Weekend Recap: Golden Bears face loss while Pandas Volleyball and Hockey win big

The University of Alberta Pandas Volleyball, Hockey, and Golden Bears Hockey had strong showings at three conference pairs of games.

Here is a recap of the team’s games which were played on January 3 and 4.

Pandas Volleyball slam Brandon Bobcats

The Pandas won their pair of games against the Brandon University Bobcats in a road sweep.

On Friday, the Pandas opened the New Year with a strong finish over Brandon University in three straight sets (25-16, 25-23, 25-16). Pandas outside Kory White led the team with 14 kills.

On Saturday, the Pandas continued their dominance over the Bobcats with another three straight sets (25-13, 25-20, 25-16). White led the team again in kills with 15, adding to her national lead tally which stands at 264. She led all of the teams’ scorers with five assisted blocks and 17.5 points.

The Pandas defence was no match for the Bobcats as they out-blocked and were overall more efficient than their opponents.

The pair of wins improves the team’s record to 9-5, while capturing their fourth-straight win. Additionally, the Pandas extended their win streak against the Bobcats to 11 matches.

The Pandas will now enjoy a by-week and play against the University of MacEwan Griffins on January 17 and 18 in an away series.

Pandas Hockey defeat rival Saskatchewan Huskies

The Pandas Hockey team continued their winning streak by defeating the University of Saskatchewan Huskies in a pair of games over the weekend.

The team now has a seven-game winning streak and sit in the second position for Canada West. Prior to the conference, the Pandas and Huskies were tied for second place.

On January 3, the Pandas bested the Huskies in a 2-1 match with both Panda goals scored in the second period by Alex Gowie and Madison Willan. The key to the Pandas victory was in goalie Halle Oswald blocking 23 of the 24 shots she faced.

The next day the Pandas won 3-2, with goals being scored in the second and third periods. The Huskies scored first but no momentum was lost for the U of A team. Autumn MacDougall scored twice during the game, including the winning goal in the third period with around four minutes left in the match.

The Pandas will play the Cougars from Mount Royal University in a home-and-home series this weekend. The Pandas will play at home in Clare Drake Arena on Friday, January 10.

Golden Bears Hockey win one, lose one against Huskies

The Golden Bears Hockey team tied their conference with the Huskies with both teams winning a game.

On January 3, the Golden Bears shut-out the Huskies 3-0. Tyler Soy scored a pair of goals and Grayson Pawlenchuk scored one. Overall, the Golden Bears outshot the Huskies 49-18 and earned their third win against the team in conference play this season.

The tables turned on the Golden Bears the next day when they lost to the Huskies 5-0. Saskatchewan scored in the first period of play. Both teams tried to score in the second period but to no avail. The third period sealed the loss for the Golden Bears after the Huskies scored four more goals. This was the first loss for the men’s hockey team representing the U of A since November 23, 2019.

The loss also marked the first time the Golden Bears have been shutout in conference play since November 18, 2017 when they faced off against the Huskies as well.

The win and loss for the Bears means they are tied for first place in Canada West with the University of Calgary Dinos. The Bears lead Canada West with 30 points; however Calgary has 28. The Huskies are close behind in third place with 26 points.

The Golden Bears play Mount Royal this weekend in a home-and-home series. The Bears will host the Cougars on Saturday at Clare Drake Arena.