Oct. 15, 2024 – Thanksgiving weekend was stuffed full of action across Canada West.
The week kicked off with an exciting golf championship in Kelowna, as the UBC women and UBC Okanagan men took home the team titles. On the ice, hockey entered its second week of play, while soccer hit its penultimate regular season weekend with lots of playoff positioning at stake.
The Stewart Cup in Calgary brought together many of the conference’s best cross country runners, while Lethbridge and Calgary wrapped up the Rugby 15s regular season schedule. Both teams will now look forward to joining west coast foes Victoria and UBC in the final four, as Rugby 15s Championship action begins this Thursday in Calgary.
Here are your Canada West Players of the Week.
Women’s Rugby 15s – Charli Helland (Lethbridge)
Oct. 12 vs CGY: 3 tries in a 64-17 win
Charli Helland stepped up big in a 64-17 win over the Dinos, pushing through physical pain to rack up 15 points and make a couple of huge tackles. Despite the adversity, she was a game-changer and key to the team’s success.
Helland and the Pronghorns have secured third place in the Canada West Rugby 15s standings, finishing with a record of 4-2. They’ll look to turn heads as underdogs when they take on Victoria in the semifinals this Thursday at McMahon stadium in Calgary.
View Women’s Rugby 15s: Standings | Schedule
Women’s Soccer – Megan Sun (UBCO Heat)
Oct. 11 at TRU – 44 min played, 2 goals, 1 GWG, 3 SOG, 3 shots
Megan Sun came into the match as a second-half substitute and proceeded to play hero for the UBCO Heat, singlehandedly changing the outlook of the Pacific Division playoff picture.
After her team fell behind 2-1 to the WolfPack, and crucial playoff positioning hanging in the balance, Sun tied the match in the 79th minute. With the game in stoppage time, Sun won a race to a loose ball and drew a penalty. She stepped up and scored her second of the match to give the Heat the win.
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​A UBCO loss would have seen TRU vault the Heat into 4th in the Pacific Division standings. Instead, Sun’s heroics leave the Heat on the brink of securing their second-straight playoff berth as they now sit 5 points clear of their Interior BC rivals with two games remaining.
View WSOC: Standings | Schedule | Leaders
Men’s Soccer – Ronan Woodroffe (UBCO Heat)
Oct. 11 vs TRU – 4 saves, 1 penalty stop, 1 GA, 1 win (2-1 Heat victory)
​Oct. 12 vs TRU – 6 saves, 1 penalty stop, 1 GA, 1 win (1-0 Heat victory)
Woodroffe set a pair of UBCO career records with his 10 saves in two wins against the TRU WolfPack this past weekend. He became the Heat’s career saves leader with 188, passing former Heat Nicholas Reitsma’s previous record of 178. He also set a new team wins record with 12, passing the old mark of 11 held by Mitch McCaw. His 10 saves also moves him into a tie for 10th for most saves in a single season in Canada West history with 84.
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​His performance was punctuated by a pair of penalty stops against the WolfPack, one in each game. Woodroffe stopped Jonathan Rinaldi to keep his team ahead 1-0 on Friday night before making another penalty save on Minwoo Kang on Saturday when the game was still knotted at zeroes.
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View MSOC: Standings | Schedule | Leaders
Women’s Hockey – Aliya Jomha (Mount Royal Cougars)
Oct. 11 at UBC: 1 A, 1 PT
​Oct. 12 at UBC: 2 G, 1 A, 3 PTS
Coming off a sweep of the TWU Spartans, the Cougars women’s hockey team hit the road to UBC and looked to continue their undefeated season. Taking on the defending Canada West champions, Aliya Jomha stepped up huge for the Cougars.
On Friday night, Jomha added an assist in an impressive 2-0 victory. The fourth year Edmonton product then had a monster game on Saturday, netting two goals and an assist to help MRU sweep the Thunderbirds.
View WHKY: Standings | Schedule | Statistics
Men’s Hockey – Clay Hanus (Mount Royal Cougars)
Oct. 11 vs UBC: 1 G, 2 A, 3 PTS
​Oct. 12 vs UBC: 1 G, 1 A, 2 PTS
Hanus was at the heart of a memorable weekend for the Cougars men’s hockey team.
With his team trailing late in Friday’s weekend opener against No. 8 ranked UBC, the third-year rearguard from Excelsior, Minnesota answered the call. Hanus picked up a goal and two assists, helping MRU tally four times in the final three minutes to lead the Cougars to a victory that was equal parts improbable and remarkable. One of his assists helped tie the game with just nine seconds remaining. The Cougars would go on to win the game in regulation, scoring with just under two seconds remaining to earn the stunning victory.
Hanus was solid again during a 4-3 win on Saturday, picking up a goal and a helper to lead the Cougars to a weekend sweep over their division rivals.
View MHKY: Standings | Schedule | Statistics
Women’s Golf – Elizabeth Labbe (UBC Thunderbirds)
CW Championships: Round 1 – 72 (-1)
CW Championships: Round 2 – 66 (-7)
Elizabeth Labbe fired a tournament low seven under-par 66 in her second and final round of the 2024 Canada West Golf Championships, claiming individual gold while helping lead the Thunderbirds to a fifth consecutive conference title.
The fourth-year from Quebec City was one of just two golfers to shoot under par in both rounds of the championship while the Thunderbirds were the only team to finish in the red, completing the tournament a combined -16 for a 34 stroke margin of victory.
Men’s Golf – Ryan Gillis (UBCO Heat)
CW Championships: Round 1 – 64 (-8)
CW Championships: Round 2 – 71 (-1)
Ryan Gillis was clearly feeling right at home during the 2024 Canada West Golf Championships, hosted in Kelowna at the Okanagan Golf Club. His brilliant performance helped him claim the individual men’s title and helped the Heat to a first place team finish.
Gillis blitzed the course in Round 1, shooting an impressive eight under-par 64, tying the lowest round ever recorded at a CW championship. He then shot a one under-par 71 the next day to bring home the win, finishing two strokes ahead of teammate Thomas Lemay. ​
He becomes the third consecutive member of the Heat to win the individual gold medal after Justin Towill’s back-to-back titles in 2022 and 2023.
Women’s Cross Country – Lauren McNeil (UBCO Heat)
Stewart Cup: Individual Champion – 25:53.3
In her first race for the UBCO Heat in three years, Lauren McNeil picked up right where she left off winning the Stewart Cup on Saturday.
The Canada West and U SPORTS silver medalist back in 2021, McNeil won her third race as a member of the Heat, outpacing the second place finisher by one minute and 16 seconds. McNeil is back at UBCO after attending the school as an exchange student in 2021 and is coming off a gold medal with Team Great Britain in the women’s team half marathon at the 2024 European Athletics Championships.
View XC: Schedule
Men’s Cross Country – ​ Ron MacLean (Alberta Golden Bears)
Stewart Cup: Individual Champion – 23:10.8
Ron MacLean picked up his first career cross-country individual title, winning the Stewart Cup at Canmore Park in Calgary.
MacLean finished with a time of 23:10.08, beating Yemane Mulugeta from Trinity Western by less than two seconds. Prior to Saturday, MacLean’s best finish was 2nd at the 2022 Canada West Championship.
The Alberta Golden Bears and Pandas will host the 2024 Canada West Championship, October 26th at Stoney Creek Park in Camrose.
View XC: Schedule
About Players of the Week:
The Canada West Players of the Week is a weekly celebration of athletic achievements across the conference. Each week, deserving student-athletes are nominated by SIDs from each member institution. Canada West office staff review nominations and select the recipients.
About Canada West:
As the leading university athletic conference in the country, Canada West is home to student-athletes that excel in the classroom and their communities. The conference is comprised of 17 member institutions spanning from Victoria to Winnipeg, with over 3,200 student-athletes competing across 14 sports. Canada West’s mission is to train leaders and build champions by providing leadership in the delivery, regulation, and promotion of university level high performance sports programs throughout western Canada.