CW Announces Players of the Week

Oct. 17, 2023 – As the calendar turns to mid-October, the stakes are starting to get higher across many Canada West seasons. After another exhilarating weekend of action, which included a dramatic final weekend of regular season play for women’s soccer, the Canada West Universities Athletic Association is proud to announce its Players of the Week.

Football Offensive Player of the Week – QB Jackson Tachinski (Manitoba)

Tachinski has continued his strong play since his return from injury, leading the Bisons to a big 34-27 victory over the Regina Rams. The win has given Manitoba a firm hold on the final CW playoff spot.

The third-year quarterback from Vincent Massey Collegiate in Winnipeg threw for 332 yards and two TD, including a 45-yard strike to Braeden Smith. He also orchestrated the game winning drive in the final minute, marching the Herd over 70 yards before taking it to the endzone himself.

Over the last month, Tachinski has recorded a combined 1,059 yards in the air and on the ground, along with nine total touchdowns and no interceptions.

Football Defensive Player of the Week – LB Daniel Flanagan (Calgary)

Flanagan and his Calgary teammates turned heads on the weekend, shutting down high-flying UBC with a 20-6 victory. The Dinos defensive unit was crucial to the win, keeping a T-Birds team that entered the game averaging 53.5 PPG off the board until the fourth quarter.

Flanagan led all defensive players with six solo tackles, also adding four assisted tackles. He was a thorn in the side of Thunderbird quarterbacks, delivering two fourth-quarter sacks of Garrett Rooker for a total loss of 18 yards.

Football Special Teams Player of the Week – REC Kenton Appel (Regina)

Appel penned his name into Rams history with an epic fourth quarter run against the Manitoba Bisons last Saturday. The first-year receiver from Miller Comprehensive HS in Regina scooped up a missed FG and scampered down the sideline for a thrilling 115-yard touchdown run.

The score was the first time in history that a University of Regina player returned a missed field goal for a touchdown. It technically goes into the books as a punt return, and the 115-yard effort breaks Steve Ryan's school record for the longest punt return in U of R history (Ryan had a 95-yard punt return touchdown on Nov. 4, 2006).

Women’s Soccer – F Peyton Enns (Regina)

With their backs against the wall, Enns and her playmaking ability helped her team script a dramatic postseason story in the final weekend of the regular season. She started her weekend by assisting on a pair of Allyson Schneider tallies in the Cougars’ 4-4 tie with the Manitoba Bisons, a game that featured a crazy finish with Regina scoring twice in the final ten minutes to earn a tie and keep their postseason hopes alive.

With her team desperately needing a win against Winnipeg in the final game of the regular season, Enns again delivered two assists in a 3-0 win, helping the Cougars secure the fifth and final playoff spot in the Prairie division. Regina will travel to Edmonton to play Alberta in the play-in game next Saturday.

Men’s Soccer – GK Callum Weir (Victoria)

Weir continues to shut the door for a surging Victoria side, delivering two clean sheets against UBCO and TRU in a pair of Vikes victories last weekend. The first year from Haines Junction, Yukon has done nothing but impress in his freshman season. The wins over UBCO and TRU were the Vikes’ sixth and seventh shoutouts of the year, helping the Vikes grab a firm grip on second place in the Pacific Division. ​

Women's Hockey - ​ F Mackenzie Kordic (UBC)

Kordic, a fourth year forward from Edmonton, powered the T-Birds to a road sweep of Manitoba last weekend. She opened the weekend by flooding the scoresheet with a five-point night in an 8-2 win, finishing with two goals and three assists. She then added another tally in a 5-0 win the next day. Kordic leads Canada West with 12 points on the young season.

Men's Hockey - F Connor Bouchard (MRU)

Bouchard and his Cougars teammates put an end to the Calgary Dinos 27-game regular season win streak with a 2-1 win on Thursday, with Bouchard scoring a magnificent spinning backhand goal to open the scoring. The second year forward from Cochrane, Alta. then added a goal and an assist in a tight 3-2 defeat in Saturday’s rematch against the Dinos. The Cougars are 4-2 to start the season, sitting tied for third in the CW standings.

Rugby – Adia Pye (UBC)

Pye and her Thunderbird teammates completed their undefeated regular season last weekend with a 29-7 triumph over rival Victoria. Pye opened the scoring in the 39th minute, receiving a pass from Olivia Sarabura before dashing past three Victoria players to give the 'Birds a 5-0 lead. Pye then got her second of the game in the early minutes of the second half when she ran a Savannah Bauder pass into the try zone.

The 5-0 T-Birds will be heavy favourites entering the 2023 CW Rugby Championships, as they take on host Lethbridge in the semi-finals this Thursday.

Field Hockey – Kenzie Girgis (UBC)

Girgis scored a goal and set up another in a weekend sweep of the Calgary Dinos, helping UBC remain in contention for top spot in the CW standings and a nationals berth.

The second-year midfielder from Ottawa scored the third UBC goal in a 3-0 win on Saturday, coming off a penalty corner sequence. She then set up the game winner by Izzy Fraser in Sunday’s 1-0 win. The T-Bird victories set up a massive showdown with Victoria next weekend, as the pair of games will ultimately decide the CW champion.