The MRU Cougars basketball and hockey teams started their postseason campaigns last week. Unfortunately for Cougars basketball fans, MRU took a tough loss to TWU in women's basketball and to Winnipeg in the men's division. Cougars hockey fans were on a high all weekend long, though, as the women's team swept Regina 2-0 in their quarterfinal series. There were great performances from MRU athletes all weekend long, but only two were selected to be the first Players Bench Athletes of the Week of the 2025 playoffs.

Players Bench Female Athlete of the Week: Jerzey Watteyne (WHKY)
The MRU women's hockey team played a brilliant pair of playoff games last weekend and combined a myriad of great individual performances to get two resounding team wins over the University of Regina Cougars. 2025 Canada West All-Star goaltender Kaitlyn Ross was brilliant in net in both games, saving 45 of the 46 shots she faced and even earning a shutout. Lyndsey Janes almost secured a hat trick on Friday, scoring both of her team's goals in MRU's Friday night 2-0 win. 

However, history was made on Saturday as Jerzey Watteyne secured the first-ever playoff U SPORTS hat trick in MRU Cougars history, recording 12 shots on goal in two games played and scoring a trifecta of goals in her team's 4-1 series-ending win. 

Watteyne's first goal came on a first-period powerplay as she caught a cross-ice pass from Lyvia Butz 38 seconds in, wove her way to the net and wristed the puck into the top-right corner of the net, tying the game at one goal apiece.

Summer Fomradas scored a second-period goal to give MRU their first lead of the game. Still, Watteyne did not take her foot off the gas pedal as, minutes later, Sydney Benko skated behind the Regina net and fed Watteyne a wide open shot right in front of the net, which she buried for her second goal of the game.

With a 3-1 lead, Watteyne put the finishing touches on a brilliant night in the third period. After receiving a cross-ice dime from Benko, who had three assists in the game, Watteyne fired a low shot into the Regina goaltender's pad. Unsatisfied with the result of her initial shot, she chased the rebound and buried it into the back of the net, completing the first U SPORTS playoff hat trick in MRU history and giving her Cougars squad a 4-1 win and 2-0 series victory.

With their quarterfinal win against Regina, the MRU Cougars women's hockey team will take on the University of Alberta Pandas, who led the East division in the regular season with a 24-3-1 record, in the Canada West SemiFinals. Catch the first game of the series live on Canada West TV and in Edmonton, Alta. on Friday, Feb. 28 at 7 p.m.

Players Bench Male Athlete of the Week: Sam Barnie (MBB)
Even in defeat, the MRU Cougars men's basketball team put on a brilliant performance, playing the most exciting game of the year in their play-in match against the University of Winnipeg Wesmen. There were plenty of performances to be awed by, including Keivonte Watts' 22-point outburst and Dray Walburger's three three-pointers, but Sam Barnie left the most jaws on the floor with his incredible 13-point night, which featured an impossibly difficult clutch fourth-quarter game-tying shot and a number of other phenomenal plays.

Barnie was the first starter to hit a three-pointer and was one of only three Cougars to make a shot from downtown the entire night, cashing in on two of his three attempts. Efficiency was the name of Barnie's game as he hit five of his six field goal attempts while stuffing the stat sheet with four rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block. 

After swishing all three of his first-half field goal attempts and scoring eight points on 3-3 shooting, Barnie let Watts cook in the third quarter, which was a great decision as Watts scored 12 points in that quarter alone. Barnie returned to the scoring column in the fourth quarter, entering the game with seven minutes left in the final period. 

Despite not attempting a single field goal for the first five minutes of his shift, Barnie's hands remained hot as, with his team down two, he caught a wild rebound off the backboard in a low-shot clock situation. With less than a second to put a shot up and his momentum carrying him away from the basket, Barnie threw up a prayer, launching the ball over his head while running in the opposite direction and banking it in to tie the game 71-71. 

Winnipeg opened up an 11-0 run following Barnie's heroic basket, putting the Cougars in a 71-82 hole with just a minute left. With hope dwindling and time to make a comeback running out, Barnie did his best to keep his team in the game and made a three-point shot off of Walburger's assist. Despite their best efforts, MRU could not pull off the comeback and conceded a 74-86 loss to the Wesmen, eliminating them from further playoff contention and ending their season.