Canada West BioSteel Players of the Week: Feb. 18

Feb. 18, 2025 - There were plenty of playoff races to follow across Canada West basketball, volleyball and hockey, and the drama of the final regular season weekend didn't disappoint.

In women's hockey, Manitoba secured home ice advantage for the quarterfinals, where they'll face off against Trinity Western. The Spartans will be entering the playoffs on a high note after sweeping nationally No. 6 ranked Mount Royal with two shutout performances. MRU will host Regina in a "Battle of the Cougars" in the other quarterfinal series, while UBC and Alberta await the winners in the semifinals.

On the men's side of the ice, Saskatchewan and Mount Royal both took care of business and locked up division titles, earning first round byes. The quarterfinals will feature Alberta hosting Calgary and MacEwan battling UBC in Vancouver.

The battle for the final two women's volleyball playoff spots came right down to the wire, with Trinity Western and Calgary eventually punching their tickets. UFV secured the top seed in the conference for the first time in program history after winning a five set thriller at UBC on Saturday.

Winnipeg locked down the top seed on the men's side, also finishing first in the conference for the first time in program history.

On the hardcourt, the path to the women's basketball title will run through defending champion Saskatchewan, as they locked up home court advantage throughout the postseason with a sweep of Brandon. Three teams finished with 18-2 records, including the Huskies, UBC and Alberta.

In men's basketball, the Victoria Vikes completed a perfect 20-0 regular season campaign by dousing the UBCO Heat in a weekend sweep. The Brandon Bobcats also completed their remarkable run to the playoffs. The Bobcats started the season 1-6 but won three of their final four games to lock down the final playoff spot in the Prairie Division.

The conference's wrestling championships also took place in Saskatoon, with the Calgary Dinos women's team and Alberta Golden Bears men's team successfully defending their conference banners. Alberta's Vianne Rouleau and Calgary's Nick Hooper were named Outstanding Wrestlers of the year. Read the full event recap here.

Here are your Canada West Players of the Week - Presented by BioSteel.

Women's Volleyball - Lucy Borowski (UBC Thunderbirds)

Feb. 14 vs UFV - 13 kills, .286 attack %, 11 digs, 14 points in 3-0 win

Feb. 15 vs UFV - 22 kills, .298 attack %, 19 digs, 23.5 points in 3-2 loss

A night after leading UBC to a straight sets win over the Cascades with 13 total kills, Borowski amassed a career high 22 kills Saturday while matching her previous career best 19 digs in a five-set thriller between two Canada West heavyweights.

The fourth-year outside hitter finished the regular season third in kills-pet-set with 3.82 and second in points-per-set with 4.7.

Borowski and the defending national champion T-Birds will enjoy a week off before hosting the Thompson Rivers WolfPack in a best-of-three quarter-final series at War Memorial Gym starting Friday, Feb. 28.

View WVB: Standings | Schedule | Leaders

Men's Volleyball - JJ Love (Brandon Bobcats)

Feb 14 at TRU - 3-1 win; match-high 41 assists; 12 digs; 4 blocks; 3 kills

Feb 15 at TRU - 3-1 win; match-high 37 assists; 6 digs; 4 blocks; 2 service aces
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JJ Love recently joined the Canada West 2,000 assists club and the fourth-year setter has kept on rolling. Love had a grand total of 78 assists in the final weekend of the regular season to power his Bobcat men's volleyball team into the playoffs with two wins at Thompson Rivers. He was instrumental in back-to-back four-set wins in arguably one of the toughest gyms in the conference for visiting teams to compete in.

Love and his teammates have earned a first round bye and will meet the UBC Thunderbirds in the best-of-three quarterfinals starting on Feb. 27 in Vancouver.

View MVB: Standings | Schedule | Leaders

Women's Hockey - Kate Fawcett (TWU Spartans)

Feb. 14 at MRU - 33 saves, 2-0 win over No. 6 Cougars

Feb. 15 at MRU - 35 saves, 1-0 shootout win over No. 6 MRU Cougars

Fawcett was literally unbeatable last weekend, leading the Spartans into the playoffs on a major high note. On Friday night the human kinetics major made 33 saves to lead the Spartans to a 2-0 shutout win over the No. 6 Mount Royal Cougars in Calgary, Alta. Then on Saturday, she followed up with a 35 save performance in a shootout, shutout in the Spartans 1-0 win.

The back-to-back wins mark the first time a TWU team has swept a U SPORTS Top 10 team in the program's history. The two wins also give the Spartans a program-best 30 points on the season, finishing at 14-12-1-1.

Fawcett and the rest of the Spartans will begin the Canada West best-of-three quarter-finals series against the Manitoba Bisons this Friday, Feb. 21 in Winnipeg, Man.

View WHKY: Standings | Schedule | Statistics

Men's Hockey - Colson Gengenbach (Calgary Dinos)

Feb. 14 vs UBC - 2 goals, 4 shots, +2 rating in 4-0 win

Feb. 15 vs UBC - 2 assists, 2 shots, +1 rating in 4-2 win

It was a big final weekend on home ice for the Dinos, with their leading goal scorer providing a big spark in a sweep of UBC. Colson Gengenbach started the weekend by scoring a pair in a 4-0 blanking of the defending champs before helping on a pair of goals in Saturday's 4-2 win to complete the sweep on Senior Night.

Gengenbach finishes the regular season leading the Dinos in goals (14) and points (27).

View MHKY: Standings | Schedule | Statistics

Women's Basketball - Pollyanna Storie (Calgary Dinos)

Feb. 14 at REG - 15 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block, 1 steal, 22 min in 66-62 loss

Feb. 15 at REG - 22 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 26 min in 81-64 win

It was a strong weekend off the bench for fourth-year guard Pollyanna Storie. The 6-foot-2 guard shot .517 for the weekend and led the Dinos in scoring in each game on the roadtrip to Regina. In Friday's opener, Storie had a team-high 15 points on 6-11 shooting in just 22 minutes in the low-scoring affair, which Regina won 66-62.

She followed that up with a season-high 22 points, coming up with a number of clutch three-pointers. Storie also added five rebounds in Saturday's 81-64 win as the Dinos head into postseason play on a strong note.

View WBB: Standings | Schedule | Leaders

Men's Basketball - Sergio Pereira (Victoria Vikes)

Feb. 14 at UBCO - 11 points, 14 rebounds, 3 steals, 1 block, 1 assist in 95-71 win

Feb. 15 at UBCO - 10 points, 15 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks, 1 steal in 102-84 win

Sergio Pereira helped the Vikes complete a 20-0 season in a pair of wins at UBCO. Recording back to back double-double performances, his first two of the season, Pereira also capped Canada West play with a career-high 15 rebounds in Saturday’s win.

The product of Sénégal scored 11 points and brought down 14 boards in Friday's 95-71 victory, then added another 10 points the following night. ​
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View MBB: Standings | Schedule | Leaders

About Players of the Week:

The Canada West Players of the Week, Presented by BioSteel is a weekly celebration of athletic achievements across the conference. Each week, deserving student-athletes are nominated by SIDs from each member institution. Canada West office staff review nominations and select the recipients.

About BioSteel:

BioSteel is a leading sports hydration and nutrition brand, delivering clean, high-performance solutions trusted by professional athletes, top universities, and teams across North America and Europe, including major organizations like the NHL, MLB, NFL, MLS, NBA, and their affiliates. Alongside hydration, BioSteel offers premium protein and sports nutrition products, catering to athletes, fitness enthusiasts, and those striving for a healthier lifestyle. Committed to excellence, BioSteel equips top athletes and active individuals with the essential tools to reach peak performance and sustain wellness every day.

About Canada West:

As the leading university athletic conference in the country, Canada West is home to student-athletes that excel in the classroom and their communities. The conference is comprised of 17 member institutions spanning from Victoria to Winnipeg, with over 3,200 student-athletes competing across 14 sports. Canada West’s mission is to train leaders and build champions by providing leadership in the delivery, regulation, and promotion of university level high performance sports programs throughout western Canada.