It was a busy week filled with plenty of varsity competition. This week marked the first round of OUA playoffs. The Warriors left it all out there, but unfortunately, this week marked the end of the 2024-2025 season for some teams.
Wednesday, Feb. 19
Kicking things off, the 11th-ranked men’s basketball team hit the road travelling to Ottawa to take on the sixth-seeded Carleton Ravens in the first round of OUA playoffs. The Warriors got off to a slow start in this one and it seemed to haunt them the eternity of this game. The Warriors fought hard but ultimately got knocked out of the playoffs by a very strong Carleton Ravens squad 89-57. The Warriors finished the season with an overall record of 9-14 going one and done in the playoffs. Special shout out to Rafael Llorin on reaching 1,000 career points in his last game as a Warrior.
Staying on the hardwood, the 10th-ranked women’s basketball was on the road travelling to Kingston to take on the seventh-ranked University of Queens Golden Gales in round one OUA playoff action. Similar to the men’s team, the women stumbled out of the gate being outscored 18-8 in the first quarter. Unfortunately, this slow start stuck with them for the entirety of the game as they fell to the Golden Gales 61-48. Regardless of the loss, Nehita Oko-Oboh scored 13 points and squeezed 16 boards. The Warriors finish the season 10-13, going one and done in the playoffs.
Transitioning to the ice, the sixth seeded OUA West men’s hockey team travelled to Windsor to take on the third seeded Lancers in game one of the best two out of three series in round one of the OUA playoffs. The Warriors came out swinging in this matchup as going into the third frame, the Warriors were up 4-0. Tate Popple, Jaxson Murray, Jesse Fishman, and Adamo Santia were all able to find the back of the net. The Lancers were not willing to give up just yet as they responded with 4 goals of their own in the third period forcing overtime. The Lancers struck first in sudden death overtime giving them the win 5-4. With this loss, the Warriors are facing elimination when they return to home ice on Friday.
Friday, Feb. 21
Back to the court, the fifth seeded women’s volleyball team travelled to Hamilton to take on the fourth-seeded McMaster Marauders in the quarterfinals of the OUA playoffs. Coming into this game it was expected to be very competitive as this would mark the fourth time the Marauders and Warriors were competing. This game lived up to those competitive expectations: The Warriors came out slow dropping the first set 25-12, then responded and won the second 25-22, dropped the third 25-14, won the fourth 25-22 forcing a fifth set, unfortunately, the Warriors came up short 15-13 giving the Marauders the win 3 sets to 2. This loss marked the end of the Warriors season finishing 14-6. It was an impressive season with a disappointing finish.
Staying on volleyball, the eighth-seeded men’s volleyball team travelled to Windsor to take on the number one-seeded Lancers in the quarterfinals of the OUA playoffs. This was a tough matchup for round one of the playoffs as the Lancers had a dominant season tallying an overall record of 18-2. The Warriors fought hard, but the Lancers showed why they are the top-ranked team in the OUA and knocked off the Warriors 3 sets to 0. The Warriors had a strong season but struggled during the 2025 portion, only winning three games.
Back to the ice, the men’s hockey team was back in action against the Lancers for game two of round one OUA playoffs. With the Warriors dropping game one, it was do or die at CIF. The Lancers struck first, but Jaxson Murray on a sweet setup from Tate Popple found the back of the net and tied it up 1-1 going into the second frame. Adam Grein found the back of the net early in the second to put the Warriors up 2-1. Unfortunately, the Lancers responded in a big way and added four unanswered to put them up 5-2. Sam McKinney added another late in the third but it was too little too late as the Warriors fell to the Lancers 5-3. With this loss, the Warriors got swept by the Lancers two games to zero marking the end of their season. It sure was an exciting season filled with ups and downs, regardless, making the playoffs is something to be proud of.
