Playoff updates for every Cougars team
By Josh Werle, Staff Writer
Making the playoffs is the ultimate goal for any sports team. Teams spend months battling day-after-day for a shot to compete in the playoffs and win their league’s ultimate prize. Only one team can call themselves champions and this distinction is what all of these teams work for all season long.
This is no different for many of Mount Royal University’s (MRU) teams, as the Cougars have battled since the beginning of the school year for a chance to play against the best teams in the country during the playoffs. Both the men’s and women’s Cougars teams for basketball, hockey and volleyball have made an appearance in their respective playoffs. Let’s take a look at where the various Cougars teams have ended up this postseason.
Men’s Basketball
The Cougars men’s basketball team finished their season with a record of 7-9. This led them to take the fourth seed in the Canada West Central division and earned them a spot in the Canada West playoff tournament. They managed to defeat Thompson Rivers University (TRU) in the first round before ultimately being defeated by the University of British Columbia (UBC). UBC had only lost two games during the regular season.
Women’s Basketball
The women’s basketball team had an ending remarkably similar to the men’s team. They ended their season with a 5-11 record, also leading them to the fourth seed in the Canada West Central division. In the playoffs, they also defeated TRU in the first round but were ultimately defeated by the University of Winnipeg (U of W). The U of W had also only lost two games during their regular season play.
Men’s Hockey
After a slightly difficult start to the regular season, the MRU men’s hockey team went on a tear during the winter semester. They had a seven-game winning streak which led them to the third seed in the Canada West division with a record of 13-6-1. In the playoff quarter-finals they dispatched the University of Regina, going 2-0 in their best of three series. They then took the UBC to a game three in their semi-finals best of three series but ultimately dropped the third game.
Women’s Hockey
The women’s hockey team had a fantastic regular season that saw them finish with a 16-2-2 record. Eleven of their victories in the regular season saw them score three or more goals against their opponents. They headed into the playoffs on a five-game winning streak but couldn’t find the offensive success that they had in the regular season. They lost to the University of Saskatchewan in two very close one-goal games.
Men’s Volleyball
The men’s volleyball team finished with a record of 7-11 during the regular season, which led them to the third seed in the Canada West Central division. Ultimately they were unable to find playoff success this season, dropping games to Brandon University, Trinity Western University andTRU.
Women’s Volleyball
The women’s volleyball team finished the season with a 14-4 record, securing the second seed in the Canada West Central division. They went on a six-game winning streak in the regular season, all were shutout victories. At the time of writing, they currently have a perfect 3-0 record in the playoffs and are seemingly true contenders for this year’s U SPORTS championship.
