Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

The Mount Royal Cougars had a busy weekend with a handful of games at home as well as a few on the road.

After being crowned Canada West Champions, MRU's men's soccer team headed to the Maritimes for the national championship tournament. The Cougars opened the tournament with a clutch 1-0 victory over the York University Lions, earning a berth in the semi-final. MRU then faced the host school Cape Breton Capers, unfortunately losing 1-0 and ending up in the bronze medal match against a familiar foe, the UBC Thunderbirds. The Cougars concluded their historic 2023 season, finishing in fourth place after falling 1-0 to the T-Birds.

On the ice, both the men's and women's hockey teams faced the University of Alberta at Clare Drake Arena in Edmonton.

On Friday, the third-place women's hockey team visited the Alberta Pandas, who sat just above them in the Canada West standings. The Cougars opened the scoring midway through the first period. Emma Bergesen's point shot was deflected in front by Allee Gerrard for the forward's team-leading seventh goal of the season.

Just a few minutes later, the Pandas tied the game at one. Mount Royal regained the lead halfway through the second period with a powerplay goal from veteran defender Alexandria Spence.

However, Alberta just wouldn't go away. Payton Laumbach tied the score at two with just over 10 minutes left in the third. Despite 60 minutes of regulation play not providing a winner, the rival juggernaut teams headed to a 3-on-3 overtime.

After an intense back and forth in the extra frame, the Cougars broke through. Emma Bergesen fired home a wrister from a superb pass from Breanne Trotter. The duo, familiar with heroics from last year's national championship, struck again to end Friday's game against Alberta.

On Saturday, the men's hockey team headed north to take on the Alberta Golden Bears. After a scrappy 5-1 home win on Friday, which saw both MRU netminder Shane Farkas and Alberta goalie Ethan Kruger leave the game with injury, the two teams started fresh with a pair of new starters between the pipes. Riley Sims stepped into the crease for Mount Royal and stopped 38 of 42 shots.

The Golden Bears held a 2-1 lead after 20 minutes. In the second period, Alberta extended their lead by two with Noah Boyko's second goal of the game.

In the final frame, Dawson Milliken cut the home team's lead back to two. However, just a few minutes later, the Golden Bears got one right back to make it 4-2.

Connor Bouchard scored with under 10 minutes to go, bringing MRU within one and notching his 22nd point, tying him for the league lead.

The rally from the Cougars would not be enough, and Alberta added a pair of empty netters to prevail victorious by a score of 6-3. Despite the loss, Mount Royal remains in fourth place in the standings, sitting one spot ahead of the Golden Bears.

Next Weekend

After a bye week, the Cougars' volleyball teams return to action in Winnipeg, each taking on the Manitoba Bisons for a pair of matches. At Kenyon Court, MRU's basketball hosts the Bisons for a weekend full of hoops. On the ice, the men's and women's hockey teams will each play a home-and-home with the MacEwan Griffins. Emma Bergesen and the women's team will play at home on Friday, while Connor Bouchard and the men head to Edmonton. The teams will then swap places on Saturday. Tickets to Mount Royal's home games can be purchased online and all the action can be streamed live on Canada West TV.