U of R Athletics This Weekend

Home EventsWomen’s Basketball – vs. UBC, Friday (6:00 p.m.) at CKHS
Women’s Hockey – vs. Mount Royal, Friday (7:00 p.m.) at The Co-operators Centre
Men’s Basketball – vs. UBC, Friday (8:00 p.m.) at CKHS
Women’s Hockey – vs. Mount Royal, Saturday (3:00 p.m.) at The Co-operators Centre
Women’s Basketball – vs. UBC, Saturday (6:00 p.m.) at CKHS
Men’s Basketball – vs. UBC, Saturday (8:00 p.m.) at CKHS

 

Away EventsTrack & Field – at Bison Classic, Friday and Saturday in Winnipeg, Man.
Women’s Volleyball – at UBC, Friday (6:00 p.m. PST) in Vancouver, B.C.
Men’s Volleyball – at UBC, Friday (8:00 p.m. PST) in Vancouver, B.C.
Women’s Volleyball – at UBC, Friday (5:00 p.m. PST) in Vancouver, B.C.
Men’s Volleyball – at UBC, Friday (7:00 p.m. PST) in Vancouver, B.C.

 

Women’s Basketball (CIS Ranking: No. 10) – Only a game separates the top four teams in the Pioneer Division, so it’s a crucial upcoming weekend at the CKHS with No. 2-ranked UBC (13-3) in town to face the No. 10 Cougars (12-4). There’s plenty on the line with only four games left on the Canada West schedule for both teams, as the top four teams in the Pioneer get a bye through the first round of the playoffs and the top three in the division earn the right to host a quarterfinal series. Game time between the Cougars and the Thunderbirds is scheduled for 6 p.m. on both Friday and Saturday at the CKHS.

 

Men’s Basketball – The Cougars (7-9) come into the weekend two wins back of Manitoba for the seventh and final postseason spot in the division with four games to go, but have two games in hand on the 9-9 Bisons. But because Manitoba’s win over Alberta will likely give the Bisons the tiebreaker, the Cougars will have to win at least three games over the final two weekends to have a shot at the postseason. UBC (10-6) and Regina are scheduled to tip at 8 p.m. both nights at the CKHS.

Women’s Hockey – With three wins and eight out of a possible 12 points in their last four games, the Cougars (6-7-9-2) are now just one point back of Saskatchewan for fifth place in the Canada West standings with four games left on the year. The Cougars collected a road sweep over Calgary last weekend, winning 6-5 in overtime on Friday before holding on for a 5-4 win on Saturday. Up next for the U of R is seventh-place Mount Royal (3-1-16-4), which will come to Regina for an all-Cougar battle that will see the teams face off at 7 p.m. on Friday and 3 p.m. on Saturday.

 

Men’s Hockey – The Cougars finished the 2014-15 season with an 8-17-3 record after a 2-1 regulation loss and a 2-1 overtime loss to Calgary last Thursday and Friday at The Co-operators Centre. The campaign continues for second-year forward Cody Fowlie and head coach Todd Johnson, though, as both are representing Team Canada at the 2015 Winter Universiade in Grenada, Spain – Fowlie as a player, and Johnson as the team leader. Canada won its first game at the tournament on Tuesday, rolling to an 11-1 win over South Korea.

 

Women’s Volleyball – The Cougars (7-15) finished with a weekend split against MacEwan in their final home matches of the season, losing in four on Friday but winning in four on Saturday. Friday’s match saw a career effort by fifth-year middle Michelle Sweeting, who not only put down a career-high 22 kills but also surpassed Beth Clark as the U of R’s all-time leader in both kills and blocks. Sweeting also has a chance to become the school’s all-time service aces leader, and needs just one this weekend in the team’s last two games of the year at UBC (11-11).

 

Men’s Volleyball – The Cougars (2-20) split with Canada West newcomer MacEwan last weekend, winning in four sets on Friday but seeing their comeback fall short in a five-set loss to the Griffins on Saturday. Matthew Lueck was key in the team’s Friday win, collecting 16 kills while hitting .371 for the Cougars. The 2014-15 season will finish for the U of R with a trip to the West Coast for Friday and Saturday matches at UBC.

 

Wrestling (Women’s CIS Ranking: No. 7 / Men’s CIS Ranking: No. 7) – The men’s wrestling team travelled to Abbotsford, B.C. last weekend for the Cascades Classic with Sam Dietrich leading the way with a silver medal at 61 kg for the Cougars. Both the men’s and women’s teams will have the upcoming weekend off to prepare for the 2015 Canada West Wrestling Championships, which will be hosted by the University of Calgary on Feb. 13 and Feb. 14.

 

Track & Field (Women’s CIS Ranking: No. 10 / Men’s CIS Ranking: No. 10) – The Cougars return to action this weekend at the Bison Classic, which is set for this Friday and Saturday at the University of Manitoba. It’ll be the first of back-to-back competitive weekends for the Cougars, who will split the squad at the Indoor Games in Regina and Husky Classic in Seattle on Feb. 13 and Feb. 14 in preparation for the conference meet on Feb. 27 and Feb. 28 in Winnipeg.

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