U of A Weekend Sports Recap: Oct. 12-14

Golden Bears Hockey

The Bears hockey team were able to find victory Friday night against the Mount Royal University Cougars, but dropped the rematch to MRU in a 2-1 loss Saturday night.

Saturday’s game was the Cougars’ first win in CIS play thanks to two goals in the first period and 36 saves by goaltender Justin Cote. The game was also Alberta’s first loss of the season as they drop to 3-1-0. Bears forward Sean Ringrose found the back of the net 20 seconds after MRU’s first goal of the game, but even minutes later, MRU’s Tyler Eskesen scored what would eventually be the game-winning goal.

Even with a total of nine penalties called in the second period and a lengthy 5-on-3 advantage for Alberta, the Bears couldn’t respond to Eskesen’s goal. 

Next weekend, the Cougars will host the University of Manitoba for a pair of games Oct. 19-20, while the Bears will head to Saskatchewan to face the fourth-ranked Huskies team in what will be an important pair of games early in the season for these two top CanWest contenders.

Pandas Hockey

The Pandas hockey squad improved to a perfect 4-0-0 record with a pair of wins over the weekend against the Mount Royal University Cougars.

Friday night’s game was decided with a goal from fourth-year Pandas forward Janelle Malcolm 34 seconds into overtime. MRU had the 3-2 lead late in the game, until Pandas captain Sarah Hilworth netted a rebound with just three minutes left in the game. Despite two power play chances in the third period with their tenous lead, the Cougars couldn’t capitalize.

The two teams’ rematch on Saturday night wasn’t quite as close as the Pandas defeated MRU 4-1.  Senior forward Karla Bourke scored once and added three assists, leading an Alberta offence that made 34 shots on net. The Pandas will next host the 1-2-1 University of Saskatchewan Huskies for their home opening games on Oct. 19 and 20, the first of which being a Legacy Game, free for all students with a valid One-Card.

Pandas Rugby

A pair of big wins for the Pandas rugby team finished their season with a perfect 4-0 record and put them in top spot for this weekend’s Canada West championships.

The Pandas opened their southern Alberta road trip with a game on Friday against the University of Calgary. The seventh-ranked Pandas got off to a good start with an early 18-0 lead over the fifth-ranked Dinos that they never relinquished, eventually winning 46-24. Alberta’s Chelsea Guthrie scored three tries to lead her team to victory.

The Pandas then defeated the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns on Sunday with a 38-19 win. The victory came against a Lethbridge team that recently had a 22-game-conference undefeated streak broken by Calgary and who are the six-time defending Canada West champions. The Pandas closed the first half with a 21-0 lead, which they were able to hold onto despite a Lethbridge comeback in the second half.

The CanWest championships will now take place this weekend in Edmonton at the Ellerslie Rugby Club. The Pandas will play the UBC Thunderbirds at 11 a.m. on Friday in one semi-final, while Calgary will face Lethbridge two hours later in the second semi-final. The winners will meet at 1 p.m. on Sunday to decide the Canada West champion, with the bronze medal game starting earlier in the day at 11 a.m.

Golden Bears Soccer

With a tie and a win over the weekend against two of the top Canada West teams, the Bears clinched a playoff spot.

The fourth-ranked Bears were the first team not to lose to the UBC Thunderbirds this season, forcing a 2-2 tie Saturday afternoon thanks to a late header by fourth-year striker Jonah Feil. Despite a 6-3 shot advantage, UBC had possession of the ball for much of the first half and beginning of the second half, and were backed up for most of the game by a strong defence that’s tied for first in the conference with the Bears for fewest goals against.

The Bears followed the game with a 2-1 win over the Trinity Western Spartans, keeping them in first place in the Prairie Division with a 7-1-3 record. If they can hold onto the top spot, they’ll host the Canada West championship tournament. Feil and fourth-year midfielder Zenon Markevych both scored for the second day in a row to get the win. The Bears were without suspended leading scorer Marcus Johnstone, who had to sit out the game. Johnstone, however, will return for the Bears’ games next weekend on the road against the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns.

Pandas Soccer

The formerly undefeated Pandas soccer squad experienced their first two losses of the season on a Saskatchewan road trip.

In their Saturday afternoon game against the University of Saskatchewan Huskies, the Pandas gave up two goals in the second half to lose 3-1 despite Alberta having a 12-8 shooting advantage. The Huskies went on to win both weekend games to qualify for the playoffs.

The University of Regina Cougars also clinched a playoff spot this weekend at the expense of Alberta with a narrow 1-0 win. Regina improved to fourth place in the standings with a 7-3-0 record due to a goal midway through the second half that broke a scoreless draw. Alberta couldn’t capitalize despite a 24-8 advantage in shot attempts and an 8-2 corner kick advantage. Regina keeper Stephanie Possberg turned away six shots to set a school record with her fifth shutout of the season.

Alberta, who has now fallen to a 5-2-3 record, will play their final two games of the season at home next weekend against the University of Winnipeg and University of Manitoba, with a playoff spot hanging in the balance.

Golden Bears Football

The score may not have been quite as lopsided as their 65-6 defeat earlier in the year, but the University of Calgary Dinos easily improved to a 6-0 record with a 51-1 victory over the Bears football squad.

The winless Bears were completely overpowered by the second-ranked Dinos offence, who accumulated 538 yards against Alberta’s 195. Fourth-year Calgary quarterback Steve Lumbala led the way, rushing for 217 yards and two touchdowns while quarterbacks Eric Dzwilewski and Jimmy Underahl completed 14 of 23 passes for 226 yards and two touchdowns. Even their 14 penalties for 100 yards against weren’t enough to slow down Calgary’s offensive onslaught.

Dzwilewski found wide receiver Elie Bouka for a 74 yard catch-and-run to score on the Dinos’ first offensive play to set the tone for the game. Alberta’s lone point came from a 51-yard punt by kicker Stephen Fabian into Calgary’s endzone. Bears backup quarterback Ryan Schwartz got the team into the Dinos’ red zone late in the game, but weren’t able to capitalize.

The Bears’ next game comes Oct. 2 against the 3-3 University of Saskatchewan Huskies at 1 p.m. at Foote Field in their final home game of the season. The game is called “Senior Night,” as the team will honour the team’s fifth-year players who are set to depart at the end of the season.

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