Football: Looking back at CFL mock drafts

A few weeks ago, we ran a CFL mock draft by Tyler Honeywood. There were several other mock drafts published out there (see full list at bottom), and today we'll look at some of the more interesting and unexpected picks.
**

HIGHER THAN EXPECTED

Steven Lumbala (RB, Calgary)
Drafted 1-5 by Montreal



Identified as one of three reaches by our Andrew Bucholtz, Lumbala wasn't predicted to go in anyone's first round, and only showed up in the mocks of those who did three or more rounds. As Andrew says, the Als may be looking for a Canadian backup running back, and Lumbala could be the best one out there.

Lumbala was an excellent CIS player, although a lot of his success came against some lesser Canada West teams; against McMaster in last year's Mitchell Bowl, he ran for just 39 yards on 14 carries in "a 45-6 demolition.

Apparently, CFL teams were concerned with his size, injury history, and "lack of lickety-split." If you know what that last phrase could possibly mean, you are the only person in the world who can claim that.


Kris Robertson (DB, Concordia)
Drafted 2-11 by Winnipeg

"Regardless of how you approach it, Robertson sure seems like a compelling CFL prospect. A defensive back with that kind of speed, that kind of vertical and proven ball-hawking ability? Oh, and he can also return kicks? It's hard to see how he was passed over for a combine invite initially, unless everyone just decided to ignore the Stingers this year."

That's Andrew again, writing about Robertson following the combine. Ten years after Moneyball, and we're still seeing players ranked lower by scouts because of their height (or reading nonsense like this).

Our Jared Book saw Robertson play while at Concordia, though Robertson's role increased after he graduated, and he remembers a September 2010 game against McGill as his coming-out party. Says Jared, "I'm not sure he can start defensively but a Canadian return specialist makes him a very interesting prospect. That's usually a spot that goes to Americans."

Robertson's speed was notable as far back as four years ago, when he ran the fastest 40 time on the Concordia team as a rookie. But it wasn't just speed: this year he won the 40, the broad jump, the vertical jump, and in my view should win the Least Quotable award too. This paragraph contains more words than he answered to six questions in this CFL.ca video. But maybe I'm wordy.

He was mocked at 26th, 28th, and 30th by those who included him in their drafts. 11th is quite the difference.

**

LOWER THAN EXPECTED

Matt Vonk (OL, Waterloo/Laurier)
Drafted 5-38 by Saskatchewan

Vonk's a casualty of the Waterloo PED hysteria, transferring to Laurier and playing his first year there in 2010. Then, he had to sit out 2011 when CIS ruled that "I forgot to check if my Laurier courses would count at Waterloo" was not a valid compassionate appeal. (Vonk's listed major on the Waterloo site is kinesiology, which probably isn't the best program to take at Laurier if you want to use those credits for a Waterloo degree.) So he has just two years under his belt, and will likely come back to Waterloo for another year.

Some mock drafts had him going in the first round (or early second), perhaps relying too much on prospect lists. Vonk represents a lower-risk player, with no real NFL interest in him, but also lower-reward. "Swinging for a double" is a good phrase here.


Elie Ngoyi (DE, Bishop's)
Drafted 6-51 by Edmonton

Another of Andrew's identified steals, except this time the player went at the end of the sixth round, not the beginning of the second. Ngoyi was mocked anywhere from 8th to 21st and fell to 51st in part because of the strong DL class this year. Most teams had already picked one, and B.C. (who had multiple shots at him) had more pressing needs at other positions. Teams presumably thought they could wait on him since basically everyone else needed him less as the draft went on.

Ngoyi also may have NFL interest. There isn't a report saying such, as far as I can tell, but NFL teams love their combine stars and if CFL teams were aware of any interest, it could further explain his slide down to the 50s. (He was predicted to go no later than 21st.)

**

Mock drafts used:

• Barry Britto
  
• Andrew Bucholtz (first round)
  
• Justin Dunk
  
• Tyler Honeywood
  
• Scott Mitchell
  
• Jamie Nye
  
• Brandon Patterson

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On CIS and Sportsnet's big six-year deal

From the release:

Sportsnet today announced it has reached a six-year agreement with Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS), the national governing body of university sport in Canada, for the multiplatform rights to an all-encompassing portfolio of sports across television, online, and mobile.

The agreement, which begins this season and runs through the 2018/19 school year, features expanded coverage of men’s and women’s CIS sports, headlined by the Vanier Cup and including the following marquee events: Football (Mitchell Bowl and Uteck Bowl), Men’s and Women’s Hockey Championships; Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships, and more to be announced at a later date.

More details are to come, for example if there will be any regular-season games in football or basketball, two practices that should be continued and should start happening, respectively. Another suggestion is to show some of the preseason exhibitions between CIS men's basketball programs and NCAA Division 1 teams; there were 32 of those to choose from last year.

Over at Eh Game, our Andrew Bucholtz has more on what this means on the football side. I agree with much of what he says. One of the reasons the Vanier-Grey pairing, however, worked so well in 2011 is the mere fact that the Vanier Cup was an outstanding game. The rematch, which McMaster lost by 23 points, probably didn't do much for the many CFL fans in attendance, not to mention the Toronto-based media who either didn't travel to Vancouver for the previous year's game or went to bed before it ended. The negative effect of decoupling the two football championships may be overstated, or at least not as directly related to ratings and perception as much as the quality of the competition itself and of the surrounding broadcast. It's certainly better having TSN in one city and Sportsnet in the other than trying to split TSN people between two events, at any rate.

A key next step for Sportsnet, now that they basically have all the rights to all the events, is to give those broadcasts to people who have an idea about the league. Without naming names, I'll say if this is supposed to be a next step in CIS coverage, it's probably time to stop acting like basketball players outside of Ontario don't exist, to stop being surprised to learn how strong and talented a player of the year is, to learn how to pronounce names, to know which questions are grossly inappropriate to ask, and to treat the games in a non-superficial way — all, at one time or another, fouls committed by TSN or The Score. I also believe there was a time when Sportsnet's CIS hockey broadcasts only showed CHL stats for the players, and it would be nice for things like that to get the "dustbin of history" treatment.

Having said that: this is excellent news. We have criticized the various networks for their aggressively disinterested coverage of CIS championships, and by various networks I mean TSN (see here, and here), and I'm sure I speak for more than a few CIS followers when I say we're looking forward to Sportsnet's treatment of the events. We are by no means the only authority on CIS around here — aw, heck, we're hardly an authority — but as far as I know, only one network has gone to the effort to ask us for help in gathering background info for a tournament, and it was indeed Sportsnet. That's a good sign that they'll take this seriously.

(We at The CIS Blog also welcome Sportsnet to the very short list of media outlets who in recent years have sent reporters to all five championship tournaments in football and men's and women's basketball and hockey.)
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Football: 2013 CFL mock draft

Today we welcome a CFL mock draft piece from Tyler Honeywood (@T_Honeywood), a former Acadia Axemen offensive lineman and a 2012 CFL E-Camp attendee. His look at the draft, with some contributions from myself, begins after the introduction.

Mock draft season seems to be upon us with only two weeks remaining until the CFL draft on May 6. The NFL draft, coming up this week, gets more publicity, but it also factors into the CFL draft stock for a few players eligible for this year's import draft. With the level of football talent in Canada on the rise, many players are succeeding in the NCAA and garnering professional interest down south and that is reflected in this mock draft. Some players who should go higher may have fallen due to the risk of them potentially not coming north.

Also it must be noted that unlike the NFL draft, the CFL draft is not really a draft for today. Often, players are not expected to make an immediate impact like they are in the States. More stock in the Canadian draft is put into tangibles like speed, athleticism and other measurables of that nature. That is why you will see athletic players who had low stats in the CIS go sooner than more heralded athletes. An example of this is 2011 sixth-round pick Chris Hodgson who barely registered a stat and only had one season of CIS football under his belt, yet tested well and the Lions took him in the last round.

Another CFL draft wrinkle is that players who could potentially be a ratio buster (players who can play positions that are typically American, such as offensive tackle, corner, defensive end three technique, running back and short side recievers) usually are where the reaches happen.

**

ROUND 1

1. Hamilton – Linden Gaydosh – DL – Calgary

With the addition of Brian Bulcke from Calgary, and after drafting Boise State nose tackle Michael Atkinson last season, the Tabbies look poised to start one of their seven Canadians on the defensive line. Adding Gaydosh would provide the Ti-Cats with the advantage of having a All-Canadian depth chart at nose tackle. This pick could also be McMaster offensive tackle Matt Sewell if Hamilton evaluates him as a potential ratio-busting OT.

2. Winnipeg – Mike Edem – LB/S – Calgary

All recent moves by the Winnipeg front office suggest that they will maintain their ratio down the middle of the defence: Cauchy Muamba was added in the off-season, and they look positioned to maintain that in this area. Edem poses some interesting options for the Blue Bombers, as he is such a versatile athlete. He is physical enough to play at the line of scrimmage and set the edge, but also on the next play be able to run stride for stride with a slotback in the seam. Edem has been projected many ways; however, if the Bombers were able to add him in the draft, they could model one of the best athletes in the draft into the player they want him to be. He could ultimately have an impact next season as a backup at a starting non-import (NIM) position, and contribute on specials with his athleticism. Edem is equally athletic as former No. 1 pick Henoc Muamba.

3. Montreal (via Edmonton) – Stefan Charles – DL – Regina

This pick may change significantly come April 25th, the first day of the NFL draft. Charles is an NCAA-type athlete playing in CIS. Montreal is in a position of power to dictate their draft however they seem fit since they already have a strong NIM nucleus, so the Als are able to wait on the uber-talented Charles for when he is ready to play in the CFL. Stefan Charles possesses CFL starting ability, which is something that cannot be taken lightly. With Montreal already having a solid base of non-import DEs, I see them selecting Charles here.

4. Saskatchewan – Ben D’Aguilar – DE/OLB – McMaster

The Roughriders signed the Argos' Ricky Foley in the offseason, suggesting that they will likely start a non-import defensive end. D’Aguilar would fit well in Saskatchewan where he can offer future starting potential as a backup to Foley, and he also possesses special teams potential as one of the most athletic players in the draft.

5. Montreal – Seydou Junior Haïdara – WR – Laval

If you could pick one weakness out on the Alouettes roster, it would be their lack of NIM depth. Haidara is a physically gifted receiver who possesses a diverse range of tools. He is athletic enough to see some starting potential in his near future, and can also contribute as a special team player, an area of his game where he takes pride. Haïdara does not possess the same risk to the Alouettes as other CFL clubs, as he would likely be more enticed to report to Alouettes training camp than go back to Laval for his last year.

6. British Columbia – Corey Watman – OL – Eastern Michigan

The Lions are consistently one of the strongest organizations, and some of their success can be attributed to their non-import nucleus. Watman is a battle-tested player, having started multiple years in the NCAA, eliminating some of the risk in drafting him. Watman would possess great value for the Lions next season as a backup interior o-lineman who could eventually take over at centre from Angus Reid.

7. Calgary – Matt Sewell – OL – McMaster

If someone evaluates Sewell as a potential ratio-buster at offensive tackle, he will be long gone by this point. He may not be as effective in the CFL if he has to move to guard, as he will have to battle leverage issues. Sewell is one of the best CIS offensive lineman produced in the last few years and should have a great career regardless of where he ultimately ends up on the offensive line.

8. Toronto – Matt Vonk – OL – Waterloo

Vonk, whom Duane Forde called one of the most athletic offensive lineman in CIS, and one of the best at the combine, combines positional versatility (I think he ends up playing center at the next level), with years of starting experience. Vonk does not present the same risk to the Argos as drafting redshirt junior NCAA guys, since they know he is limited to the CFL, however he does possess a very similar ceiling as the NCAA guys. He is a natural knee bender and a phenomenal athlete on the offensive line. The perfect example of swinging for a double: you know exactly what you're getting with Vonk, and, once he adds the necessary strength and mass, could be the best offensive lineman when we look at this year's class five years down the road.

9. Ottawa – Connor Williams – DL – Utah State

I believe this selection will be between Williams and Craighead (see #10, below), both NCAA guys with solid track records and both natives of the Ottawa area. I fully expect the Ottawa franchise to select the Ottawa native they believe has the best chance of playing in the CFL. Craighead is a multiple year starter at UTEP with prototypical NFL size, so I see them going the safer way with this selection.



ROUND 2

10. Edmonton (via Hamilton) – Brander Craighead – OT – UTEP

Edmonton has made several moves to suggest they would love to go with a non-import at offensive tackle: the addition of Carson Rockhill, and a depth chart that already contains Matt O’Donnell and Dylan Steenbergen. They look poised to go with four non-imports on the O line this year. Craighead possesses the physical capabilities to play on the edge in the CFL and if the Eskimos' Canadian tackle trio develops, he will give them some interesting options in 2014.

11. Winnipeg – Elie Ngoyi – DL – Bishop's

One of the most physically gifted individuals in the draft, Ngoyi is still extremely raw as a defensive lineman. However the skills are there for a defensive-line coach to work with. Immediately Ngoyi offers unique ability as a 260-plus-pound special team player. Ngoyi has a great motor, and even if he never fully develops as a defensive end, he will still be worth this selection based on what he contributes to special teams.

12. British Columbia – Hunter Steward – OL – Liberty

A big future offensive lineman to add to the Lions' collection of non-import depth. While Steward is not the player that McMillan (see #18) is, he possesses a much higher probability of playing in the CFL. McMillan at the very worst will kick around NFL camps next season even if he is not drafted, as Iowa offensive linemen (especially those who are 6-6 and athletic) are extremely appealing to NFL teams.

13. Calgary (via Saskatchewan) – Alex Anthony – WR – Laurier

Calgary is in need of non-import receiver depth and Anthony is an interesting player who possesses all the physical tools needed to succeed as a NIM receiver at the next level. He has experience as both an inside and outside receiver, but he earns this pick at 13 over some of the small receivers as a result of his speed and size and future special team potential.

14. Montreal – Carl-Olivier (C.O.) Prime – LB – Wagner College

Prime is a big physical body that offers great special team value. He could initially offer some depth behind Shea Emry while also adding an upgrade to some of the larger positions on the return units. Has also played fullback in the past and could pose some interesting options for teams at that position.

15. Hamilton (via Edmonton through BC) – Natey Adjei – WR – Buffalo

The Ti-Cats have done a good job of adding talent the last couple of years through the draft, having Mike Atkinson, Fredi Plesius and Arnaud Gascon-Nadon all waiting in the wings. This gives them the luxury of not having to select a player for this year and instead gamble on an NCAA future. Adjei has bounced around the States the last handful of years, but one thing remains constant: he is a great athlete. Adjei, who has yet to make an impact in the NCAA, would be a safe bet to play in the CFL at some point. He has starting non-import potential, which is always worth it with this selection in the 2nd round.

16. Calgary – Jesse Joseph – DL – UConn

Joseph has had some trouble with injuries, but he remains supremely talented. Eligible for the 2013 NFL draft, he will likely get overlooked for medical reasons. He would be an immediate upgrade for Calgary once he returns to health.

17. Toronto – Hosam Shahin – DL – Rice

A potential CFL game-changer, Shahin has NFL potential so obviously there is some risk in this selection. The Argos are not desperate to add non-import talent, having just come off a Grey Cup victory with a strong non-import base. Shahin gives the Argos a nice lottery ticket in case the NFL does not work out for him next season.

18. Ottawa – Nolan McMillan – OL – Iowa

I would be surprised if McMillan didn’t kick around the NFL for a year or two after leaving Iowa. He possesses size for the league and comes from a great program pedigree. Of all the red shirt juniors in this years draft McMillan has the best NFL chance outside of outside of Boseko Lokombo. Ottawa is in the position to take this gamble with their second-round selection, with McMillan a potential ratio-buster at offensive tackle.



ROUND 3

19. Hamilton – Yannick Morin-Plante – WR – Laval

Hamilton needs to address some of their non-import depth issues, especially since they routinely went with three NIM receivers last season. Morin-Plante offers CFL size/speed and has special teams experience at Laval. And for what it's worth, le Noir et Or have not shied away from Laval talent in the past.

20. Winnipeg – Mike DiCroce – WR – McMaster

DiCroce is an interesting prospect that could go much higher than this, as he offers the ability to backup both the slot and REC position and is a slightly more polished Canadian WR then the others I have taken before him. While DiCroce hasn’t shown much value on return units as a blocker, his ability to catch the football has drawn comparisons to Andre Talbot. He could be a real wild-card come draft day.

21. BC (via Edmonton) – Patrick Chenard – DB – Sherbrooke

With the Lions losing Muamba in the offseason, they need to address some of the depth issues associated. They do not necessarily need to add a starting-calibre player at free safety, as they look poised to go non-import at defensive tackle with Jabar Westerman, but Chenard fits the bill required of CFL FSs. He will offer an immediate value as he brings his speed and open-field tackling ability to the coverage units for BC.

22. Saskatchewan – Isaac Dell – FB – Laurier

Dell is one of the most interesting players in the draft, really the definition of what the Canadian full-back position has developed into. He is a capable receiver, athletic enough to contribute on special teams and has the physical capability to develop into a good blocker in time. Has the frame and athleticism to be able to add even more lean mass, which will help aid his transition as a blocker. Really reminds me of a poor man’s Patrick Lavoie who was drafted by Montreal 11th overall in 2012 and had a fantastic rookie campaign. With Saskatchewan rostering two of the oldest fullbacks in the league, the selection of Dell would make sense on so many levels.

23. Montreal – Stephen Alli – WR – Florida

Another physically gifted player, Alli looks like a NFL WR coming off the bus, however for one reason or another he has yet to put it all together down south. Montreal, who possess many draft picks, can take the calculated gamble with this selection in hopes that Alli develops (but not too much!) next year for the Gators. He looks like a good bet to play in the CFL at some point.

24. Edmonton (via Hamilton via BC) – Kalonji Kashama – DL – Eastern Michigan

Kashama comes from strong CFL history (three brothers in the league) and looks extremely likely to play in the CFL at some point. While he could go much higher than this, the threat that he realizes his potential next season and ends up in NFL camp is a real possibility, thus the fall in the draft.

25. Calgary – Andy Mulumba – DL – Eastern Michigan

The Stamps diversify their investment in NCAA players here by pairing Joseph at 16 with Mulumba at 25. It is likely at least one of them plays in the CFL next season. The NFL risk for Mulumba is; if he does not end up in NFL camp, he will likely get selected much higher.

26. Edmonton (via Toronto) – Brent Urban – DL – Virginia

While Urban will likely get NFL looks next season as a 3-4 defensive end, he could eventually see himself playing in the CFL. He has the potential to be a Doug Brown clone on the inside, and if the Eskimos want to maintain their ratio at defensive tackle in the future he would be a fantastic stash pick here.

27. Ottawa – Tolu Akinwumi – DB – Rice

Tolu gives the Ottawa franchise a nice free safety option for next season; he gets the nod over Oregon’s Boseko Lokomko who will likely never play a snap in the CFL.



ROUND 4

28. Calgary – Cam Redl – OL – Saskatchewan

Would have likely been a much higher pick than this if not for health concerns. Redl has size that, as the saying goes, cannot be taught and offers the Stamps a great risk/reward with this selection.

29. Winnipeg – Brett Jones – OL – Regina

An accomplished CIS offensive lineman, Jones is the Canadian version of Corey Watman. He may fall in the draft as teams pigeonhole him as a centre-only prospect. The potential is there for a long CFL career.

30. Montreal (via Edmonton) – Kris Robertson – DB – Concordia

Robertson offers rare physical ability, and once he learns the nuances of playing DB in the CFL, he could add some unique depth possibilities to his game. With many backup defensive backs being Canadian, Robertson would offer the team the luxury of getting out of a game if an import gets injured. Robertson is one of the rare CIS athletes that is athletic enough to play corner in the CFL.

31. Edmonton (via Saskatchewan) – Simon Le Marquand – WR – Ottawa

Edmonton added a big-time player in receiver Shamawd Chambers last season, however they still need some non-import depth behind Chambers and Nate Coehoorn. Le Marquand meets the athletic standards for the position and at this juncture of the draft would be a great addition, with potential to make the roster in 2013.

32. Montreal – Chris Mercer – OL – Regina

A big athletic body that has only scratched the surface of his potential and could eventually develop into a starting quality offensive lineman. Montreal adds Mercer to a deep stable of Canadian offensive linemen.

33. BC – Kyle Norris – LB – SMU

Norris passes the eyeball test when it comes to Canadian linebackers, a good athlete that could come in immediately and fight for playing time on special teams. Norris’s physical tools will be attractive around this juncture of the draft. The Lions lost James Yurichuk to Toronto in the off-season and need to restock their non-import linebacking cupboard.

34. Calgary – Nicolas Boulay – LB – Sherbrooke

A big-hitting linebacker that isn’t a stranger to playing in space, Boulay would offer some depth to a relatively thin Stamps non-import linebacking crew. He also could battle immediately for special teams playing time after Calgary traded Akwasi Antwi to Toronto in the off-season. There is a glaring need on the Stamps depth chart for a couple more physical Canadians, and I fully expect them to address this in the draft.

35. Hamilton – Matt Albright – OL – SMU

Really a very similar prospect to Regina’s Chris Mercer: big guy, potential. Well put together, athletic linemen always seem to be in high demand in the CFL. Hamilton welcomes that added depth to their roster with Albright at 35.

36. Ottawa – Boseko Lokombo – LB – Oregon

At this point Ottawa throws up a Hail Mary with their final selection in the 2013 draft. Lokombo will likely never play in the CFL, but if he does he could be among the best players in the league.


**

And some other interesting names, in no particular order:

• Steven Lumbala – RB – Calgary: Offers an interesting skill set for teams that are structured to start a non-import RB. Using Canadian RBs can be kind of linked to the “moneyball” philosophy, of taking advantage of a situation when it is too good to ignore. Possible landing place in BC or Calgary.
• Stephen Adekolu – WR – Bishop's: Another WR that looks great coming off the bus but has yet to realize his potential. Some teams will likely see Akeem Foster when they evaluate him; size/strength/speed guys usually go much higher than you anticipate when it comes to CFL draft day. Intriguing prospect.
• Shane Bergman – OL – Western: Another big body, though he is still raw, and needs to continue to work on becoming a better athlete. However the potential is there and he should intrigue more than just a few teams.
• Guillaume Rioux – WR – Laval: A short, shifty, athletic slot receiver. He made a lot of hay in the return game at the CIS level, routinely being one of the most dangerous return men in the country. There is a market for WRs like him in the CFL, however the big question is how valuable is he once you take away the return ability? It is pretty rare for non-import returners in CFL. Would be a nice selection for the Argos to battle with 2012 draft pick Quincy Hurst.
• Cayman Shutter – QB – Hawaii: Is he the Canadian to finally get back under center? American-trained, Shutter has deep CFL roots that may appeal to some CFL teams in the mid-rounds. Only problem is, there is no incentive ratio-wise. He may be limited if he cannot play QB as he isn’t a special athletic specimen that could easily transition to another position.
• Mike Spence – DB – Western: A DB that isn’t afraid to mix it up on special teams and isn’t afraid to lay the lumber on WRs. Spence is athletic enough to make a serious contribution on special teams immediately, and possesses the skills that could appeal to non-import free safety teams as a potential starter down the road. Has potential to get drafted much higher.
• Brent Wheeler – DL – Western: Western has done a great job of producing rotational/special team type d-lineman the past couple years in the CFL. It seems like they are all cut from the same cloth. Wheeler offers a skill set that is very attractive to teams looking for NIM depth and special team potential. Add in the strong program pedigree and it would be easy to see Wheeler making an impact.
• Cameron Wade – DB – Acadia: A rangy, smart defender who is also a proven CIS special teams player. Wade offers interesting value for CFL clubs as he is larger than most of the other defensive backs in this year's class. Could go off the board much sooner depending on how teams evaluate the other free-safety candidates.
• Jakob Piotrowksi – OL – Guelph: Was one of the toughest offensive linemen to play against in the OUA prior to missing the 2012 season with a shoulder injury. Had started for multiple seasons on the Gryphons' offensive line and would have likely been one of the first CIS offensive lineman taken in this year’s draft had he played in 2012. Played left tackle for the Gryphons but projects easily as a CFL guard. Possesses the size/speed/strength/nastiness and natural knee bend that you desire in Canadian offensive linemen. He is positioned to be one of the steals of the 2013 draft.
• Matt Burke – FB – Bishop's: One of the more interesting players in the draft and could really go anywhere depending on what you see when you evaluate him. Burke gets projected as a CFL fullback, however he has limited college tape of doing so. If he commits himself to being a CFL fullback he could be valuable. An intriguing athlete that looks like a potential CFL special team contributor.
• Brett Lauther – K – SMU: A dual-threat kicker, equally talented as former Huskie Justin Palardy and should entice CFL clubs. Is used to kicking in the elements, as Maritime winds are known to be less than friendly to kickers. The leg talent is there.
• Michael Klassen – DL – Calgary: An athletic defensive lineman, Klassen comes from a program that is known to put players in the CFL. He has had plenty of exposure to CFL scouts and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him drafted in the mid-rounds. Again, another guy with the size/speed/special teams potential to be drafted higher than you might expect.
• Kareem Ba – DL/LB – UBC: An enigma who made a great impression at last year's East/West Bowl, making several tackles in the game. However he failed to build on that momentum during his CIS 2012 season. The lack of 2012 production will surely be a red flag. Will be a true wildcard in the draft.
• Matt McGarva – S – Windsor: A missile on defense that isn’t afraid to throw his head in the blender to make a play. Tested well enough at the combine to back up what he has shown on film, and should appeal to teams looking for a gritty special team player. Good fit as a "hot to the ball" guy on coverage units. Similar build to Mike Miller.
• Cameron Thorn – OL – Guelph: Thorn, a former defensive tackle, offers some intriguing athletic value. He has never played the position but possesses great physical tools that could be projectable to playing tackle in the CFL. I could see the Alouettes drafting Thorn, teaching him some of the finer points of playing OL as a non-counter in training camp, and sending him back to Guelph to hone his skills on the offensive line. Thorn would eventually add to the Alouettes considerable stable of non-import lineman in 2014.

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Basketball: A different version of "names of the year" (or, "CIS scorekeepers are spellbound")

Nearly five years ago I had some fun at the expense of CIS statkeepers, particularly in basketball. I'm glad to report that since then, the names listed in boxscores are generally correct. However, now that CIS boxscores include play-by-play, it unfortunately means more opportunities for misspellings.

I fully admit I am the only person who seems to care about this, but having done the work to fix the names, I'm still going to share the many examples of typos or other inaccuracies that just shouldn't be happening.

These are all actual names as listed in men's basketball play-by-play. This is only men's basketball because I did that first. Women's basketball would presumably have the same problems.

**

Thomas Filigiano, Acadia
FILIGIANO,THOMA
FILIGIANO,THOMAS
FILGIANO,THOMAS

Issack Egueh, Brock
EGUEH,ISAACK
EGURH,ISSACK
EGUEH,ISAAC
EGUEH,ISSACK

C.J. Smith, Brock
SMITH,C.J.
SMITH,CJ
J. SMITH,C

Kelson Devereaux, Cape Breton
DEVEREAUX,KELSON
DEVEREAUX,KELSEN
DEVERAUX,KELSON

Clinton Springer-Williams, Carleton
SPRINGER-WILLIAMS,CLINTON
SPRINGER-WILLIAMS,C
SPRINGER-WIL,CLINTON
SPRING-WILL,CLINTON

Jean Pierre-Charles, Carleton (or Jean Emmanuel Pierre-Charles, depending)
PIERRE-CHARLES,JEAN
E PIERRE-CHARLES,J
EMMANUEL PIERRE,JEAN
PIERRE-CHARLES,JE

Jean-Andre Moussignac, Concordia
MOUSSIGNAC,JEAN-ANDRE
MOUSSIGNAC,JEAN-A
MOUSSIGNAC,J-A

Kashrell Lawrence, Dalhousie
LAWRENCE,KASHRELL
LAWERENCE,KASHRELL
LARENCE,KASHRELL

Joseph Nitychoruk, Lakehead
NITYCHORUK,JOSEPH
NITYCHORUK,JOSHEPH
NITYCHORUK,JOESPH

Mathew Schmidt, Lakehead
SCHMIDT,MATHEW
SCHMIDT,MATTHEW
SCHMIDT,MATT

Tychon Carter-Newman, Laurentian
CARTER-NEWMAN,TYCHON
CARTER-NEWMAN,T
CARTER-NEWMAN,TYCHAN

Laurier Beaulac-Dufresne, Laval:
BEAULAC-DUFRESNE,LAURIER
BEAULAC-D,LAURIER
,LAURIER BEAULAC-DUF
BEAULAC-DUF.,LAURIER
DUFRESNE,L
BEAULAC-DUF,LAURIER

Winn Clark, McGill
CLARK,WINN
CLARK,W
CLARK,D (huh?)

Aleksandar Mitrovic, McGill
MITROVIC,ALEKSANDAR
MITROVIC,A
MITROVIC,ALEKSANDER

Te'Jour Riley, McGill
RILEY,TE'JOUR
RILEY,Y
RILEY,T

Alpha Kisusi, Memorial
KISUSI,ALPHA
KISSUSI,ALPHAEUS
KISUSI,ALPHAEUS

Chris Henderson, Memorial
HENDERSON,CHRIS
HENDERSN,CHRISTOPHER
HENDERSO,CHRISTOPHER

Johnny Berhanemeskel, Ottawa
BERHANEMESKEL,JOHNNY
BERHANEMESKEL,JOHN
BERHANEMESKEL,JOHNN

Gabriel Gonthier-Dubue, Ottawa:
GONTHIER-DUBUE,GABRIEL
-DUBUE,GABRIEL G
GONTHIER-DUBUE,GABR
GONTHIER-DUBUE,GAB
G.-DUBUE,GABRIEL
GONTHIER-DUB,GABRIEL
GONTHIER-DUBUE,G

Sukhpreet Singh, Queen's
SINGH,SUKHPREET
SINGH,SUHKPREET
SING,SUKHPREET

Nikola Misljencevic, Queen's
MISLJENCEVIC,NIKOLA
MISLIJEVIC,NIKOLOA
MISLENCEVIC,NIKOLA

Juwon Ogunnaike-Grannum, Ryerson
OGUNNAIKE-GRANNUM,JUWON
OGUNNAIKE-GRANNUM,J
OGUNNAIKE-GRAN,JUWON
OGUNNAIKE-GARNNUM,J
OGUNNAIKE-G,JUWON

Osman Odol, Saint Mary's
ODOL,OSMAN
OLOL,OSMAN
OLAL,OSMON

Mike Pajovic, Toronto
PAJOVIC,MIKE
PAJOVIC,MILE
PAJOVIC,M

Alejandro Prescott-Cornejo, Toronto
PRESCOTT-CORNEJO,ALEJANDRO
PRESCOTT-CORNEJO,A
PRESCOTT-COMEJO,A
PRESCOTT,A
PRESCOTT-C,ALEJANDRO
P-CORNEJO,ALEJANDRO

Laszlo Schuetz, Toronto
SCHUETZ,LASZLO
SCHUETZ,LASZIO
SHUETZ,L

Dan Quiron, UNB
QUIRON,DAN
QUIRON,DANIEL
QUIRION,DANIEL

Opel Samuel Otieno, UPEI
SAMUELOTIENO,OPEL
OTIENO,OPEL SAMUEL
SAMUEL OTIENO,OPEL

Vincent Lanctot-Fortier, UQAM
LANCTOT-FORTIER,VINCENT
LANCTOT-FORT,VINCENT
L-FORTIER,VINCENT
,VINCENT LANCTOT-F
-FORTIER,VINCENT L

Rotimi Osuntola, Jr., Windsor
OSUNTOLA JR,ROTIMI
OSCUNTOLA,ROTIMNI
OSUNTOLA JR.,ROTIMNI
OSUNTOLA JR.,ROTIMI
OSUNTOLA,ROTIMI
JR,ROTIMI OSUNTOLA
,ROTIMI OSUNTOLA JR
,ROTIMNI OSUNTOLA JR
ROTIMI,OSUNTOLA JR

Matthew Ziobrowski, York
ZIOBROWSKI,MATT
ZIOBROWSKI,MATTHEW
ZIOBROWSKI,NICK (good hustle there, York scorekeepers)
ZIBROWSKI,MATTHEW

**

Many are double-barrelled last names, but many are not, and I don't know what having one or two last names has to do with spelling "Grannum" four different ways.

As I wrote in 2008: "There are two possibilities: the scorekeepers are incorrectly copying the names from the roster sheet, or the spellings on the team rosters are inconsistent from game to game. Neither mistake is hard to fix; neither mistake should happen as often as these do."

It's now 2013. There has been progress, but not enough. Let's fix this, okay?
Continue reading...

Calculated Reactions: The top CCAA women's basketball prospects for 2013

For the third year in a row, it's time to check out the college players whose CCAA performance suggests CIS success.

**

First, the necessary background and explanation. To identify these prospects, we take 2012-13 CCAA stats and translate them to the CIS level based on the many players from past years who have played CCAA one year and CIS the next. Currently for women's basketball, we can translate ACAC (Alberta), OCAA (Ontario), and ACAA (Atlantic) stats.

Every category — from shooting percentages to rebounds to steals to percentage of shots taken that are three-pointers to usage rate — is projected based on historical averages for players going from one level to the next in consecutive years. We now have the equivalent of about 9,500 minutes from players who have gone from CCAA to CIS (or the reverse). All these CCAA-to-CIS players are the basis for our assumptions about the relative level of the two leagues: for illustration purposes only, if turnovers per 40 minutes tends to rise 15% among these players on average, that's the translation we apply to everyone's college stats. Obviously there are several factors we're not accounting for, but this does serve as a handy way to identify the standouts among hundreds of CCAA players across the country, and to (for lack of a better word) ignore those whose overall game might not translate to the CIS level.

Minutes played are projected, though projecting playing time is generally an even more foolish thing to do than projecting rate stats, and so those numbers should not be taken seriously. The per-game statistics assume each player appears in 20 games; the projected season stats are therefore simply divided by 20 for everyone. Some schools had impossibly low numbers of minutes played, which meant we had to adjust the minutes up for everyone to match how many games that team played — MP numbers are noted with * where adjusted.

Eligibility years are as of 2013-14, so "2nd year" means she just completed her first. We consider only those players with at least two years of eligibility remaining. All years of stats I could find are included, but the projection depends only on '12-13.

New this year is a list of most-similar players to each prospect. These are comparisons in terms of style only, not in terms of equating one player to another, or saying that she will be as good as her comps. We simply took the CCAA stats and compared them to similar CIS players, to give an idea of the statistical profile she has by using known analogues to represent her style of play. We match players based on their CCAA stats, rather than their projected CIS stats, to minimize the number of assumptions made with these comparisons, and to keep the comps focused on the type of the player rather than her value to a CIS team (which is already expressed in the stats).

And finally, as always, remember this is not a substitute for recruiting insight. In most (all?) cases we know nothing about these players aside from a stat line and a roster bio, and are making no value judgement beyond that which is visible in a boxscore.

**

Jylisa Williams
5-8 guard, 4th year, Olds College (previously with Georgia State University)

Season	Conf/Lg	Year	Minutes	Per Game					Per 40		eFG%	Usage	PER
				PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL	PTS	REB
2008-09	NCAA	1st	946	10.5	4.6	2.0	0.1	2.4	13.3	5.9	36.8%	22.5%	n/a
2009-10	NCAA	2nd	249	7.7	2.8	1.8	0.1	1.2	13.7	5.0	44.8%	20.5%	n/a
2012-13	ACAC	3rd	828*	26.4	8.8	3.6	0.2	4.5	35.7	11.9	48.7%	34.5%	54.8
2013-14	CIS	4th	646	20.1	7.6	2.4	0.3	3.8	24.8	9.3	46.3%	22.4%	31.9

Most similar: Lindsay DeGroot, Renata Adamczyk, Katie Miyazaki

Surprise, surprise — the list begins with the CCAA player of the year. You don't see too many Georgia State transfers in Olds, Alberta. On second thought you don't see many people at all in Olds, Alberta.

Her projection doesn't take her D-1 past into account, and yet it still gives her the kind of numbers you see out of a first-team All-Canadian. A PER of 31.9 would have been in the top 10 in the country this past year, and represents the highest projection we've seen out of any player in the three years we've been doing this series.

Williams is very likely to transfer somewhere, so I should point out that her projected numbers (notably PER and usage rate) assume she is placed on an average CIS team and plays a reduced role relative to what she had at Olds, as that is typically what happens with a CCAA transfer. However, the typical transfer is not a D-1 player who came up here and dominated the league as thoroughly as she did, and so I expect her to play a larger part with whatever team she chooses to join.

(If it wasn't obvious from the joke above, this is the first time I've ever even heard of Olds. The town or the college.)



Kelsey Lund
6-0 forward, 3rd year, University of Alberta - Augustana

Season	Conf/Lg	Year	Minutes	Per Game					Per 40		eFG%	Usage	PER
				PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL	PTS	REB
2011-12	ACAC	1st	424*	14.3	8.5	0.4	0.8	1.1	31.0	18.5	46.0%	31.9%	39.0
2012-13	ACAC	2nd	484*	14.9	8.3	0.4	1.2	1.0	29.5	16.4	50.7%	30.2%	41.6
2013-14	CIS	3rd	378	9.8	6.2	0.2	1.1	0.8	20.6	13.0	48.6%	19.6%	22.0

Most similar: Hannah Sunley-Paisley, Brittany Read

Lund provides a nice object lesson in what happens when your teammates shoot better: namely, that you don't have to take as many bad shots. In 2011-12, her teammates shot about 36%, and the only player who took more shots than Lund was lower than that. In 2012-13, her teammates shot 38% (about a point and a half per game better overall), with the other high-volume shooters at 45% and 41%. Quite the difference.

Other accomplishments of Lund's this year in the ACAC: second-highest PER, fourth-highest offensive rating (i.e., points produced per possession), fifth-best true shooting percentage, highest offensive rebound percentage, second-highest defensive rebound percentage ... need I continue?

Overall, she was probably more valuable to Augustana than she was last year (when she was also on this list), which is frankly amazing. I think her CIS comps are particularly good as well — though, again, this isn't to say she's as good as Read or Sunley-Paisley (would that we all could be). Just that they have similar profiles.



Melanie Hogue
Forward, 3rd year, Olds College (previously with Holland College)

Season	Conf/Lg	Year	Minutes	Per Game					Per 40		eFG%	Usage	PER
				PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL	PTS	REB
2010-11	ACAA	1st	413	12.1	12.3	0.7	0.8	1.7	22.2	22.7	40.7%	15.1%	n/a
2012-13	ACAC	2nd	413*	8.2	11.5	0.7	1.2	1.4	14.2	20.0	40.8%	17.4%	26.1
2013-14	CIS	3rd	378	4.0	6.4	0.3	0.9	0.8	8.5	13.4	39.3%	11.3%	14.5

Most similar: Natalie Janssens, Stephanie Toxopeus, Hailey Milligan

No wonder Olds did so well this year... Hogue is merely the second-most notable transfer they had. We identified her as someone who could play back in the inaugural piece in this series, in May of 2011. At that time I said she was a good candidate for what used to be called a draft-and-follow in baseball terms: give her a year to develop and see what happens. The following year she left Holland College, however, and then turned up in everybody's favourite Alberta town of population 8,000.

Huge caveats abound with her projection: since it is based on the year she shared the court with Jylisa Williams, her usage rate is very low. She'd probably take many more shots on a "regular" team. Though not if she's going to shoot under 40%.



Wendy Margetts
5-11 forward, 2nd year, University of King's College

Season	Conf/Lg	Year	Minutes	Per Game					Per 40		eFG%	Usage	PER
				PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL	PTS	REB
2012-13	ACAA	1st	602	12.8	10.5	1.7	0.5	2.0	18.7	15.3	48.6%	21.4%	30.9
2013-14	CIS	2nd	470	7.8	7.1	0.9	0.4	1.3	13.2	12.1	46.5%	13.9%	16.8

Most similar: Laurie Girdwood, Lindsay Druery, Kayla Dykstra

To be clear, that would be the King's located in Halifax, not the one in London or Edmonton. (They're our version of Miami and Miami of Ohio, I guess.)

Margetts, originally from Sarnia, Ont., committed to McMaster for the 2011-12 season but did not play. She ended up down east, and accomplished a very difficult task: appearing near the top of league leaderboards despite not playing for St. Thomas. (This link, or this one, should explain that reference.)

Posts generally have a better chance at making the jump to CIS, which is partially why you see Margetts, Hogue, and Lund on this list. Averaging a double-double doesn't hurt either.



Haeven Durrant
5-8 forward, 2nd year, Sheridan College

Season	Conf/Lg	Year	Minutes	Per Game					Per 40		eFG%	Usage	PER
				PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL	PTS	REB
2012-13	OCAA	1st	625	18.7	12.7	0.9	0.8	2.7	21.6	14.6	38.6%	27.5%	35.8
2013-14	CIS	2nd	488	9.3	7.0	0.4	0.6	1.5	15.2	11.5	36.9%	17.9%	16.3

Most similar: Nicki Schutz, Anna von Maltzahn

Not a lot to say here, mostly because I don't know much about her. Durrant was third in the Ontario league in scoring, taking a lot of shots and complementing that with grabbing a lot of boards, and a very low turnover rate. Not a high-percentage shooter, but it's hard to be when your team shoots an effective 33%, and doesn't outscore its opponents.



Jessica Cetoute
6-1 forward, 2nd year, St. Lawrence College

Season	Conf/Lg	Year	Minutes	Per Game					Per 40		eFG%	Usage	PER
				PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL	PTS	REB
2012-13	OCAA	1st	660	16.2	14.5	1.0	1.3	3.1	17.6	15.8	42.8%	24.3%	31.6
2013-14	CIS	2nd	514	7.9	8.0	0.4	0.9	1.7	12.3	12.5	41.0%	15.8%	14.1

Most similar: Sarah Wierks, Iva Peklovà, Marie-Michelle Genois

The OCAA rookie of the year, Cetoute was part of a resurgence at St. Lawrence: one year after a winless season, they fell five points short of a conference bronze medal. (Host Humber used 13 players in that game to their eight, which hardly seems fair ... or within FIBA rules.)

Despite all those rebounds, she's projected with a below-average PER for a number of reasons. Among those: her turnovers, which hurt quite a bit relative to the similar Ontario player that precedes her on this list; she's projected to have the same number of TOs as made baskets.



Kelly Vass
5-6 guard, 3rd year, St. Thomas University

Season	Conf/Lg	Year	Minutes	Per Game					Per 40		eFG%	Usage	PER
				PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL	PTS	REB
2011-12	ACAA	1st	474	10.9	4.1	2.6	0.0	3.8	22.1	8.4	50.9%	26.2%	33.4
2012-13	ACAA	2nd	530	9.9	4.3	4.3	0.1	4.2	20.9	9.1	44.1%	25.2%	37.1
2013-14	CIS	3rd	413	7.2	3.7	2.8	0.1	3.5	13.8	7.1	40.0%	16.4%	17.0

Most similar: Joanna Zalesiak, Grace Fishbein, Katie Goggins

Vass had the best defensive rating of any player for whom I have statistics, mostly because 10% of her opponents' possessions ended with her getting a steal, an unheard-of number. At the risk of comparing apples to anthropology, that's almost double the NBA single-season record. These are the sorts of accomplishments you see when a team goes 29-2 and outscores the opposition 30 points per game on average, which is a nicer way of saying maybe the ACAA competition isn't so great.

Regardless, she may not be transferring anywhere, not only because most of the players we identify here don't, but also because she told the Aquinian last month, in part, "I couldn’t see myself going to another school now."

There's no truth to the rumour that her projection includes bonus points for following The CIS Blog on Twitter.



Megan Wood
5-11 forward, 3rd year, Grant MacEwan University

Season	Conf/Lg	Year	Minutes	Per Game					Per 40		eFG%	Usage	PER
				PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL	PTS	REB
2012-13	ACAC	2nd	752	16.4	9.7	1.3	0.6	1.1	21.0	12.4	50.3%	23.4%	32.1
2013-14	CIS	3rd	586	10.1	6.8	0.7	0.6	0.8	13.8	9.2	47.0%	15.2%	15.5

Most similar: Lindsay Druery, Holly Strom, Kendall MacLeod

Wood, the ACAC rookie of the year, previously played volleyball for Red Deer College, and for a second I was thinking of adding in those stats too, for the sake of whimsy more than anything else (she definitely increased her number of blocks, for one).

In one of her first games of basketball after the year away from the game, she dropped 20 points on UVic in October, one of only nine players to do so this year. In a nice coincidence, one of the other nine was her #2 comparison Holly Strom, who scored 25 and 31 a month later.



Kelly O'Hallahan
5-9 guard, 3rd year, Grande Prairie Regional College

Season	Conf/Lg	Year	Minutes	Per Game					Per 40		eFG%	Usage	PER
				PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL	PTS	REB
2011-12	ACAC	1st	509	12.4	6.0	1.6	0.2	2.2	19.5	9.4	46.9%	23.7%	27.4
2012-13	ACAC	2nd	714	20.2	9.2	2.2	0.5	3.1	23.8	10.9	45.3%	27.8%	33.9
2013-14	CIS	3rd	527	10.4	5.7	1.0	0.4	1.9	15.7	8.6	40.5%	18.1%	15.1

Most similar: Amy Ogidan, Jessica Franz, Kaylah Barrett

Would have led the nation in scoring if not for Jylisa Williams, and the two of them are the only two here to make the list of CCAA All-Canadians.
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Basketball: Our 2012-13 player rankings are out

To the surprise of absolutely nobody, SMU's Justine Colley tops our women's player rankings this year, though the leader's name on the men's side may not be what you are expecting...

A bit of explanation. For the first time, this year's rankings include all playoff and Final 8 stats (both championship-side and consolation-side games). We are also ranking players slightly differently than we have in the past, combining their PER with the percentage of minutes they played, and giving the rest of the time to a replacement player. We also adjust for strength of schedule. Colley, for example, played 932 minutes when totalling the AUS Final 6 and CIS Final 8, or 83% of the minutes she could have played had she never left the floor. For the other 17%, we assign a PER of 6.0 — a very low number; the average is always 15.0 — that represents what a replacement-level, freely-available player would put up if given the playing time. This gives more credit to players who are on the floor more often, as those are minutes that don't have to be filled by others on the roster. Colley's actual PER of 46.9 is then adjusted to 42.3 to account for her "missed" playing time — though, really, she played quite a lot, more often than most of the players in the top 25.

Behind Colley, who topped the list for the third year in a row, are Windsor's Jessica Clémençon (who was somehow not named OUA West MVP), UBC's Kris Young, Saskatchewan's Dalyce Emmerson, and TRU's Diane Schuetze. Colley and Young were conference MVPs, and all but Emmerson were named first- or second-team All-Canadians. The second-highest PER actually belonged to Brittany Read of Regina, but she only played about half the time for the Cougars as opposed to the 70% or 75% the other top players did, so she is lower as a result of that missed time.

Amazingly, three Windsor Lancers found themselves in the top 10: Miah-Marie Langlois at 7, and Korissa Williams right behind her. It's too simple by half to say those players are three reasons why Windsor's won three championships in a row, but also not inaccurate either. Clémençon has been no lower than sixth in her four years in the league, and Langlois and Williams have been ranked among the best for each of the last three years.

**

And what about that unexpected result among the men, you ask?

Well, the overall leader was not named as an All-Canadian, nor the MVP of his conference. It was Alberta's Kenneth Otieno, with a PER of 30.3 (the highest in CIS) in 77% of available minutes. His shooting percentages were basically just as good as Phil Scrubb, one of the best players in the country of course, but on top of that he grabbed 15% of available defensive rebounds (Scrubb: 10%), turned the ball over only 10% of the time (nobody else in the top 20 was below 12%, averaging 16%), and generally played more of Alberta's minutes than expected for someone with his stats.

Otieno leads Evans, Scrubb, Calgary's Thijin Moses (who was robbed of even second-team Canada West recognition), Ward, and another Dino in Jarred Ogungbemi-Jackson. Just like with the women's champions, three Carleton players ended up in the top 15 (Tyson Hinz 7, Thomas Scrubb 15), as well as Clinton Springer-Williams at 39.

Overall, though, these aren't meant to be definitive rankings from 1 to 600 or however many players there are. It's just a way to compare players on different teams with different skill sets. PER, the basis for the rankings, is not great at measuring defensive contributions (few basic boxscore stats are), but does a pretty good job at identifying the best players overall.

**

Full rankings: men's and women's.

Past years are also included.
Continue reading...

2013 University Cup: UNB has Huskies seeing red

Game 2 of the 2013 CIS PotashCorp University Cup saw the #2 seeded Varsity Reds dash the hopes of the hometown Huskies after spotting them a goal in the second period. UNB had a certain edge in shots while even strength, but it wasn't until Jimmy Bubnick scored on the Saskatchewan power play that the V-Reds "woke up" and got their own power play clicking. Five minutes after the Bubnick goal, forward-turned-defenceman Daine Todd got the puck past Huskies netminder Ryan Holfeld, but it took several minutes for the officials to confer before deciding that the puck had indeed crossed the line. In the last minute of the period the V-Reds were on another power play and Tyler Carroll was the one-timer shooter on the end of a tic-tac-toe passing play.

Josh Schaefer Photography

The Huskies pushed back hard in the third period, and had their chances, but with just over three minutes to go Todd decided to skate the puck out of trouble in the UNB zone, just kept going and had everyone in the building, and on the ice, watching him as he weaved his way deep down the right side. No one picked up Antoine Houde-Caron racing down the left side, who snapped the cross-ice Todd pass into the yawning net, driving a dagger into the Huskies hearts.

UNB outshot the Huskies 42-24 in the 3-1 win and get a day off before playing the UQTR Patriotes on Saturday night. The Huskies have to regroup and play UQTR on Friday night.

CIS game story and game sheet.
Continue reading...