The UNBC Northern Timberwolves may want to stock up on ice packs.
The Timberwolves will play their first game at the Canadian Colleges Athletic Association women's basketball national championship tournament Thursday in Lethbridge. Their opening-round opponent, Algonquin College of Nepean, Ont., is accustomed to a bash-and-crash style.
"They're quite athletic and they're very, very aggressive," said UNBC head coach Loralyn Murdoch, who watched film of the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association championship game between the Algonquin Thunder and Seneca College Sting, won 62-57 in double overtime by the Thunder. "I think the biggest difference is the physicality. We can't play that physical in our league -- it just would not be acceptable by the officiating. It's going to be a different pace of game and the referees will dictate just how physical it will get."
Prior to leaving for Lethbridge, the Timberwolves spent time in practice working on a tougher brand of basketball. At the same time, they want to remain true to the elements of their own game that made them regular-season and playoff champions in the PACWEST Athletic Association.
"Right from the get-go, they're really aggressive," said third-year forward Emily Kaehn, who loves fighting for every inch of her floor space, especially around the hoop. "We'll try to match that and work our speed into that as well -- run the ball as much as possible."
At nationals, UNBC is ranked third and Algonquin is No. 6. The Timberwolves and Thunder will tip off Thursday at 8 p.m. Mountain time, 7 p.m. Pacific.
Algonquin's OCAA championship was its second in a row. At last year's nationals in Welland, Ont., the Thunder played in the championship game but was denied gold by the Montmorency Nomades of Laval, Que.
The unquestioned leader of the Thunder is third-year post Sandre Bascoe, the OCAA player of the year and the playoff MVP. In Algonquin's three playoff outings -- including a 58-46 win against the Humber College Hawks and a 61-39 victory against the George Brown College Huskies -- Bascoe totaled 50 points and 40 rebounds.
"She's about six-foot and extremely athletic," Murdoch said. "We're going to have to really focus on limiting her touches [on the ball], and when she does get touches, hopefully minimize the good looks that she gets."
As the Timberwolves prepare for the Thunder, they aren't sure about the playing status of fourth-year guard/forward Kady Dandeneau. During the PACWEST championship tournament, Dandeneau strained a knee and is considered "day-to-day" by Murdoch.
"She's going to be fine but she did tweak it," Murdoch said. "Hopefully she'll be good to go for nationals."
Dandeneau is one of three UNBC players with previous experience in the national spotlight. The others are forward Jennifer Clyne and post player Maria Neumann. The trio was part of the 2007-08 team that won provincials and attended the CCAA tournament in Truro, N.S. That year, the T-wolves finished fifth with a 1-2 record.
This year, the Grant MacEwan University Griffins of Edmonton are the top-seeded team at the CCAA championship. In the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference regular season and playoffs, they assembled a 24-0 record.
All games can be viewed on the tournament's website (www.ccaawomensbasketball2012.ca).
Tournament festivities start tonight with the annual CCAA All-Canadian banquet. Murdoch, whose team had a 15-1 regular season, is in the running for the coach of the year award.
