Weekend wrap: Men’s hockey Lions defeat Gryphons, move into first in OUA West

The York University Lions men’s hockey team used a huge second period by its offensive attack to record a 3-1 victory over the visiting University of Guelph Gryphons at Canlan Ice Sports in a rare Sunday afternoon affair.

With the victory, the Lions moved to 13-5-2 on the season and took over first place in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) West Division with 28 points, one more than the Ryerson University Rams. The Gryphons slipped to 10-8-0 with the loss.

After a scoreless first period, Steven Janes lit up the scoreboard for the first time in the game at the 9:39 mark of the second after a deadly wrist shot hit the top right shelf from the left slot. Shayne Rover was credited with the assist. More details on the York Lions website.

One night earlier, the Lions doubled up the host Western University Mustangs in a 4-2 victory at Thompson Arena in London, Ont. The Lions scored twice in a 93-second span in the middle of the first period to open up a 2-0 lead, and they extended it to three just minutes into the second. More details.

Women’s basketball Lions pick up second win with victory over Mustangs

The York University Lions women’s basketball team started the new year off with a bang on Saturday. The Lions travelled to London, Ont., to square off with the Western University Mustangs and left the court victorious by a score of 48-41.

The Lions’ best basketball came straight out of the gate as they scored 14 points while holding the Mustangs to just seven in the first quarter. Shauney Fischer led the charge with an outstanding seven points in the quarter. Her great play in the opening frame pushed her to her best game of the season as she would end the game with a double-double, totalling 20 points and 10 rebounds. More details.

The Lions also suffered an 80-46 loss to the No. 7 nationally ranked University of Windsor Lancers in their first game of the new year on Friday night.

The Lancers, who are the five-time defending U Sports champions, jumped out to a 17-6 lead after the first quarter of play and didn’t look back. They outscored the Lions 19-11 in the second, 19-16 in the third and 25-13 in the fourth to record the lopsided victory. More details.

Women’s hockey Lions hold off Golden Hawks with shootout victory

The York University Lions women’s hockey team bounced back after allowing a late third-period goal to earn a 3-2 shootout victory over the Wilfrid Laurier University Golden Hawks in Waterloo, Ont., on Sunday night.

The Lions took a 2-1 lead at 14:16 of the final frame on a power play goal by team captain Amy Locke, and looked like they were going to hold on for the win. But with less than two minutes remaining, the Golden Hawks tied the game when Jaden Head found the back of the net. After two scoreless overtime frames, the shootout went to a fourth round before a winner was determined. More details.

On Saturday afternoon the Lions suffered a 4-1 defeat at the hands of the University of Waterloo Warriors. The contest began as a tight affair with the two teams trading goals in the first period. Waterloo opened the scoring at the midpoint of the frame on a goal by Rebecca Rutherford, but the Lions responded less than four minutes later when Sarah Power scored the first of her career to make it 1-1. More details.

Ramirez records second straight 30-point game in men’s basketball Lions loss to Mustangs

The York University Lions men’s basketball team returned to the court in London, Ont., as they faced off against the Western University Mustangs. The Lions fell short of the victory as the Mustangs took the game 81-71.

Brandon Ramirez continued his unstoppable play for the second straight night as he scored nine points to open up the game. Ramirez would total 34 points on the night while also recording eight rebounds and has now started 2017 with back-to-back 30-plus point games. However, Western would outscore the Lions 27-12 in the first quarter. More details.

Ramirez also had a double-double one night earlier in an 83-78 loss to the University of Windsor Lancers, recording 31 points and 15 rebounds and shooting 13-of-19 from the floor. After falling behind 24-10 in the first quarter and trailing 64-48 after three, the Lions staged a furious comeback in the fourth and closed the score to within four with 11 seconds remaining, but they ran out of time before they could catch the Lancers. More details.

Track and field Lions win 10 medals at Sharon Anderson Memorial meet

Mikeisha Bobb won the gold medal in the women’s 60m hurdles at the Sharon Anderson Memorial meet at the University of Toronto, one of 10 medals won by the York University Lions track and field team on Saturday.

Bobb, a fourth-year runner from London, Ont., ran 8.91 seconds in the final to cross the finish line in first place. She also ran a time of 8.83 seconds in the preliminaries. Teammate Meira Dholakia joined Bobb on the podium in the event, winning the bronze medal in a time of 9.79 seconds. More details.

Men’s volleyball Lions win bronze, Nipissing gold at Excalibur Classic

The Nipissing University Lakers men’s volleyball team won the gold medal at the 38th Excalibur Classic on Sunday afternoon at the Tait McKenzie Centre with a 3-2 win over the Western University Mustangs, while the host York University Lions won the bronze.

The Lakers, who captured the tournament trophy for the first time, went undefeated in four matches on the weekend. They claimed the gold in thrilling fashion, holding on after relinquishing a two-set lead to win in five by scores of 25-21, 25-19, 18-25, 17-25, 15-12.

Nipissing also earned a five-set win over the Lions in their first round-robin match and swept both Budo and the Queen’s University Gaels in straight sets en route to the final. More details.