sask. On the Bortis goal Steve Christie appeared injured. But after some medical attention he continued on, and played a strong game.

The Bisons gained strength as the game went on. The 2nd period was mostly their's, as was the 3rd. There was no scoring in the 2nd. But Greg Beller and Rick Wood scored 3rd period goals to give the team an insurmountable lead. A PP goal by Steve Gillen allowed the Banjodogs to make the scoreline look respectable.

In a unique twist, the Bisons were deemed to be the home team and wore their home whites. I also heard that they were allowed to import electricity, post-game showers, and soap for the event. We'll see if the Saskatchewanites are able to recover from a day with this new-fangled additions to their simple land.

Kyle Howarth did not dress for the Bisons after being injured on Friday. Riley Dudar dressed in his place.

Game 3 goes Sunday at 7:00 p.m. I recommend the webcast. Even if it cuts out on occasion there is live chat with several Bison fans available.

ELSEWHERE:


CALGARY DINOSAURS 1
ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 3
(Alberta wins best-of-three series 2-0)
|> [LEAGUESTAT SUMMARY] ~ [SCORER'S SHEET]
|> [C.W. STORY (link not active as I post)] ~ [U OF A STORY]

After one goaltender was hurt and another suspended on Friday, Calgary had to dress and start Nathan Deobald in net. He did well. It was 1-1 late in the 3rd when the Evil Monkeys scored the winner, followed by an empty-netter. Next weekend, Alberta will host the Man-Sask winner.

OUA West final:


WESTERN ONTARIO MUSTANGS 2
LAKEHEAD THUNDERWOLVES 5
Lakehead wins best-of-three series 2-0.
|> [MAR 6 LEAGUE STAT SUMMARY]

Lakehead earned a spot in the nationals by winning the OUA West tonight. The twist here is that as host team they already had a spot. So The Urban Cowboys are lucky losers. And UQTR gets a new lease on life after having lost out on Friday. Next weekend a special playoff will be held between UQTR and Western Ontario for the OUA's host position in the nationals.

NEXT UP:

March 7 7:00 CST Manitoba at Saskatchewan [WEBCAST - VIDEO]
March 12 8:30 CST Man/Sask winner at Alberta [WEBCAST - AUDIO]

cont. ....

[Hollywood]

WOMEN'S PLAY:

MANITOBA BISONS 2
ALBERTA PANDAS 3
(in overtime)
Alberta wins series 2-0.
|> [LEAGUESTAT SUMMARY] ~ [SCORER'S SHEET]
|> [U OF M STORY] ~ [C.W. STORY]

The Pandas scored in the last minute to tie the game and then won it in OT. This reverses last year's final, won by Manitoba. Tough loss for the Bison Broads. They cannot make nationals as runner-up this year.

BOOKMARKS:

~ ~ ~
[SCHEDULE & RESULTS PAGE] ~ [LEAGUESTAT PAGE]
[CIS PLAYOFFS SCHEDULE & RESULTS PAGE]

[Hollywood]

Some links have been updated or added overnight, so here's the update:

MANITOBA-SASKATCHEWAN
|> [LEAGUESTAT SUMMARY] ~ [SCORER'S SHEET] ~ [CIS BOXSCORE]
|> [C.W. STORY] ~ [U OF S STORY] ~ [U OF M STORY] ~ [U OF S WEBCAST]

Jered Walker had 2 goals.

CALGARY-ALBERTA
|> [LEAGUESTAT SUMMARY] ~ [SCORER'S SHEET] ~ [CIS BOXSCORE]
|> [C.W. STORY] ~ [U OF A STORY]

[Hollywood]

March 7, 2010

BISONS WIN! BISONS WIN! BISONS WIN!


MANITOBA BISONS 5
SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 1
(Manitoba wins best-of-three series 2-1)
|> [LEAGUESTAT SUMMARY] ~ [SCORER'S SHEET] ~ [CIS BOXSCORE (url may change)]
|> [C.W. STORY] ~ [U OF S STORY] ~ [U OF M STORY (url may change)]

What a game! The Bisons are on their way to the University Cup!

I followed on the U of S webcast and it was a blast. I was able to chat with other Bison fans and other CIS fans from coast to coast while the game was on. I hope this is added to the U of M next year. It would also be nice to use for other leagues as well, even the NHL. I digress ...

The 3 games in 3 nights format puts a premium on utilizing all of one's roster, and that the Bisons did. While the Bisons can roll 4 lines, the Huskies rely on their big gunners. And they seemed to have run out of gas. The Bison goals tonight were mostly from the slot in situations where the Huskies failed to play the body, both ion front of net and in the small corners of The Rutherford.

The Macaulay-Walker-Dittmer line was on fire all weekend. And they notched the only goal of the 1st period, when Macaulay cashed in. Play was fairly even, although the Bisons seemed to be more "in control".

The 2nd period was the decider. Several penalties were called. The only time Sask generated offence was when they had the PP. Otherwise it was all Bisons. After the Bisons killed their penalties (the Huskies had a 5-1 PP edge at one point) they cashed in two goals when the Banjodogs were punished. Mike Hellyer and Blair Macaulay had two goals each in the period.

The 3rd period was fairly uneventful until a last minute "brawl" (where the Bisons fastidiously avoided getting any fighting majors) came about when the Banjodogs were thoroughly frustrated with the turn of events.

I have to point out, too, that Steve Christie stopped 33 of 34 shots on goal on the night.

All-in-all, the Bison PP went 2-for-7 whilst the Banjodogs went 1-for-11.

Next weekend the Herd will be off to Edmontown to face the Evil Monkeys. The teams have split 4 games this year. The two games in Winnipeg were some of the best hockey I have seen this year, including AHL and NHL hockey. I won't be able to go to Edmontown, but maybe Thunder Bay! I doubt I could do it but a chance to see the Bisons in Thunder Bay sounds awfully appealing. Manitoba and Alberta know they will be joined by Lakehead and McGill.

BTW, this puts to an end the streak of Alberta-Saskatchewan finals going back to about 1996.

ELSEWHERE:


ST. FRANCIS-XAVIER X-MEN 1
ST. MARY'S HUSKIES 7
(SMU leads best-of-five series 1-0)
|> [MAR 7 CIS BOXSCORE]

St. Mary's are on a roll. They crushed Acadia 9-2 in game 4 of their series, and now this. St. FX must have blown their wad against UNB.

NEXT UP:

March 9 5:00 CST St. Mary's at St. FX [VIDEO]
March 12 8:30 CST Manitoba at Alberta [WEBCAST - AUDIO]
March 13 8:30 CST Manitoba at Alberta [WEBCAST - AUDIO]
March 13 TBD Lakehead at McGill
March 13 TBD Western Ontario at UQTR
March 14 8:00 CST Manitoba at Alberta [WEBCAST - AUDIO] (if necessary)
March 15 5:00 CST St. FX at St. Mary's
March 17 5:00 CST St. Mary's at St. FX [VIDEO]] (if necessary)
March 19 5:00 CST St. FX at St. Mary's (if necessary)
March 25-28 TBD UNIVERSITY CUP AT THUNDER BAY

[Hollywood]

C.W. FINAL MEGA-PREVIEW



MANITOBA BISONS
(16-10-2, 34 points, 3rd place, #4 in OHT34)
ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS
(23-4-1, 47 points, 1st place, #1 in OHT34)

FRIDAY, MARCH 12TH @ 8:30 CST [SSN WEBCAST]
SATURDAY, MARCH 13TH @ 8:30 CST [SSN WEBCAST]
SUNDAY, MARCH 14TH @ 8:00 CST [SSN WEBCAST]
AT EDMONTON, ALBERTA

The games I saw between these two teams were some of the best hockey I have seen this year in any league. The Evil Monkeys are used to being in this situation and should be able to deliver a good performance. The Bisons could go any way. They might go on a roll and shock the Monkeys, or they might be happy with their trip to the nationals and overlook this one.

At this point, there is an audio-only webcast on SSN scheduled for each game. Hopefully they will add some video, so stay tuned. Since I will be at the Moose game on Friday night I will be checking for updated scores on League Stat, as I am prone to do.

The winner of the game will be assured of a top 3 seeding at the nationals. In fact, the Evil Monkeys will get the #1 seed if they win. The two teams would also be seeded into opposite pools.

The Evil Monkeys have won so many hockey titles (13 national and 47 conference titles) that the rest of the league is shocked when somebody else wins. If the Bisoins win they can expect congratulations to flow from across the league. In fact, since the Bisons' last finals appearance in 2001 (when they lost 2-0 to Alberta) every final has been Sask at Alberta. And Alberta won all but one of those. The Bisons have won two CW titles (1920 and 1965) and four GPAC titles (1976, 1977, 1984, 1985) when the conference was split in two, along with one national title.

While the Evil Monkeys' history is impressive, and they are currently ranked #1 nationally, they have shown to be vulnerable this year. I don't see them walking through the Bisons and the field at the nationals. They could very well win it all, but it won't be easy.

WEEKEND LINKS:

Prior games:
Oct 30: Manitoba 3, Alberta 2:
[LEAGUESTAT SUMMARY] ~ [SCORER'S SHEET]
[U OF A STORY] ~ [C.W. STORY]
Oct 31: Alberta 5, Manitoba 3:
[LEAGUESTAT SUMMARY] ~ [SCORER'S SHEET]
[U OF A STORY] ~ [C.W. STORY]
Jan 29: Alberta 4, Manitoba 3:
[LEAGUESTAT SUMMARY] ~ [SCORER'S SHEET] ~ [CIS BOXSCORE]
[U OF M STORY] ~ [U OF A STORY] ~ [C.W. STORY]
Jan 30: Manitoba 4, Alberta 3:
[LEAGUESTAT SUMMARY] ~ [SCORER'S SHEET] ~ [CIS BOXSCORE]
[U OF M STORY] ~ [U OF A STORY] ~ [C.W. STORY]

CONT. ...

[Hollywood]

... CONT.

Rosters: [MANITOBA] : [ALBERTA]
Skaters' stats: [MANITOBA] : [ALBERTA]
Goalies' stats: [MANITOBA] : [ALBERTA]
Team schedules: [MANITOBA] : [ALBERTA] (with links to summaries)

Canada West: [STANDINGS] : [DAILY SCHEDULE (with live updates)]
CISblog.ca: [Men's Top 10 tracker] : [CW Weekly Round-Up] : [Last week's Top 10 Tracker]
CIS: [OFFICIAL CIS TOP 10] : [PLAYOFF SCHEDULE/RESULTS]
Official Hollywood Top 34: [CLICK HERE]

MORE SEMI-FINAL STORIES:

GoBisons.ca: Mayba and Christie are Smitty’s Bison Sports Athletes of the Week - The headline tells it all. No surprise.

The Sheaf: Dogs get downed at Rutherford Rink - Here's a quote:

Rutherford Rink has nothing going for itself, especially following the men’s Huskies weekend semi-final trouncing.

The much-maligned rink on campus, with its fossil-like construct and generally seedy appearance, boasts more critics than it can seat spectators. Yet, for all the rust that randomly falls from the ceiling, or cries to have the 81-year-old facility replaced, it has always been a playoff dynamo: the Saskatchewan men’s hockey team had never lost in their previous 17 post-season series.

But this past weekend the Manitoba Bisons brought shame to the resident Huskies in the form of yet another premature playoffs departure.




The Star Phoenix: Bisons turn the tide on Huskies - here's a quote:

The University Manitoba Bisons accomplished something no other team managed to do this season -- beat the University of Saskatchewan Huskies on home ice in regulation.

Not once, but twice.

"They came in our barn and won twice -- all the credit to them," said a sombre U of S coach Dave Adolph after watching the Bisons rally from a one-game-to-none deficit to take their best-of-three Canada West semifinal series 2-1 with a 5-1 win Sunday night before a stunned Dog House.

"You battle all year for home-ice advantage and it doesn't happen very often in our league that, in a situation like that, a visiting team comes in and wins two games."




WHL.ca: Canada West Update - A quick briefing of the semi-final series, focused on WHL grads.

WHL Grad of the Month: C.W. SITE : CIS SITE - It goes to Dino goalie Dustin Butler.


CJOB.com: Bison men's hockey team beat Sask. 5-1 in best-of-3 semi-final series - This is the game story posted from the U of S.

CONT. ...

[Hollywood]

... CONT.

FINAL PREVIEW STORIES:

The Winnipeg Sun: First Canada West title since ’65 within Bisons’ sight - Jim Bender's article previews the final and recaps the semi. It talks a lot about goaltending. Yes, it is key. But same can be said for Alberta if they want to win.

While Sirant called it a team victory, the Bisons probably could not have won the best-of-three series over Saskatchewan without the superb play of veteran goalie Steve Christie.

“The key in any league in playoffs is goaltending and we got that in Steve Christie,” said Sirant.

Christie was named the first star when the Bisons beat the Huskies 4-2 in Game 2 and the second star when Manitoba won the deciding game 5-1.

“Steve gives us a chance to win every night,” said Workman, who will be competing at the nationals for the first time in his last year of eligibility.

“I think I can count on one hand the number of bad games he’s had in the last four years. He also helps us out, being defencemen, playing the puck all the time, and I just can’t say enough good things about Steve.”


GoBisons.ca: Bison men’s hockey team play for Canada West championship at Alberta - The story points out the basic stats and that the Bisons are heading out early, flying on Thursday afternoon.


The Gateway: Hockey Bears, Bisons ready to collide for Canada West crown - This is from Evan Daum at the U of A. The story quotes the Evil Monkeys' head organ grinder Eric Thurston Howell II:

We split with Manitoba there, we split with them here, and they're a good team that works very hard. If they get up on you, they can really shut things down," Bears head coach Eric Thurston said.

"They really played well in Saskatchewan winning 5–1 on the Sunday, and that's a credit to how good their team is."

With Canada West sending two representatives this season to the national tournament in Thunder Bay, the Bisons head to Edmonton with a berth at nationals already in their back pocket, having nothing to lose against the nation's number-one team.

Manitoba comes into Clare Drake Arena not only knowing they've beaten Alberta twice this season, but also bringing with them arguably the conference's top goaltender in the form of Steve Christie.

"They know they've had success against us, and have come in here and played very well. Obviously, when they make a mistake, Christie is there to make the save, so I think they're going to play with a lot of confidence — a certain swagger — and be very physical against us. We have to make sure that mentally and physically we're plugged in, and are ready for possibly three really tough games," Thurston explained.

CONT. ...

[Hollywood]

... CONT.

OUT EAST:

The AUS and OUA have both produced some surprising results in early rounds. In the end, the final four in the OUA were mostly as predicted by most pundits in the pre-season. And St. FX's stunning 3-0 sweep of UNB is still sending shockwaves across the country. Here's the skinny:


ST. MARY'S HUSKIES 3
ST. FRANCIS-XAVIER X-MEN 2
(in double overtime)
(SMU leads best-of-five series 2-0)
|> [MAR 9 CIS BOXSCORE]

Oddly, these two don't resume the series until Monday. One has to doubt that St. Mary's would blow this lead. But remember what happened in last year's nationals? They could lose their final pool game by 2 goals and still advance, but gave up 5 3rd period goals to blow it.

Mike Danton played for St. Mary's. No goals, no assists, 2 PIMs, and 3 SOG. That's still a bizarre story.


MCGILL REDMEN
LAKEHEAD THUNDERWOLVES
The one game showdown for the Queen's Cup goes Saturday at 6:30 CST in Thunder Bay.


WESTERN ONTARIO MUSTANGS
UQTR PATRIOTES
Since the OUA gets two berths (one extra for the Quebec teams they absorbed) and since Lakehead is in as hosts, a special playoff has been scheduled for 3rd place, Saturday at 6:30 CST in Trois Rivieres.

BOOKMARKS: [/size]

~ ~ ~
[SCHEDULE & RESULTS PAGE] ~ [LEAGUESTAT PAGE]
[CIS PLAYOFFS SCHEDULE & RESULTS PAGE]
[UNIVERSITY CUP HOME PAGE]