The Lions’ hockey teams were busy on the ice this past weekend as they looked to improve their rankings in the Ontario University Athletics and clinch a spot in the playoffs. The women’s team hosted the Queen’s Gaels and the Western Mustangs at Canlan Ice arena, upsetting the Gaels with a 2-1 overtime win and falling 2-0 to the Mustangs. The men’s team also suffered a hard-fought loss to the Mustangs with a score of 3-2, but not before a 4-2 victory over the Brock Badgers the night before.
The women’s game against the Gaels on Saturday featured the Lions’ Roar for a Cure special promotion, in which all proceeds from donations and contests were donated to the Canadian Cancer Society. The event was in honour of former captain and assistant coach Jessica Turi, who was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 18, but eventually beat it just before she joined the Lions.
In Turi’s spirit, the Lions also overcame the odds to defeat the strong Gaels. The first period of the game remained scoreless, thanks to another outstanding performance from Lions’ goalkeeper Megan Lee. In the second period, Lions’ Lianna Langford got the puck to the back of the Gaels’ net to give the Lions a 1-0 lead, after which both teams started to play more relentlessly. The Gaels scored in the third period to tie up the game and Lions’ Tegan Duncan scored at 1:58 in overtime to give the Lions the victory.
The team failed to carry the momentum over into Sunday’s game against the Mustangs, who shut down any offensive play that the Lions tried to put forward. At the other end of the ice, Lee rejected several close scoring opportunities for the Mustangs, keeping the score tight and inspire the Lions to stay in the game. Ultimately, the Lions lost by a score of 2-0, leaving them 10th in the OUA standings and eight points short of clinching the last playoff spot.
Meanwhile, the men’s team spent Friday night in St. Catharines, where they dominated the Brock Badgers. Badgers’ goalkeeper Real Cormier had to try to stop 40 shots fired at him by the Lions, who allowed only 22 in return. The Lions’ Trevor Petersen and Greg Milner once again played outstanding games, with Petersen contributing two goals and one assist and Milner pitching in one goal and two assists. The Badgers fought back throughout the game, but couldn’t overcome the Lions and at the end fell by a score of 4-2.
The team was then back on campus on Saturday to take on the Western Mustangs. They were narrowly defeated by the Mustangs with a score of 3-2 after a hard-fought game featuring some great team plays. Neither team was able to dominate the other, which reflects OUA standings, in which the Lions and Mustangs are tied at first place. The Lions have worked their way to an impressive 12-6-3 record so far this season, which will hopefully give them an edge in the upcoming playoffs.
Hassam Munir, Sports and Health Editor
Featured image courtesy of York Lions
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