Golden Bears

KAMLOOPS (CUP) — When the University of Alberta took the floor against the Laval Rouge et Or on the main court for the 2010 CIS men’s volleyball championship, one probably would've thought that the two teams would be playing for gold.

KAMLOOPS — In the minutes following the University of Calgary’s thrilling five-set upset over the two-time defending champion Alberta Golden Bears, Graham Vigrass was not cooling down with his teammates on the court. He was calmly sitting at a table on the spectator side of the court casually talking with family and friends.

He was asked if that was the biggest win of his career.

For only the second time, the Golden Bears and Manitoba Bisons will collide this weekend for the Canada West men's hockey championship, as the Bisons run into town looking to upset the number-one ranked team in the nation.

Head coach Terry Danyluk and his Golden Bears volleyball squad head to Kamloops, B.C. this weekend for the national tournament hoping that the third time is still the charm, as they head out in search of their third consecutive national title.

The Battle of Alberta is alive and well. In a series that saw things boil over in the final moments Friday night, the number-one ranked Golden Bears downed their provincial rivals, the Calgary Dinos, in two games to win their Canada West hockey semifinal series and punch their ticket to the national tournament in the process.

The Golden Bears volleyball squad had a championship-winning performance this weekend, hosting the Canada West Final Four tournament. Facing two formidable opponents in the form of the Thompson Rivers WolfPack on Saturday afternoon and the Trinity Western Spartans in the championship on Sunday, the well-rested Bears claimed Canada West supremacy in exciting fashion.

With a berth to the national tournament already in their back pocket, the Golden Bears volleyball squad returns to action this weekend at home for the Canada West final four, as they look to defend their conference title under the bright lights of the Butterdome.

Home sweet home — that’s what Clare Drake Arena has been for the number-one ranked Golden Bears hockey squad over the years, especially when it comes to playing the Calgary Dinos. The Bears will look to use their home-ice advantage this weekend against their provincial rivals in Canada West semifinal hockey action at the Drake.

VANCOUVER (CUP) — The Alberta Golden Bears' men's basketball season ended last weekend not with a bang, but a whimper. The team was blown out in two consecutive games by the number-one ranked UBC Thunderbirds in the Canada West quarterfinals, 92–62 and 103–68, putting an end to a frustratingly average season.

It was a weekend highlighted by the wheat province at the Canada West Track and Field Championships this past Friday and Saturday at the Pavilion, as the Saskatchewan Huskies claimed the women’s overall championship, while their provincial counterparts from Regina topped the standings on the men’s side.