The York University Lions men’s hockey team achieved a 5-2 victory over the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) Ridgebacks on Saturday at Canlan Ice Sports for the team’s second straight victory to start the new year.
An early goal by the Lions shocked the visitors, who pressured offensively early in the period. Michael Santini retrieved the puck from his own end and skated all the way to the opposition’s ice. Santini showed good skill controlling the puck past defenders and driving the shot home at 1:26. Connor Hale and Derek Sheppard were credited with the assists.
Confusion at the Ridgebacks’ defence led to another Lions goal in the middle of the frame. More details on the York Lions website.
One night earlier, the Lions opened 2015 with a 4-1 victory over the Queen’s University Gaels on home ice. Shayne Rover played excellent defence as he dove onto the ground, used his body to block the puck, and even scored his own short-handed goal, what stood as the game winner. Rover assisted with the win by taking the pressure off Chris Perugini and blocking several of the Gaels’ efforts. More details.
Men’s basketball Lions defeat Lakers for third straight win
The York University Lions men’s basketball team defeated the Nipissing University Lakers 76-47 on Saturday at the Tait McKenzie Centre.
With the win, the Lions extend their winning streak to three games and remain in second place in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) East with a record of 5-4.
The first quarter of play was highlighted by an astonishing dunk by Nathan Culbreath, who picked up a turnover and ran to the Lakers net to add two more points to the scoreboard. York’s big forward Nick Tufegdzich dominated the first quarter with nine points, helping the Lions finish the first with a 22-10 lead. More details.
The Lions began 2015 with a big 83-66 victory over the rival Laurentian University Voyageurs on Friday night. An impressive pace by the Lions gave them the early lead in the first quarter that ended with a score of 20-9. The visiting team refused to surrender the game just yet, however, almost catching up in the second quarter that ended with the Lions still leading at 41-32. More details.
Women’s hockey Lions score five unanswered goals to defeat Warriors
The York University Lions women’s hockey team emerged as winners in a thrilling win over the University of Waterloo Warriors on Sunday in Waterloo, Ont. The Lions scored five straight goals to turn a 3-1 deficit into a big 6-3 victory.
The Lions recorded their first win of the new year thanks to inspiring performances by Sarai Whitty and Kristen Barbara. Whitty drew first blood through a power play after just five minutes of the first period. More details.
Earlier in the weekend, the Lions were blanked by the Wilfrid Laurier University Golden Hawks by a score of 6-0 also on the road.
Neither team was able to score on the first period, although the Lions were able to take nine shots to challenge Golden Hawks goalie Amanda Smith. The Golden Hawks broke the deadlock with three goals within two minutes mid way through the second period. More details.
Track and field Lions shine at Can Am Classic
The York University Lions track and field team put forth a tremendous showing at the annual Can Am Classic meet hosted by the University of Windsor this weekend, combining for 19 podium finishes and nine Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) automatic qualifying standards.
Holly Pitters had one of her best ever weekends with the Lions, winning the gold medal in the long jump and the silver in the triple jump with personal-best marks of 5.68 metres and 12.10 metres, respectively. Her distance in the triple jump also qualified her for the CIS championships later this year.
Also winning two medals on the weekend was Brittany Crew, who continued to dominate the shot put with another first-place showing and a CIS mark of 15.35 metres. She also picked up the bronze medal in the weight throw with a distance of 16.25 metres.
The Lions men’s team also had two athletes win multiple medals. Bismark Boateng was tremendous on the weekend, winning gold in the 60m in a time of 6.83 seconds and bronze in the 300m with a time of 34.96 seconds. His times qualified him for the CIS championships in both events. More details.
Women’s basketball Lions top Lakers for first win of 2015
The York University Lions women’s basketball team defeated the Nipissing University Lakers 54-33 Saturday night at the Tait McKenzie Centre for its first victory of 2015.
Taylor Ross and Courtney Osborne both played an exceptional game scoring 14 points and 13 points, respectively. Ross was also tremendous on the glass, pulling down a game-high 19 rebounds.
The Lions scored all of their 17 points of the first quarter from three-point jump shots. The Lakers trailed behind with 12 points by the end of the first. More details.
On Friday night, the Lions returned for the winter term with a loss to the Laurentian University Voyageurs by a score of 84-65. Jackie Koudys scored the first basket for the Lions through a free throw. The veteran guard continued to lead the offensive line for the Lions, scoring a three-pointer at the brink of the shot-clock.
The Voyageurs took the lead through their inside shots while the Lions suffer a mini drought with their long shot attempts. Erin Sarapnickas broke the drought at 9-7. More details.
Women’s volleyball Lions hold on to defeat Gaels
The York University Lions women’s volleyball team nearly gave up a two-set lead before holding on to defeat the Queen’s University Gaels 3-2 in a tight match on Sunday in Kingston, Ont.
The Lions won the first two sets 25-20 and 25-16. The Gaels bounced back in the third and fourth sets, winning 25-20 and 25-16. The fifth set was a hard fought battle where the Lions barely squeezed through to win 15-11 and take the match. More details.
The victory over the Gaels was their second of the year to start 2015 after defeating the Royal Military College (RMC) Paladins in four sets on Saturday afternoon. The Lions won the first set 25-16, the second 25-21 lost the third 26-24 and won the fourth 25-15. More details.
Men’s volleyball Lions begin 2015 with victory over Paladins
The York University Lions men’s volleyball team opened up the new year with a straight sets victory over the Royal Military College (RMC) Paladins on Saturday in Kingston, Ont.
The Lions won the first set 25-13, the second 25-22 and the third 25-10. Leaders of the game from the Lions’ side included Nicolas Pirnat with 15 kills, two aces and one block, Arthur Swarcz with six kills and one block and Tim Jensen with four kills and one ace. More details.
The next day, the Lions were defeated by the Queen’s University Gaels in straight sets to move ahead in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) standings by two points. With the loss the Lions fell to 7-5, while Queen’s improved to 8-4. The Gaels won the first set 25-12, the second 26-24 and the third 26-24. More details.