Sports roundup: Women’s hockey Lions upset Gaels in double overtime

The York University Lions women's volleyball team

York University Lions women’s hockey team captain Chloe Milano scored in double overtime to upset the defending Ontario University Athletics (OUA) champions the Queen’s University Gaels 3-2 Sunday night at the Kingston Memorial Centre and advance the Lions into the OUA semi-finals.

With the win, the Lions eliminated the Canadian Interuniversity Sport’s No. 10 Gaels, winning their best-of-three playoff series 2-1. The teams exchanged road wins in the first two games with York taking game York University Lions women’s hockey team one in Kingston, while Queen’s won game two at Canlan Ice Sports.

Milano tallied the game-winning goal and her second of the game at the 6:41 mark of the second overtime period on a scramble in front of the net. She lifted the puck past Gaels’ netminder Mel Dodd-Maher off a blocked shot.

Despite Milano’s heroics, the extraordinary play of rookie goaltender Megan Lee was not overshadowed. Lee made 38 saves in the victory and was continuously counted upon to come up with key saves throughout the game as Queen’s outshot the Lions 40-30.  More details on the York Lions website.

Women’s volleyball Lions advance to Final Four with win over Paladins

The York University Lions women’s volleyball team will advance to the OUA Final Four Championships next weekend with a dominant 3-0 victory over the Royal Military College Paladins in their OUA quarter-final match on Saturday afternoon at the Tait McKenzie Centre.

As the top seeds in the OUA playoffs, the Lions, who ended the regular season with a 16-2 record, will The York University Lions women's volleyball team host the four-team tournament next weekend at the Tait McKenzie Centre.

The Lions played some shaky points in the match but held strong on the big points and cruised in straight sets, winning 25-12, 25-21, 25-16.

Middle blocker Michelle Pierce, making her debut for the Lions after sitting out the regular season following a transfer from the University of Windsor, finished with a game-high 12 points on nine kills, two blocks and one service ace. More details.

Marauders take down men’s volleyball Lions in OUA quarter-final

The York University Lions men’s volleyball team saw its season come to an end on Saturday night with a 3-1 loss to the defending OUA champion McMaster University Marauders in their OUA quarter-final match in Hamilton.

The Lions, who advanced to the playoffs for the first time since 2007 after an 8-10 record in the regular season, fought hard to take the third set and extend the match, but they were ultimately taken down 17-25, 19-25, 25-22, 17-25.

Team captain Karim Khalil led all Lions with 14 points on the night, scored on 10 kills and four blocks, and he also chipped in with six digs. Teammate Ray Szeto had 13 points, all on kills, and added four digs. More details.

Lancers win 5-1, eliminate men’s hockey Lions from playoffs

The York University Lions men’s hockey team was eliminated from the post-season with a 5-1 loss to the University of Windsor Lancers at Canlan Ice Sports on Saturday night in game two of their best-of-three first round series.

The Lancers also won the first game on home ice on Thursday night by a 5-4 score in overtime.

The difference in the game was Windsor goaltender Parker Van Buskirk, who was stellar between the pipes in making 41 saves on 42 shots in the game. The Lions outshot the Lancers in each period, including by a 12-7 margin in the third while desperately trying to get back into the contest, but Van Buskirk stood tall on each one and stoned the Lions on multiple occasions.  More details.

Men’s basketball Lions finish regular season with win over Paladins

The York University Lions men’s basketball team capped its regular season with an exclamation point on Saturday as it defeated the Royal Military College Paladins 94-49 in a one-sided affair at the Tait McKenzie Centre, where the result was never in doubt.

After falling behind early on a game-opening three by James Byun, the Lions would respond with an 11-3 run and continue to get better and better as the game went along, increasing their lead by 10 or more points each quarter before finding themselves up by over 40 points come the final buzzer. More details.

The win came one day after another victory over the Queen’s Gaels that clinched the sixth and final playoff spot in the OUA East Division.

That victory, however, didn’t come easy. They let a 23-point first quarter lead get down to three midway through the fourth quarter, but they recovered in the end and pulled out the win in exciting fashion, courtesy of some clutch late shooting from David Tyndale, Richard Iheadindu and Nathan Robinson, who accounted for 17 of the team’s 19 points in the final quarter. More details.

Women’s basketball Lions devour Paladins in regular season finale

The York University Lions women’s basketball team finished its regular season on a high note Saturday as it defeated the Royal Military College Paladins by a score of 51-39 at the Tait McKenzie Centre, snapping a three-game losing skid in the process.

The Lions led by as many as 14 points in the game but saw that lead shrink to just two after the Paladins opened the final quarter by scoring 11 unanswered points. The Lions would maintain their composure, though, and drop a handful of clutch baskets down the stretch to a convincing 12-point win.

Veteran guard Kayla Pangos led all scorers with 18 points and was solid defensively as well, picking up a game-high three steals. More details.

One night earlier, the Lions came up short in their second-last game of the regular season, losing to the Queen’s University Gaels by a score of 69-49.

The Lions were unable to shut the Gaels down from long range, where they hit 11 three pointers on the night compared to the Lions’ eight. The Gaels’ hot three-point shooting is what got them the lead midway through the first quarter, and they would hang on to that lead for the entirety of the game. Their defence bent from time-to-time, allowing the Lions to put together several little runs, but it never broke.  More details.

Track and field Lions impress at final meet before OUA championships

With only one week until the OUA championships, the York University Lions track and field team competed at the Hal Brown Track Meet on Friday at the University of Toronto. The Lions came away with impressive results, including three gold medals and a total of eight podium finishes.

The throwers were on display as the trio of Cynthia Appiah, Elizabeth Petrov and Justine Vidal swept the shot put event. Appiah brought home the gold with a throw of 14.63 metres, followed close behind by Petrov, who threw 14.25 metres, which was a season best. Both throws reached CIS qualifying standards. First year thrower Vidal rounded out the medals with a season best throw of 12.47 metres. More details.