Cougars Catchup: November 20, 2023

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 | Box Score 3 | Box Score 4

The Mount Royal Cougars had another jammed-packed weekend of games on home turf and on the road. There was plenty of action in the gym and on the ice. In this week’s edition of Cougars Catchup, we’ll run through all the action that happened on the road.

Byam stars in men’s volleyball in Manitoba

Mount Royal’s men’s volleyball team split their weekend series with the Manitoba Bisons at Investors Group Athletic Centre in Winnipeg. On Friday, the Cougars prevailed over the Bisons with a 3-0 sweep. MRU relied on rookie setter Grant Hill to distribute the ball and he did not disappoint. Hill finished the game with 37 assists. MRU took the first set 25-21, capped off by a victorious joust by Luis Lange. The veteran middle converted the set point for the second set as well and MRU went up 2-0. The Cougars secured the victory on the back of Chris Byam’s impressive offensive performance that saw him register 16 kills for a hitting percentage of .652.

In the second game of the weekend series, the Bisons got their revenge. Despite the Cougars owning every major statistical category in the match, Manitoba stole a 3-1 win on Saturday. Byam and Hill each registered game-highs of 21 kills and 38 assists, respectively. The Bisons took the first set 27-25 after MRU came back to force an extended set but the home team ultimately claimed victory. Similarly, Manitoba narrowly took the second set by a 26-24 score, despite Chris Byam dominating on offence. Jacob van Geel and Luis Lange helped the Cougars earn a set back in the third but the Bisons finished the night in the fourth set with a 25-22 win to even the weekend matchup. 

Mount Royal is now 4-4 on the season and sits tied for sixth in Canada West.

Bisons defeat Cougars twice in women’s volleyball

On Friday, Mount Royal fell to the nationally ranked Manitoba Bisons 3-0 in Winnipeg. Manitoba cruised to victory, winning by scores of 25-13, 25-19 and 25-21. The Cougars showed improvement throughout the match but were ultimately dealt the loss and looked towards Saturday’s rematch.

Determined to redeem themselves, MRU showcased a much finer performance on Saturday. The Bisons took the first set but the Cougars bounced back in the second. Despite the Bisons starting the set by going up 7-1, Mount Royal clawed back. Emma Boyd and Sydney Scatcherd sparked the comeback with a few crucial blocks. The superb defence translated into elevated offence. Jessica Osczevski recorded the set point with a clever tip. The Cougars continued rolling in the third set and won 25-22 to take a 2-1 advantage. However, the resilient Bisons team showed why they are ranked ninth in the country. Manitoba claimed victory in the fourth set, then sealing the win with a 15-7 deciding fifth set. 

It’s been a tough start to the season for MRU, who sit 1-7 after eight games. They’ll look to bounce back next weekend for a clash against crosstown rivals, the University of Calgary Dinos at the Jack Simpson Gym.

MRU men’s hockey falls to MacEwan on the road

The MacEwan Griffins men’s hockey team upset the U SPORTS seventh-ranked MRU Cougars with a 3-2 win on Friday night in Edmonton. Mount Royal continued to deal with the injury bug, most notably with starting goaltender Shane Farkas being sidelined after being forced to leave the game last weekend against Alberta. However, the Cougars remain solid between the pipes with Riley Sims taking the reigns in net. Sims stopped 25 shots in Friday’s loss.

Connor Bouchard scored his ninth of the year on Friday. After the weekend, Bouchard solely possesses first overall in points in Canada West with 26 in just 12 games. 

Kasey Hiemstra notched his first career U SPORTS goal on Friday night, making it 2-1 in the second period for the Cougars. Unfortunately, the lead didn’t last long and the Griffins tied it up just a few minutes later. MacEwan scored early in the third and held on for the crucial victory.

Mount Royal was able to avenge the defeat on Saturday at home with a 5-1 win.

Brilliance on the powerplay leads Mount Royal women’s hockey over MacEwan.

After Mount Royal secured a 4-1 win at home over the Griffins on Friday night, the two teams headed up Highway 2 for a rematch in Edmonton. 

MacEwan went up 2-0 in the first and things were not looking good for MRU. However, the Cougars got one back just before the intermission. Athena Hauck made a great pass to Jori Hansen-Young to cut the lead to one.

Sydney Benko tied the game at two in the following period with Mount Royal’s second powerplay goal of the game. The forward finished the night with a goal and two assists. 

Midway through the final frame, the Cougars gain their first lead of the game. Emma Bergesen scored on a wrist shot from the point while the Griffins were down a skater. Bergesen’s goal would be the decider and is her third game-winning goal of the year, leading Canada West.

Jordyn Hutt added an empty netter to cement a 4-2 win for the 11-3-0 Mount Royal squad.