UNews - Shauntelle Williams

Horns women's hockey team looks to get back on track

trevor.kenney — Fri, 15 Nov 2013 23:08:20 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Pronghorns women’s hockey team returns to action this week after their first half bye a week ago, hosting the Manitoba Bisons for a pair of games at Nicholas Sheran Arena.

The bye could not have come at a better time for the Horns, having lost three games in a row, including being swept by the Alberta Pandas in their last conference action in Edmonton.

The Pronghorns will look to limit scoring chances this weekend when they host the Manitoba Bisons for a two-game set at Nicholas Sheran Arena.

Those two losses to the Pandas dropped the Horns to two games under .500 and they currently sit sixth in the conference with a record of 3-5-2. While the conference has seen some separation in the standings in the past few weeks, only eight points separate the first place Saskatchewan Huskies and UBC Thunderbirds and seventh place Calgary Dinos.

If the Horns are going to make a move up the standings this season, they will need to shore up their defensive game. The Horns are tied for the most goals allowed in the conference with 31. Shauntelle Williams and Crystal Patterson have split the goaltending duties thus far, with both starting five contests, but neither of them rank among the top ten in Canada West goals against averages.

Another area of concern for the Horns is the team’s specialty team units. Currently, the Pronghorns are ranked last in the conference in penalty killing (79.5%) and seventh in power play (98.1%).

Offensively, the Horns have scored 21 goals in 10 games are led by the trio of Sadie Lenstra, Sarah Spence and Kirsten Reeves. Lenstra has four goals and two assists, while Spence and Reeves each have six points.

For the Bisons, the 2013-14 season has been up and down through the first five weekends of action, and they sit one spot above the Horns in fifth place with a 5-4-1 record. Despite splitting their last two series with the Calgary Dinos and Regina Cougars, the Bisons have earned at least one point every weekend thus far.

The Bisons rank in the middle of the pack in both goals for and goals against with 22 and 21 respectively, but have the third best penalty killing unit in the conference, killing off 91% of their penalties.

Between the pipes, the Bisons have had three different goaltenders see action but rookie Amanda Schubert has the superior numbers of the three. In five appearances, Schubert has a 1.29 goals-against-average and a 0.942 save percentage.

Meagan Vestby leads the Bison offensive attack with one goal and a conference best 11 assists. Kyleigh Palmer and Maggie Litchfield-Medd lead the team in goals with four apiece.

Puck drop for both Friday and Saturday night’s games are scheduled for 7 p.m. and the games will also be streamed live on http://canadawest.tv

Hockey programs take it on the road

trevor.kenney — Thu, 31 Oct 2013 22:01:33 +0000

For the first time this season, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Pronghorns women’s hockey team heads out on the road for a two game set, traveling to Edmonton to face the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta Pandas.

Through the first four weeks of the season, the ‘Horns have only played one road game, the front half of a home-and-home series with the Calgary Dinos.

If the early season results are any indication, every point is going to be valuable. So far, five points separate first to seventh in the Canada West standings, with the Horns sitting in sixth at 3-3-2. The Pandas (4-2-2) enter the weekend in fourth place, only two points ahead of the Horns.

After splitting their series last weekend with the Saskatchewan Huskies, the Horns need to string some wins together if they hope to move up the standings.

Head coach Chandy Kaip continues to platoon the goaltending duties between Shauntelle Williams and Crystal Patterson with both seeing action in four games. Williams has the better numbers with a 1.83 goals-against-average. Sadie Lenstra and Sarah Spence lead the Horns offensively with six points and are tied for eighth in conference scoring.

The Pandas enter the weekend after losing both games to the UBC Thunderbirds in Vancouver last weekend, but earned a point in Saturday’s 2-1 shootout loss.

Puck drop in Edmonton is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Friday and 6 p.m. on Saturday, and both games with be webcast on http://canadawest.tv.

Pronghorn men

Still in search of their elusive first win of the season, the Pronghorns men’s hockey team heads out on the road again this weekend, traveling to Vancouver to face the UBC Thunderbirds for a pair of games.

This weekend will also put an end to a difficult stretch to open the season, as seven of the Horns' first eight conference games have been played on the road. After this weekend, the Horns will play five of their next eight games at home.

Offensively, the Horns have struggled, scoring just six goals in six games and if they are going to right the ship this season, they will need to increase their productivity. Specialty teams continue to be an area of concern as well, with the Horns ranking last in power play efficiency and second last in penalty killing.

Third-year forward Cass Mappin leads the team in scoring and has been involved in more than half of the Horns goals with four points.

For the Thunderbirds (1-5-0), the 2013-14 season has also gotten off to a rocky start and they enter the weekend having lost three games in a row, including being swept by the Alberta Golden Bears last weekend in Edmonton.

While not as drastic as the Horns' offensive woes, the Thunderbirds are the third lowest scoring team in the conference with 16 goals in six games. They have also allowed 28 goals against, the second most in the conference.

Puck drop for both Friday and Saturday night’s games is scheduled for 7 p.m. PST at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre. Live stats for both games can be found at http://www.leaguestat.com/canadawest/mens/en/stats/index.php?season_id=22.

Busy weekend upcoming for Horns Athletics

trevor.kenney — Fri, 04 Oct 2013 18:23:28 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Pronghorns women’s hockey team took a small step back last season, missing the Canada West playoff party. On Friday night, the Horns will begin their quest to return to the post-season when they open the regular season against the defending Canada West champion UBC Thunderbirds at Nicholas Sheran Arena.

With 19 players returning from last season, the Horns have an experienced group, led by senior defenceman Glenda Edie and fourth-year defenders Courtney Minor and Katie Mucha. Add in the returning goaltending tandem of Crystal Patterson and Shauntelle Williams, and the Horns are in good shape in their own zone.

Despite being one of the lowest scoring teams in the conference last season, the Pronghorns possess a group of talented forwards and will need to score by committee to generate the offence needed to get them into the playoffs once again. Megan Bailey had a breakout season last year and her team leading 16 points tripled her output from the previous season. Third-year forward Kirsten Reeves led the Horns last season with 12 goals, putting her in a tie for third in the conference, and she will be leaned on heavily for production again this season.

With seven of their first eight games at home to start the year, the Horns have a great opportunity for a fast start.

Puck drop for both Friday and Saturday nights is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Nicholas Sheran Arena.

Horns Soccer

The Proghorns men's and women's soccer programs are both on the road this weekend, the men heading to Winnipeg to face the Wesmen, while the women are on the west coast to challenge the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Victoria and Fraser Valley.

Coming off a weekend split last weekend with the Mount Royal Cougars, the men’s soccer team is at 2-6-0 on the season. With seven games remaining in the season, the Horns are only four points out of a playoff spot.

The Horns, who have scored just seven goals in eight games, will need to generate more offense if they are to make a push to the post-season. Guilherme Costa leads the teams in goals with two, both coming from the penalty spot.

The Wesmen (2-4-2 CW), won just one of their first six games but earned four points last weekend in Calgary, beating the Dinos 3-2 before completing the trip with a 1-1 tie the next day.

On the women's front, the Horns (0-5-2) are still searching for their first victory of the season after suffering two losses in Saskatchewan last weekend, dropping a 2-0 decision to the Saskatchewan Huskies and 2-1 to the Regina Cougars.

Offensive production continues to be the Horns undoing so far this season, only scoring three goals thus far.

Defensively, the Horns have been solid, having only allowed 11 goals in seven games.

Friday night, the Horns face the Victoria Vikes (4-2-0), before travelling to Abbotsford on Saturday to meet up with the Fraser Valley Cascades (2-3-1).

Women's Rugby

Heading into the final weekend of the regular season, the Pronghorns women’s rugby team heads out on the road for a pair of games versus provincial rivals Calgary Dinos and Alberta Pandas.

Sitting at 1-1 and with a guaranteed spot in the Canada West Championship tournament (which the Horns host Oct. 18-20), this weekend’s results will determine the seeding for the Canada West semifinals.

Friday in Calgary, the Horns will have revenge on their mind when they face the Calgary Dinos (2-1). The Dinos ended the Horns' 22-game conference winning streak last season with a 31-18 win and then knocked the Horns out of title contention with a 33-32 victory in the Canada West semifinal in Edmonton.

The Horns are led by Kim Leavitt’s three tries, which places her in a tie for second in the conference, and Tiffany Wideen, who has taken over the kicking duties this season and has connected on three converts. For the Dinos, Natasha Loucks leads a balanced attack with three tries and Kate Scotland has connected on six converts and two penalty goals for 18 points.

Sunday, the Horns take on the defending Canada West champion Alberta Pandas (3-0). So far, the Pandas have yet to be tested. Following their 62-17 trouncing of the Dinos to open the season, the Pandas shut out both of their BC opponents on the road, beating the Victoria Vikes 49-0 and the UBC T-Birds 39-0.

Men's Basketball

Finally, the Horns men's basketball team will host MacEwan ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ for a pre-season tilt, Friday night at 7 p.m. in the 1st Choice Savings Centre gym.

MacEwan is currently an Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) team but will be joining Canada West next season. The matchup will be a solid first test for the Horns, who are itching to get into game action after a long practise schedule.

Horns hosting defending Canada West champs to open season

trevor.kenney — Thu, 03 Oct 2013 22:39:53 +0000

Following the best season in school history in 2011-12, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Pronghorns women’s hockey team took a step back last season and missed the playoffs. With a veteran laden roster set to return this season, the team looks to move back into the playoff picture.

A total of 19 players are returning from last season, although the ‘Horns have lost a good portion of their leadership group with the graduation of captain Ashley Beattie and Amy Van Buskirk. While both blueliners made great contributions to the program, the back-end is in good hands with senior Glenda Edie and fourth-year defenders Courtney Minor and Katie Mucha.

Goaltender Crystal Patterson will play a key role in any success the Horns women's hockey team has this season.

The returning goaltending tandem of Crystal Patterson and Shauntelle Williams give the Pronghorns a solid one-two punch in net. Patterson, a 2011-12 Canada West first team all-star, has carried the load the last two seasons and will look to replicate her stellar 2011-12 season. After leading the conference with six shutouts in 2011-12, she did not record one last season but had solid numbers with a 2.31 goals-against-average and 0.917 save percentage.

Despite being one of the lowest scoring teams in the conference last season, the Pronghorns possess a group of talent forwards and will look to score by committee. Megan Bailey had a breakout season last year and her team leading 16 points tripled her output from the previous campaign.

Third-year forward Kirsten Reeves led the ‘Horns last season with 12 goals, putting her in a tie for third in the conference, and she will be leaned on heavily for production again this season.

2011-12 Canada West rookie of the year Sadie Lenstra will look to rebound from an injury plagued 2012-13 campaign. After leading all Canada West rookies in scoring, Lenstra missed more than half of the season last year and never really found her stride.

Sarah Spence will be another forward to watch for the ‘Horns this season. Spence had a solid rookie season last year, registering 13 points, and will be counted on to take another step forward.

With seven of their first eight games at home to start the year, the ‘Horns have a great opportunity for a fast start.

The UBC Thunderbirds will not sneak up on the competition in 2013-14. Coming off an improbable season which saw the ‘Birds go from one regular season win in 2011-12 to a 17-7-4 regular season record, a Canada West Championship and a fifth-place finish at the CIS Championships in 2012-13, UBC will be the number one target in the conference.

Back between the pipes is Second Team All-Canadian Daniel Dube, while Second Team Canada West All-Star Christi Capozzi and Sarah Casorso will anchor the back end. Up front Second Team Canada West All-Star Tatiana Rafter, along with Rebecca Unrau, Stephanie Schaupmeyer, and Nicole Saxvik will expected to lead the charge offensively.

Keep your eye on towering newcomers Kathleen Cahoon (6’1) and Hannah Heisler (6’0) at forward, while fellow rookies Devon Morrison and Stephanie Payne could have an immediate impact on the blueline.

Reigning CIS and Canada West Coach of the Year Graham Thomas enters his second year behind the bench and is eager to prove last year was not a fluke.

Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Nicholas Sheran Arena both Friday and Saturday nights. Both games will also be webcast on www.canadawest.tv, home for all Canada West webcasts.

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Horns women's hockey team looks to get back on track

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