Zain Rashid | Staff Writer
Featured Image: Lions men and women both failed to win their last two games. | Courtesy of YorkU Lions
After a promising start to the second half of the season, this week proved to be a dismal one for the Lions men’s and women’s hockey teams. The women’s team lost 4-1 to Guelph, and 1-0 to Laurier. The men’s team fell to the ‘Stangs 5-3, and then dropped a heartbreaker to Ryerson 7-6.
Last week Wednesday, the Lions got things started quickly against the Gryphons, as Courtney Gardiner, assisted by Tegan Duncan, drew first blood in the 16th minute, handing the Lions a 1-0 lead.
Neither team was able to find the back of the net in the second period despite, 16 combined shots, 11 for the Lions.
In the third, the Gryphons offence exploded for four goals, stealing the win as the game ended 4-1 in favour of Guelph.
Last Friday, the women traveled to Waterloo for their second game of the week. Despite several opportunities, neither team was able to open the scoring in the first.
The second featured multiple chances, but it was the Golden Hawks who managed to produce the lone goal of the period in the 11th minute.
York threw everyone at the Hawks in an effort to even the score, but Laurier’s goalie was up to the task, as York fell 1-0.
Also on Friday, the men hosted Western, drawing first blood in the first minute as Scott Feser beat the ‘Stangs’ goalie to give York a 1-0 lead early. However, the lead was short-lived, as Western knotted things up just 10 seconds later.
Then, still in the first, Western’s Kyle Petit put on a scoring clinic, completing the true hat-trick with goals in the sixth, 13th and 17th minutes.
Trailing by three at the start of the second, the Lions had an uphill battle ahead of them. In the second minute, York’s Peter De Coppi cut into the Mustangs’ lead, assisted by Feser. Then, six minutes later, York cut into Western’s lead once again, this time courtesy of Nick Coric. At the end two, York trailed by a single goal.
Unfortunately, that was as close as the Lions would get, as Western would seal the victory with another insurance goal in the third.
The men didn’t have to travel very far for their second game of the week, as they were taking on their cross-town rival, Ryerson.
Just before the end of the first, the Rams drew first blood—the only goal in the first 20 minutes of play.
At the start of the second, the Rams added some insurance, extending their lead to 2-0.
However, York’s Reid Jackman responded for the Lions, then followed it up with another quick goal, knotting things up at two.
Ryerson retook the lead on a power-play goal, but York leveled the score once again, this time shorthanded, courtesy of Daniel Nikandrov, just before the end of the second.
Ryerson took the lead for the third time in the game just a minute into the final frame, but York responded with another shorthanded goal from Feser.
Still in the third, Ryerson scored two unanswered goals, extending their lead to 6-4. Both teams would trade goals, before York added their sixth with less than five minutes to play in regulation. Unfortunately, the Lions were unable to even things at seven before time ran out,
The men return to the ice today when they host the Waterloo Warriors at 7 p.m. Then on Monday, they visit U of T at 11 a.m. The women play their next two games at home; on Saturday they take on Queens at 2 p.m., and then on Sunday, they host UOIT, also at 2 p.m.
