After a heartbreaking first-round OUA playoff exit to the eventual champion Guelph Gryphons in triple overtime two weeks ago, the Warriors are now competing for an opportunity at redemption, this time at a national level.
The 2026 Miller Waste U Sports Championship will be hosted in Elmira at the Woolwich Memorial Centre from March 19-22, UW’s second consecutive year hosting the event, and will feature the top eight teams from all four U Sports conferences. The sixth-seeded Warriors will take on the Gryphons in the first round at 7 p.m. on the 19th, though the first matchup of the tournament will be between the seventh-seeded UManitoba Bisons and the Concordia University Stingers at 3 p.m. on the same day.
The key for the Warriors in this matchup is to control the puck and capitalize on opportunities. The OUA is one of the strongest conferences in Canada, and the winner of this game will be a favourite to win against either the Stingers or the Bisons in the semi-finals. Last year, the Warriors crushed Concordia, who were ranked the second-best team in Canada headed into the playoffs, 5-1 in the semi-finals before claiming silver against the Bishop’s Gaiters in the finals.
“I think it’ll be a great game,” says Tatum James, second-team OUA all-star forward for UW.
This year, the tournament is seeing some familiar faces, as well as returning ones. Here’s the full list of teams and everything you need to know about them.
- UBC Thunderbirds
Region: Canada West (champions)
Record: 4-0 playoffs, 26-2-0 regular season
The Thunderbirds are the top seed for just the second time in program history. Though they’ve historically been a top-3 seed, they’ve struggled to advance past the semi-finals, usually exiting in the first round or finishing with a bronze medal. They’ve been ranked number one in U Sports for 15 weeks; that’s the entire regular season. Their star-studded roster includes two first-team All-Canadian players: forward Grace Elliot and defenseman Jaylyn Williams. They also have the reigning FOX 40 coach of the year, Graham Thomas, who led them to a record-breaking 26 wins this year. They’ve only lost 13 out of 112 regular-season games in the last four years, and swept their competition in the playoffs to make their fifth consecutive U Sports championship appearance. If they win, it’d be the first time in program history. They’ll be playing their first game on Friday, against the UMontreal Carabins at 7 p.m.
- Concordia University Stingers
Region: RSEQ (champions)
Record: 4-0, 22-2-0
Right behind the Thunderbirds are the Stingers, who have been ranked #2 in Canada since Nov. 17, though they started the season ranked #5. Another team filled with talent, their roster includes first-team All-Canadian and U Sports player of the year Jessymaude Drapeau, who finished with the most points this season, 39, and led her team to a clean sweep of the playoffs to cement the second seed. Supporting Drapeau are forward Émilie Lussier and defenseman Émilie Lavoie, both second-team All-Canadians. The Stingers won it all in 2024 and have completely dominated their conference. They finished with 22 wins; no other team has more than 13. They’ll be playing the first match of the tournament today at 3 p.m. against the UManitoba Bisons.
- Guelph Gryphons
Region: OUA (champions)
Record: 5-1, 19-4-3
The reigning OUA champions and the team to beat for the Warriors. It’s their first time at U Sports since 2018, and history is in their favour; the last time they qualified, they won the entire tournament. Their roster includes the OUA player of the year and first team all-star, forward Katherine Heard, and second team all-stars Arielle Macdonald, Maeve Sutherland-Case, and Sophie Helfenstein. It’s anyone’s game against UW, and they’ll be playing tonight at 7 p.m.
- UNB Reds
Region: AUS (champions)
Record: 5-2, 20-6-2
The Reds attend the U Sports championship year after year and have had a strong season. Nevertheless, the AUS is one of the weaker conferences, and historically, they’ve been first or second round exits, including to teams ranked lower than them. They’ll be playing the Gee-Gees on Friday at 7 p.m.
- UOttawa Gee-Gees
Region: OUA (finalists)
Record: 4-3, 15-9-2
The runners-up for the OUA championship are a dark horse to win it all this year. They returned to the OUA two seasons ago after playing in the RSEQ, and are making their first appearance in U Sports since 2009. They’re coached by Olympic Gold Medalist Ali Domenico, who joined the program two years ago, and are led by Gillian Warren, who has the most points of any OUA player competing. Their goalkeeper, Clara Genier, has an inhuman 0.927 save percentage; for context, the highest save percentage in NHL history is 0.944. Though Guelph bested them in the OUA championship, it was an incredibly tight series that could’ve gone either way. They have a strong matchup against UNB, who they’ll be playing on Friday.
- University of Waterloo
Region: OUA
Record: 1-2, 17-8-1
Despite starting their season 3-7, the Warriors made an incredible turnaround to finish 17-9, and have proven they aren’t a team you can write off. The squad boasts two first-team all-stars, forwards Keiara Raitt and Carly Orth, a second-team all-star in forward Tatum James, who holds the record for most career goals by a Warrior, and an all-rookie player in Brooke Williams. The depth and experience of this team cannot be discounted, and they’ll be carrying that with them against the Gryphons.
- UManitoba Bisons
Region: Canada West (finalists)
Record: 4-4, 13-9-6
It’s the Bisons’ return to U Sports after last qualifying in 2019, where they won the bronze medal in that outing. They’re the only team in the tournament not to rank in the top 10 during the regular season. They’ll be looking to secure an upset victory over the Stingers today at 3 p.m.
- UMontreal Carabins
Region: RSEQ (finalists)
Record: 2-3, 13-9-2
The other team from the RSEQ, the Carabins, have had an eventful season. They won all of their games against RSEQ teams, except for the Stingers, who are responsible for 11 of their 12 losses this season. They have a difficult matchup against UBC, but they’ve overcome the gap before; in 2024, they upset the Thunderbirds 4-2 in the first round. They play on Friday at 7 p.m.
