MHKY: Familiar foes meet in semi-final action this weekend

By Brian Swane, special to CW

All roads to the Dr. W.G. Hardy Trophy lead through Wild Rose Country, where the 2023 Canada West men’s semi-final round will unfold in a pair of anticipated best-of-three series.

Following last week’s quarterfinal action, the postseason continues with familiar foes facing off as the Calgary Dinos host the Saskatchewan Huskies beginning Thursday, while the UBC Thunderbirds visit the Alberta Golden Bears starting Friday. The winners advance to Canada West’s best-of-three championship series, scheduled for March 3 to 5.

WATCH

Catch all the action live on Canada West TV.

MATCH-UPS

UBC Thunderbirds @ Alberta Golden Bears

Clare Drake Arena – Edmonton, AB

Watch Broadcasts | Get Tickets

For the third consecutive postseason, the Golden Bears and T-Birds will meet in a best-of-three series, with each having won one round thus far: UBC defeated Alberta 2-1 in the 2020 semifinals, while Alberta swept UBC in last year’s championship final.

UBC is coming off its first playoff series sweep since 1971, defeating the Regina Cougars by scores of 7-0 and 7-1 in the best-of-three quarterfinal at Doug Mitchell Thunderbirds Sports Centre last Friday and Saturday.

Alberta, meanwhile, had a bye last weekend, and are now preparing for action at Clare Drake Arena, where the Bears and T-Birds split their only meeting of the regular season. UBC beat Alberta 5-3 on Nov. 18, before the Golden Bears answered with an emphatic 9-1 victory the following night in Edmonton.

UBC hasn’t lost on the road since, winning seven straight games away from Vancouver. Overall, the T-Birds are on a 14-game win streak spanning the regular season and postseason and have outscored the opposition 49-12 in their last seven outings.

Five players tallied multiple times over UBC’s two quarterfinal wins, led by Scott Atkinson, who scored three times on the power-play in UBC’s Game 1 win. The T-Birds had a Canada West-best 27.0% power play in the regular season, a fraction better than the Golden Bears, who converted 26.9% of their opportunities with a man advantage.

At plus-73, the Golden Bears had the best goal differential in Canada West in 2022-23. Alberta was the only team to average more than five goals per game in the regular season and boast three of the top five goal-scorers: Josh Prokop finished second with 18 goals, while his teammates Tyler Preziuso and Jakin Smallwood tied for fourth with 16 goals apiece.

Alberta is 16-5 against UBC in Canada West postseason history, with all 21 games having been contested at Clare Drake Arena. The Golden Bears have captured the Dr. W.G. Trophy a record 29 times, while UBC continues the pursuit of its first ever Canada West men’s hockey crown.

Saskatchewan Huskies @ Calgary Dinos

Father David Bauer Arena – Calgary, AB

Watch Broadcasts | Get Tickets

In another rubber match, first-place Calgary takes on the upstart underdogs from Saskatoon. This is the third meeting in as many postseasons between the Dinos and Huskies, with Calgary beating Saskatchewan 2-1 In the quarterfinal last year, avenging a 2-0 semifinal sweep at the hands of the Huskies in 2020.

While the Dinos enjoyed a bye last weekend after finishing atop the standings with a program record 50 regular season points, the Huskies were fighting tooth and nail with the Mount Royal Cougars in a classic series at Flames Community Arena that went the distance and then some. Saskatchewan forward Jaxan Kaluski’s goal 3:36 into overtime of Game 3 stunned the Cougars and earned the Huskies a return trip to Calgary for the semi-final round.

This time the action will be at Father David Bauer Arena, where the Dinos have won 11 straight times since dropping a game in early October to Saskatchewan. Calgary won its final 23 games of the regular season, a phenomenal streak that included a pair of double overtime victories against the Huskies in Saskatoon at the beginning of December. Overall, the Dinos went 3-1 in 2022-23 against the Huskies, outscoring Saskatchewan 14-11 over those four contests.

Calgary is led by a Canada West First-Team All-Star at each position: forward Riley Stotts, who was among Canada West’s offensive leaders, ranking third with 26 assists and fourth with 26 points; defenceman Noah King, Calgary’s team captain who placed second among Canada West blueliners with seven goals; and goaltender Carl Tetachuk, who was also named to the All-Rookie Team after pacing Canada West with 19 wins in his first season.

Saskatchewan boasts its own First Team All-Star in Connor Hobbs, who led all Canada West blueliners with 24 points in the regular season and scored the winning goal of the Huskies Game 1 victory against Mount Royal.

Before being eliminated by the Dinos last postseason, the Huskies had appeared in six consecutive Canada West championship series. Meanwhile, it’s been seven postseasons since Calgary last reached the final. Saskatchewan and Calgary ranked second and third in Canada West men’s hockey history with 11 and eight titles, respectively.

CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL

For all the latest on the CW 2023 Men's Hockey Playoffs, visit Championship Central.