Competition between the Manitoba Bisons and Winnipeg Wesmen is always fierce. Throw some playoff intrigue into the mix, though, and it ratchets up the competition even more.
Those are the stakes this weekend, as the Bisons and Wesmen battle in four sports, at both campuses, with all four teams tight in the standings and looking to jump over each other for playoff seeding.
And that's not all. At the fieldhouse, the U SPORTS-ranked Bison track and field teams host the 10
th annual Bison Classic, which promises to be a showcase for two teams poised to make noise at conference in Alberta and nationals on home turf.
That, and what else to look forward to, in our weekend preview.
Volleyball vs. Winnipeg – February 1 (UofM – 6/7:45 PM), February 2 (UofW – 5/7 PM)
WATCH: CanadaWest.tv
UPDATES: follow @BisonWVB and @BisonMVB on Twitter
Friday night will decide who goes home with the trophy in the 28
th annual Duckworth Challenge. For the
Bison men, though, there's even more at stake. Manitoba (7-11) are currently tied for the final playoff spot in Canada West with UBC. Hot on their heels is Winnipeg (5-11), who are equal in the loss column with three weeks to go.
That means this weekend's games could be decisive in which team from the 'Peg sees post-season action. Winnipeg, who are on a four-match losing streak, have been led on the attack by third-year Daniel Thiessen, who is tenth in the conference at 3.37 kills per set. Appropriately, Manitoba fourth-year
Kevin Negus is just ahead of him at 3.40 kills per set.
For the
Bison women, there's more separation in the standings but the rivalry runs deep. Manitoba (9-9) have won four of six since the return of third-year right side
Kearley Abbott, rising to sixth in the CW standings.
Winnipeg (4-14), already out of the playoff picture, will lean on second-year left side Emma Parker, who has had the sixth-most attacks in the conference this season (660) totaling a 12
th-best 198 kills.
Adult tickets to the 28th annual Duckworth Challenge on Friday, Feb. 1 are $10. U of M alumni tickets are $5. Students from both the U of M and U of W get in free with student ID. Fans 17-and-under get in free. Season ticket holders from the U of W also get in free.
Friday is also the Senior's Game for men's volleyball, as well as RBC Pride Night at IGAC, so dress colourful to cheer on your Bisons!
Basketball vs. Winnipeg – January 31 (UofW – 6/8 PM), February 2 (UofM – 1/3 PM)
WATCH: CanadaWest.TV
UPDATES: follow @BisonWBB and @BisonMBB
While the Duckworth Challenge will happen downtown this season, the whole weekend is meaningful for both Bison men's and women's basketball.
The
Bison women (8-10) and Wesmen (6-12) are holding on to the last two playoff spots in Canada West heading in. With MacEwan also at 6-12 — knocking on the door — the pressure is on both teams to secure a seat at the table and the best play-in matchup possible next weekend.
Winnipeg has been led all season by fourth-year forward Faith Hezekiah. The top scorer in Canada West by a fair margin (23.5 PPG), Hezekiah has a complete offensive game — averaging 41.5% from the field and 32.8% from three on 3.4 attempts per game. Manitoba's answer will be a team approach; in a sweep of Thompson Rivers last weekend,
Taylor Randall,
Nicole Konieczny,
Emma Thompson, and
Claire Harvey all scored in double figures in both games.
On the
men's side, both the Bisons (9-9) and Wesmen (12-6) have clinched a playoff spot. With seeding decided by RPI, though, strength of schedule has them neck-and-neck and battling for a home play-in game… against each other.
Both teams have been led by Toronto guards this season. For the Bisons, it's been fourth-year
Rashawn Browne, who's averaging 15.6 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. For the Wesmen, it's been third-year Narcisse Ambanza, who is second in CW at 19.4 PPG and first in field goal attempts at 305.
Adult tickets to the game on Saturday, Feb. 2 are $10. Students from both the U of M and U of W get in free with student ID. Fans 17-and-under get in free.
Saturday is also the Senior's Game for both Bison basketball teams, as well as Spirit of the Bison Indigenous Sport Day, which will include special ceremonies celebrating indigenous cultures.
#1 Women's Hockey vs. UBC – February 1 (7 PM), February 2 (2 PM)
WATCH: CanadaWest.tv
LISTEN: UMFM.com
UPDATES: follow @umbisonsWHKY on Twitter
With six straight wins in the rearview mirror, Bison women's hockey is back at the number one ranking in U SPORTS for the first time since November. This weekend, they look to put some distance between them and the UBC Thunderbirds, who are in third in the Canada West standings and seven points back of Manitoba. The top two teams earn a quarter-finals bye in CW hockey.
The Bisons and T-Birds split a series in Vancouver in mid-November, a weekend where scoring was hard to come by for the Bisons, who had just three goals in regulation — all on five-on-five. The Herd will be hoping their conference-best power play (22.4%) will have more opportunity this time around, as they face a UBC team that is next-to-last on the advantage (10.1%).
Leading Manitoba this season has been fifth-year forward
Lauryn Keen, who added to her point total against Lethbridge last weekend (23) to become the third Bison women's hockey player to amass 100 career points (Addie Miles,
Alanna Sharman).
Bison hockey tickets are $10 and available at the door, with U of M students and fans 17-and-under in free.
Friday is RBC Pride Night, so dress colourful and cheer on your Bisons! Saturday is the Senior's Game for women's hockey, as well as Spirit of the Bison Indigenous Sport Day, which will include special ceremonies celebrating indigenous cultures.
Track & Field – 10th Annual Bison Classic – February 1-2
WATCH (Saturday only): YouTube Live
LIVE RESULTS
This weekend also marks the 10
th annual Bison Classic, as nine schools from across Canada will visit James Daly Fieldhouse for the open meet on Friday and Saturday.
Manitoba's track teams are both nationally ranked again this week, with the men in fourth and the women in tenth. So far, two Bisons have auto-qualified for the U SPORTS Track & Field Championships at the University of Manitoba, as second-year
Emily Blackner broke a program record in the pole vault (3.93m) and fifth-year
Alhaji Mansaray marked a 2.07m in the high jump. More members of the Herd will look to cement their place on the conference and national team in this showcase weekend.
There's no charge for admission to the Bison Classic. Fans can also watch a live stream of Saturday's action at the YouTube link above.
Men's Hockey at UBC – February 1 (9 PM), February 2 (2:30 PM)
WATCH: CanadaWest.tv
UPDATES: follow @umbisonsMHKY on Twitter
The math is still there for Bison men's hockey (5-17-2), as they sit six points back of Lethbridge for a playoff spot with four games to go. This weekend takes their efforts to Vancouver, as they'll take on a fifth-place UBC Thunderbirds team (11-11-2).
Manitoba has enjoyed recent success with the forward line of fifth-year
Brett Stovin, third-year
Nick Zajac, and first-year
Colton Veloso — a WHL recruit who joined the team in January from Jacksonville. Veloso had four points in a weekend split against the Pronghorns, earning Bison Athlete of the Week nods.
The Thunderbirds, meanwhile, haven't had an explosive offence this season, tallying a next-to-worst 56 goals in 24 games. Their creativity has come shorthanded, as they have six goals down a man, second in the conference. Their leading scorer, third-year forward Carter Popoff, has five goals and 12 assists this season.
Notes from the Range
