March 3, 2009
CIS WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW
REGINA, Sask. - Four schools from the Canada West will be looking to extend the conference's domination in CIS women's basketball this weekend when the best teams in the country meet at the University of Regina for the 2009 national championship.
The single-elimination tournament, returning to Regina for the first time since 1979 and the second time in history, gets under way Friday with the quarterfinal round.
The Score Television Network will broadcast both semi-finals on Saturday at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. Central Time (7 p.m. - 9 p.m. Eastern) as well as Sunday's gold-medal final at 6 p.m. Central (8 p.m. Eastern). All main-bracket games, including Sunday's bronze-medal match, will be webcast by SSN Canada.
Championship web site: www.cisport.ca/e/championships/w_basketball/2009
The eight teams competing for the 38th Bronze Baby trophy are the top-seeded Simon Fraser Clan (Canada West champions), No. 2 and tourney host Regina Cougars (Canada West finalists), No. 3 Windsor Lancers (OUA champions), No. 4 Alberta Pandas (Canada (West bronze medallists), No. 5 Laval Rouge et Or (QSSF champions), No. 6 Saskatchewan Huskies (Canada West semi-finalists), No. 7 Cape Breton Capers (AUS champions) and No. 8 Ottawa Gee-Gees (OUA finalists).
New national champions will be crowned this week as the UBC Thunderbirds, who defeated Regina 67-46 in the 2008 title match, were eliminated by Simon Fraser in the Canada West Pacific Division final. No team has been able to repeat as CIS champion since the 1996-97 Manitoba Bisons.
Simon Fraser and Ottawa kick off the 2009 tournament Friday at 1 p.m. Central. The other opening-round duels will see Alberta take on Laval at 3 p.m., Regina battle Cape Breton at 6:30 p.m., and Windsor face Saskatchewan at 8:15 p.m.
The West stranglehold on the Bronze Baby trophy is well documented.
Teams currently competing in the Canada West conference (the Canada West and Great Plains conferences merged in 2001-02) have captured 17 straight CIS banners since Laurentian won back-to-back titles in 1989-90 and '90-91.
The 17-year streak includes 12 gold-medal finals between western squads - including the last two and five of the last six -, and national titles for seven western schools including Victoria (4), SFU (3), Winnipeg (3), UBC (3), Manitoba (2), Regina (1) an Alberta (1).
The Bronze Baby has spent the last seven off-seasons in British Columbia following triumphs by SFU (3), UBC (3) and Victoria (1).
Simon Fraser has been established 2009 tournament favourite at the tail-end of yet another spectacular season.
The Clan travel to Regina riding a 27-game winning streak and sporting a 30-1 overall record against CIS opponents in 2008-09. Their only loss of the regular season came in their second outing on October 30, a 57-56 defeat at the hands of Victoria they avenged 24 hours later by dominating the Vikes 87-60.
SFU finished conference play atop the Canada West overall standings with a stellar 22-1 record, went a perfect six-for-six in the conference playoffs, and topped 13 of the season's 14 national coaches polls, including the last 12. They surrendered the No. 1 spot to Alberta following their loss to Victoria but immediately climbed back to the top of the CIS rankings thanks to a 72-62 victory over the Pandas.
The Clan hope history doesn't repeat itself in the province of Saskatchewan however as they were upset by Laval as the No. 1 seed in the opening round of last year's championship held in Saskatoon.
Simon Fraser has met first-round opponent Ottawa only once in the past at the CIS tournament, crushing the Gee-Gees 82-37 in the 2005 quarterfinals en route to the Bronze Baby title.
"We have to go in and play our game, and really take one game at a time," said SFU head coach Bruce Langford, who has led the Clan to the national tournament in each of his eight seasons at the helm. "We have a good assortment of skills and because of that, we have been able to match up well with different teams and different sized teams this season, and that helps immensely."
With a Bronze Baby victory this weekend, the No. 2 Cougars would not only extend the West domination, they would make CIS women's basketball history.
No team has hoisted the coveted trophy on home court since it was first handed out in Saskatoon in 1972.
Regina followed up a national final appearance last winter with one of the best seasons in program history, finishing atop the Great Plains Division standings with an 18-4 mark and claiming a silver medal at the Canada West Final Four.
The CIS tournament hosts struggled against top-ranked Simon Fraser however this year, going 0-3 overall against the Clan including a 68-57 loss in the conference final.
"It's always exciting to play at home, and with the support we have I expect a lot of big crowds this weekend," said third-year head coach Dave Taylor. "Every team here is a quality team and if you don't bring your best game, you're not going to come out on top."
Whether Regina is crowned or not on Sunday, history will be made this week as No. 3 Windsor advances to the end-of-the-year championship for the first time.
The Lancers kept a team-record 21-1 conference mark in 2008-09 and captured the first OUA banner program history. In the Ontario final, they avenged their only loss of the regular schedule – 62-60 to the Gee-Gees on November 8 - with a convincing 68-51 win over Ottawa.
"It is a real privilege for us to be the first University of Windsor women's basketball team to ever represent the school at a national championship. It is an honour to see our names amongst so many great schools that have been there in the past and built an incredible reputation," said fourth-year Lancer head coach Chantal Vallée. "We are excited to find ourselves on new grounds, and we hope to offer great competition all weekend long."
The No. 4 Pandas return to the CIS tournament after a one-year absence looking for the team's second Bronze Baby. It has already been a decade since Alberta beat Victoria 54-46 in the 1999 title match in Thunder Bay, Ont.
The Pandas have played for CIS gold twice since then including in their last tourney appearance two years ago in St. John's, when they dropped a 72-68 gold-medal decision to Simon Fraser.
The 2007 championship also marked the last meeting between Alberta and first-round opponent Laval at Nationals. The Pandas won that quarterfinal duel 71-67.
A trip to the CIS tournament has become a tradition for the No. 5 Rouge et Or, who are making their fifth straight appearance and their ninth in the last 10 years. Laval came oh-so-close to advancing to the national final for the second time in team history a year ago losing in overtime to Regina in the semi-finals after an opening-round upset of Simon Fraser.
In Regina, the Rouge et Or will be looking to become only the second Quebec team to capture the Bronze Baby. Bishop's won back-to-back titles in 1982-83 and '83-84.
"A national championship appearance always makes a team grow quickly," said 24-year Laval head coach Linda Marquis. "We'll do anything to win, but whether we achieve our goal or not, as a young team, we know we'll gain invaluable experience."
The No. 6 Huskies, No. 7 Capers and No. 8 Gee-Gees are three programs that have burst onto the national scene in recent years.
Saskatchewan advances to the championship for the third time in four seasons and for the fourth time in history, while Cape Breton and Ottawa will both play at Nationals for the third time and had never been to the CIS tournament before 2004.
The Huskies, who enter the weekend having lost four of their last five playoff games this winter – including three to Alberta - hope to have better luck than last year in the first round against the OUA champions. Saskatchewan was crushed 70-46 by Ontario champ McMaster in its 2008 opener.
Cape Breton is led by fourth-year forward Kelsey Hodgson of Fredericton, who averaged 25.8 points per outing in conference play to win the CIS scoring race by over seven points a game (Kayla Dykstra, Victoria – 18.6) and the AUS crown by nine points per contest (Amanda Sharpe, UNB – 16.9). The AUS player of the year and AUS championship MVP scored 36 points on Sunday as the Capers downed Dalhousie 80-75 in the conference final.
Ottawa operated a stunning turnaround under first-year head coach Andy Sparks. The Gee-Gees improved from 3-19 to 15-7, upset first-place Toronto to take the OUA East division title and reached the OUA final.
TEAM PROFILES
No. 1 Simon Fraser Clan
Head Coach: Bruce Langford (8th season)
Regular season record: 22-1
Regular season standing: 1st Canada West Pacific Division (1st overall CW)
Playoff record: 6-0
Playoff finish: Canada West champions
Final Top 10 ranking (Feb. 24): No. 1
Best Top 10 ranking (14 weeks): No. 1 (13 weeks – No. 2 in second poll)
Number of weeks in Top 10 (14 weeks): 14
Conference award winners: Courtney Gerwing (student-athlete)
Conference 1st team all-stars: Laurelle Weigl, Robyn Buna
Conference 2nd team all-stars: none
CIS championship appearances (including 2009): 8th
CIS championship all-time record: 15-6
CIS championship best result: 3-time CIS champions (2007 vs. Alberta, 2005 vs. Winnipeg, 2002 vs. Laval)
CIS championship last appearance: 2008 (5th)
CIS championship sequence: 8th straight appearance (longest current streak in CIS)
No. 2 Regina Cougars
Head Coach: Dave Taylor (3rd season)
Regular season record: 18-4
Regular season standing: 1st Canada West Great Plains Division (tied 2nd overall CW)
Playoff record: 3-1
Playoff finish: Canada West finalists
Final Top 10 ranking (Feb. 24): No. 3
Best Top 10 ranking (14 weeks): No. 2 (3 weeks)
Number of weeks in Top 10 (14 weeks): 14
Conference award winners: none
Conference 1st team all-stars: Jessica Lynch
Conference 2nd team all-stars: Chelsea Cassano
CIS championship appearances (including 2009): 13th
CIS championship all-time record: 18-16
CIS championship best result: 1-time CIS champions (2001 – beat Alberta in final)
CIS championship last appearance: 2008 (finalists – lost to UBC in final)
CIS championship sequence: 2nd straight appearance, 9th in 12 years
No. 3 Windsor Lancers
Head Coach: Chantal Vallée (4th season)
Regular season record: 21-1
Regular season standing: 1st OUA West (1st overall OUA)
Playoff record: 3-0
Playoff finish: OUA champions
Final Top 10 ranking (Feb. 24): No. 2
Best Top 10 ranking (14 weeks): No. 2 (8 weeks – last 8 polls)
Number of weeks in Top 10 (14 weeks): 14
Conference award winners (OUA West): Chantal Vallée (coach)
Conference 1st team all-stars (OUA West): Dranadia Roc, Alisa Wulff
Conference 2nd team all-stars (OUA West): none
CIS championship appearances (including 2009): 1st
CIS championship all-time record: 0-0
CIS championship best result: -
CIS championship last appearance: -
CIS championship sequence: 1st appearance in history
No. 4 Alberta Pandas
Head Coach: Scott Edwards (3rd season)
Regular season record: 16-6
Regular season standing: 2nd Canada West Central Division (5th overall Canada West)
Playoff record: 5-2
Playoff finish: Canada West bronze medallists
Final Top 10 ranking (Feb. 24): No. 4
Best Top 10 ranking (14 weeks): No. 1 (1 week – second poll)
Number of weeks in Top 10 (14 weeks): 14
Conference award winners: Nicole Clarke (rookie)
Conference 1st team all-stars: none
Conference 2nd team all-stars: Ashley Wigg
CIS championship appearances (including 2009): 9th
CIS championship all-time record: 11-11
CIS championship best result: 1-time CIS champions (1999 – beat Victoria in final)
CIS championship last appearance: 2007 (finalists – lost final to Simon Fraser)
CIS championship sequence: 2nd appearance in 3 years (2nd appearance in last 8 years)
No. 5 Laval Rouge et Or
Head Coach: Linda Marquis (24th season)
Regular season record: 11-5
Regular season standing: 1st QSSF
Playoff record: 2-0
Playoff finish: QSSF champions
Final Top 10 ranking (Feb. 24): not ranked
Best Top 10 ranking (14 weeks): none
Number of weeks in Top 10 (14 weeks): 0
Conference award winners: Chanelle St-Amour (MVP, rookie)
Conference 1st team all-stars: Chanelle St-Amour, Marie-Michelle Genois
Conference 2nd team all-stars: Myriam Lamarre
CIS championship appearances (including 2009): 15th
CIS championship all-time record: 8-25
CIS championship best result: Finalists (2002 – lost final to Simon Fraser)
CIS championship last appearance: 2008 (4th)
CIS championship sequence: 5th straight appearance, 9th in 10 years
No. 6 Saskatchewan Huskies
Head Coach: Lisa Thomaidis (11th season)
Regular season record: 18-4
Regular season standing: 1st Canada West Central Division (tied 2nd overall CW)
Playoff record: 1-4
Playoff finish: 4th Canada West
Final Top 10 ranking (Feb. 24): No. 5
Best Top 10 ranking (14 weeks): No. 3 (4 weeks)
Number of weeks in Top 10 (14 weeks): 14
Conference award winners: Lisa Thomaidis (coach)
Conference 1st team all-stars: Kim Tulloch
Conference 2nd team all-stars: none
CIS championship appearances (including 2009): 4th
CIS championship all-time record: 3-6
CIS championship best result: 6th (2008, 2006, 1982)
CIS championship last appearance: 2008 (6th)
CIS championship sequence: 3rd in 4 years (only other appearance: 1982)
No. 7 Cape Breton Capers
Head Coach: Fabian McKenzie (10th season)
Regular season record: 15-5
Regular season standing: 1st AUS
Playoff record: 2-0
Playoff finish: AUS champions
Final Top 10 ranking (Feb. 24): No. 6
Best Top 10 ranking (14 weeks): No. 6 (1 week – final poll)
Number of weeks in Top 10 (14 weeks): 7
Conference award winners: Kelsey Hodgson (MVP)
Conference 1st team all-stars: Kelsey Hodgson
Conference 2nd team all-stars: Kari Everett
CIS championship appearances (including 2009): 3rd
CIS championship all-time record: 2-3
CIS championship best result: Finalists (2006 – lost final to UBC)
CIS championship last appearance: 2006 (finalists – lost final to UBC)
CIS championship sequence: 3rd appearance in 6 years (3rd in history)
No. 8 Ottawa Gee-Gees
Head Coach: Andy Sparks (1st season)
Regular season record: 15-7
Regular season standing: 2nd OUA East (4th overall OUA)
Playoff record: 2-1
Playoff finish: OUA finalists
Final Top 10 ranking (Feb. 24): not ranked
Best Top 10 ranking (14 weeks): none
Number of weeks in Top 10 (14 weeks): 0
Conference award winners (OUA East): Andy Sparks (coach)
Conference 1st team all-stars (OUA East): none
Conference 2nd team all-stars (OUA East): Émilie Morasse
CIS championship appearances (including 2009): 3rd
CIS championship all-time record: 3-3
CIS championship best result: 5th (2005)
CIS championship last appearance: 2005 (5th)
CIS championship sequence: 3rd appearance in 6 years (3rd in history)
CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE (all times LOCAL: Central Time)
Thursday, March 5
19:30 All-Canadian Awards Reception (Casino Regina Show Lounge)
Friday, March 6
13:00 Quarter-final #1: No. 8 Ottawa vs. No. 1 Simon Fraser
15:00 Quarter-final #2: No. 5 Laval vs. No. 4 Alberta
18:30 Quarter-final #3: No. 7 Cape Breton vs. No. 2 Regina
20:15 Quarter-final #4: No. 6 Saskatchewan vs. No. 3 Windsor
Saturday, March 7
13:00 Consolation #1
15:00 Consolation #2
18:00 Semi-final #1 (The Score)
20:00 Semi-final #2 (The Score)
Sunday, March 8
13:00 5th place
15:00 Bronze medal
18:00 Championship final (The Score)
Source: CIS Communications
The single-elimination tournament, returning to Regina for the first time since 1979 and the second time in history, gets under way Friday with the quarterfinal round.
The Score Television Network will broadcast both semi-finals on Saturday at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. Central Time (7 p.m. - 9 p.m. Eastern) as well as Sunday's gold-medal final at 6 p.m. Central (8 p.m. Eastern). All main-bracket games, including Sunday's bronze-medal match, will be webcast by SSN Canada.
Championship web site: www.cisport.ca/e/championships/w_basketball/2009
The eight teams competing for the 38th Bronze Baby trophy are the top-seeded Simon Fraser Clan (Canada West champions), No. 2 and tourney host Regina Cougars (Canada West finalists), No. 3 Windsor Lancers (OUA champions), No. 4 Alberta Pandas (Canada (West bronze medallists), No. 5 Laval Rouge et Or (QSSF champions), No. 6 Saskatchewan Huskies (Canada West semi-finalists), No. 7 Cape Breton Capers (AUS champions) and No. 8 Ottawa Gee-Gees (OUA finalists).
New national champions will be crowned this week as the UBC Thunderbirds, who defeated Regina 67-46 in the 2008 title match, were eliminated by Simon Fraser in the Canada West Pacific Division final. No team has been able to repeat as CIS champion since the 1996-97 Manitoba Bisons.
Simon Fraser and Ottawa kick off the 2009 tournament Friday at 1 p.m. Central. The other opening-round duels will see Alberta take on Laval at 3 p.m., Regina battle Cape Breton at 6:30 p.m., and Windsor face Saskatchewan at 8:15 p.m.
The West stranglehold on the Bronze Baby trophy is well documented.
Teams currently competing in the Canada West conference (the Canada West and Great Plains conferences merged in 2001-02) have captured 17 straight CIS banners since Laurentian won back-to-back titles in 1989-90 and '90-91.
The 17-year streak includes 12 gold-medal finals between western squads - including the last two and five of the last six -, and national titles for seven western schools including Victoria (4), SFU (3), Winnipeg (3), UBC (3), Manitoba (2), Regina (1) an Alberta (1).
The Bronze Baby has spent the last seven off-seasons in British Columbia following triumphs by SFU (3), UBC (3) and Victoria (1).
Simon Fraser has been established 2009 tournament favourite at the tail-end of yet another spectacular season.
The Clan travel to Regina riding a 27-game winning streak and sporting a 30-1 overall record against CIS opponents in 2008-09. Their only loss of the regular season came in their second outing on October 30, a 57-56 defeat at the hands of Victoria they avenged 24 hours later by dominating the Vikes 87-60.
SFU finished conference play atop the Canada West overall standings with a stellar 22-1 record, went a perfect six-for-six in the conference playoffs, and topped 13 of the season's 14 national coaches polls, including the last 12. They surrendered the No. 1 spot to Alberta following their loss to Victoria but immediately climbed back to the top of the CIS rankings thanks to a 72-62 victory over the Pandas.
The Clan hope history doesn't repeat itself in the province of Saskatchewan however as they were upset by Laval as the No. 1 seed in the opening round of last year's championship held in Saskatoon.
Simon Fraser has met first-round opponent Ottawa only once in the past at the CIS tournament, crushing the Gee-Gees 82-37 in the 2005 quarterfinals en route to the Bronze Baby title.
"We have to go in and play our game, and really take one game at a time," said SFU head coach Bruce Langford, who has led the Clan to the national tournament in each of his eight seasons at the helm. "We have a good assortment of skills and because of that, we have been able to match up well with different teams and different sized teams this season, and that helps immensely."
With a Bronze Baby victory this weekend, the No. 2 Cougars would not only extend the West domination, they would make CIS women's basketball history.
No team has hoisted the coveted trophy on home court since it was first handed out in Saskatoon in 1972.
Regina followed up a national final appearance last winter with one of the best seasons in program history, finishing atop the Great Plains Division standings with an 18-4 mark and claiming a silver medal at the Canada West Final Four.
The CIS tournament hosts struggled against top-ranked Simon Fraser however this year, going 0-3 overall against the Clan including a 68-57 loss in the conference final.
"It's always exciting to play at home, and with the support we have I expect a lot of big crowds this weekend," said third-year head coach Dave Taylor. "Every team here is a quality team and if you don't bring your best game, you're not going to come out on top."
Whether Regina is crowned or not on Sunday, history will be made this week as No. 3 Windsor advances to the end-of-the-year championship for the first time.
The Lancers kept a team-record 21-1 conference mark in 2008-09 and captured the first OUA banner program history. In the Ontario final, they avenged their only loss of the regular schedule – 62-60 to the Gee-Gees on November 8 - with a convincing 68-51 win over Ottawa.
"It is a real privilege for us to be the first University of Windsor women's basketball team to ever represent the school at a national championship. It is an honour to see our names amongst so many great schools that have been there in the past and built an incredible reputation," said fourth-year Lancer head coach Chantal Vallée. "We are excited to find ourselves on new grounds, and we hope to offer great competition all weekend long."
The No. 4 Pandas return to the CIS tournament after a one-year absence looking for the team's second Bronze Baby. It has already been a decade since Alberta beat Victoria 54-46 in the 1999 title match in Thunder Bay, Ont.
The Pandas have played for CIS gold twice since then including in their last tourney appearance two years ago in St. John's, when they dropped a 72-68 gold-medal decision to Simon Fraser.
The 2007 championship also marked the last meeting between Alberta and first-round opponent Laval at Nationals. The Pandas won that quarterfinal duel 71-67.
A trip to the CIS tournament has become a tradition for the No. 5 Rouge et Or, who are making their fifth straight appearance and their ninth in the last 10 years. Laval came oh-so-close to advancing to the national final for the second time in team history a year ago losing in overtime to Regina in the semi-finals after an opening-round upset of Simon Fraser.
In Regina, the Rouge et Or will be looking to become only the second Quebec team to capture the Bronze Baby. Bishop's won back-to-back titles in 1982-83 and '83-84.
"A national championship appearance always makes a team grow quickly," said 24-year Laval head coach Linda Marquis. "We'll do anything to win, but whether we achieve our goal or not, as a young team, we know we'll gain invaluable experience."
The No. 6 Huskies, No. 7 Capers and No. 8 Gee-Gees are three programs that have burst onto the national scene in recent years.
Saskatchewan advances to the championship for the third time in four seasons and for the fourth time in history, while Cape Breton and Ottawa will both play at Nationals for the third time and had never been to the CIS tournament before 2004.
The Huskies, who enter the weekend having lost four of their last five playoff games this winter – including three to Alberta - hope to have better luck than last year in the first round against the OUA champions. Saskatchewan was crushed 70-46 by Ontario champ McMaster in its 2008 opener.
Cape Breton is led by fourth-year forward Kelsey Hodgson of Fredericton, who averaged 25.8 points per outing in conference play to win the CIS scoring race by over seven points a game (Kayla Dykstra, Victoria – 18.6) and the AUS crown by nine points per contest (Amanda Sharpe, UNB – 16.9). The AUS player of the year and AUS championship MVP scored 36 points on Sunday as the Capers downed Dalhousie 80-75 in the conference final.
Ottawa operated a stunning turnaround under first-year head coach Andy Sparks. The Gee-Gees improved from 3-19 to 15-7, upset first-place Toronto to take the OUA East division title and reached the OUA final.
TEAM PROFILES
No. 1 Simon Fraser Clan
Head Coach: Bruce Langford (8th season)
Regular season record: 22-1
Regular season standing: 1st Canada West Pacific Division (1st overall CW)
Playoff record: 6-0
Playoff finish: Canada West champions
Final Top 10 ranking (Feb. 24): No. 1
Best Top 10 ranking (14 weeks): No. 1 (13 weeks – No. 2 in second poll)
Number of weeks in Top 10 (14 weeks): 14
Conference award winners: Courtney Gerwing (student-athlete)
Conference 1st team all-stars: Laurelle Weigl, Robyn Buna
Conference 2nd team all-stars: none
CIS championship appearances (including 2009): 8th
CIS championship all-time record: 15-6
CIS championship best result: 3-time CIS champions (2007 vs. Alberta, 2005 vs. Winnipeg, 2002 vs. Laval)
CIS championship last appearance: 2008 (5th)
CIS championship sequence: 8th straight appearance (longest current streak in CIS)
No. 2 Regina Cougars
Head Coach: Dave Taylor (3rd season)
Regular season record: 18-4
Regular season standing: 1st Canada West Great Plains Division (tied 2nd overall CW)
Playoff record: 3-1
Playoff finish: Canada West finalists
Final Top 10 ranking (Feb. 24): No. 3
Best Top 10 ranking (14 weeks): No. 2 (3 weeks)
Number of weeks in Top 10 (14 weeks): 14
Conference award winners: none
Conference 1st team all-stars: Jessica Lynch
Conference 2nd team all-stars: Chelsea Cassano
CIS championship appearances (including 2009): 13th
CIS championship all-time record: 18-16
CIS championship best result: 1-time CIS champions (2001 – beat Alberta in final)
CIS championship last appearance: 2008 (finalists – lost to UBC in final)
CIS championship sequence: 2nd straight appearance, 9th in 12 years
No. 3 Windsor Lancers
Head Coach: Chantal Vallée (4th season)
Regular season record: 21-1
Regular season standing: 1st OUA West (1st overall OUA)
Playoff record: 3-0
Playoff finish: OUA champions
Final Top 10 ranking (Feb. 24): No. 2
Best Top 10 ranking (14 weeks): No. 2 (8 weeks – last 8 polls)
Number of weeks in Top 10 (14 weeks): 14
Conference award winners (OUA West): Chantal Vallée (coach)
Conference 1st team all-stars (OUA West): Dranadia Roc, Alisa Wulff
Conference 2nd team all-stars (OUA West): none
CIS championship appearances (including 2009): 1st
CIS championship all-time record: 0-0
CIS championship best result: -
CIS championship last appearance: -
CIS championship sequence: 1st appearance in history
No. 4 Alberta Pandas
Head Coach: Scott Edwards (3rd season)
Regular season record: 16-6
Regular season standing: 2nd Canada West Central Division (5th overall Canada West)
Playoff record: 5-2
Playoff finish: Canada West bronze medallists
Final Top 10 ranking (Feb. 24): No. 4
Best Top 10 ranking (14 weeks): No. 1 (1 week – second poll)
Number of weeks in Top 10 (14 weeks): 14
Conference award winners: Nicole Clarke (rookie)
Conference 1st team all-stars: none
Conference 2nd team all-stars: Ashley Wigg
CIS championship appearances (including 2009): 9th
CIS championship all-time record: 11-11
CIS championship best result: 1-time CIS champions (1999 – beat Victoria in final)
CIS championship last appearance: 2007 (finalists – lost final to Simon Fraser)
CIS championship sequence: 2nd appearance in 3 years (2nd appearance in last 8 years)
No. 5 Laval Rouge et Or
Head Coach: Linda Marquis (24th season)
Regular season record: 11-5
Regular season standing: 1st QSSF
Playoff record: 2-0
Playoff finish: QSSF champions
Final Top 10 ranking (Feb. 24): not ranked
Best Top 10 ranking (14 weeks): none
Number of weeks in Top 10 (14 weeks): 0
Conference award winners: Chanelle St-Amour (MVP, rookie)
Conference 1st team all-stars: Chanelle St-Amour, Marie-Michelle Genois
Conference 2nd team all-stars: Myriam Lamarre
CIS championship appearances (including 2009): 15th
CIS championship all-time record: 8-25
CIS championship best result: Finalists (2002 – lost final to Simon Fraser)
CIS championship last appearance: 2008 (4th)
CIS championship sequence: 5th straight appearance, 9th in 10 years
No. 6 Saskatchewan Huskies
Head Coach: Lisa Thomaidis (11th season)
Regular season record: 18-4
Regular season standing: 1st Canada West Central Division (tied 2nd overall CW)
Playoff record: 1-4
Playoff finish: 4th Canada West
Final Top 10 ranking (Feb. 24): No. 5
Best Top 10 ranking (14 weeks): No. 3 (4 weeks)
Number of weeks in Top 10 (14 weeks): 14
Conference award winners: Lisa Thomaidis (coach)
Conference 1st team all-stars: Kim Tulloch
Conference 2nd team all-stars: none
CIS championship appearances (including 2009): 4th
CIS championship all-time record: 3-6
CIS championship best result: 6th (2008, 2006, 1982)
CIS championship last appearance: 2008 (6th)
CIS championship sequence: 3rd in 4 years (only other appearance: 1982)
No. 7 Cape Breton Capers
Head Coach: Fabian McKenzie (10th season)
Regular season record: 15-5
Regular season standing: 1st AUS
Playoff record: 2-0
Playoff finish: AUS champions
Final Top 10 ranking (Feb. 24): No. 6
Best Top 10 ranking (14 weeks): No. 6 (1 week – final poll)
Number of weeks in Top 10 (14 weeks): 7
Conference award winners: Kelsey Hodgson (MVP)
Conference 1st team all-stars: Kelsey Hodgson
Conference 2nd team all-stars: Kari Everett
CIS championship appearances (including 2009): 3rd
CIS championship all-time record: 2-3
CIS championship best result: Finalists (2006 – lost final to UBC)
CIS championship last appearance: 2006 (finalists – lost final to UBC)
CIS championship sequence: 3rd appearance in 6 years (3rd in history)
No. 8 Ottawa Gee-Gees
Head Coach: Andy Sparks (1st season)
Regular season record: 15-7
Regular season standing: 2nd OUA East (4th overall OUA)
Playoff record: 2-1
Playoff finish: OUA finalists
Final Top 10 ranking (Feb. 24): not ranked
Best Top 10 ranking (14 weeks): none
Number of weeks in Top 10 (14 weeks): 0
Conference award winners (OUA East): Andy Sparks (coach)
Conference 1st team all-stars (OUA East): none
Conference 2nd team all-stars (OUA East): Émilie Morasse
CIS championship appearances (including 2009): 3rd
CIS championship all-time record: 3-3
CIS championship best result: 5th (2005)
CIS championship last appearance: 2005 (5th)
CIS championship sequence: 3rd appearance in 6 years (3rd in history)
CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE (all times LOCAL: Central Time)
Thursday, March 5
19:30 All-Canadian Awards Reception (Casino Regina Show Lounge)
Friday, March 6
13:00 Quarter-final #1: No. 8 Ottawa vs. No. 1 Simon Fraser
15:00 Quarter-final #2: No. 5 Laval vs. No. 4 Alberta
18:30 Quarter-final #3: No. 7 Cape Breton vs. No. 2 Regina
20:15 Quarter-final #4: No. 6 Saskatchewan vs. No. 3 Windsor
Saturday, March 7
13:00 Consolation #1
15:00 Consolation #2
18:00 Semi-final #1 (The Score)
20:00 Semi-final #2 (The Score)
Sunday, March 8
13:00 5th place
15:00 Bronze medal
18:00 Championship final (The Score)
Source: CIS Communications
