Linking the country ... 'Stangs lose their MVP, McGill sends message on ice

Football

• Western has lost key run-stuffing DT Mike Van Praet (broken leg) for the season entering tonight's tilt vs. York. (Sun Media)
  
  
• Chicago Bears D-lineman Israel Idonije (Manitoba) should only miss three weeks due to arthroscopic surgery on his knee. (RosenBlog)
  
  
• Is that Joe Doherty from Saint Mary's who is leading the AUS in touchdown receptions at the midway point of the season? Yes, yes it is. (Metro Canada)
  
  
• Windsor is down to one healthy QB for its game vs. Laurier. (Waterloo Region Record)
  

Hockey

• UNB's new defenceman, Josh Kidd, will play vs. Providence on Friday. Gardiner MacDougall, by the way, came up with the non-fiduciary analogy:
  

  " 'Sometimes good luck is the residue of design,' said Varsity Reds head coach Gardiner MacDougall. 'Was that (former baseball executive) Branch Rickey? Or maybe it's preparation meeting opportunity, I'm not sure which.' "

  (Fredericton Daily Gleaner)
  
  
• Laurier, which was ranked as high as No. 2 in the country, has to replace three of its top four scorers from last season. Jean-Michel Rizk, the OUA scoring champ, is back, though. (Waterloo Region Record)
  
  
• Better get used to it: McGill routed UQTR 7-3 in the OUA East opener for both teams. Alexandre Picard-Hooper and Yan Turcotte scored to put the Redmen up 2-0 before the game was 3 1/2 minutes old.
  
  
• You think anyone needs to tell the Alberta Pandas it was weird not seeing them at nationals last season? Stephanie Ramsay, by the way, will lace it up for Canada's U22 team this spring. (The Gateway)
  
  
• Calgary women's coach Danielle Goyette is beset on all sides by injured players as the Dinos re-enter Canada West. (Calgary Herald)
  

Basketball

• Defending women's bronze medallist Alberta will have a rematch vs. Windsor this weekend at its home tournament. Bishop's and Regina are also there. (The Gateway)
  
  
• The Manitoba Bisons basketball teams completed a sweep of the Duckworth Challenge, the annual hoops and volleyball competition vs. cross-town Winnipeg Wesmen. Bisons forward Sean Maxwell (14 points on Thursday) is going to bear tracking. (Winnipeg Free Press)
  
  
• UNB men's coach Brent Baker will face his mentor, St. FX's Steve Konchalski, as the V-Reds hold their home tournaments this weekend. (Daily Gleaner)
  
  
• U of S Huskies coach Lisa Thomaidis must be feeling pretty confident, what with having 11 returning players. (The Sheaf)