MHKY: Quarterfinal Preview
Alberta hosts Calgary, MacEwan visits UBC
Article by Brian Swane, special to CW
Feb. 20, 2025 - The quest for the Dr. W.G. Hardy Trophy begins this week, with a pair of best-of-three quarterfinals in Canada West men’s hockey.
One series pits the Alberta Golden Bears against the Calgary Dinos in Edmonton, while the MacEwan Griffins are traveling to Vancouver to take on the UBC Thunderbirds in the other match-up.
At stake are spots in the semifinal round, where the quarterfinal victors will battle either the Mount Royal Cougars or Saskatchewan Huskies.
The Dinos and Golden Bears share arguably the most storied rivalry in Canada West men’s hockey history. This will be the 31st time that Alberta and Calgary have faced off in a playoff series, and while the Golden Bears have won 22 of the previous 30 meetings, the most recent victory belongs to the Dinos: Calgary defeated Alberta in the 2023 championship final.
UBC and MacEwan, on the other hand, have never played each other in the postseason before. This is only MacEwan’s fourth season of Canada West men’s hockey and the Griffins are making their second playoff appearance. UBC is looking to defend its title after the T-Birds captured the championship for the first time in program history last year.
Catch all the playoff action at Canada West TV - Powered by BioSteel.
Alberta Golden Bears vs. Calgary Dinos at Clare Drake Arena in Edmonton
- Series schedule:
- Game 1 – Friday, Feb. 21 – 7 p.m. MT
- Game 2 – Saturday, Feb. 22 – 7 p.m. MT
- Game 3 (if necessary) – Sunday, Feb. 23 – 7 p.m. MT
- Regular season head-to-head:
- Jan. 10: Alberta 7 at Calgary 3
- Jan. 11: Calgary 1 at Alberta 5
- Alberta facts & stats
- Season record: 21-7, 43 points (2nd East Division)
- Head Coach: Ian Herbers (10th year)
- Season leaders: forward Sean Tschigerl (38 points), goaltender Tyler Palmer (13 wins)
- Canada West Championships: 29 (1973, 1975, 1977-1979, 1984-1985, 1989, 1991-1993, 1997, 2001-2006, 2008-2011, 2013-2015, 2017-2019, 2022)
- Calgary facts & stats
- Season record: 16-12, 34 points (3rd West Division)
- Head Coach: Mark Howell (16th year)
- Season leaders: forward Colson Gengenbach (27 points), goaltender Carl Tetachuk (10 wins)
- Canada West Championships: 9 (1974, 1976, 1980, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1995, 1996, 2023)
UBC Thunderbirds vs. MacEwan Griffins at Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre in Vancouver
- Series schedule:
- Game 1 – Friday, Feb. 21 – 7 p.m. PT
- Game 2 – Saturday, Feb. 22 – 7 p.m. PT
- Game 3 (if necessary) – Sunday, Feb. 23 – 7 p.m. PT
- Regular season head-to-head:
- Nov. 1: UBC 6 at MacEwan 1
- Nov. 2: UBC 1 at MacEwan 5
- UBC facts & stats
- Season record: 18-10, 38 points (2nd West Division)
- Head Coach: Sven Butenschon (9th year)
- Season leaders: forward Sasha Mutala (27 points), goaltender Cole Schwebius (11 wins)
- Canada West Championships: 1 (2024)
- MacEwan facts & stats
- Season record: 10-18, 23 points (3rd East Division)
- Head Coach: Zack Dailey (3rd year)
- Season leaders: forward Marc Pasemko (24 points), goaltender Eric Ward (5 wins)
- Canada West Championships: 0