CW BioSteel Players of the Week: Feb. 10

Feb. 10, 2026 - The Canada West calendar is hitting the best time of year, with basketball playoffs tipping off this week and playoff races intensifying as hockey and volleyball head into their final regular season weekend.

Here are some of the top headlines from last weekend across Canada West:

• The Saskatchewan Huskies women's basketball team secured a perfect 20-0 regular season for the second time in program history, joining the 1971-72 Huskies. The defending Canada West and national champions put together a dominant season for the ages, becoming the first CW side to complete an undefeated regular season since Regina in 2012.

• The conference's basketball playoff picture is now set, with 12 teams advancing in both men's and women's brackets. The action gets underway this upcoming weekend with single-elimination play-in round and quarterfinal matches. View full schedule and seeding information here.

• The UBC Thunderbirds women's hockey team set a new conference record with their 26th win after a weekend sweep of Alberta. The T-Birds finished their season with an incredible 26-2 record and will enter the playoffs on an eight-game win streak.

• Rugby 7s action returned with Victoria hosting the second tournament stop. UBC once again dominated the field, going a perfect 5-0 to claim their second straight tournament. The host Vikes came runner-up, while Trinity Western was third. Alberta had a strong weekend while going 2-2-1, including a hard-fought tie with TWU. Read the full recap here.

Let's get to our BioSteel Players of the Week.

Women's Rugby 7s - Ivy Poetker (Victoria Vikes)

CW Tournament 2 at Victoria - Led event with eight tries

Ivy Poetker took home the tournament scoring crown as she scored eight tries at the second leg of the Canada West 7s Series.

Poetker led the Vikes to a second place 4-1 tournament record as she was their main source of scoring. Poetker exploded in the Vikes' second game of the tournament, scoring three straight tries to score all the points in the victory.

View Women's Rugby 7s: Standings

Women's Basketball - Amélie Collin (Calgary Dinos)

Feb. 6 vs MRU: 9 points (4-9 shooting), 11 steals, 4 assists, 26 minutes in 73-47 win

Feb. 7 vs MRU: 18 points (7-14 shooting), 9 steals, six rebounds, 4 assists in 71-41 win

It was a record-breaking weekend for Calgary Dinos senior guard Amélie Collin. The 5-foot-9 guard from Rimouski, Que. - who has been chasing the Canada West record for steals all season - finally got on the top of the record book this weekend, in more than one category.

Collin started things off with a ridiculous 11 steals in Friday's convincing win over rival Mount Royal. Collin had seven steals before halftime to make her the CW all-time career leader in steals, breaking the previous mark of 308 set by Alberta's Ashley Wigg back in 2009.

One night later - on her and the team's Senior Night, no less - Collin once again provided suffocating defence right out of the gate to set the tone for the Dinos in another lopsided win for Calgary. Collin once again had seven steals at halftime before finishing with nine - giving her 98 for the conference slate to re-set the single-season record in Canada West history, as well. Despite just playing 27 minutes, Collin also led all players with 18 points on an efficient 7-14 shooting night overall - including going 4-9 from behind the arc.

View Women's Basketball: Standings | ​ Schedule | Leaders

Men's Basketball - Ismael Hernandez (UFV Cascades)

Feb. 6 at UBCO: 24 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, 31 minutes played in 91-85 win

Feb,. 7 at UBCO: 25 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 assist, 36 minutes played in 82-79 win

Ismael Hernandez was a force on the court this weekend for the Fraser Valley Cascades. Hernandez put up 49 points and 15 rebounds in a pair of wins over the UBCO Heat, as he helped his team head into the playoffs on a high.

The third year player put up season highs for points on both Friday and Saturday to help UFV close out their regular season having won six of their last seven games.

View Men's Basketball: Standings | Schedule | Leaders

Women's Hockey - Elise Hugens (UBC Thunderbirds)

Feb. 6 vs ALB: Win, Shutout, 17 saves in 3-0 win

Feb. 7 vs ALB: Win, 17 saves, .944 save percentage in a 2-1 win

The Canada West all-time wins leader closed out her final regular season a perfect 16-0, posting back-to-back wins including her sixth shutout of the campaign Friday night, the 27th of her career. Allowing just a single goal on 34 combined shots over the weekend, Hugens led the Thunderbirds to a new conference record 26th win with 52 total points, also a new high water mark. Hugens completed the season with a stellar 0.87 GAA and a .943 save percentage.

View Women's Hockey: Standings | Schedule | Leaders

Men's Hockey - Kadyn Chabot (MacEwan Griffins)

Feb. 6 vs TWU: 1 goal, 3 assists, 7 shots, +4 in 6-5 OT win

Feb. 7 vs TWU: 1 goal, 1 assist, 7 shots, +4 in 6-1 win

With another huge offensive weekend, Chabot finished with six points to pace the Griffins to a weekend sweep and season series sweep of the Trinity Western Spartans.

His marker on Saturday was his 18th of the season, moving him into sole possession of the Canada West goal-scoring lead with two games remaining.

With 35 points in 2025-26, Chabot is tied for fifth in scoring in the conference, while his 93 shot total is fourth.

Most importantly, his contributions led the Griffins to four points, which has them three points ahead of Alberta in a bid for the program's first-ever home Canada West playoff series.

View Men's Hockey: Standings | Schedule | Leaders

Women's Volleyball - Lucy Borowski (UBC Thunderbirds)

Feb. 6 at UFV: 20 kills, .340 hitting %, 18 digs, 1 ace, 24 points in 3-1 win

Feb. 7 at UFV: 14 kills, .333 hitting %, 8 digs, 15 points in 3-0 win

Lucy Borowski led UBC to the weekend sweep at Fraser Valley and a home playoff berth for the upcoming quarter-finals with a combined 34 kills and 26 digs through just seven total sets.

The fifth-year outside hitter boasted a .338 hitting percentage over the weekend and now enters the final regular season weekend of her Canada West career second in conference kills on the year with 267.

View Women's Volleyball: Standings | Schedule | Leaders

Men's Volleyball - Kaden Schmidt (Trinity Western Spartans)

Feb. 6 vs SSK: 24 kills (6/set), 5 digs, 2 blocks, 1 ace in 3-1 win

Feb. 7 vs SSK: 20 kills (6.67/set), 4 digs, 1 block in 3-0 win

Kaden Schmidt led the No. 2-ranked Spartans to back-to-back wins over Saskatchewan, averaging 6.3 kills per set.

The Canada West leader in kills, Schmidt had a combined 44 kills over two matches and seven sets. Schmidt now has a whopping 363 kills on the season for an average of 5.04 kills per set, which is more than one kill per set more than second in the conference.

View Men's Volleyball: Standings | Schedule | Leaders

Women's Track and Field - Sienna MacDonald (Calgary Dinos)

Pandas Open: 60m hurdle gold medallist, 60m silver medallist, shot put - 5th place, Pentathlon - 5th place (only competed in 2 events)

It was yet another outstanding performance for arguably the best track & field athlete in U SPORTS right now.

Sienna MacDonald - a fifth year combined-events athlete - shined brightly at the 10th annual Pandas Open in Edmonton this weekend. In one of the first races at the two-day meet, MacDonald put on a show - beating the top Saskatchewan runner by just 0.02 seconds in the women's 60m hurdle final. In prelims, MacDonald crossed the line in 8.03 seconds - by far the fastest time in the event in the nation this year.

The Airdrie, Alta. product also brought home the silver medal in the 60m sprint before finishing fifth in both shot put (12.42m) and the pentathlon despite only competing in two of the five disciplines.

MacDonald and the Dinos now have this coming weekend off before gearing up for the 2026 Canada West Championship trophy, that will be held Feb. 20-21 in Saskatchewan.

Men's Track and Field - Sander Sampson (Alberta Golden Bears)

Pandas Open - men's weight throw gold medallist, men's shot put silver medallist

Heading into championship season in style, second-year Golden Bear Sander Sampson produced his best weekend as a varsity athlete at the 10th Annual Pandas Open.

In the final conference meet before the Canada West Championship later this month, Sampson placed first in men's weight throw, and second in men's shot put, further establishing himself as one of the best throwers in U SPORTS.

His top throws in both events were new personal bests. His shot put of 16.52m is the third longest in team history, and fourth longest in U SPORTS this season. His winning toss of 17.31m in weight throw was the fifth longest in team history, and ranks him seventh in the country.

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.