It has been a busy month of November for the MRU sports teams, who are looking forward to their long December break before getting back into action in 2020.
Let’s look at how all of the teams did in the final month of 2019 action.
Men’s basketball – Regular season record: 3-5-0
The month of November started great for the MRU men’s basketball squad — they opened their season with a three-game win streak, sweeping the MacEwan University and U of R respectively.
However, in their second game against Regina, they suffered a 101-59 blowout loss, getting outscored by over 40 points when the final whistle blew. This was a turning point for the team, losing all four games since the blowout. Currently, they are looking to regroup during their month break, and hope the rest will add a boost of confidence for the players and the coaching staff when they return in the new year.
Regular season basketball resumes on Jan. 3 against the TRU WolfPack in Kamloops.
The MRU men’s basketball team will look to bounce back in the new year after a tough start to the 2019-20 season, including a tough 95-75 loss against the University of Victoria on Nov. 29. Photo credit: Sajan Jabbal
Women’s Basketball – Regular season record: 3-5-0
The men’s and women’s teams have had very similar seasons — evident by their records. However, the women’s team has been able to improve on their start from last season in which they lost their first six games, going 2-6 in their first eight.
They have bounced back from tough losses a lot more than last year, and have been more confident in clutch situations — winning a tight game in the final few seconds against fifth-placed University of Victoria (6-2), handing them their second loss of the season.
Second-year guard Maddison Hooper has been able to keep up her great performance from last season, once again leading the team in points per game with 11.6
She’s the lone Cougar player to average double-digits in points.
Although the team has some time off to rest during the month of December, the girls will be travelling to Billings, Mont. to play two exhibition matches against Rocky Mountain College on Dec. 27-28.
The MRU women’s basketball team resumes Canada West action on Jan. 3, where they will travel to Kamloops to battle the Thompson Rivers WolfPack.
The women’s basketball had a big 66-64 win at home against the University of Victoria on Nov. 29. Photo credit: Sajan Jabbal
Hockey – Regular season record: 10-6-0
The men’s hockey team had a great start to the season, winning six of their first eight games. However, November has not been a great month for them overall, with the team only picking up four wins in the same amount of games. They averaged at least five goals in their first eight games, and have only been able to pick up an average of 3.5 in their last eight matches.
Although they have suffered a little bit this month, there has been a lot to talk about defensively all season long. They have taken minimal penalties all season, with only 83 so far, lower than the divisions average of 94. Keep an eye on them in the new year as they hope to bounce back after a tough November. They travel to Edmonton on Dec. 28 to play an exhibition match against their provincial rivals, U of A.
The men will open the new year on Jan. 3 where they face-off against the University of Manitoba Bisons
It has been an unpredictable season for the women’s hockey team, with the players unable to pick up any consistent streaks throughout the first 16 games of the season. This season shows a similar start to last year, where they won seven and lost nine in their first 16 games. They are one of the highest-scoring teams in the Canada West Division, with an average of 1.5 goals per game, and are hoping they can charge their way to a playoff spot in the new year.
The MRU women’s hockey team will open the month of December with a tough home matchup against U of M on Jan. 3.
Although the women’s team got off to an amazing start of the season, the men’s team has been struggling without their star, Tyler Schmidt, who is no longer at the school. Veteran players like Keal Prince and Trent Mounter, who have led the team in assists and kills respectively, have been trying to pick up some of the slack, but the team has not been able to match their performance from last year. With a four win and eight loss record, they know they are fighting an uphill battle.
The Men’s volleyball team will travel to Langley to take on the Trinity Western Spartans on Jan. 10, where they hope to get back into winning form.
The MRU women’s volleyball team has been on fire this season, with an outstanding record of 11 wins and only one loss. Currently sitting fifth in the national rankings, they have shut-out their opponents a total of seven times out of their 11 wins, something they have not done in their history. They are the first MRU sports team in history to go 10-0 to start the season, and are the second Mount Royal team to make the top five in the national ranking across the country.
Although they had a tough loss in their first game against the U of A, they quickly bounced back to beat them the next day, not allowing any points. Chantel Park has been leading the girls in kills with 121, while Quinn Pelland has been leading her team with an average of 9.68 assists per set, the most in the entire country. December is going to be a well-deserved break for the girls, who hope to continue their red hot performance in the new year.
The women will travel with the men’s team to take on Trinity Western on Dec. 10, where they hope to keep up their amazing winning performance.
The MRU volleyball team lost their first game of the season on Nov. 22 against U of A. Although it was their first loss of the season, they bounced back for a big 3-0 win the next day. Photo credit: Cougar Athletics