CW BioSteel Players of the Week: Jan. 27

Jan. 27, 2026 - With playoff races heating up across the conference, fans were treated to a slate of must-see matchups between nationally ranked teams last weekend.

In men’s volleyball, all eyes turned to Kelowna for a marquee showdown between No. 2 Trinity Western and No. 3 UBCO. The series more than lived up to the billing, as the rivals split a pair of tightly contested five-set thrillers.

The race for the top seed in women’s volleyball is also hitting high gear. Alberta (14-2) maintained its grip on first place with a sweep of Winnipeg, extending the Pandas’ winning streak to six matches. Close behind, the UBC Thunderbirds (13-3) kept pace with a sweep of Calgary, while TRU and Manitoba remain firmly in the hunt at 12-4.

On the hardcourt, the No. 1 Saskatchewan Huskies women’s basketball team stretched its winning streak to 46 games with an impressive sweep of No. 7 Calgary. Meanwhile, No. 2 Alberta (13-3) handed No. 4 Regina (15-1) its first loss of the season, grinding out a hard-fought 65–61 victory on Saturday.

In men’s basketball action, the Fraser Valley Cascades made a statement by sweeping No. 3 UBC, while Victoria (15-2) continues to sit atop the conference following home wins over UNBC and TRU.

On the ice, Connor Bouchard delivered a massive weekend for the Mount Royal Cougars men’s hockey team, becoming the program’s all-time leading goal scorer after notching his 52nd career marker in a lopsided win at Regina on Friday. Bouchard capped the weekend with nine points in an MRU sweep, including a program-record five-assist performance on Saturday. In women’s hockey, UBC swept rival Trinity Western, while Saskatchewan and Alberta split a pair of tightly contested games that both required shootouts.

The 2026 Canada West Rugby 7s season also got underway in Edmonton, where UBC topped the table with a perfect 5-0 record. Adia Pye led the way for the Thunderbirds, scoring nine tries over the weekend.

Heated Rivalries Await This Week

Three of the conference’s marquee rivalries take centre stage this week, highlighted by the 2026 Crowchild Classic on Thursday night. The annual hockey showdown between Mount Royal and Calgary returns to a sold-out Scotiabank Saddledome. Fans can stream the games for free on Canada West TV – Powered by BioSteel, with the women’s matchup beginning at 4:30 p.m. MT, followed by the men at 7 p.m. MT.

In Winnipeg, the crosstown rivalry resumes as the Winnipeg Wesmen and Manitoba Bisons open the 34th Duckworth Challenge. The annual series between the city’s two universities begins with basketball on Thursday, shifts to volleyball on Friday, and concludes Saturday with both sports in action.

Finally, the U-Prairie Challenge continues as the Saskatchewan Huskies and Regina Cougars renew their rivalry in both hockey and basketball. The women’s basketball clash will be one of the weekend’s marquee matchups, featuring the unbeaten 16-0 Huskies against the 15-1 Cougars.

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

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

CW Tournament #1 - Nine tries in five matches

Adia Pye was unstoppable with a combined nine tries over five matches to lead all players at the first Canada West Rugby 7s tournament of the season.

Leading UBC to a 5-0 record in Edmonton over the weekend, the third-year scored three tries in the first half of UBC's opening match versus the host Pandas on Saturday, before adding two more in a 44-0 shutout win over Lethbridge.

Pye then scored four of UBC's seven total tries through two matches on Sunday, including wins over Calgary and Victoria. The T-Birds remain the only undefeated team heading into the next Rugby 7s tournament stop in Victoria on Feb. 7 and 8.

View Women's Rugby 7s: Standings | Tournament Info

Women's Hockey - Annalise Wong (UBC Thunderbirds)

Jan. 23 vs TWU: 1G, GWG, 2A, + 2 in 4-2 win

Jan. 24 at TWU: 1A, +2 in 4-0 win

UBC’s captain capped a four-point weekend with a power-play assist in Saturday’s shutout win at Trinity Western, extending her recent surge to seven points over her last five games.

Wong also recorded her second three-point performance of the season in Friday’s Winter Classic, scoring the game-winning goal. The fifth-year leads Canada West with 24 assists in 24 games and ranks second in conference scoring with 29 points, trailing linemate Grace Elliott by five.

View Women's Hockey: Standings | Schedule | Leaders

Men's Hockey - Connor Bouchard (Mount Royal Cougars)

Jan. 23 at REG: 1 goal, 3 assists, 4 shots in 9-2 win

Jan. 24 at REG: 5 assists, 2 shots in 12-1 win

It was a record-breaking weekend for Bouchard, as the winger broke the Mount Royal all-time goals record by scoring his 52nd career marker against Regina on Friday. He also picked up three assists in the weekend opener, an explosive MRU 9-2 win.

On Saturday, the former U SPORTS Player of the Year somehow outdid himself. Bouchard recorded a new Cougar single-game record with five assists. His nine-point weekend propelled him to the top of the team’s points ranking, and he is now third in the Canada West scoring with 36.

Bouchard, a fourth-year student-athlete, has eight multiple-point games this campaign and is riding a 13-game point streak.

View Men's Hockey: Standings | Schedule | Leaders

Women's Volleyball - Abby Guezen (Alberta Pandas)

Jan. 23 vs WPG: 13 kills, 14 digs, 2 aces, 16.5 points .313 attack % in 3-1 win

Jan. 24 vs WPG: 13 kills, .813 attack %, 5 aces, 5 digs, 18.0 points in 3-0 win

Re-establishing herself among the favourites for Canada West Player of the Year, third-year Panda Abby Guezen had a remarkably efficient weekend in a series sweep over Winnipeg.

The Canadian National Team member scored 26 kills over just seven sets of volleyball, committing just three errors on 48 attempts. Highlighting her weekend was 13 kills and no errors on just 16 attempts on Saturday, finishing with an absurd .813 attack %, an efficiency rate hardly ever seen from an outside.

Guezen contributed in multiple ways on Friday as well, adding 14 digs and two aces to her 13 kills in the Pandas 3-0 win. She added five aces to her 13 kills on Saturday, and is now on pace to break the Pandas single-season aces record this season.

View Women's Volleyball: Standings | Schedule | Leaders

Men's Volleyball - Zach van Geel (UBCO Heat)

Jan. 23 vs TWU: 45 assists, 10 digs, 2 blocks, 2 kills, 3 points in 3-2 loss

Jan. 24 vs TWU: 52 assists, 12 digs, 5 aces, 4 blocks (2 solo), 2 kills, 10 points in 3-2 win

Playing in his final regular season home games, UBCO fifth-year setter Zach van Geel had an outstanding weekend to help his third-ranked Heat earn a weekend split with the second-ranked Trinity Western Spartans.

Van Geel posted eye-popping numbers during both contests, opening with 45 assists and 10 digs in Friday's narrow defeat in five sets. He followed that up on Graduating Seniors Night on Saturday by matching his career-high with 52 assists while adding five aces, a career-best and the second-most in a single game in program history. He also produced four blocks, including two solo and two kills for 10 points in the match.

His play helped the Heat hit 0.288 per cent over both contests, including a sparkling 0.367 per cent in Saturday's victory. He now sits third in Canada West for assists with 579 and second in digs with 128. His 80.5 points on the season also ranks second in the conference among setters.

View Men's Volleyball: Standings | Schedule | Leaders

Women's Basketball - Jazmin Birch (Winnipeg Wesmen)

Jan. 23 vs LET: 19 PTS, career-high 13 REB, 3 STL, 1 BLK in 67-60 loss

Jan. 24 vs LET: Career-high 26 PTS, 11 REB, 3 STL in 68-51 win

Jazmin Birch posted a pair of career-highs and matched another one in leading the Wesmen women's basketball team to a key weekend split against Lethbridge.

Birch grabbed a career-high 13 rebounds along with - at the time - a season-high 19 points, and matched a career-high with three steals in a loss on Friday, and followed it with a career-high 26 points, 11 rebounds and three more steals on Saturday. She finished the weekend averaging 22.5 points, 12 rebounds and three steals.

She also shot 50 per cent from the field, including 12 of 17 on Saturday.

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

Men's Basketball - Dilveer Randhawa (UFV Cascades)

Jan. 23 vs UBC: 24 PTS, 5 AST, 1 STL, 1 REB, 33 mins in 91-87 win over UBC

Jan. 24 vs UBC: 9 PTS, 7 AST, 3 REB, 34 mins in 90-79 win over UBC

Dilveer Randhawa was instrumental in a pair of massive wins for the UFV Cascades over the U SPORTS No. 3 ranked UBC Thunderbirds last weekend.

Randhawa led the Cascades with 24 points in Friday's game including a huge three pointer in the final minutes to clinch the win. His clutch play continued in the second game of the weekend as he hit a pair of important buzzer beater shots to end the second and third quarters to help his team to the impressive weekend sweep.

View Men's Basketball: Standings | Schedule | Leaders

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.