Golden Bears and Pandas at a glance

The Golden Bears and Pandas came back from a 2-4 record on November 23 with six wins and one loss on November 30.

Pandas hockey OT win gives head coach Howie Draper most wins in U of A history

You don’t get more evenly matched than the University of Alberta Pandas and Mount Royal Cougars women’s hockey teams. Friday night’s game saw a 2-1 loss against the Cougars, settled in a shutout after a one-goal first and second period. Friday’s loss broke the Pandas’ six game win streak.

Saturday’s game was a bit less intense, but still saw an overtime win for the Pandas thanks to Natalie Kieser. This marked the Pandas’ third-straight game settled out of regulation.

Even more special than the overtime win, was the recognition for head coach Howie Draper. Draper now has the most wins over any head coach at the U of A with 441 wins.

Bears’ hockey does total flip with the Cougars for a split win

The Bears’ hockey team played the Cougars in their only regular season matchup. Both teams led their divisions and a split weekend saw the Bears lose their Canada West leader title only to get it back the next day.

Friday’s game resulted in a 4-1 loss for the Bears that stemmed from a brutal first period. The Bears took a five minute major due to head contact and gave up three goals against in the first ten minutes. Heading into the second and third, the Bears stepped it up but could not get ahead of their three goal deficit.

The Bears then took their own three goal lead to end the first at Saturday’s game. Both teams played a consistent game, resulting in static five on five playing. The Bears ultimately won the game due to three power play goals and even a goal short-handed.

Pandas Basketball secures the weekend sweep

The Pandas basketball team secured the weekend sweep over the Winnipeg Wesmen. The Pandas won Friday night’s game with a 64-46 score thanks to Reece Hall and Jenna Karach. Hall and Karach combined for 36 points including 13 rebounds. Hall totaled 18 points, beating her previous record of 12.

Saturday’s 77-66 win resulted from a mixed effort from the team, with eight players scoring six points or more. Anancy Palmer led the game with 14 points followed closely by Jayden Tanner and Ella Rees, who had 12 and 11 points respectively.

The Pandas now boast a 6-2 record and are sitting second in the prairie division.

Bears’ basketball falls to 2-5 record after brutal weekend

The Bears’ basketball team suffered a 66-51 loss against the undefeated Wesmen, making only 32 per cent of their shots. Logan Powell and Isaac Simon led the Bears for points, with each getting 11 throughout the game.

It looked like the Bears had Saturday’s game only for the Wesmen to come back from a 20-point deficit in the fourth quarter. The Wesmen ultimately took the win in overtime, maintaining their seven game undefeated record.

Simon bested his 11 point record from Friday night to 22 points in Saturday’s game.

Pandas volleyball doesn’t give up a single set

The Pandas volleyball team secured their eighth-straight win of the season in a 3-0 win over the Brandon Bobcats. The Pandas had .354 attack percentage, seven blocks and 37 kills. Middle Allie Moore made seven kills over eight attempts, second only to Laila Johnston’s nine kills.

The Pandas absolutely dominated in Saturday night’s game, getting a total of 44 kills to add to their 9-3 record. Abby Guezen and Mackenzie Pool each recorded 11 kills. While setter Justine Kolody dished 31 assists in Saturday’s win, adding 10 digs and an ace. 

The Pandas now sit third in Canada West heading into the next semester.

Bears’ volleyball makes a comeback after giving up first loss of the season

The Bears’ volleyball team faced their first loss of the season against the Bobcats with Friday night’s 1-3 score. The loss broke the Bears’ 13 conference game win-streak, giving them their first loss since February 9, 2024.

Isaac Heslinga lead the team with 23 kills on Friday only to secure 14 kills, three aces, and seven digs over Saturday’s 3-0 win. Heslinga is now only four aces away from setting a new record for the Bears’ volleyball program.

With the split win, the Bears will head into the next semester with an 11-1 record as the best team in Canada West.