Posts Tagged ‘Golden Bears’
Monday, March 28th, 2011
It was a long trip home for the Golden Bears hockey squad Monday – literally and figuratively. After going into the University Cup as the number-three seed coming off the program’s 49th conference championship, the Alberta squad returned home today after dropping both their games at the national tournament in Fredericton, New Brunswick.
The Bears opened the tournament against the Atlantic conference finalists from St. Francis Xavier Friday night. St. FX was fresh off a 2-1 setback a day earlier to McGill in the tournament opener, and despite a tentative start from both teams, the X-Men would eventually come out on top scoring a 3-1 win over head coach Eric Thurston’s team. That loss for the Bears put them in a difficult spot heading into Saturday and the second of their two round robin games.
Needing a four goal win over McGill – or a bizarre 3-0 win over McGill coupled with a shootout win with St. FX after the game to break a tie between the Bears and X-Men – in order to advance to the final Sunday, Alberta came up short in a 6-3 loss to the Redmen. Specialty teams killed the Bears Saturday, going o-for-4 on the powerplay while the penalty kill surrendered a trio of McGill goals.
The losses marked the first time that the Canada West champion went 0-2 at the University Cup since 2007 when Saskatchewan went winless at the tournament after defeating the Bears in the conference final. Along with Alberta the Canada West’s other representative the Calgary Dinos went 0-2 at the tournament.
It was a disappointing conclusion to the careers of several key Bears including the dyanmic duo of Derek Ryan and Chad Klassen, along with Bears captain Eric Hunter who will all move on from the program after impressive collegiate careers.
Tags: Golden Bears, hockey, University Cup, university of alberta
Posted in Home |
Thursday, March 24th, 2011
Jerry Friesen has resigned as head coach of the University of Alberta Golden Bears football squad after a decade leading the program.
The announcement was made in a press release sent out early Thursday morning in which Friesen said he was resigning to “pursue other opportunities.” Friesen went on to say: “I am proud of the Golden Bears and all that we accomplished together and I am confident the U of A Golden Bears will continue to improve and achieve their goals. You will have to speak with Vang Ioannides to know the direction the club will take. When I am ready I will publicly discuss my other opportunities.”
In his ten seasons guiding the program Friesen amassed a 36-40 conference record – a mark that was bolstered by back-to-back 7-1 seasons in 2004 and 2005. Thanks to his team’s impressive 2004 campaign Friesen was awarded the Frank Tindall Trophy as CIS Coach of the Year.
But aside from the two seasons in which the Bears went 7-1 and made it to the conference championship – losing both times to the Saskatchewan Huskies – Friesen’s teams went a combined 22-38, good for a winning percentage of only 0.367.
The search for a replacement will presumably start immediately, with recruiting for next season the top priority for whoever steps in. Acting Athletic Director Vang Ioannides said he anticipated “a further announcement in the coming week.” Ian Reade will be stepping in as permanent Athletic Director in April, so it is likely the ball will really get rolling on a search for Friesen’s successor after the calendar turns to April.
Tags: Football, Golden Bears, Jerry Friesen, university of alberta
Posted in Home, University Sports |
Sunday, March 13th, 2011
For the 49th time in program history the Alberta Golden Bears hockey team is conference champs. Thanks to a two game sweep of the Calgary Dinos this weekend in the Canada West Finals Alberta claimed their fourth consecutive conference title and 10th in 11 years.
In their first trip to the conference finals since 1996 Calgary was overwhelmed by the Bears explosive offensive attack, getting outscored a combined 11-1 over the two game series. Friday night saw conference MVP Derek Ryan net a pair, while Sean Ringrose would add one as well in a 3-0 Alberta win. Rookie netminder Kurtis Mucha continued his hot post-season play stopping all 32 shots directed his way to record his second shutout in three playoff games. (more…)
Tags: basketball, CIS, CWUAA, Golden Bears, hockey, Nationals, Pandas, Track and Field, university of alberta
Posted in Home |
Monday, March 7th, 2011
It was a busy weekend for U of A squads with five teams in action, including both the Pandas and Golden Bears volleyball teams who were on the road playing at nationals.
On the women’s side the number-four seeded Pandas were in Quebec City taking on the nation’s best and came away from the tournament in fourth. Alberta opened the tournament for the second year in a row against the University of Montreal Carabins, coming away from that matchup with a 3-1 win. That would be all the winning the Pandas would manage though, as they fell in the national semi-finals to the eventual champions from UBC – who won their fourth consecutive national title – and then finished off the tournament and their season with a bronze medal game loss to another Canada West team the Trinity Spartans 3-1. (more…)
Tags: basketball, CIS, CWUAA, Golden Bears, hockey, Nationals, Pandas, university of alberta, Volleyball
Posted in Amateur Sports, Home, University Sports |
Monday, February 28th, 2011
The rivalry between the Alberta Pandas and Manitoba Bisons has seen some great series over the last several seasons, but don’t add this weekend’s Canada West final to that list after the Pandas were swept at home in two games by the Herd – at least if your a Pandas fan.
After finishing first in the conference with a 17-4-3 record over the course of the regular season the Pandas couldn’t use the home ice advantage they’d earned to book a return trip to the national tournament losing 2-o on Friday night before a 2-1 loss Saturday in the best-of-three conference final. (more…)
Tags: basketball, CIS, CWUAA, Golden Bears, hockey, Pandas, university of alberta, Volleyball
Posted in Amateur Sports, Home, University Sports |
Monday, February 21st, 2011
Four games at Clare Drake Arena this weekend resulted in four Alberta wins, with the Pandas sweeping the visiting Saskatchewan Huskies in their Canada West women’s hockey semi-final series, while the Bears swept the Manitoba Bisons in their final regular season home series.
Friday afternoon at the Drake the Pandas got goals from Karla Bourke, Leah Copeland and Katie Borbely, along with a shutout performance from Kanesa Shwetz to down the Huskies 3-0 in the opener of the two teams best-of-three CW semi-final series. That night the Bears – who came into the weekend looking to clinch first overall in the conference with four games remaining in the regular season – needed a shootout to beat the desperate Manitoba Bisons with captain Eric Hunter delivering the lone SO goal to lift the Green and Gold to the win. (more…)
Tags: CIS, CWUAA, Golden Bears, hockey, Pandas, university of alberta, Volleyball
Posted in Amateur Sports, Home, University Sports |
Sunday, February 13th, 2011
Both the Bears and Pandas basketball squads bid farewell this weekend to the Main Gym in style with a pair of sweeps over provincial rival Calgary, finishing their regular seasons in style as they head into the postseason.
Friday night the Pandas took a 13 point advantage into halftime and wouldn’t let that lead get away against the Dinos in an eventual 85-77 win for the home side. Marissa Haylett lead the way for Alberta with 24 points, with the Pandas withstanding a fourth quarter rally by Calgary – who outscored the Pandas 28-18 in the final quarter. The following night with a chance to host a first round playoff series on the line, Haylett would again lead her team in scoring. The fifth-year senior netted a game high 28, helping her team to a 75-68 win and a home playoff series in two weeks time against either Fraser Valley or Calgary depending on how the final weekend of regular season play goes this coming weekend.
On the men’s side, Alberta showed no mercy on Friday night in a 94-51 domination of the Dinos. Jordan Baker’s 23 were a team and game high in a contest that saw all 11 Bears score points. Much like the Pandas Saturday night was about a playoff home date. Alberta came out and took care of their business with a 78-68 win, but unlike the Pandas, the Bears will have to wait and see if they host a playoff series. Victoria currently holds down the fourth spot in the conference, and will have to drop both their games next weekend in order for Baker and company to host a playoff series. (more…)
Tags: basketball, CIS, Golden Bears, hockey, Ian Reade, Pandas, university of alberta, Volleyball
Posted in Amateur Sports, Home, University Sports |
Sunday, February 6th, 2011
Losers of three straight heading into the weekend, the number-four ranked Golden Bears hockey squad snapped out of their slump this weekend with a pair of wins over the lowly Regina Cougars at Clare Drake Arena. Sparked by new line combinations that split up conference leading scorers Chad Klassen and Derek Ryan, the Bears earned a 5-3 win Friday night thanks to two goal performances from Ryan and Sean Ringrose. Alberta survived a third period scare from Regina, who outshot the Bears 20-12 in the final frame and had the lead down to 4-3 late before an empty netter sealed the deal.
Saturday night, it was all Golden Bears as they peppered rookie netminder A.J. Whiffen with 51 shots, getting four past the former Weyburn Red Wings standout in a 4-1 win that could’ve been much uglier on the scoreboard. The Cougars managed only 13 shots on goal, with Real Cyr stopping all but one, with Regina getting a third period goal on a harmless looking shot Cyr misplayed with his glove.
The wins keep the Bears in top spot in the conference with 32 points – just two more than second place Saskatchewan who swept UBC on the road this weekend. Alberta’s next action is against the aforementioned Huskies this coming weekend in Saskatoon in a showdown for first place. (more…)
Tags: basketball, Golden Bears, hockey, Pandas, university of alberta, Volleyball, Winter Universiade
Posted in Amateur Sports, More, University Sports |
Monday, January 31st, 2011
With Winnipeg rolling into town this weekend to take on the Golden Bears and Pandas in hoops action, only one thing was on the minds of both U of A squads – clinch a playoff spot. While the Bears would sweep away the University of Winnipeg Wesmen to ensure the Green and Gold of a playoff spot, the Pandas only managed a split against UW, but that was still enough to secure a postseason berth for head coach Scott Edwards team. (more…)
Tags: basketball, CIS, CWUAA, Golden Bears, Pandas, Swimming, university of alberta, Volleyball
Posted in Amateur Sports, Home, University Sports |
Sunday, January 23rd, 2011
It was a tale of two very different weekends on the ice for U of A teams, with the Pandas coming away with a pair of big wins against the Calgary Dinos, while their male counterparts were swept at the hands of the Dinos.
For the Pandas their weekend got underway Friday night, eeking out a 2-1 shootout victory in Calgary. Hayley Wickenheiser had the Dinos lone regulation goal, but wasn’t available in the shootout after suffering a knee-on-knee collision late in the third. Wickenheiser wouldn’t return, and didn’t make the trip to Edmonton for Saturday night’s game at Clare Drake Arena. Rookie Karla Bourke had the only goal in the shootout to lift the Pandas to the win.
Saturday night against the Wickenheiser-less Dinos, the Pandas were once again lifted to victory by Bourke who scored the games lone goal at the 9:56 mark of the second. It was a huge sweep for Alberta who came into the weekend only one point up on Calgary for first place in the conference. The Pandas have a bye next week before traveling to Regina the following weekend.
As for the Bears, their weekend was another disappointing weekend, being swept for the first time since 2008, and in the process seeing Calgary get their first win at Clare Drake Arena since October of 2006 on Friday night in a 3-2 Dinos win.
Despite fighting back from a 2-0 deficit, the Bears couldn’t find a way to win Friday, and came out on the wrong end of the scoreboard again Saturday night in Calgary in the second half of the home-and-home suffering a 1-0 loss.
The Bears are now four points up on Manitoba for first in the conference, but continue to struggle having gone 4-4-2 in their last 10 games. The team will look to regroup with a bye, and then host Regina February 4-5. (more…)
Tags: basketball, CIS, CWUAA, Golden Bears, hockey, Pandas, university of alberta, Volleyball
Posted in Amateur Sports, Home, University Sports |
Sunday, January 16th, 2011
It took exactly 12 sets combined for the Golden Bears and Pandas to easily walk away from their weekend games against the Regina Cougars with two wins a piece for the Green and Gold.
The number-two ranked Golden Bears found little resistance from Regina, who has only one win on the season and now sits at 1-9 on the season. Spencer Leiske and Jay Olmstead led the attack both nights for Alberta, with ten kills a piece both nights. It was a ho-hum start to the second half for the Bears, who have their eyes set on first place in the conference.
It was an equally smooth weekend for the number-seven Pandas who like the Bears dismantled the Cougars, and are now riding a season high five game winning streak after a 1-4 start to the season. Krista Zubick led the Pandas in kills both nights with nine, helping push her team into a tie for fifth in the conference with Calgary.
Both teams head to Winnipeg this coming weekend for games against the Manitoba Bisons.
(more…)
Tags: basketball, CIS, CWUAA, Golden Bears, hockey, Pandas, university of alberta, Volleyball
Posted in Amateur Sports, University Sports |
Saturday, November 27th, 2010
The Pandas basketball squad made a major statement this weekend with a two-game sweep of the number-two ranked team in the nation, the Victoria Vikes at the Main Gym.
Entering the weekend as the number-nine team in the nation, Alberta will be sure to see their stock rise this week when the latest top 1o poll comes out on Tuesday, while Victoria can expect a big drop in respect from the voters after being swept. (more…)
Tags: basketball, Golden Bears, hockey, Pandas, university of alberta, Volleyball
Posted in Amateur Sports, Home, University Sports |
Sunday, November 14th, 2010
The Golden Bears football squad couldn’t play the role of upset specialists for a second consecutive weekend, with the heavily favoured Calgary Dinos handing the Bears a 56-3 defeat Saturday afternoon in the Hardy Cup.
It was an ugly game for Alberta from start to finish, with the Green and Gold trailing 33-1 at the half. (more…)
Tags: basketball, Football, Golden Bears, hockey, Pandas, Soccer, university of alberta, Volleyball
Posted in Amateur Sports, Home |
It was a long trip home for the Golden Bears hockey squad Monday – literally and figuratively. After going into the University Cup as the number-three seed coming off the program’s 49th conference championship, the Alberta squad returned home today after dropping both their games at the national tournament in Fredericton, New Brunswick.
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