The Mount Royal Cougars women's hockey team is finally set for their semifinal matchup. 

After finishing the regular season with 40 points and clinching the East Division title, the Cougars earned a bye to the semifinals. Mount Royal will host the University of Manitoba Bisons this weekend for a best-of-three series. The winner will head to the Canada West Finals and earn a spot at the U SPORTS National Championships at the University of Waterloo.

Although the Cougars head into the playoffs as one of the top teams, they have not been up to their high standards down the stretch. MRU has lost four of their last five in the home stretch of the regular season, where their play was marred by inconsistency. 

Despite the late season struggles, the Cougars are well-rested and ready for a tough series against Manitoba. They've been in this position before and know what it takes to win in the playoffs. The extended time off has allowed their roster to address lingering injuries.

At the beginning of the season, there were some question marks around how the Cougars would perform with the departures of program stars like Aliya Jomha and Kaitlyn Ross. Mount Royal quickly put those doubts to rest, with veterans and newcomers stepping up to deliver a successful regular season.

It was a group effort by the Cougars to fill the void that was left by the graduates who came from contributions up and down the line-up. Four players finished the season with double-digit goals, including Julia Duke. After scoring one goal in each of her past two seasons, the third-year speedster broke out for 10 goals and 14 points this season. Sydney Benko had a career season, also potting 10 goals. Allee Gerrard returned to her talented offensive ways that she displayed in the 2023-24 season by scoring a team-best 11 goals this year. The skilled Mount Royal offence has not come from one or two standout individuals this season, but rather a wide variety of players. The Cougars' depth could prove to be a key factor in their series against Manitoba

The defence has been a strong suit for the team this year, with Summer Fomradas taking another step in her already successful career as a Cougar. Fomradas led all Mount Royal blueliners with 15 points, tying her own career-high from last season. Rookie defender Isa MacPhee has burst onto the scene in the Canada West. Her 13 points are the most ever by a rookie MRU defenceman. She has been extremely reliable on her own end as well. 

Scout Anderson has done an amazing job as the Cougars' number one goalie this season after backing up Kaitlyn Ross for three seasons. Anderson went 13-3-2, posting a 1.56 goals against and a .916 save percentage – all career bests at a high shot volume this season. The role of starting goaltender has not fazed Anderson one bit, as she's been consistent throughout the whole season. Even when she doesn't see as many shots, she stays ready whenever she might see a high-danger chance.

The Cougars will be facing a highly motivated Manitoba team that is fresh off knocking out the defending Canada West champions in the quarterfinals. Bisons' first year head coach and former Mount Royal assistant Jordan Colliton is very familiar with how the Cougars play and will try to use that to their advantage. Nevertheless, MRU has been counting down the days until they hit the ice for playoff hockey, as they look to better their semifinal knockout last season and return to the championship.

Canada West Semifinal Schedule:

Game 1: Friday, Feb. 27 @ 2 p.m. at Flames Community Arena 
Game 2: Saturday, Feb. 28 @ 2 p.m. at Flames Community Arena 
Game 3 (if necessary): Sunday, Mar. 1 @ 2 p.m. at Flames Community Arena 

Tickets are available and selling fast. Get yours here so you don't miss the action. All games can be streamed live on Canada West TV.