WHKY: Quarterfinal Preview
Canada West postseason hits the ice with best-of-three series this weekend.
Article by Brian Swane, special to CW
Feb. 20, 2026 – The quest for the Catherwood Cup begins this week, as the 2026 Canada West women’s hockey postseason opens with a pair of best-of-three quarterfinals, both taking place in the province of Alberta.
At Clare Drake Arena in Edmonton, the defending conference champion Alberta Pandas will battle the Manitoba Bisons. Meanwhile, approximately 300 miles to the south, the Calgary Dinos will host the Trinity Western Spartans. Games 1 and 2 are scheduled for Friday (Feb. 20) and Saturday (Feb. 21) in both series, and if necessary, the third and deciding games will take place on Sunday (Feb. 22). At stake is a spot in next week’s semifinal round, where the Mount Royal Cougars and UBC Thunderbirds await.
This is the only the second time since 2018 that Alberta is playing in the women’s hockey quarterfinal round. Most often, the Pandas have earned a bye through to the semifinals, including last year when they enjoyed a week off before beginning the march to their record 15th conference title. Throughout the years, wins in Edmonton have been rare for the Bisons, but they split a pair of games against the Pandas at Clarke Drake Arena just three weeks ago. Manitoba has been on fire since the holiday break, going 9-1-2 over its last 12 games to climb the standings and clinch a playoff berth.
Another team that finished strong is the Spartans, who went 6-3-1 over their last 10 games to finish with 30 points, which is tied for the most in the program’s Canada West history. Now Trinity Western seeks to win a Canada West women’s hockey playoff series for the first time, against a Dinos squad that authored an incredible turnaround, more than doubling its point total from 18 in 2024-25 to 37 this season. There isn’t much that separates these two teams, who are nearly identical in both goals (2.36 for the Dinos, 2.32 for the Spartans) scored and goals allowed (2.18 for the Dinos, 2.28 for the Spartans).
The winner of the Pandas/Bisons series will move on to face Mount Royal, while the victorious team between the Dinos and Spartans advance to meet UBC.
Every game from the Canada West playoffs will be available to stream live on CanadaWest.TV – Powered by BioSteel.
Game recaps, highlights and schedule information are available at WinTheWest.ca.
East No. 2 Calgary Dinos vs. West No. 3 Trinity Western Spartans
Games Played at Father David Bauer Arena in Calgary
Series schedule:
- Game 1: Friday, February 20 – 7 p.m. MST
- Game 2: Saturday, February 21 – 7 p.m. MST
- Game 3 (if necessary): Sunday, February 22 – 5 p.m. MT
Regular season head-to-head:
- Nov. 14 (at Calgary): Dinos 3, Spartans 2 in OT
- Nov. 15 (at Calgary): Dinos 2, Spartans 0
Calgary facts & stats
- Season record: 16-7-5, 37 points (2nd East Division)
- Head Coach: Josh Gosling (3rd year)
- Season leaders: forward Sydney Mercier (19 points), goaltender Amelia Awad (12 wins)
- Canada West Championships: 1 (2012)
Trinity Western facts & stats
- Season record: 14-12-2, 30 points (3rd West Division)
- Head Coach: Peter Hay (3rd year)
- Season leaders: forwards Kyra McDonald and Chloe Reid (19 points), goaltender Kate Fawcett (10 wins)
- Canada West Championships: none
West No. 2 Alberta Pandas vs. East No. 3 Manitoba Bisons
Games played at Clare Drake Arena in Edmonton
Series schedule:
- Game 1: Friday, February 21 – 7 p.m. MST
- Game 2: Saturday, February 22 – 7 p.m. MST
- Game 3 (if necessary): Sunday, February 23 – 5 p.m. MST
Regular season head-to-head:
- Jan. 30 (at Alberta): Bisons 5, Pandas 4
- Jan. 31 (at Alberta): Pandas 4, Bisons 2
Alberta facts & stats
- Season record: 12-9-7, 31 points (2nd West Division)
- Head Coach: Howie Draper (28th year)
- Season leaders: forward Abby Sokyo (19 points), goaltender Mackenzie Dojahn (8 wins)
- Canada West Championships: 15 (1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2015, 2019, 2020 ,2025)
Manitoba facts & stats
- Season record: 13-9-6, 32 points (3rd East Division)
- Head Coach: Jordan Colliton (1st year)
- Season leaders: forward Aimee Patrick (25 points), goaltender Emily Shippam (11 wins)
- Canada West Championships: 3 (2009, 2011, 2018)