Pinned
Contrary to nearly every similar hockey league on the continent, U Sports’ rules allow single-elimination playoff contests in both men’s and women’s hockey to be decided by a shootout. It’s a puzzling decision that robs both players and fans of proper playoff hockey, a decision that needs to change.
As of Tuesday, both FIFA and Canada Soccer have confirmed that the Canadian Men’s National Team will call UBC home during the 2026 World Cup, training at the National Soccer Development Centre throughout the duration of the tournament.
After a slow start doomed them in Friday’s series opener, things were looking better for the T-Birds after scoring two minutes in against Saskatchewan in Game 2. Then, they collapsed.
In their first game back in action after 20 days off, the T-Birds, perhaps understandably, took a while to get going in Game 1 of their semifinal series against Saskatchewan. After going down 3–0, the ‘Birds stormed back in the final 10 minutes to get within a goal, but were stymied by an excellent save in the last minute.
On Feb. 8, the Seahawks defeated the Patriots 29–13 in Super Bowl LX, a game that, by itself, wasn't the most entertaining. But for Seattle, that moment was the culmination of a decade-long project, rebuilding a contender after a would-be dynasty collapsed.
The T-Birds are coming up to a long hiatus before the playoffs, facing the risk of getting rusty over the break. On Saturday, MacEwan ensured that wouldn't happen, pushing the 'Birds to their limit in UBC's final regular season home game.
Trinity Western has never beaten UBC in men's hockey. They didn't even come close on Friday night, as a frenzied Winter Classic crowd pushed the 'Birds to their most dominant performance in the last three years.
In one of their most complete performances of the season, on Friday night, the Thunderbirds dominated the second-ranked Dinos in a game that, from the opening puck drop, never felt that close. The 4–0 final score, if anything, was kind to Calgary.
This holiday season, I was hoping for more Muppet-induced joy. But with Letters to Santa, that spark just wasn’t present the way it had been in the past.
The Thunderbirds erupted for a five-goal first period to take home an 8–4 win against the Golden Bears at home in Father David Bauer Arena, their fourth-straight win against Alberta this year.
In a physical, chippy contest, MacEwan beat the T-Birds for the second time this year, scoring 43 seconds into overtime to end an impressive winning streak, taking the game 5–4 and leaving UBC to wonder why a small school from Edmonton with a losing record has given them so much trouble this year.
UBC men's soccer choked back their loss against Montreal, and beat the living daylights out of a clearly inferior opponent. In a game that UBC controlled from the kickoff, the ‘Birds humiliated the Tigers — barely letting them even touch the ball in a 3–0 win that wasn’t nearly as close as the score indicates.
In national tournaments, the matchups are often unusual, with teams playing opponents from other provinces they may have only played a few times in their team’s entire history. The regional rivalries that dominate in the regular season — and all the bitterness and familiarity that defines them — are gone. But you wouldn’t have thought that watching UBC and Montreal go at it on Thursday. The Thunderbirds and Carabins played an ugly, physical, bitter match — a rock fight that came down to the final moments.
Coming across the country from Ontario, the Gryphons didn’t seem to have any response for Victoria’s rainy day dominance. Guelph got down early, and they stayed down. The Gryphons were held without a single point against the Vikes, losing 42–0, the only team in the tournament to not score in a game.
For the hundreds of T-Birds fans in attendance, their hearts were in their throats. While UBC women’s rugby had played an incredible game thus far against the second-seeded Queens University Gaels, holding on to a slim 20–14 lead in the final minutes of the game — their backs were against the wall. With the Gaels on the goal line, UBC made an improbable last-second stop to go to the finals.
Page 1 of 4
Next