Can you believe it’s almost February? I can’t. Blink twice and soon it will be reading week. Nonetheless, this past week was jam-packed with the Warrior varsity competition, so let’s get into it. 

Thursday, Jan. 23

Kicking things off, the men’s hockey team travelled down the road to take on cross-town rivals Laurier Golden Hawks. There were more than 2000 attendees at this game and the puck drop was at 11 am. Many young community members attended as it was Laurier’s school day game. The Warriors posted a dominant performance and came out in the top 4-0. Matt Onuska stood on his own between the pipes, stopping all 48 of the shots he faced. Brendan Bowie, Liam Fedak, Jesse Fishman and Tate Popple were all able to find the back of the net. It’s always a good day when the Warriors knock off the Golden Hawks.

Staying on the ice, the women’s hockey team hosted the Brock Badgers for a 7 p.m. matchup. The Warriors stumbled out of the gate as they found themselves down 0-2 going into the third frame. Early in the third, Brodi Levitt responded bringing the Warriors to within 1. In the dying minutes of this stanza, Carly Orth tucked one away and brought the score to 2-2, forcing overtime. Overtime solved nothing, and the game finished in a shootout where the Badgers came out on top 3-2. 

Friday, Jan. 24

The men’s hockey team had a quick turnaround as they hosted the Ontario Tech Ridgebacks for a 7 p.m. bout. It wasn’t until the third period that the Warriors came alive, led by Jaden Goldie, who found the back of the net on a setup from Tate Popple and Sam McKinney. The Ridgebacks responded putting them ahead by 1, but Tate Popple and Jesse Fishman scored two unanswered for the Warriors and earned the win 3-2, marking the third win in a row for the team.

Onto the hardwood, the men’s basketball team took a trip down the road for an 8 p.m. tip-off against the Laurier Golden Hawks. The Warriors struggled offensively as they could only score a total of 51 points. Christian Cracuin led the way in scoring with 11 points, adding four rebounds, one assist and a steal. The Warriors fall to the Golden Hawks 72-51 and move to 7-9 on the season. 

The women’s basketball team was also back in action as they took on the Laurier Golden Hawks. This game kept fans on the edge of their seats for all four quarters but unfortunately, the Warriors could not emerge victorious and fell 59-64. Nehita Oko-Oboh continued her dominant streak as she grabbed 13 boards with 8 points and 2 blocks. Yemi Olidapo led the way in scoring with 15. Warriors fall to 6-10 on the season. 

The women’s volleyball team was back in action on the home court as they played the first installment of back-back matchups against the Toronto Varsity Blues. The Warriors came out hot winning the first two sets 25-18, and 25-19 respectively. They dropped sets three and four by a combined total of four points, forcing a fifth set, where the Varsity Blues outlasted the Warriors and came out on top three sets to two. Rachel Meilikhan had a strong day at the net posting a team lead of 19 kills. The Warriors will look to get their revenge on the Varsity Blues as they get set for the second installment of this matchup on Saturday afternoon. 

The men’s volleyball team also played the first installment of back-to-back matchups against the Varsity Blues. The Warriors stumbled out of the gate as they dropped the first two sets. The Warriors were able to succeed in the third set, but that did not last as the Blues responded and won set four, knocking off the Warriors 3-1. Lucas Redmann had a strong day at the net posting 13 kills while adding three blocks. The Warriors will look to get their revenge, as identical to the women’s team, they will get another shot at the Varsity Blues on Saturday afternoon. 

Saturday, Jan. 25

Back to the hardwood, the men’s basketball team travelled to Guelph for a matchup against the Gryphons. The Warriors came out hot, outsourcing the Gryphons 41-34, in the first half. This firepower seemed to simmer coming out of the half as they were outscored 16-9 in the third, but the Warriors were able to rekindle that fire in the fourth and came out on top 73-70. Kiran Chadwick-Rupp led the way in scoring, dropping 20 points, adding 8 rebounds, an assist and a steal. The Warriors move to 7-9 on the season and will look to carry on this momentum as they play host to the Western Mustangs this Wednesday, Jan. 29. 

The women’s team also made the trip to Guelph for a matchup with the Gryphons. The Warriors went into the half down by five against a strong Gryphons squad. Unfortunately, the Warriors came out of the second half flat and were outscored 46-19. The Warriors ultimately fell to the Gryphons 78-46. Kymora Stafford led the way in scoring with nine points, adding five rebounds. The Warriors will look to snap their three-game losing streak as they host the Western Mustangs on Jan. 29.

Onto PAC, the men’s volleyball team was back in action for the second installment of their back-to-back matchups against the Toronto Varsity Blues. The Warriors dropped the first set, but responded and were able to take the second. The Blues responded by winning sets 3 and 4 knocking off the Warriors 3-1. Similar to the first game, Lucas Redmann was all over the stat sheet, accounting for 16 kills, 8 digs, 3 blocks, and 2 aces. The Warriors fell to 5-10 on the season, slipping to 10th in OUA standings. 

To wrap up Saturday, the women’s volleyball team was back in action as they played the second installment of their back-to-back matchups against the Toronto Varsity Blues. The Warriors dropped the first set but responded and won sets two and three. The Blues didn’t go away easy as they won the fourth set forcing a fifth, where again, similar to Friday, the Varsity Blues outlasted the Warriors and came out on top 3-2. The Warriors dropped back-to-back games on homecourt and fell to 10-5 on the season, dropping themselves to fourth in the OUA standings.  

Sunday, Jan. 26

To wrap up the week, the women’s hockey team hosted the Guelph Gryphons for a Sunday afternoon match-up. The Warriors struck first, as Nikki McDonald found the back of the net on a sweet setup from Carly Orth. The Gryphons responded in the second stanza and brought the game to one apiece. There was no scoring in the third, so overtime was needed. The Gryphons struck first in sudden death overtime and handed the Warriors their third straight loss. With this loss, the Gryphons overtook the Warriors for first place in the OUA West. With six games remaining, the Warriors will look to get back into the win column and recapture first-place status.