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For the first time in 2024, Mount Royal's hockey, basketball and volleyball teams were all in action after a few squads endured their bye weeks to start the new year. The men's and women's basketball teams, along with the men's hockey team hit the snowy highways to head to Regina. This week's edition of Cougars Catchup will run down how each team fared in their road games.

Bouchard inches closer to 50 points as Mount Royal sweeps Regina

Connor Bouchard simply cannot be stopped. The second-year winger extended his point streak to 19 games, collecting five total points against the Regina Cougars over the weekend. In Friday's weekend opener, Bouchard opened the scoring with less than a minute remaining in the first. The goal was Bouchard's league-leading 20th of the season, tying him for the MRU single-season goal record that was set by Bouchard's former linemate Riley Sawchuk, last season. 

Into the second period, Mount Royal continued their strong play. Robbie Fromm-Delorme found the back of the net midway through the period and less than two minutes later, Remy Aquilon extended the MRU lead with a whistling snipe that blazed past the Regina goaltender. 

After U of R got one back, Dawson Milliken retrieved his own rebound to restore MRU's three-goal cushion. 

In a penalty-filled third period, Mount Royal capped off the night with a powerplay goal. Connor Bouchard got his third point of the game as he fed a cross-ice pass to his namesake, Connor Blake, who one-timed it home to bring the result to a 5-1 victory.

In Saturday's rematch, the MRU Cougars dominance continued. Jaden Senkoe recorded his first multi-goal game as a Cougar, scoring the opening goal off a feed from who else but Connor Bouchard. 

Despite a scoreless second, Mount Royal solidified their ninth win in a row, adding three more goals. The referees were busy again in the third period, handing out a total of 52 penalty minutes in the final frame. However, the red-hot MRU squad was not deterred, with goals coming from Robbie Fromm-Delorme, Robbie Holmes and Jaden Senkoe. 

Shane Farkas only had to make 10 saves for his Canada West-best fourth shutout, sitting just behind the league's single-season record of five set by former Alberta netminder Zach Sawchenko and previous Saskatchewan goalie Taran Kozun.


Cougars women's basketball struggle against Regina

Returning from their bye week, the MRU Cougars headed east for a pair of games against the Regina Cougars. 

In the first game, MRU's head coach Robyn Fleckenstein had her squad battling hard against a very talented Regina team. Mount Royal trailed by just five at the halftime break with Harriette Mackenzie scoring late in the second quarter whilst also drawing a foul for the three-point play.

However, the third quarter did not go MRU's way. Regina outscored Mount Royal 25-7 in the third and completely swung the momentum in their favour with an energetic home crowd behind them.

Regina's lead proved to be too much for MRU to climb back, resulting in a 71-52 win for the home team. Nora Luca's play was a bright spot for Mount Royal as she filled the stat sheet with 16 points, nine rebounds, three blocks and two steals.

Looking for a bounce-back performance on Saturday, Mount Royal excelled in the opening quarter and led by one going into the second. Regina found their groove in the second quarter and took over the game. U of R led by 16 at the half. 

Though the MRU Cougars played resilient basketball in the second half, Regina had established a commanding lead and would cruise to their second win in as many nights.

Cougars wing Jenika Martens posted a team-high 14 points in the 71-53 loss, her most since returning from a knee injury.


MRU men's basketball bested by league-leading Regina Cougars

Mount Royal's men's basketball team struggled gravely on offence in their weekend opener against the Regina Cougars, trailing 51-28 at halftime. Regina was fuelled by their home crowd and easily coasted to a 76-61 win over MRU.

MRU's offensive woes were amplified by their two best scorers Keivonte Watts and Holt Tomie only combining for 10 total points.

Despite the loss, Mount Royal sharp-shooter Aaron Fernandes went off from deep, going 4-for-5 from beyond the arc in just 16 minutes off the bench.

Saturday's game saw a massive improvement from the MRU Cougars. Head coach Marc Dobell prepped his team for an impressive bounce-back performance on both sides of the ball. At the halftime break, Mount Royal and Regina were all tied up at 37.

In the second half, MRU saw contributions up and down their lineup. Daniel Mulder was a force in the paint for Mount Royal while Sam Barnie got hot from deep.

After a tough game on Friday, both Holt Tomie and Keivonte Watts rebounded to their normal selves. Tomie was doing it all for Mount Royal, leaving it all out on the court for his squad. Watts also recovered to be the athletic, slashing guard that so many Canada West teams fear. Tomie finished the game with a game-high 31 points while Watts posted a sturdy 20 points.

Trailing by two with less than a minute remaining in the fourth quarter, Watts jumped a Regina pass, taking the ball the length of the court and finishing with a tough layup to send the game to overtime.

In the extra period, Mount Royal just barely came up short. Regina hit a couple of big shots to take the lead and MRU unfortunately ran out of time, falling 89-84. Although a disappointing result, the MRU Cougars played a gutsy basketball game.


The week ahead

Can you believe it? It's almost time for one the best sporting events in all of Canada: the Crowchild Classic! Both the men's and women's hockey teams will play huge games on Wednesday at the Scotiabank Saddledome against their crosstown rivals, the University of Calgary Dinos. The event starts at 4:30 p.m. MST and tickets are still available for purchase online.

On Friday, the Cougars and Dinos will rematch, as the women play at Flames Community Arenas while the men face off at Father David Bauer.

The women's volleyball team gets the weekend off from gameplay; however, the men's team will still be bringing the heat to Kenyon Court as they host the University of Winnipeg Wesmen. 

Coming off a tough road trip in Saskatchewan, Cougars basketball now heads west for a date with the Trinity Western Spartans at Langley Events Centre. 

Fans can purchase tickets to Cougars' home game online and all the action can be streamed live on Canada West TV.