Canada West BioSteel Players of the Week: Feb. 25

Feb. 25, 2025 - There's nothing like playoff time.

Canada West fans were treated to a flurry of postseason action last weekend, with plenty of must-watch drama across volleyball, hockey and basketball.

Hockey: A trio of hockey series went the distance with do-or-die game threes. Manitoba's women's team completed an impressive series comeback over Trinity Western, winning game two in 3OT before taking game three 5-2. On the men's side, defending CW champion UBC was pushed to the brink but eventually prevailed over MacEwan with a 4-3 win in game three, while Alberta downed provincial rival Calgary in a hard fought series.

Basketball: The field of 12 playoff basketball teams was quickly whittled down to just four, setting up exciting semifinal action next weekend. The top four seeds ended up advancing in both men's and women's brackets, but not without surviving a few scares. UBC's men held on for a tense 74-72 quarterfinal win over Winnipeg, ending the Wesmen's two year run of making the CW Final. Meanwhile, Fraser Valley's women scored their own thrilling 62-59 quarterfinal win over Calgary, highlighted by a near quadruple-double from Julia Tuchscherer (16 PTS, 11 REB, 7 AST, 7 BLK).

Volleyball: In volleyball, the higher seeds all prevailed in their best-of-three play-in series. Winnipeg and Saskatchewan advanced on the women's side, while Manitoba and Calgary are moving on in the men's bracket.

Track and Field: The conference's Track and Field championships also took place last weekend in Regina, where a pair of dynasties were extended. The Saskatchewan Huskies women's team won their seventh straight conference banner, while the Manitoba Bisons men's team made it a four-peat. Read the full event recap here.

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

Women's Volleyball - Selva Planincic (Winnipeg Wesmen)

CW Play-in vs CGY

Game 1: 23 kills, 13 digs, 3 aces, .228 hitting percentage, 1 BA in 3-2 win

Game 2: 10 kills, 14 digs, one ace in 3-0 win

A career-high effort from Selva Planincic helped the Winnipeg Wesmen sweep into the second round of the Canada West playoffs. The fifth-year left side tallied a career-high 23 kills and added 13 digs and three aces on Thursday to help the Wesmen defeat Calgary in game one.

On Friday, in a three-set sweep that finished the series, Planincic came through with a match-high 10 kills and 14 digs.

View WVB: Standings | Schedule | Leaders

Men's Volleyball - Erik Godwin (Calgary Dinos)

CW Play-in vs UFV

Game 1: 16 kills, .314 hitting percentage, six aces, three digs, one block in 3-2 win

Game 2: 10 kills, .348 hitting percentage, three assists, six digs, two blocks in 3-1 win
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Erik Godwin helped send the Calgary Dinos to a weekend sweep of Fraser Valley in the Canada West best-of-three play-in series this past weekend. The fourth-year outside hitter helped provide a big spark in the Dinos' reverse sweep of the Cascades in Friday's opener. He led the team with 16 kills on the night but it was his performance at the service line that helped turn the tide. Godwin racked up a season-high six aces on the night and causing problems all night long for the UFV serve receive.

The Lethbridge, Alta. product followed that up with another 10 kills while hitting .348 in game two as the Dinos finished off the sweep of the Cascades.

As another feather in his cap, behind his outstanding performance at the service line, Godwin broke the Dinos record for career aces - now equalling 101 for his career.

View MVB: Standings | Schedule | Leaders

Women's Hockey - Kate Fawcett (TWU Spartans)

CW QF at MAN

Game 1: 36 saves in 3-1 win

Game 2: 71 saves in 2-1 3OT loss - CW record for single game saves

Game 3: 17 saves in 5-2 loss

Fawcett earns back-to-back Canada West player of the week honours after a history making performance in the quarterfinals against Manitoba.

In game two on Saturday, the human kinetics student did everything possible to get the Spartans a win while stopping a Canada West record-breaking 71 shots in the Spartans' 2-1 triple overtime loss to the Bisons. The 71 saves broke the previous record of 66 that was set by Manitoba’s Amanda Schubert in a 5OT game against the Saskatchewan Huskies on Feb. 21, 2016.

Fawcett opened the best-of-three series with 36 saves to earn a 3-1 win Friday night. The win was only the second postseason win in Spartans history.

The Spartans season ended on Sunday afternoon with a 5-2 game three to the Bisons. Fawcett made 17 saves in Sunday’s loss, bringing her total for the weekend to an amazing 124 stops.

View WHKY: Standings | Schedule | Statistics

Men's Hockey - Tyler Palmer (Alberta Golden Bears)

CW QF vs CGY

Game 1: 22 saves on 23 shots in 3-2 OT win

Game 2: 24 saves on 27 shots in 3-2 loss

Game 3: 25 saves on 26 shots in 4-1 win

Putting in his best weekend as a Golden Bear, rookie goalie Tyler Palmer backstopped Alberta to a quarter-final series win over the Calgary Dinos at Clare Drake Arena.

Palmer finished the weekend with a sparkling .934 save percentage over three games, stopping 71 of the 76 shots he faced leading the Golden Bears to the conference semifinal.

The former Everett Silvertip allowed just one goal against in their Game 1 and Game 3 wins, highlighted by a 25-save performance in the series clincher. Palmer saved his best for last, stopping all 14 Dinos shots he faced in the third period on Sunday night, protecting the Golden Bears lead en route to a 4-1 win.

Alberta will now travel to Calgary for a semifinal series against the Mount Royal Cougars.

View MHKY: Standings | Schedule | Statistics

Women's Basketball - Julia Tuchscherer (Fraser Valley Cascades)

CW QF vs CGY: 16 PTS, 11 REB, 7 AST, 7 BLK, 1 STL in 62-59 win

Julia Tuchscherer was a dominant force for the UFV Cascades in their quarterfinal matchup with Calgary, leading the team with 16 points while setting a new Cascades women's basketball playoff record, and tying the overall program record, with seven blocks in a single game.

Tuchscherer also added 11 rebounds, and seven assists for the Cascades as she helped the team book a spot in the Canada West semifinals for the second consecutive season. They'll head to Saskatoon to battle the top seeded Saskatchewan Huskies on March 1.

View WBB: Standings | Schedule | Leaders

Men's Basketball - Fareed Shittu (UBC Thunderbirds)

CW QF vs WPG: 28 PTS, 10/15 FG (66.7%), 3/3 3 pt, 14 REB, 1 BLK in 74-72 win

Shittu put up one of the best performances of his collegiate career to lead UBC into the Canada West semifinals. The fifth-year from Edmonton drained a career-high 28 points while adding 14 rebounds against Winnipeg, his second straight double-double performance.

Shooting 66.7 per cent from the field, Shittu was also a perfect 3-for-3 from three-point range.

The T-Birds now head to Winnipeg to face the Manitoba Bisons for a conference semifinal battle on Saturday.

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.