Canada West BioSteel Players of the Week: March 4

March 4, 2025 - When the lights get brighter in the postseason, these student-athletes raised their games to new heights.

The Canada West postseason continued in multiple sports last weekend, including semifinal action in basketball and hockey, as well as quarterfinal competition in volleyball.

Volleyball: The No. 8 seed Saskatchewan Huskies women's volleyball team authored the underdog story of the weekend, upsetting top seeded Fraser Valley to book a spot in the Canada West Final Four and a berth at U SPORTS nationals. The Huskies men's team is also through to the Final Four after defeating Trinity Western in three games. It's a rare early exit for the Spartans, who will miss the Canada West Final for the first time since 2011. Winnipeg will host the men's Final Four, while Alberta will host the women's event. ​

Hockey: There's no greater drama in sports than overtime in an elimination game, and that's what fans were treated to on Sunday night in Edmonton. The Alberta Pandas found themselves mere minutes from elimination in game three against Mount Royal, but found a late game tying goal from Abby Soyko before Natalie Kieser buried the OT winner to send the Pandas to a CW Final rematch against UBC. In men's action, both semifinals series went the distance. The Mount Royal Cougars defeated Alberta to advance to their first ever CW Final, while the Saskatchewan Huskies dethroned defending champion UBC.

Basketball: The two lower seeds advanced in men's basketball action, including Nate Petrone and the Calgary Dinos handing Victoria their first defeat of the season. They'll match up against UBC in the CW Final after the T-Birds downed Manitoba in the other semi. The women's final will feature Saskatchewan hosting UBC, as the top two seeds took care of business in the semifinals.

Rugby 7s: The second of three CW Rugby Sevens tournaments took place in Victoria, with UBC topping the field by going 5-0 for the second straight series stop.

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

Women's Volleyball - Keely Anderson (Saskatchewan Huskies)

Gm. 1 at UFV: 16 points, 12 kills, 21 digs, 2 blocks, 3 aces, .219 hitting %

Gm. 2 at UFV: 11.5 points, 8 kills, 11 digs, 3 blocks, 2 aces, .261 hitting %

Gm. 3 at UFV: 14 points, 10 kills, 20 digs, 4 blocks, 1 ace, .333 hitting %

Fourth-year outsider hitter Keely Anderson saved her best for the postseason. In the Huskies' upset win over the top-seeded UFV Cascades, Anderson recorded 41.5 points thanks to 30 kills, 9 blocks, and six aces in her best weekend of the season. She was also one of Saskatchewan's best players defensively, registering 52 digs in the three-game series.

Her MVP weekend was punctuated by a 14-point, 10 kill performance in an elimination game three where she converted on 33.3% of attacks.

View WVB: Standings | Schedule | Leaders

Men's Volleyball - Emmett Graham (Saskatchewan Huskies)

Gm. 1 vs TWU: 21 points, 19 kills, 10 digs, 2 blocks, 1 ace, .286 hitting %

Gm. 2 vs TWU: 20.5 points, 17 kills, 9 digs, 4 blocks, 1 ace, .242 hitting %

Gm. 3 vs TWU: 9.5 points, 9 kills, 6 digs, 1 block, .500 hitting %
​

Emmett Graham produced an impressive performance last weekend in the Canada West quarterfinals to help send the Huskies to the Final Four with a 2-1 series win over the TWU Spartans. The First Team All-Star recorded 41.5 points and 36 kills in the first two games of the best-of-three series before putting on a .500% hitting performance in game three, bringing his weekend total to 50 points thanks to 45 kills, seven blocks, and 2 aces.

View MVB: Standings | Schedule | Leaders

Women's Hockey - Natalie Kieser (Alberta Pandas)

Gm. 1 vs MRU: 1 goal, 4 shots in 3-2 OT loss

Gm. 2 vs MRU: 1 goal, 2 shots, +1 rating in 1-0 win

Gm. 3 vs MRU: Overtime winner, 1 assist, 2 points, 3 shots in 3-2 OT win

Sending the Pandas to the 2025 Canada West Final with a dramatic overtime goal on Sunday night, fourth-year forward Natalie Kieser put on the hero's cape for Alberta.

The former CW Rookie of the Year scored a goal in each game in their semifinal clash against Mount Royal, including the series-winner in overtime of Game 3, which also secures a spot for the Pandas at the 2025 U SPORTS Championship.

Kieser scored and had four shots in the Pandas 3-2 OT loss on Friday night in Game 1. She followed that up with an early first period goal on Saturday, which stood up as the game-winner in a 1-0 Pandas win to tie the series.

Trailing 2-1 late in the third on Sunday, the Pandas tied the game with under five minutes to go, before Kieser scored just 2:23 into OT to secure the Pandas second-straight semifinal series win over MRU.

View WHKY: Standings | Schedule | Statistics

Men's Hockey - Chantz Petruic (Saskatchewan Huskies)

Gm. 1 vs UBC: 1 goal, 1 assist, 2 points, 5 shots, +1

Gm. 2 vs UBC: 1 goal, 2 assists, 3 points, 1 shots, 1 PPG

Gm. 3 vs UBC: 1 goal, 1 assist, 2 points, 3 shots, 1 PPG, +1

The Huskies leading regular season scorer came to play in the playoffs. Fourth-year forward Chantz Petruic recorded seven points in Saskatchewan's semifinal series win against the UBC Thunderbirds, helping the Dogs advance to the Canada West Final.

After the Huskies dropped game one, Petruic had a hand in all three goals in game two, recording two primary assists and a goal. He recorded two more points in an elimination game three, assisting the game's opening goal before sealing the win with a late third period power play goal. After just three games, Petruic ranks second in the conference in playoff scoring.

View MHKY: Standings | Schedule | Statistics

Women's Basketball - Keira Daly (UBC Thunderbirds)

CW SF vs ALB: 22 PTS, 9/21 FG (42.9%), 9 REB, 2 STL in an 80-66 win

The rookie sensation led all players on the court with 22 points while adding nine boards as Daly helped lead the Thunderbirds to their first Canada West Final appearance in ten years.

Also leading UBC in minutes, Daly added a pair of assists and two steals for one of her most impressive all around performances of the season, when the stakes were at their highest.

Daly and the T-Birds will now head to Saskatoon to face the Huskies for the Canada West title, with UBC searching for their first conference crown since 2015.

View WBB: Standings | Schedule | Leaders

Men's Basketball - Fareed Shittu (UBC Thunderbirds)

CW SF at MAN: 20 PTS, 9/17 FG (52.9%), 14 REB, 2 AST, 2 BLK, 2 STL in an 87-79 win

A week after an outstanding performance to lead UBC into the semifinals, Fareed Shittu kept his game at its highest level with a team-leading 20 points and 14 rebounds, helping the T-Birds punch their ticket to next week's conference final.

The fifth-year from Edmonton has now boasted back-to-back double-doubles in the post-season.

UBC will host the Calgary Dinos for the Canada West Final this Saturday night at War Memorial Gym, with the 'Birds seeking their first conference title in five years.

View MBB: Standings | Schedule | Leaders

Women's Rugby 7s - Olivia Newsome (Victoria Vikes)

Tournament #2 at Victoria: 6 tries, 5 converts, 40 points

Olivia Newsome led the Vikes in all three categories over five games at the Victoria 7s stop of the Canada West 7s series, with six tries, five converts, and 40 total points.

Her six tries and five converts each tied for most in the respective categories for all players in the tournament, while her 40 points were the most by an individual player for the weekend.

Newsome recorded points in four out of the five matches for the Vikes, highlighted by a 13-point effort (one try, four converts) against Alberta on day one.

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.