Canada West BioSteel Players of the Week: Jan. 28

Jan. 28, 2025 - It was an exciting weekend across Canada West, headlined by playoff races taking shape and a pair of noteworthy upsets.

One of the feel good stories of the year came last Saturday night in Brandon, as the Brandon University Bobcats women's volleyball team took down nationally No. 2 ranked UFV in a five set thriller, securing their second win of the season.

Speaking of upsets, the Alberta Golden Bears men's basketball team earned a 71-69 victory over No. 9 ranked Manitoba on Saturday, capping an exciting weekend series that saw the Bisons win an 88-82 overtime thriller the night before.

In women's hockey, Trinity Western picked up a huge road sweep of Calgary that has them on the verge of returning to the CW playoffs. Kyra McDonald (Inuvik, NT) had a weekend to remember, recording the first hat trick in program history in a 4-1 win on Saturday.

In men's action, Saskatchewan recorded an impressive sweep of Alberta in a tight battle of two nationally ranked programs.

Canada West hockey fans can now look forward to the annual Crowchild Classic this Friday, as the Calgary Dinos and Mount Royal Cougars men's and women's hockey teams are set to clash in front of a raucous crowd at the Scotiabank Saddledome.

The fast paced action of Canada West Rugby 7s also returned last weekend, with Alberta hosting the first stop of the season in Edmonton. UBC ran to a perfect 5-0 record to top the table, while Trinity Western finished second - their best ever finish in a CW Rugby 7s stop. Read the recap here.

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

Women's Rugby 7s - Adia Pye (UBC Thunderbirds)

Jan. 24/25 at Tournament #1 - 8 tries in five games

Adia Pye was nothing short of dominant in a weekend that saw nothing but dominance from the UBC Thunderbirds at the first Canada West Rugby Sevens tournament of 2025.

The second-year from Victoria scored a combined eight tries through UBC's five contests, including two first half scores in Sunday's finale versus the Vikes, the closest match the Thunderbirds faced in the Alberta capital. Running the table to start the season a perfect 5-0, the T-Birds sit alone atop the overall table with 10 points.

View WRUG7s: Standings | Information

Women's Hockey - Kyra McDonald (Trinity Western Spartans)

Jan. 24 at CGY: 2G, 1A in 6-1 win

Jan. 25 at CGY: 3G in 4-1 win

A six point weekend from the Inuvik, NT product powered the Spartans to an impressive weekend sweep of Calgary, putting the team on the verge of clinching a postseason berth.

The human kinetics student kicked things off with two goals and a helper in the Spartans' 6-1 victory on Friday. She made history the following night, recording the first hat trick in program history while leading the Spartans to a 4-1 win for the weekend sweep.

View WHKY: Standings | Schedule | Statistics

Men's Hockey - Sasha Mutala (UBC Thunderbirds)

Jan. 24 at REG: 1G, 6 shots in 3-2 win

Jan. 25 at REG: 3A, 1 shot, +2 in 6-2 win

Despite traveling back from Italy to meet his teammates on the road in Regina just one day before his return to Canada West action, Mutala looked no worse for wear, putting up a four point weekend to help lead the Thunderbirds to the weekend sweep over the Cougars.

Scoring his eighth goal of the season Friday night, Mutala added a trio of assists in Saturday's 6-2 romp over Regina. The former Tri-City American leads the T-Birds with 25 points on the season (8G, 17A).

Heading into their final bye week, the 'Birds are working on a five-game win streak and have vaulted back into first place in the West Division.

View MHKY: Standings | Schedule | Statistics

Women's Volleyball - Avery Burgar (Brandon Bobcats)

Jan 24 vs UFV: Team high 13 kills, five digs in 3-1 loss

Jan 25 vs UFV: Match high 17 kills, 15 digs, five aces in 3-2 win

It was pure pandemonium on Saturday as the Bobcats pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the year, and Avery Burgar had a performance to match the moment.

The fourth year from Sylvan Lake, Alta. had 17 kills, 15 digs and a remarkable five service aces as the Bobcats went the distance and prevailed in a five set thriller against the nation's No. 2 ranked team. She hit .317 on 41 swings with just four errors. It was only fitting that the team leaned on her to earn the final point of a marathon five-setter.

View WVB: Standings | Schedule | Leaders

Men's Volleyball - Zach van Geel (UBC Okanagan Heat)

Jan. 24 vs MRU: 29 assists, 5 kills, .400%, 8 digs, 3 aces, 2 blocks, 9.0 points in 3-0 win

Jan. 25 vs MRU: 43 assists, 3 kills, .375%, 6 digs, 1 ace, 4 blocks, 6.5 points in 3-2 win
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Zach van Geel, the engine that runs the Heat offence, was at his very best this past weekend as they Heat swept the Cougars and moved to the brink of securing their 3rd-ever Canada West playoff appearance.

Over eight sets against MRU, he recorded 72 assists, including a new season-best 43 assists in Saturday's five-set thriller. With the game plan all weekend to set the two Heat middles, he was outstanding in his execution, setting Thys Weststrate for 21 kills and a .576 hitting percentage and Ashton South for 17 kills and a .652 hitting percentage over two matches. He was also an attacking threat, recording eight kills in the two matches, while adding 14 digs, 4 aces and 6 blocks.

His performance leaves him ranked 4th in the conference in assists per set at 8.85 which is on pace for a new career-best single-season mark.

View MVB: Standings | Schedule | Leaders

Women's Basketball - Abigail Becker (Victoria Vikes)

Jan. 23 vs UBC: 15 points, 9 reb, 2 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks in 78-75 OT win

Jan. 25 vs UBCO: 16 points, 15 reb, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block in 70-65 win

Abigail Becker led the Vikes in scoring in their dramatic 78-75 OT win over nationally No. 6 ranked UBC last Thursday, contributing 15 points. Her nine rebounds tied for second-most on the team in the victory, while she also contributed two steals, two assists, and two blocks.

The fourth year centre impressed again on Saturday in a tight win over UBCO. She led the Vikes in scoring while recording her fifth double-double of the season, tallying 16 points and a career-high 15 rebounds.

View WBB: Standings | Schedule | Leaders

Men's Basketball - Nate Petrone (Calgary Dinos)

Jan. 24 at MRU: 27 points, 6 rebs, 6 assists in 96-80 win

Jan. 25 at MRU: 26 points, 9 rebs, 9 assists in 95-81 win

Going up against his former school in the annual Crowchild Classic series between Calgary and Mount Royal, Nate Petrone was at it again. The nation's leading scorer surpassed his season average in both wins over the Cougars, racking up 27 points to go with six boards and six assists in Friday's 16-point win.

Calgary's magic man was at it again the next night, reaching into his bag of tricks to nearly record his first triple-double. Petrone connected on 9-15 shooting (60 percent) to tally 26 points while also setting new season highs in both rebounds and assists with nine each. All that led to another win over their rivals as the Dinos led from start to finish to move to 11-3 on the year with the sweep.

View MBB: Standings | Schedule | Leaders

Women's Wrestling - Annika Fines (Calgary Dinos)

Lethbridge Duals/Invitational: 5-0 record

It was a truly remarkable weekend for Dinos second-year wrestler Annika Fines. The Calgary product won all five of her bouts in the first period.

In Friday's head-to-head showdown between Calgary and host Lethbridge, Fines made quick work of her Pronghorn opponent with a pin in just 1:08 to help the Dinos to another team win.

Then, in Saturday's invitational, Fines won all four of her matches in dominating fashion. She opened with rematch against Friday's opponent and this time won by fall in 1:46 - what proved to be by far her longest bout of the weekend. The Kinesiology major finished things off with three more pins in her final three matches, doing so in 40 seconds, 44 seconds and a remarkable 16 seconds in her final showdown.

Fines' title in the 59kg weight class once again helped the Dinos to yet another team win as they now turn their attention to the Canada West Championships.

Men's Wrestling - Devan Larkin (Alberta Golden Bears)

Lethbridge Invitational: Gold in 72kg weight class, 4-0 record

Capturing the lone gold medal for the UofA at the 2025 Lethbridge Invitational, fifth-year Devan Larkin utterly dominated the men's 72kg weight class.

Larkin went 4-0 on Saturday in Lethbridge, with three of his four wins coming via technical superiority. Perhaps his best match came in the final, when he bested host Pronghorn Thomas Ellis-Toddington 13-0.

Ranked #2 in Canada, the Golden Bears will now set their sights on repeating as Canada West Champions in two weeks time.

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.