Randy SavoieGolden Bears Volleyball
From the outset of their match against the Winnipeg Wesmen on Friday, the Bears weren’t themselves. Missing fourth-year middle John Goranson to injury and coming off of Christmas break, the volley Bears looked shaky, to say the least. Errors at the serve line in addition to an uncharacteristically inconsistent blocking performance meant the bears had to fight hard to eke out a 3-0.
Saturday, however, was a different story. The Bears could never seem to get their offence going, they struggled on defence, and got underwhelming performances from several key players. Combine this with a plucky Winnipeg Wesmen squad that played solid volleyball and the Bears couldn’t recover, falling 3-1 for their first loss of the season.
The Bears will look to rebound next weekend when they travel to Winnipeg to take on the 9-7 Manitoba Bisons.
Pandas Volleyball
Outside Joesphine Doerfler and left side Kacey Otto led the offensive charge, leading the Pandas in kills on Friday and Saturday, respectively. Libero Jessie Niles had another weekend to remember, collecting a scarcely believable nineteen digs on Saturday to allow setter Mariah Walsh free reign over the offence.
The Pandas will look to continue their success and chase back their number-one Canada West ranking next weekend in Winnipeg as they take on the Manitoba Bisons.
Golden Bears Hockey
With back-to-back wins over the Regina Cougars last weekend, the Golden Bears hockey team extended their first place lead in Canada West to eight points over the Calgary Dinos.
On Friday, the Bears edged out the Cougars with a 2-1 overtime win backed by a clutch goal from forward T.J. Foster and a solid goaltending performance from Kurtis Mucha. Saturday was a totally different story. After Regina grabbed a 1-0 lead two minutes into the game, the Bears scored six unanswered goals en route to a 6-3 drumming. The Bears found scoring from everywhere, as six different players accounted for the goals on Saturday.
The Bears will look to keep the good times rolling as they head to Lethbridge to take on the 4-18 Pronghorns.
Pandas Hockey
With back-to-back wins against the Regina Cougars last weekend, the Pandas hockey team managed to keep pace in the tight race in the Canada West standings. The Pandas currently sit tied for second place with the Manitoba Bisons, just one point behind the Calgary Dinos.
The Pandas were backed by the strong performance of goaltender Lindsey Post, who allowed only one goal on 43 shots. On Friday, the Pandas took down the Cougars 4-0, outshooting them 26-20. They followed that performance up on Saturday with another commanding 3-1 win. Another positive note from the Pandas was their balanced offensive performance, as six different players accounted for their seven goals.
The Pandas will be back in action next weekend as they host the Lethbridge Pronghorns, who are 4-14 on the season.
