Out of town scoreboard
Cougars teams don’t disappoint away from home
Autumn McDowell
Sports Editor
While the University of Regina hometown crowd was able to take in a handful of Cougar action last weekend, a few U of R teams hit the road in search of a win.
Women’s basketball
The University of Regina women’s basketball team made the trip to Quebec to compete in the McGill Redburn Classic, a preseason tournament, from Oct. 21-23. Prior to the weekend, the Cougars were sitting pretty in exhibition action at 5-0 and looked to keep their undefeated streak going.
On Oct. 21, the Cougars took on the Carleton Ravens in their first game of the tournament. The Cougars came out strong, leading by as much as 14 points, but a third-period flurry by the Ravens had the Cougars hanging on by the skin of their teeth.
The Cougars were eventually able to hang on to the lead, earning a 61-56 victory and pushing their undefeated streak to six.
Regina was up against the host team, the McGill Redmen, on Oct. 22. Third-year guard Michelle Clark was able to come up big for the Cougars, hitting nine of 13 three-point attempts. With the help of Carly Graham (14 points) and Joanna Zalesiak (11 points), the Cougars took control on route to an 82-74 victory.
The final day of the tournament saw the Cougars take on the Brock Badgers, who were hoping to put the first blemish on Regina’s preseason record. Unfortunately, the Cougars could never fully recover from the 22-point deficit that they faced in the third quarter. Even a 27-8 point swing and back-to-back three pointers by Graham couldn’t dig the Cougars out of the hole they were in. As a result, Brock took the victory and the streak by a score of 65-56.
Regina finished the tournament with a 2-1 record, Graham was named to the tournament’s all-star team, while Clark was named tournament MVP. The Cougars are scheduled to wrap up the preseason with three games in Calgary from Oct. 28-30.
Men’s volleyball
The University of Regina men’s volleyball team made the trip to Calgary to participate in the 2011 Husky Dino Cup from Oct. 21-22.
Despite a powerhouse game from middle blocker Joel Colter, which saw him boast a .600 hitting percentage and four blocks, the Cougars could not match the play of the Calgary Dinos, as the host team took Game 1 of the preseason tournament 3-1 (23-25, 25-22, 25-17, 25-21).
Regina was on the hunt for a win in its second game of the tournament, as it took on the Alberta Golden Bears. However, it would have to endure a five-set marathon match in order to get it. Despite the lengthy game, the Cougars eventually came away with the victory after pushing the final set to a score of 18-16 in order to get it. With the five-set win (25-20, 21-25, 25-22, 22-25, 18-16), the Cougars finished off Day 1 of the tournament even at 1-1.
When Day 2 of the tournament got underway, the Cougars took on the Queen’s Golden Gaels in Game 3. Unfortunately for Regina, it was unable to keep up with Queen’s, as it lost its final round-robin affair 1-3 (25-12, 25-21, 23-25, 25-20).
The Cougars are set to embark on the regular season with a pair games against the UBC Thunderbirds at the main gym on Oct. 28 at 8 p.m. and Oct. 29 at 6:15 p.m.
Men’s hockey
The men’s hockey team went to Manitoba in search of its first win of the regular season. The trip would not disappoint.
Despite starting the regular season off with a 0-4-0-0 record, the Cougars came out firing on all cylinders in Night 1 of the weekend series against the Bisons.
Manitoba entered the contest with a perfect 4-0 record, which many people thought meant disaster for the Cougars, but Regina managed to dominate on the ice skating away with a 6-1 victory.
Brett Leffler was able to notch two goals in his first appearance this season. while Craig Cuthbert, Matt Strueby, Joel Kot, and Terrance DeLaronde all pitched in with singles. Jeremy Schappert was the lone goal scorer for the Bisons in the loss.
Although the Cougars were feeling good after their first regular-season win. the tables quickly turned as Regina was on the losing end of a 5-1 decision. The lop-sided shot count contributed to the loss, as Manitoba also won that battle 42-12. Lucas Gore turned away 37 shots for the Cougars. but Jared Walker, Jordan Davis and Del Cowan were able to notch singles, while Blair Macaulay beat Regina’s rookie goaltender twice to lead the Bisons to victory.
The Cougars are scheduled to be back at home for a pair of games on Oct. 28-29 against the UBC Thunderbirds. Both games are at the Co-operators Centre and slated for 7 p.m.
