Bears vs Huskies might make or break playoffs

Only three weekend series, a final home game, and one good competitor left before the Golden Bears hockey team signs off on one of the best regular season performances they’ve had in years.

But before we can call the 2024-25 regular season a win, it all comes down to a two-game, division rivalry series between the Saskatchewan Huskies and visiting Bears on January 24 and 25. Why this team and why this weekend?

The Bears currently lead Canada West with 18 wins in 22 games, compared to the Huskies with 16 in 20, now second in points per game. At a head-to-head record of 3-1 Bears, you could say a tie in points doesn’t matter, as long as they secure the split win.

But, a series split then ties the Bears with Mount Royal University (MRU), a division best team, now playing the worst in conference for the remainder of the regular season. And leaving that top seeded position in the hands of an uncertain goal differential.

So you see, anything less than the weekend sweep costs the Bears their hard fought, and almost lost, best in conference title. Talk about pressure.

“It’s always good games every time, especially playing in their building. They have a lot of fans so it’ll be a good atmosphere,” Bears head coach, Ian Herbers said.

Not as good as the Bears’ atmosphere, arguably the best in Canada West, but effective nonetheless.

Playoff predictions

If the Bears can play the same game they did when they first swept the Huskies, they’ll turn a one game head-to-head losing streak into a two-game win streak, forcing a bye in the first round of playoffs and an easier opponent in the second.

If not, they’ll play the University of Calgary Dinos, in Calgary, for a best of three — not terrible with the Bears’ home-and-away sweep over the Dinos earlier this season. But with Calgary’s Olympic size ice, it’s not great either.

They are then likely to play MRU, on Olympic size ice, yet again in round two.

“The bigger ice gives us more space to work with, which suits our style of play. When we are at our best, we are playing fast and using our speed, and the wider rink allows us to use those strengths more effectively,” Marc Lajoie said.

True, but playing a tired University of British Columbia (UBC) at home in round two is arguably more desirable.

Ironically, no matter where the Bears place in the Canada West standings, based on conference play, there’s a good chance we’ll see a Bears vs. Huskies playoff final. But where is the question.

But how did we get here?

Losing four of 22 games is a fairly healthy record for such a young a team — great even by Canada West standards. But some games didn’t need to be lost. Like their 4-3 loss to the Grant MacEwan Griffins, perhaps?

Not only were there certain unmet expectations going into the rare and slightly embarrassing defeat, but it might have put the Bears two points shy of a comfortable closing season.

We say a loss to the Griffins, out of all others, was the one to put the Bears in this position, only because it was the one that shouldn’t have happened. A loss to the Huskies, MRU, and UBC? Justifiable. The Griffins, not so much.

Had they won, or even taken the overtime loss, this would be a different situation. They could worry a little less with an extra point or two, and they’d have room to breathe. Most importantly, the home ice advantage wouldn’t depend on a two-game weekend series.