Cougars Catchup: January 20

Plenty of Cougars were on the road last weekend, with the basketball, hockey, and women’s volleyball teams securing seven victories in eight games played. Find out how the Cougars dominated the competition below.

WHKY: Thursday, Jan. 16 vs MacEwan University Griffins

Two days before Hockey Day in Canada, the MRU Cougars women’s hockey team faced the MacEwan University Griffins in Edmonton. With three players still at FISU, the Cougars came away with a dominant 6-2 victory over the Griffins on Thursday night.

Jordyn Hutt opened the game’s scoring with a shorthanded goal off of Lyndsey Janes’ beautiful assists just seven minutes into the first period. Allee Gerrard added to the tally with another goal four minutes later, with Athena Hauck and Lyvia Butz picking up assists on the play, and MRU ended the first period with a commanding two-goal lead. 

MacEwan responded early in the second period, scoring a shorthanded goal of their own to cut their deficit in half. Still, the Cougars owned the middle period of the game as Summer Fomradas, Abigail Borbandy, Jordynne Hojnocki, and Jerzey Watteyne scored goals to put MRU up 6-1. The Griffins found the back of the net one final time in the third period as the Cougars skated off the ice victorious by a 6-2 margin.

The MRU Cougars women’s hockey team will take on the University of Calgary Dinos at the Scotiabank Saddledome in this season’s Crowchild Classic on Friday, Jan. 31 at 4:30 P.M. Tickets are still available and the game will also be broadcast live on Canada West TV.

WBB: Friday, Jan. 17 vs Brandon University Bobcats

The MRU Cougars women’s basketball team traveled to Manitoba to face the Brandon University Bobcats and came away with a 72-67 win on Friday night.

Maddy Hooper and Nora Luca were on fire all night, scoring 18 points each and making a combined five three-pointers. The Cougars played incredibly well on the defensive end, holding Brandon to just eight points in the second quarter. Hooper and Luca were huge in setting that tone, combining for 11 steals in the five-point victory. Luca was also huge on the backboard, teaming up with Jenika Martens to secure a total of 28 rebounds.

Offensively, the Cougars dominated in the open court, scoring 11 fast break points compared to the Bobcats’ four. Their depth was on display as MRU’s bench outscored Brandon’s by a margin of 14-9.

WVB: Friday, Jan. 17 vs University of Regina Cougars

The MRU Cougars women’s volleyball team took on the University of Regina Cougars in Saskatchewan on Friday night and, thanks to their aggressive killing ability, came away with a 3-1 win.

MRU came out with tangibly aggressive energy, securing 14 kills on a remarkable 38.5 per cent efficiency rate in the first set on their way to a 25-19 set victory. They lost the second set 19-25, but won the third set 26-24 and the fourth set 25-22. 

Sydney Scatcherd and Bronwynn Davies-Neira combined for 29 of the Cougars’ 52 kills, helped by Lexi Herrod’s 41 assists. Herrod also served up three aces, while Emma Boyd’s five blocks and Paige Davidson’s 10 digs led the way on the defensive end.

MBB: Friday, Jan. 17 vs Brandon University Bobcats

The MRU Cougars men’s basketball team took a trip to Manitoba to take on the Brandon University Bobcats and secured a 77-72 victory on Friday night.

Every Cougar that touched the court scored at least two points; Sam Barnie, Dray Walburger, and Keivonte Watts all scored in double figures, combining for 48 of the Cougars’ 77 points. Kuach Gajak grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds and was the only Cougar to record a block. 

The Cougars won this game by playing in the open court, outscoring the Bobcats 18-1 on points off turnovers and 21-7 in fast break points. That helped MRU offset their subpar shooting night, as they made 16.7 per cent of their three-pointers compared to Brandon’s 31.4 per cent.

MHKY: Saturday, Jan. 18 vs MacEwan University Griffins

The men’s hockey team traveled to Edmonton to face off against the MacEwan University Griffins on Saturday night after their dominant 6-3 home victory on Friday. The game was much closer this time, but MRU came away with a solid 2-1 victory in Edmonton.

The Griffins struck first, scoring eight minutes into the first period. However, MacEwan’s consistent appearances in the penalty box helped the Cougars make a comeback, as Justin Lies scored a pair of power-play goals assisted by Connor Bouchard and Robbie Holmes. The Cougars held on to their 2-1 advantage until the final whistle, extending their win streak to two consecutive games.

The MRU Cougars men’s hockey team will take on the University of Calgary Dinos in this year’s Crowchild Classic at the Scotiabank Saddledome on Friday, Jan. 31 at 4:30 p.m. Tickets are still available and the game will also be broadcast live on Canada West TV. 

WBB: Saturday, Jan. 18 vs Brandon University Bobcats

After a close victory on Friday night, the MRU Cougars felt confident heading into their Saturday night matchup against the Brandon University Bobcats. With some stellar three-point shooting, MRU secured a dominant 82-67 victory against Brandon and extended their win streak to two consecutive games.

Maddy Hooper led the Cougars in scoring for a second consecutive game, dropping four three-pointers on her way to a 14-point outing. Jamie Lalor, Nora Luca, Asha Donnelly, and Temi Ajayi also scored in double figures as MRU laid out an offensive onslaught against Brandon. 

The Cougars made seven more three-pointers than the Bobcats, shooting 13-36 from downtown. Even when they did miss, the Cougars were relentless on the offensive glass, outscoring the Bobcats 13-0 in second-chance points.

The MRU Cougars women’s basketball team will host the University of Calgary Dinos on Friday, Jan. 24 at 6 p.m. on Kenyon Court and live on Canada West TV.

WVB: Saturday, Jan. 18 vs University of Regina Cougars

The MRU Cougars women’s volleyball team continued their reign of dominance over the University of Regina Cougars, following their 3-1 victory on Friday night with an even more impressive 3-0 win on Saturday.

MRU played their best in the first and third sets, posting a 29.9 per cent kill rate over the course of the match. With 25-22, 25-18 and 26-24 set victories, the MRU Cougars only made 11 errors all night, one less than Regina.

Grace Coulter and Bronwynn Davies-Neira put on a killing clinic, combining for 20 of MRU’s 40 kills and helping Lexi Herrod drop 28 assists. Emma Boyd served up four aces while Mya Morgan’s two blocks and Sydney Scatcherd’s eight assists set the tone on defense. 

The MRU Cougars will take on the MacEwan University Griffins on Friday, Jan. 31 at 8 p.m. on Kenyon Court and live on Canada West TV.

MBB: Saturday, Jan. 18 vs Brandon University Bobcats

The MRU Cougars men’s basketball team equaled their Friday night point total on Saturday night in their second game of the weekend against the Brandon University Bobcats. However, it was not enough to secure a win this time as the Cougars took a 77-82 loss in Manitoba.

Sam Barnie was on fire once again, this time dropping a whopping 23 points. Kuach Gajak, Dray Walburger and Keivonte Watts also scored in double figures as the quartet combined for 63 of MRU’s 77 points.

The Cougars were out-shot from three point range, making seven of their attempts from downtown compared to the Bobcats’ 14, which offset the 34-24 advantage the Cougars held in paint scoring.

The MRU men’s basketball team will host the University of Calgary Dinos on Friday, Jan. 24 at 8 p.m. on Kenyon Court and live on Canada West TV.