Weekend wrap: Women’s hockey Lions upset Gaels with 2-1 overtime win

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Hosting their “Roar for a Cure Campaign” at Canlan Ice Arena on Saturday afternoon, the York University Lions women’s hockey team pulled away with a 2-1 victory over the fourth-placed Queen’s University Gaels (8-1-3-1).

Thanks to a formidable goal by Tegan Duncan at 1:58 in overtime, the Lions’ now have a 6-8-0-0 record on the year and find themselves in the middle of the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) standings.

The first period was a scoreless one with the Gaels finding many chances off of turnovers and counter attacks. Megan Lee was solid in net to stop three sure goals from Gaels Addi Halladay, Jessica Wakefield, and Courtenay Jacklin, who all found themselves one-on-one with Lee at some point during the period. More details on the York Lions website.

The next day, the Lions fell to the No. 4 nationally ranked Western University Mustangs by a score of 2-0 on home ice.

The Lions could not find any room in the Western zone as the Mustangs defence shut down any Lions attack. The Mustang defensive wall was led by the starting goaltender Kelly Campbell as she stopped all 22 shots in the win.

Lions starting goalie Lee was once again in top form as she stood on her head for the majority of the game. Lee was faced with countless scoring chances where she came up clutch, which kept the game close. She finished with 17 saves in the loss. More details.

Men’s hockey Lions double up on Badgers for second win of 2016

The No. 10 nationally ranked York University Lions men’s hockey team was victorious on Friday night as they defeated the Brock University Badgers by a score of 4-2 at the Seymour-Hannah Centre in St. Catharines, Ont.

The Lions peppered Badgers goaltender Real Cormier with a total of 40 shots on Friday night, while only surrendering 22 to the Badgers.

Trevor Petersen was once again all over the score sheet as he added two goals and one assist. He now has 21 points in 18 games played this season. Joining Petersen with a three-point night was Greg Milner as he scored an empty net goal to go with two assists. Milner has an impressive eight points in his last three games. More details.

Saturday evening’s matchup of the top two teams in the OUA West saw the Lions edged out by the Western University Mustangs (12-8-0) by 3-2 score at Canlan Ice Arena.

Despite the defeat, the Lions still hold an impressive 12-6-3 record on the year, and are tied at the top of the OUA West standings with the Mustangs at 27 points each. More details.

Track and field Lions win five gold medals at U of T’s Fred Foot Memorial Meet

The York University Lions track and field team had a golden weekend at University of Toronto’s Fred Foot Memorial Meet, garnering five first-place finishes.

The weight throw event was where the Lions shone the brightest, as all three Lions competing qualified for the OUA championships and one, Chris Preece also surpassed the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) qualifying standard with a distance of 18.47m, which won him the gold medal.

The two other Lions who automatically qualified were Anojan Sivalingam, who finished in third place with a throw of 15.13m, and Drew Erskine who came away with a fourth-place finish with a toss of 14.73m.

Tracey Edwards (pentathlon) and Kayden Johnson (long jump), of the women’s 4x200m and the men’s 4x200m, also picked up gold medals. More details.

Men’s volleyball Lions sweep Varsity Blues in three close sets

The York University Lions men’s volleyball team defeated the University of Toronto Varsity Blues in three close sets on Sunday afternoon at the Goldring Centre.

Banding together to end the game in three close sets, the Lions were able to outscore the Varsity Blues 25-22 in the first set, 25-17 in the second and 25-22 in the third to add another two points to their record on the year.

Tyler Covach, Nicolas Pirnat, and Arthur Szwarc each contributed the most points to the Lions combined total of 61 points during the match. Covach had 16 points with 14 kills and 10 digs, while Pirnat had 12 kills and Szwarc had 11. More details.

On Saturday, the Lions played a competitive match but were defeated by the Ryerson University Rams 3-1 on Saturday evening at the Tait Mackenzie Centre.

The Lions played a hard-fought match with their cross-town rivals, but came up just short as the Rams offense was in top form. Szwarc was once again above the net as he racked up a game high 18 kills and 21 total points. More details.

Lions fall to Rams in women’s volleyball action

The York University Lions women’s volleyball team fell to the Ryerson University Rams on Saturday afternoon by a score of three sets to one in front of a large and loud Lion contingent at the Tait Mackenzie Centre.

The Lions and Rams put on a show for the Lion faithful as the two teams battled in each and every set, which resulted in an emotional fourth set finish. The Lions were led in scoring by Sarah Williams who finished with 15 points to go with 21 digs and 11 kills. The Rams Theanna Vernon totaled a game high in points (24), blocks (4) and Kills (16). More details.

Sunday’s action saw the Lions fall 3-0 to the undefeated and No. 4 nationally ranked University of Toronto Varsity Blues at the Goldring Centre in Toronto.

The Varsity Blues were able to better the Lions in points in all three sets, winning the first set 25-16, the second set 25-18 and the third set 25-19. The Lion’s best set was in the third, where they were able to nail in 13 kills.

The Lions had several strong performances from Cadence Currie, Keeva MacLeod and Celeste Witzell who all scored six points apiece. Currie and Witzell grabbed six kills each, while MacLeod had three. More details.

Men’s basketball Lions fall to No. 5 Rams on the road

The York University Lions men’s basketball team was defeated 104-69 by the No. 5 nationally ranked Ryerson Rams at the Mattamy Athletic Centre in Toronto on Wednesday night.

The Lions were determined off the first whistle and finished the first quarter closely trailing the Rams by a score of 22-17. However, as the game progressed, the Lions lost their footing and couldn’t recover from the Rams’ extensive lead that they were able to pick up in the third quarter, resulting in the lopsided win for Ryerson.

Lions Nathan Culbreath led the team with 19 points, shooting two-for-two at the free throw line and sinking seven attempts from the field. Shane Reader wracked up 16 points and 10 assists, while Tommy Hobbs added 15 points, shooting three-for three-at the three-point line. More details.

No. 2 Rams too much for women’s basketball Lions

On Wednesday, the York University Lions women’s basketball team fell 99-61 to the No. 2 nationally ranked Ryerson University Rams at the Mattamy Athletic Centre in Toronto.

The Lions were able to finish the first quarter with a close 20-17 score, but the Rams were able to accumulate enough points throughout the rest of the game to finish with a 99-61 victory.

The Lions’ Ishanaa Seupersadsingh and the Rams’ Mariah Nunes were tied with the most points scored with an impressive total of 22. Both sunk nine of their 17 field goal attempts, both grabbed three points off of free throws, and both scored a three-pointer each. More details.