It's early November in Canada, which means playoff season has arrived for university football. This weekend, the Bisons start their post-season push in Calgary, as they'll hope to topple the undefeated Dinos to punch their ticket to the Hardy Cup.
On campus, the stage is clear for Bison men's and women's basketball home openers, as both volleyball and hockey teams are on conference byes.
That, and what else to look forward to, in our weekend preview.
Football at #3 Calgary – Hardy Cup Semifinal, November 3 (1 PM)
GAME NOTES
WATCH: CanadaWest.tv
LIVE STATS
UPDATES: follow @MBBisons on Twitter
With the regular season in the rear-view mirror, the no. 4 seeded Manitoba Bisons (3-5) and no. 1 seeded Calgary Dinos (8-0) have their sights set on the Canada West title. They'll meet this weekend and decide who will go to the 82
nd Hardy Cup.
Manitoba comes in looking to turn momentum from recent weeks. The Bisons have lost three straight games, a streak that began the last time these two teams met, as Calgary beat Manitoba 34-16 at McMahon on Friday, October 12.
The Bisons will look to initiate their attack on the ground. Second-year running back
Victor St. Pierre-Laviolette has emerged as a threat out of the backfield, leading Manitoba with 10.6 yards per carry on 40 attempts this season. It's created a two-headed monster for Blair Atkinson's offence, as he also has the reliably excellent third-year
Jamel Lyles, who's leading Canada West with 85.1 yards per game.
On defence, the Bisons will hope for sustained play from defensive tackle
Kent Hicks, who recorded 2.5 sacks last week and was named the Canada West and U SPORTS Defensive Player of the Week.
It will take a complete game to beat Calgary, who come in undefeated and with a plethora of weapons on both sides of the ball. The first player to prepare for is quarterback Adam Sinagra, who leads Canada West in yards per game (404.1), touchdowns (23), and quarterback efficiency (among those with at least 100 attempts) at 186.3.
Basketball vs. Mount Royal – November 2 (6/8 PM), November 3 (5/7 PM)
WATCH: CanadaWest.tv
UPDATES: follow @BisonWBB and @BisonMBB on Twitter
Both Bison basketball teams are prepped and ready to begin their home schedules, as they'll play Friday and Saturday nights at IGAC.
The Bison women are coming in 2-0 after two convincing wins in Brandon. The highlight was fourth-year guard
Nicole Konieczny, who had 50 points in two games, including a 30-point, 16-rebound performance in the first game. Also excellent, though, was
Taylor Randall, who made seven of her 12 three point attempts to total 37 points.
The opposing Cougars struggled in their openers, losing by a combined 80 points at home against UNBC. Of those who played both games, guard Maddison Hooper is leading the way with 9.5 points per game, albeit while shooting 25.9 per cent from the field.
The Bison men, meanwhile, come in motivated after a narrow 101-100 loss to Brandon last Saturday. Excellent through the first two outings, guard
Rashawn Browne narrowly missed a triple-double in both of the season openers, and is averaging 28.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 8.0 assists per game. Browne led the conference in assists per game last season.
The Mount Royal men also come in 0-2, but were competitive in their games against UNBC. Look for consistency from forward Patrick Vandervelden, who had 13.5 points per game on 55.6 per cent shooting in the opening weekend.
Bison basketball tickets are $10 and available at the door, with U of M students and fans 17-and-under in free.
Swimming – Odlum Brown College Cup – Pacific (Nov. 3-4)
After the St. James Seals Invitational last weekend, the Bison swim teams head out for their first road event of the 2018-19 season in Vancouver. There, they'll compete in the Odlum Brown College Cup – Pacific. For results through both days, check in on
@umbisons and gobisons.ca.
Notes from the Range
