Players Bench Athletes of the Week: Feb. 3 – Feb. 9

The MRU Cougars had quite an eventful weekend, with their basketball, volleyball and hockey teams each playing a pair of games. There were plenty of virtuoso performances to choose from when it came to picking the Players Bench Athletes of the Week, so find out which Cougars made the cut below.

Players Bench Female Athlete of the Week: Emma Boyd

Knowing that playoffs are right around the corner and that they may have the opportunity to host their first-round series, the MRU Cougars women’s volleyball team put on a clinic last weekend in their series against the highly touted TRU Wolfpack. Posting a 1-1 record in their two-game stretch, MRU relied on the services of Emma Boyd, who racked up 17 kills, three aces, five block assists, five digs, and a solo block, totalling up to 23.5 points last weekend.

On Friday, the Cougars conceded a tough 0-3 sweep in Kamloops, but Boyd still gave MRU fans something to smile about with her two aces, two digs, and one block assist to go along with her team-high six kills. 

MRU repented their loss with a gruelling five-set victory on Saturday night, and Boyd shined with a team-high 11 kills on a 34.8 per cent efficiency rate. Boyd also tallied an assist, a solo block, two aces, four block assists, and three digs in the Cougars’ 3-2 win.

The MRU Cougars women’s volleyball team will play their final weekend series of the season against the University of Alberta Pandas on Friday, Feb. 14 at 8 p.m. on Kenyon Court and live on Canada West TV.

Players Bench Male Athlete of the Week: Jayden Wiens 

Following their Crowchild Classic catastrophe, the MRU Cougars men’s hockey team have not lost a single game, thanks to a revenge win against the Dinos and two wins last weekend against the University of Regina Cougars at Flames Community Arena. Jayden Wiens was the star of the show in those two wins, scoring three goals and dropping three dimes to end the weekend with six points.

MRU blew out Regina in both games, starting off with a 9-0 win on Friday that saw them out-shoot their opponents 57-16. Wiens let his teammates have the spotlight, posting one assist and three shots on goal in the win.

On Saturday, though, Wiens stole the show as he secured his first U SPORTS hat trick, scoring once in every period and picking up a pair of assists in MRU’s 8-3 win. Wiens’s goals were essential in securing the win as Regina tied the game in the second period with three unanswered goals. The MRU forward scored the go-ahead goal early in the third period and his team never relinquished the lead for the rest of the game.

The MRU Cougars men’s hockey team will be on the road for their final weekend series of the season, taking on the TWU Spartans on Friday, Feb. 14 at 8 p.m. in Langley, B.C. and live on Canada West TV.