CW BioSteel Players of the Week: Feb. 24
Top performers recognized across Canada West
Feb. 24, 2026 - If you like chaos, comebacks, and conference records getting shattered, this weekend across Canada West was for you.
Fans were treated to an unforgettable weekend of playoff and championship action, with a major upset in women's basketball, an epic overtime comeback in men's basketball, and plenty of conference records falling at the conference's 2026 Track and Field Championships.
Here are some of the top storylines from around the conference:
- The Calgary Dinos women's basketball team authored perhaps the biggest upset of the season, knocking off the Saskatchewan Huskies 61-58 with a spectacular road effort in the semifinals. Ironically, the Dinos were the last team to issue Saskatchewan a defeat exactly 52 games ago at the start of the 2024-25 season. Calgary advances to play UBC in the CW Final next weekend, after the Thunderbirds narrowly downed Regina in another excellent semifinal contest last Friday.
- The men's basketball semis also delivered drama, with UBC overcoming a 16-point deficit to stun Winnipeg in overtime. Victoria bounced Alberta in the other semi, setting up a CW Final between two west coast foes on Friday night on the island.
- Excellence was on display at the 2026 Canada West Track and Field Championships hosted by Saskatchewan last weekend, with a total of seven conference records falling. When the dust settled, the Huskies women's program captured their eighth straight title, while Alberta's men won their first championship since 2018. Recaps of the event are available here.
- Lower-ranked seeds won three of the four hockey quarter-finals last weekend. In women's action, Manitoba outlasted Alberta in three games while Trinity Western smothered Calgary in a two game sweep. Over on the men's side, Calgary's special teams helped them sweep MacEwan, while Saskatchewan was the lone home side to advance after a two-game disposal of Alberta.
- The volleyball quarter-final picture is now set after last weekend's play-in round. Three of those play-in series went the distance. In women's action, Winnipeg and UFV each won in three games. On the men's side, Calgary defeated rival Mount Royal in three games, while Saskatchewan was the lone team to advance in a sweep.
- Lastly, a shoutout to the Calgary Dinos men's curling team, who captured the U SPORTS national championship after a tense 7-6 win over Carleton last Saturday in Regina. The Alberta Pandas also landed on the podium, finishing third in the women's competition.
Let's get to our BioSteel Players of the Week.
Women's Basketball - Kourtney Oss (Calgary Dinos)
Feb. 21 SF at SSK: 11 PTS, 11 REB, 2 BLK, 2 STL in 61-58 win
In what was the epitome of a team win, Calgary fourth-year guard Kourtney Oss played a huge role in the Dinos 61-58 upset win at No. 1 Saskatchewan in the Canada West semifinals.
Oss finished with 11 points and tied for a game-high 11 rebounds for her second double-double of the postseason and her seventh of the year. As part of a suffocating defensive performance by the Dinos team, Oss also helped frustrate the Huskies all night long. She added two steals to go with two highlight-reel blocks, as the Dinos became the first team to defeat the top-ranked Huskies in 2025-26.
View Women's Basketball: Standings | Schedule | Leaders
Men's Basketball - Raj Dhadda (UBC Thunderbirds)
Feb. 21 SF at WPG: 17 PTS, 6/9 FT (66.7%), 5/8 3 pt (62.5%), 7 REB, 2 AST, 1 BLK, 1 STL in 92-89 OT win
Raj Dhadda had the biggest game of his young Canada West career when it mattered most, leading the Thunderbirds with 17 points while going 6-for-9 from range in a dramatic 92-89 comeback win to secure UBC a berth in the conference final and the upcoming U SPORTS Final 8 tournament.
The first-year from Kelowna drained five of his points in overtime along with three rebounds in the extra frame alone. The 'Birds will now head across Georgia Strait to battle their arch-nemesis Victoria Vikes in an attempt to secure UBC's first conference crown in six years.
View Men's Basketball: Standings | Schedule | Leaders
Women's Hockey - Brenna Nicol (Manitoba Bisons)
Quarter-final at ALB: Game 1 - 1 G, 1 A in 5-2 win
Game 3 - 2G, 2A in 6-2 win
Fifth-year forward Brenna Nicol displayed her veteran savvy in the playoffs for Manitoba, helping the Bisons beat Alberta two games to one in their quarterfinal series on the road. It was the Herd's first conference playoff series win away from 'The Flem in a decade, and Nicol played a huge role with a career-high six-point weekend.
The Nipigon, ON native got the scoring started on Friday, going far side just 1:20 into game one to give Manitoba early momentum. They never trailed in a 5-2 win, with Nicol recording the lone assist on Louise Fergusson's game-winning goal in the second period.
Then, with their season on the line in game three, Nicol came up clutch with a four-point night, leading the Herd to a commanding 6-2 victory. Once again, she got the scoring started, this time on the power play, and she added the game-winning goal 7:09 into the second period. Nicol was a factor on all three goals Manitoba scored in the middle frame, as the Herd broke open a 1-1 tie with three tallies in just under five minutes.
View Women's Hockey: Standings | Schedule | Leaders
Men's Hockey - Nolan Maier (Saskatchewan Huskies)
Quarter-finals vs ALB: Game 1 - Shutout 5-0 win, 30 saves, 1st career playoff win
Game 2 - 3-2 OT Win, 28 saves, .933 save %, 1.71 GAA
Nolan Maier was phenomenal in his Canada West playoff debut, recording back-to-back wins to lead the Huskies to a quarterfinal sweep of the Alberta Golden Bears.
Ending the weekend with a .967 save percentage, Maier made his Saskatchewan postseason debut Friday night at Merlis Belsher Place, recording a remarkable 30-save shutout performance in a 5-0 win. The following night he made it nearly two periods without allowing a goal before helping the Dogs to a 3-2 overtime win with 28 total saves.
He was the undeniable MVP of the opening-round series, as the Huskies were outshot in 60-53 across the two game series.
View Men's Hockey: Standings | Schedule | Leaders
Women's Volleyball - Brooke Duncalfe (Winnipeg Wesmen)
Play-in Series vs CGY: Game 1 - 20 kills, 14 digs, ace, .385, 22 points
Game 2 - 24 kills, 13 digs, four blocks, two aces, .203, 28.5 points
Game 3 - 15 kills, 11 digs, .294, 15 points
Brooke Duncalfe starred for the Wesmen as she helped carry her team into the next round of the Canada West post-season. Duncalfe posted three double-doubles and averaged nearly 20 kills per match as Winnipeg knocked off Calgary in the best-of-three play-in series.
She posted back-to-back nights with at least 20 kills, knocking down 20 in a three-set win on Thursday, the second highest total in the Canada West this season for a three-setter. The next night she had a match-high 24 in a five-set loss, and then helped the team rally in the decisive match with a match-high 15 kills and 11 digs. She hit at least .200 in each match and finished the weekend with a .280 attacking while averaging 14 digs.
View Women's Volleyball: Standings | Schedule | Leaders
Men's Volleyball - Erik Godwin (Calgary Dinos)
Play-in Series vs MRU: Game 1 - 12 kills, .333 hitting, 1 ace, 4 digs, 1 block
Game 2 - 12 kills, .313 hitting, 4 aces, 9 digs, 2 blocks
Game 3 - 21 kills, .340 hitting, 3 aces, 8 digs, 2 blocks
It was a massive start to the postseason for Dinos fifth year Erik Godwin. After missing nearly a month due to injury, the long-time impact player for the Dinos once again made his presence known in a 2-1 series win over rival Mount Royal.
Godwin finished with 45 kills and hit .331 for the weekend - committing just eight errors on 112 swings. The program record holder for service aces continued to do what he does best with eight aces on the weekend to go with 21 digs and five blocks.
The Lethbridge, Alta., product shined brightest in Saturday's decisive Game 3. Playing in potentially his final game in the Scarlet & Gold, Godwin led the Dinos with 21 kills and hit .340 in a thrilling five-set win on their rival's home court.
View Men's Volleyball: Standings | Schedule | Leaders
Women's Curling - Gracelyn Richards (Alberta Pandas)
U SPORTS Championship - Bronze Medal
As she has all season, third-year Pandas skip Gracelyn Richards brought her best when the lights were the brightest, leading the Pandas to a U SPORTS bronze medal in Regina.
The national medal for the Pandas is the 10th in team history, and third in four years.
Entering the U SPORTS Championship as recently crowned Canada West Champions, Richards led the Pandas to a 5-2 round robin record, and the second seed entering the playoffs. After a loss to McMaster in the national semifinal, the Pandas bounced back with a dominant 8-2 win over the host Regina Cougars in the bronze medal game.
Over the course of the nine games played in Regina, Richards out-played her opposing skip by 12.3%, displaying outstanding shot-making all week.
Men's Curling - Kenan Wipf (Calgary Dinos)
Kenan Wipf led the University of Calgary Dinos to its first ever men's curling national championship this past week in Regina.
Wipf - the skip of the Canada West Champion Dinos - led Calgary to a 5-2 mark in round-robin play at this year's national tournament in Regina. In the semifinals, the Dinos held on to a 7-6 win over Memorial before a perfect final shot in extra ends from Wipf clinched the banner for Calgary.
Track and Field - 2026 CW Championships Outstanding Performers
A special congratulations to Jinaye Shomachuk (Lethbridge) and Daxx Turner (Manitoba) on being named the Outstanding Performers at the 2026 Canada West Track & Field Championships!
Turner secured gold in the triple jump with a Canada West record-breaking performance of 15.70m, while also securing bronze in the high jump.
Shomachuk earned double-gold with wins in the shot put and weight toss, with the latter coming in record-breaking fashion. Her weight toss of 20.77m was over five metres farther than any other competitor on the day and bested the previous conference record of 19.89m, set in 2011 by fellow Pronghorn Heather Steacy.
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.