[Hollywood2]

SERIES PREVIEW: BANJODOGS COMING FOR REVENGE



SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES
(6-5-1, 13 points, 4th place)
MANITOBA BISONS
(8-3-1, 17 points, 2nd place)

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20TH @ 7:00 CST
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21ST @ 7:00 CST
AT MAX BELL ARENA

The gap-toothed inbreds from Saskatown invade Winnipeg this weekend with vengeance on their minds. The Herd opened the season with a sweep of Sask and since then have had a solid season. Sask had a grim start, even going back to the pre-season. The Bisons won last time by 2-1 and 6-2 scores. But Sask has bounced back in recent weeks, including a one-sided sweep of UBC last weekend. This series will go a long way towards the Bisons' hopes of gaining a berth at the nationals. The top 2 teams will host the semi-final series and both winners get berths in the nationals. A sweep by the Bisons would leave the Huskies 8 points behind. On the other hand, Sask could draw even with a sweep of their own. Quite a swing.

Here are the links you need:
Prior games:
Oct 2: Manitoba 2, Sask 1: [LEAGUESTATS] ~ [U OF M STORY] ~ [CW STORY]
Oct 3: Manitoba 6, Sask 2: [LEAGUESTATS] ~ [U OF M STORY]
Rosters: [MANITOBA] : [SASK]
Skaters' stats: [MANITOBA] : [SASK]
Goalies' stats: [MANITOBA] : [SASK]
Team schedules: [MANITOBA] : [SASK] (with links to summaries)
Canada West: [STANDINGS] : [DAILY SCHEDULE (with live updates)]
Preview stories: Alberta-Calgary: [C.W. STORY] ~ [U OF A STORY]
CISblog.ca: [Hockey: Top 10 tracker ]
CIS Top 10: [CIS Men’s Hockey Top 10 (#5): Perfect 10 for No. 1 V-Reds]
U of M: [Bruckschwaiger and Howarth are Smitty’s Bison Sports Athletes of the Week ]
The Gateway: [WHL grads continue to fuel CW men’s hockey]
Winnipeg Sun: [Duval chooses Bisons over pro leagues]

WEEKEND SCHEDULE:

• Nov 20 Saskatchewan @ Manitoba
  Nov 20 Calgary @ Alberta
  Nov 20 Lethbridge @ UBC
  Nov 21 Saskatchewan @ Manitoba
  Nov 21 Calgary @ Alberta
  Nov 21 Lethbridge @ UBC
  Bye: Regina

BOOKMARKS: - Note that the CIS site has a new url.

• ~ ~ ~
  ~ ~ ~
  ~ ~
  [SCHEDULE & RESULTS PAGE] ~ [LEAGUESTAT PAGE]

[Hollywood2]

MORE PREVIEW NEWS ...

There is now a preview story at GoBisons.ca [HERE].

The Friday game is also on UMFM 101.5 and online [ONLINE LINK].

[Hollywood2]

November 20, 2009

BISONS SCORE BIG WIN
... SIX POINTS AHEAD OF HUSKIES


SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 2
MANITOBA BISONS 5
|> [LEAGUESTAT SUMMARY] ~ [SCORER'S SHEET] ~ [CIS BOXSCORE]
|> [U OF M STORY] ~ [U OF S STORY] ~ [C.W. STORY]



This was a big win for the Herd. Sure, they were off to a good start this year and enjoyed a prior sweep of the Saskatchewanites. But the question had to be asked about whether the Huskies would now start to meet their pre-season expectations, which had them fighting it out with the Evil Monkeys for first place and being one of the best teams in the country.

Well, the Bisons answered the bell. The amassed 16 shots in the 1st period en route to a 3-0 lead, on a pair of goals by Jered Walker and one by Rick Wood. However, the Banjo Dogs closed the first period with a goal of their own. The Bisons were caught with 4 forwards on a line change and icing. They won the draw and a d-man (I could not make out who it was) could not get it out of his feet. Sask pounced on the opportunity like a mutt grabbing a pork chop off the floor. David Linsley had the goal. (If he had the money would he buy a Mercury and cruise it up and down the road? [YOUTUBE].)

The second period seemed like a parade to the penalty box. There were no goals, although each side had numerous good opportunities. Steve "Cookie" Christie and Jeff Harvey the Hound were both sharp in goal.

The Bisons had a penalty late in the 2nd and started on the PK in the 3rd. Harvey almost flubbed a dump-in shot off the opening face-off. But Sask turned it up ice and 30 seconds in made it 3-2 on a goal by Steve "Gilligan" Gillen. Of note, Huskies' captain and leading scorer Steven DaSilva had a double game misconduct which started when he charged Christie into the goal. He's out for Saturday's rematch.

My pen ran out of ink so my recall of the lines is somewhat spotty:

• MANITOBA BISONS
  
  Goal:
  Christie (Deckert)
  
  Defense:
  Erb - Lenoski (Erb was out there with almost everyone)
  Workman - Mealy
  Brown - Lockerby
  
  Forwards:
  Duval - Wood- Hellyer
  Moggach - Walker - Macaulay
  Beller - Benias - Howarth
  Dudar - Wild - Waker
  
  SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES
  
  Goal:
  Harvey (Reekie)
  
  Defense:
  Schafer - Greenan
  Zetariuk - Ward
  Swaby - Hobbs
  
  Forwards:
  Gillen - Durand - Vey
  Bosch - Ross - Linsley
  Dowd - Wagar - Brisebois
  Bortis - DaSilva - Bailey

ELSEWHERE:


CALGARY DINOSAURS 2
ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 7
|> [LEAGUESTAT SUMMARY] ~ [SCORER'S SHEET] ~ [CIS BOXSCORE]
|> [C.W. STORY] ~ [U OF A STORY]



This ended while I was typing my report on the Bison game. This was a tight game with the Evil Monkeys up 3-2 as listened to the Bison post-game show on the way home. The Dinos yanked the starting goalie Dustin Butler after the 5th goal. That could be a bad omen. Sean Ringrose and Greg Gardiner had 2 goals apiece for the Evil Monkeys. The Dinos now trail the Bisons by 5 points.


LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS 5
UBC THUNDERBIRDS 4
|> [LEAGUESTAT SUMMARY] ~ [SCORER'S SHEET] ~ [CIS BOXSCORE]
|> [UBC PREVIEW STORY] ~ [UBC STORY] ~ [CITR ONLINE RADIO]

I was listening at the online radio link. Saturday's game will also be on radio. Lethbridge a 3-1 lead after a 2nd period penalty shot. But the Tweety-Birds notched 3 unanswered goals. The 3rd was crazy. Lethbridge scored tiwce to take the lead. And UBC had 21 shots on goal, without a goal of their own. Lethbridge leap-frogs UBC and Regina into 5tgh place. UBC is now last by themselves.



NEXT UP:

Nov 21 Saskatchewan @ Manitoba | 7:00 pm @ Max Bell Arena
Nov 21 Calgary @ Alberta
Nov 21 Lethbridge @ UBC
Bye: Regina

BOOKMARKS:

~ ~ ~
[SCHEDULE & RESULTS PAGE] ~ [LEAGUESTAT PAGE]

[Hollywood2]

November 21, 2009

IT'S A SHOOT-OUT LOSS


SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 3
MANITOBA BISONS 2
(in a shoot-out)
|> [LEAGUESTAT SUMMARY] ~ [SCORER'S SHEET] ~ [U OF M STORY] ~ [U OF S STORY] ~ [C.W. STORY]



I was at the Moose game but was following along on my cell phone. It was a tight game throughout. The Banjo Dogs had to bounce back otherwise they would be out of the race for 2nd and in danger of being caught for 4th. But a single point for the Herd leaves them nestled in 2nd place, 5 points out of 1st and 5 points away from 3rd. The 9-4-1 record brings them to the half-way point of the season. They have the bye next weekend but will host the Iowa State Cyclones.

Blair MacAulay and Mike Hellyer scored for the Bisons. Steve Christie (with 36 saves) in the Bison goal and David Reekie (with 38 saves) in the Sask goal were both good. In fact, each side scored once in the 2nd period but each side had 16 shots on goal.


CALGARY DINOSAURS 4
ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 6
|> [LEAGUESTAT SUMMARY] ~ [SCORER'S SHEET] ~ [U OF A STORY]



Calgary held a 4-2 lead at one stage of the 2nd period before the Evil Monkeys stormed back to take this one. The last goal was an empty-netter. Both sides rotated goaltenders with Jeff Weber (Cal) and Travis Yonkman (Alta) getting the starts.


LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS 3
UBC THUNDERBIRDS 4
(in a shoot-out)
|> [LEAGUESTAT SUMMARY] ~ [SCORER'S SHEET] ~ [C.W. STORY] ~ [UBC STORY]



Each side had one goal per period and then UBC took it on a shoot-out. This was a must-win game for the Tweety-Birds. A loss would have had them pulling up the rear.

NEXT UP:

Nov 27 Iowa State @ Manitoba | n/c | 3:30 @ Max Bell
Nov 27 Alberta @ Lethbridge
Nov 27 Regina @ Saskatchewan
Nov 27 UBC @ Calgary
Nov 28 Iowa State @ Manitoba | n/c | 3:30 @ Max Bell
Nov 28 Alberta @ Lethbridge
Nov 28 Regina @ Saskatchewan
Nov 28 UBC @ Calgary
Dec 4 Calgary @ UBC
Dec 5 Calgary @ UBC
(end of 1st half)

BOOKMARKS:

~ ~ ~
[SCHEDULE & RESULTS PAGE] ~ [LEAGUESTAT PAGE]

[Hollywood2]

SERIES PREVIEW: IOWA STATE CYCLONES TOUCH DOWN FOR NON-CONFERENCE ACTION



IOWA STATE CYCLONES
(CSCHL: 3-4-1, 7 points, Overall 12-4-4, ranked 5th in ACHA)
MANITOBA BISONS
(C.W.: 9-3-2, 19 points, 2nd place; Overall: 14-4-2)

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 27TH @ 3:30 CST
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 28TH @ 3:30 CST
AT MAX BELL ARENA

The Cyclones are coming to Manitoba for the first time for a pair of afternoon encounters. I don't know why they wouldn't play Saturday and Sunday, but whatever.

I know very little about the Cyclones. But from the intenret I see that they are running up some one-sided wins against a number of opponents. They are in the ACHA, which is below the WCHA (which includes teams like UND). So where they fit into the bigger picture is a mystery to me. They are ranked #5 in the ACHA national rankings.

This series marks the end of the first half of the season. The Bisons will be off for the exam period and then Christmas. They return to action in Thunder Bay for games on December 29th and 30th against the Lakehead Thunderwolves. They won't have any more home games until January 15th and 16th against the UBC Thunderbirds. (Notice the thundery motif.)

The Bisons will have to keep an eye on the out-of-town scoreboard this weekend. All series are contender vs outsider at this stage. Regina, UBC, and Lethbridge will be desperate to avoid falling out of contention. IN particular, UBC could see a big change in their fortunes. Since they and Calgary have back-to-back series against one another there could be a major swing.

Here are some links:
CIS Top 10: [CIS men’s hockey Top 10 (#6): No. 1 V-Reds improve to 11-0] - CIS story on the official Top 10. (Which is not as good as the Official Hollywood Top 34!)
CISblog.ca: [Hockey: Top 10 tracker; 3 OUA teams in top five (watch for falling sky)] - CISblog.ca tracks the top 10, as usual. They also have lots of weekly updates: [OUA-West], [AUS], and [Canada West].
ACHA: [2009-2010 ACHA Men's Division 1 Ranking #4].
CW Preview: [Huskies host Cougars in provincial men's hockey battle] - The story comes from the U of S.

WEEKEND SCHEDULE:

• Nov 27 Iowa State @ Manitoba
  Nov 27 Alberta @ Lethbridge
  Nov 27 Regina @ Saskatchewan
  Nov 27 UBC @ Calgary
  Nov 28 Iowa State @ Manitoba
  Nov 28 Alberta @ Lethbridge
  Nov 28 Regina @ Saskatchewan
  Nov 28 UBC @ Calgary

STANDINGS:

2009-10        G     W     L     OL     F     A      +/-     Pt
Alberta       14   12     1     1     79     35     +44     25
Manitoba      14     9     3     2     45     33     +12     20
Saskatchewan  14     7     6     1     55     39     +16     15
Calgary       12     6     4     2     36     47     -11     14
Lethbridge    14     4     8     2     39     62     -23     10
UBC           12     4     7     1     33     51     -19     9
Regina        12     4     8     0     24     43     -19     8

BOOKMARKS: - Note that the CIS site has a new url.

• ~ ~ ~
  ~ ~ ~
  ~ ~ ~
  [SCHEDULE & RESULTS PAGE] ~ [LEAGUESTAT PAGE]

[Hollywood2]

November 27, 2009

BISONS WHIP CYCLONES


IOWA STATE CYCLONES 3
MANITOBA BISONS 8
|> [U OF M STORY]

I missed the first period of this matinee performance, since I picked up my son at school and then headed out. On arrival, the zamboni was just pulling onto the ice and it was 1-1.

The Bisons seemed to have their way with the Cyclones most of the time. Seldom did a Cyclone hit a man which allowed the Bisons to skate and circle with the puck, even in the ISU slot. Very unusual.

Anyhow, ISU got a powerplay and cashed in on a goal by a little guy named Cody Steele and it was 2-1 for the visitors.

But the Bisons started a comeback which did not stop for the balance of the game. Stewart Thiessen cashed in on a nice passing play, followed shortly by Mike Hellyer. Greg Beller then rolled one through the 5-hole and it was 4-2 after 2 periods.

Blair Macaulay notched a 3rd period hat-trick, accompanied by a goal by Calin Wild. In between, Brody Toigo scored from above the slot for ISU.

Here's how they lined up:

• MANITOBA BISONS
  
  Goal:
  Christie (Deckert)
  
  Defense:
  Erb - Lenoski
  Brown - Lockerby
  Thiessen - Flynn
  
  Forwards:
  Moggach - Wood- Hellyer
  Dittmer - Walker - Macaulay
  Howarth - Beller - Crowley
  Dudar - Wild - Waker
  
  IOWA STATE CYCLONES
  
  Goal:
  Hudson (Karus)
  
  Defense:
  Cornelius - Larsen or Wilkinson (Cornelius was on half the time)
  Toigo - Clark or Verdoni
  Condon - 7th d-man, played odd shifts
  
  Forwards:
  Steele - Mackay - Kohles
  Kurbatsky - Lebler - Paulsen
  Majkoazak - Spring - Krueger
  there were others on their list but I never noted their presence

ELSEWHERE:


REGINA COUGARS 1
SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 5
|> [LEAGUESTAT SUMMARY] ~ [SCORER'S SHEET]

In the Battle on Banjoland the Puppies destroyed the Kittens. Regina scored first but thereafter it was all Sask. Pity the Kitty, they look done.


ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 6
LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS 2
|> [LEAGUESTAT SUMMARY] ~ [SCORER'S SHEET]

This one is not quite over as I post. But the Horny Ones look to be taking it on the chin from the Evil Monkeys. This game was tied 2-2 mid-way through the 2nd before the Evil Monkeys went crazy. I hold out little hope of a Lethbridge rebound on Saturday.


UBC THUNDERBIRDS 1
CALGARY DINOSAURS 4
|> [LEAGUESTAT SUMMARY] ~ [SCORER'S SHEET]

This one is also not quite over as I post. Once again, the rich get richer. If UBC cannot rebound in their next 3 games (all against Calgary) they will be suffering a very hasty end to what they hoped would be an improved season.

For all games, since I am posting early you will have to check the CW site (and maybe team sites as well) for game stories.

NEXT UP:

Nov 28 Iowa State @ Manitoba | n/c | 3:30 @ Max Bell
Nov 28 Alberta @ Lethbridge
Nov 28 Regina @ Saskatchewan
Nov 28 UBC @ Calgary
Dec 4 Calgary @ UBC
Dec 5 Calgary @ UBC
(end of 1st half)

BOOKMARKS:

~ ~ ~
[SCHEDULE & RESULTS PAGE] ~ [LEAGUESTAT PAGE]

[Hollywood2]

EARLY MORNING UPDATE

There were no changes to the scores of the games in progress as I posted Friday night. But there are game stories:

Calin Wild scored once.
MANITOBA v IOWA STATE
I have been unable to find a box score or stats sheet of any type. But I did find a story on former Winkler Flyer David Kurbatsky:
[Freshman forward makes early impact for Cyclones] - He is from California but came up to play junior hockey for 2 years in the MJHL and then one year in the NAHL. His HockeyDB stats are [HERE]. I only saw three Iowa-born players on their roster.


SASKATCHEWAN v REGINA
[U OF S STORY] - It points out that Sask is now 6-0 at home, and outscored opponents 39-8.


LETHBRIDGE v ALBERTA
[U OF L PREVIEW]
[C.W. STORY] ~ [U OF L STORY] ~ [U OF A STORY]


CALGARY v UBC
[C.W. STORY] ~ [U OF C STORY] ~ [UBC STORY]

[Hollywood2]

November 28, 2009

HERD DEAL OUT ANOTHER THRASHING


IOWA STATE CYCLONES 2
MANITOBA BISONS 10
|> [U OF M STORY]

This was so one-sided it was sad. I had to leave with 7 minutes left to attend a family dinner. At that point it was 10-2, which turned out to be the final score.

Iowa State opened scoring when the Bisons turned away from a play in the slot, allowing Chris Mackay to pick a corner and make it 1-0 visitors. But then the Bisons seemed to score at will. Ian Duval, Calin Wild, Brandon Lockerby, Nolan Waker, and Troy Crowley all scored 1st period goals to make it 5-1. The shots were 16-5, and many of those Bison shots were golden scoring chances.

Things calmed down in the 2nd period as Kyle Howarth and Ian Duval made it 7-1. The shots were 11-3. Iowa State mounted next to nothing in the way of offense.

The 3rd period was very one-sided as well. When I left the Bisons already had 3 goals on 14 more shots (two from Tyler Dittmer and one from Chris Benias). However, in the midst of it all Pete Majkozak replied for ISU.

Here's how they lined up:

• MANITOBA BISONS
  
  Goal:
  Deckert (2 periods), McHale (3rd period)
  
  Defense:
  Erb - Flynn
  Thiessen - Lockerby
  Mealy - Brown
  
  Forwards:
  Duval - Wood- Moggach
  Macaulay - Walker - Dittmer
  Crowley - Benias - Howarth
  Waker - Wild - Dudar
  
  IOWA STATE CYCLONES
  
  Goal:
  Hudson (to 13:50 of 1st) Karus (remaining 46:10)
  
  Defense:
  Cornelius - Larsen or Wilkinson
  Toigo - Clark
  Verdoni - Condon
  
  Forwards:
  Spring - Krueger - Majkozak
  Mackay - Kohles - Steele
  Kurbatsky - Lebler - Paulsen
  Rooney - Mandich - Behrman

ELSEWHERE:


REGINA COUGARS 1
SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 3
|> [LEAGUESTAT SUMMARY] ~ [SCORER'S SHEET] ~ [C.W. STORY]



This was a big loss for the Kittens. They are now 10 points out of a playoff berth with only 14 games left. Do these Cats have 9 lives? Although the Huskies jump ahead of Calgary and within a point of Manitoba, they have played two more games than either of them.


ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 4
LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS 3
(in overtime)
|> [LEAGUESTAT SUMMARY] ~ [SCORER'S SHEET]

The Horny Ones will be bitter over this result. They held a 3-1 lead after 2 periods. Alberta scored early in the 3rd to make it 3-2. Then Lethbridge was assessed a penalty at 16:57 and Alberta scored at 17:26. At that time the Lethbridge coach was given a 2 minute minor. The 'Horns killed the second penalty and took the game to overtime. However, in OT Lethbridge was given two penalties and Alberta scored the winner 5-on-3. Ouch. The Evil Monkeys will need December off to have that horseshoe removed.

BTW, this was the first game ended in overtime this year. Nine others ended in a shoot-out.


UBC THUNDERBIRDS 0
CALGARY DINOSAURS 4
|> [LEAGUESTAT SUMMARY] ~ [SCORER'S SHEET]

This loss leaves UBC in a precarious position, 9 points behind 4th place Calgary. The two teams play next weekend in Vancouver to complete the first half of the season. Both sides switched goaltenders from Friday night. Jeff Weber had the shutout for Calgary and Brock Nixon scored twice. UBC did outshoot Calgary 32-28.

STANDINGS:

2009-10        G      W     L     OL     F     A      +/-     Pt
Alberta        16    14     1     1     89     40     +49     29
Manitoba       14     9     3     2     45     33     +12     20
Saskatchewan   16     9     6     1     63     41     +22     19
Calgary        14     8     4     2     44     48      -4     18
Lethbridge     16     4     9     3     44     72     -28     11
UBC            14     4     9     1     34     60     -26      9
Regina         14     4    10     0     26     51     -25      8

NEXT UP:

Dec 4 Calgary @ UBC
Dec 4 Saskatchewan @ Lakehead *
Dec 4 Regina @ Briercrest College *
Dec 5 Calgary @ UBC
Dec 5 Saskatchewan @ Lakehead *
Dec 28 McGill @ Alberta *
Dec 29 Manitoba @ Lakehead *
Dec 29 McGill @ Alberta *
Dec 30 Manitoba @ Lakehead *
Jan 2-4 Calgary @ TBD (SAIT tournament) *
* indicates non-conference games

BOOKMARKS:

~ ~ ~
[SCHEDULE & RESULTS PAGE] ~ [LEAGUESTAT PAGE]

[Hollywood2]

Lots of links:

[CISBlog.ca: CW round-up]
[CISBlog.ca: AUS round-up]
[Edmonton Journal: Golden Bears centre takes full advantage of WHL scholarship]
[The Hockey News: Jason Cassidy's Blog: Club culture]
[CanadianCollegeSport.com: No one can beat UNB? ]
[OUA men's hockey roundup: No. 3 Mustangs win 13th straight]

[Hollywood2]

FIRST HALF WRAP-UP .... AS BISONS HAVE BYE

The only regular season this weekend is Calgary at UBC. However, Sask is also at Lakehead for 2 games and Regina will play Briercrest of the ACAC on Friday only. The next action for the Bisons is December 29th and 30th at Lakehead. UBC is 9 points behind 4th place Calgary and after this weekend each side will have only 12 games remaining. Those numbers clearly illustrate UBC's dire position at this time.

Here are some links:
CIS Top 10: [CIS Men’s Hockey Top 10 (#7): No. 1 V-Reds aim for 15-0 mark at the break] - CIS]s latest official top 10.
UBC: [T-Birds, Dinos meet in final weekend of action before break] - This quote from UBC sums up the woes of their hockey team thus far:

UBC has just one win in their last 10 games with scoring woes proving to be a major issue during this stretch. UBC opened the season averaging four goals per game over their first five contests, however, since then they have scored more than two goals just twice. Justin McCrae and Brandon Campos lead the offensive effort with 11 points apiece, however, that ranks them only tied for 25th in league scoring. Tyler Ruel is next best with nine points and Theran Yeo's seven points leads all UBC defencemen. In net, rookie Jordan White has earned a pair of starts over the past three games, including the T-Birds 4-3 win over Lethbridge. Veteran Francois Thuot has seen the bulk of the time between the posts and sports a 3.91 GAA and .864 save percentage.

U of C: [Hockey closes out fall semester].
CW Preview: [T-Birds, Dinos meet heading into break] - The story comes from UBC.
CITR.ca: - The UBC broadcast is available on-line [HERE].
U OF L: [THUNDERWOLVES FACE TOUGH TESTS WITH SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES] - The Lakehead site has a good preview story of the series against Sask. There is a live webcast [HERE].

BOOKMARKS:

• ~ ~ ~
  ~ ~ ~
  ~ ~ ~
  [SCHEDULE & RESULTS PAGE] ~ [LEAGUESTAT PAGE]