A unique aspect of court sports and men’s and women’s hockey at the U Sports level is that their seasons begin in the fall term and do not wrap up until the end of the winter term. Naturally, this means that at around the halfway point, athletes, coaches and support staff are off for just under a month to celebrate the holidays and take care of academic commitments. This time off can prove to be a much-needed break to allow teams to recoup, recover and redress their situation. Some teams are looking to make a final push for the playoffs while others are looking to reignite that fire that pushed them to the top of their respective divisions before the break.
Men’s hockey
The men’s hockey team finished off the 2024 portion of their season on a good note, knocking off crosstown rivals Laurier Golden Hawks 6-3 to bring them to 6-10 on the regular season. With this, they currently have 15 points and are sitting in eighth in the OUA west, on the outside looking in as far as playoffs go, currently two points behind the Brock Badgers for the sixth and final playoff spot coming out of the OUA West. With 12 games remaining in their schedule, the Warriors will, at the very least, need to go above .500 to even have a chance at the playoffs. The Warriors will look to lean on Tate Popple to continue his outstanding individual performance leading the team in points if a playoff berth is in their future.
Women’s hockey
The women’s hockey team on the other hand sits alone at the top of the OUA West with an 11-3 overall record and 32 total points. The Warriors finished off the 2024 part of their season on a very strong note, knocking off the Nipissing Lakers, who sit alone as the top team in the east. With 12 games remaining in the schedule, the Warriors will look to continue their dominating performances and hold on to that number one seed for favourable match-ups and home ice advantage throughout the entire playoffs. The Warriors will lean on their top performing forwards Leah Herrfort and Carly Orth, while also looking to Kara Mark to continue her dominant performances between the pipes. The Warriors open the 2025 portion of their season as they travel to Windsor to take on the Lancers on Jan. 10.
Men’s basketball
The men’s basketball team sits at 5-6, currently in a three-way tie for the top of the west in the OUA. The Warriors will look to pull away from this tie and solidify themselves as the number one seed, securing them a first round bye in the playoffs and home court advantage. The Warriors wrapped up their 2024 season on a dismal note losing to the Laurentian Voyageurs 72-34. The Warriors will play host to the Windsor Lancers, looking to knock them off and take a much needed step to solidify themselves as the top team in the West. The Warriors will look to continue to lean on top performer Cristian Craciun, who leads the team in both points and assists.
Women’s basketball
The women’s basketball team sits at a record of 5-6 currently fourth in the west, very much on the outside looking in as far as playoff chances go. The Warriors ended their 2024 part of the season on a tough note, getting knocked off in a nail-biter 70-75 by the Laurentian Voyageurs. The team will look to Nehita Oko-Oboh to continue her dominant performance in the paint. She currently leads the OUA in rebounds per game, a whole three boards ahead of the second place rank. The Warriors will look to get back in the win column and attempt to increase their chance of making the playoffs by getting back in the win column this Friday, Jan. 10, as they host the Windsor Lancers.
Men’s volleyball
Men’s volleyball finished the 2024 portion of their season with back to back dominating wins over the Trent Excaliburs. This brought the Warriors to 5-5 on the season and they currently sit at eighth in the OUA, holding on to that final playoff spot. The Warriors will look to at the very least sustain, or even improve on this in the final 10 games of the season. The Warriors are back in action as they host the Nipissing Lakers for a double header on Jan. 17-18 respectively. The Warriors will continue to lean on top performers Cohen Peters as far as assists go, and Liam MacArthur who leads the team in kills.
Women’s volleyball
The women’s volleyball team is currently sitting at 8-2 third in the OUA in a tight race for the top seed, only one game behind the first place Queen’s Golden Gaels. The Warriors wrapped up their 2024 campaign with an impressive sweep of the Trent Excalibur, taking all 6 sets across both match-ups. The Warriors’ sole two losses this season come from the top ranked Golden Gaels, and the Warriors will be looking to keep it this way as they are slated to take on the Lakehead Thunderwolves in a double header to open up the 2025 installment of this season next Friday, Jan. 17 on home court. The Warriors are currently sitting very comfortably on the inside looking out as far as playoffs go and will be looking to hold and even better their position by leaning on top performers Rachael Meilikhan, Madison Seo, and Sydney DeGraauw in their final 10 games of the season.
Hypothetically speaking, all teams are still technically alive — some in better positions than others — but all are still in a position to make a playoff push. Stay tuned for weekly varsity athletics update and keep a close eye on our Warriors, it’s going to be an exciting 2025 campaign and I’ll be here to keep you updated. Go Warriors!
