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Weekend wrap: Witter-Watts claims silver medal at OUA championships

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York U Lions

The York University Lions wrestling team took to the mats at the 2019 Ontario University Athletics (OUA) wrestling championships in Guelph, Ont., at the Gryphons Athletic Centre on Saturday. As a team, the Lions achieved seven top-five finishes, but it was Shevonne Witter-Watts who shone the brightest as he brought home the silver medal in the men’s 57-kg category.

Witter-Watts defeated Francesco Fortino of the McMaster Marauders in a tight match 17-15 to advance to the gold medal final. In the final, he met up with Ligrit Sadiku of the perennial powerhouse Brock Badgers and lost by a score of 11-0 to wind up in the silver medal position. The medal at the conference finals is a first for second-year wrestler Witter-Watts, as he finished in fourth place in his rookie season last year. More details on the York Lions website.

Lions defend home turf at York Open, Crew sets new school record in weight throw

It was a successful weekend for the York University Lions track and field team at the 48th annual York Open at the Toronto Track & Field Centre, where they earned 10 podium finishes.

Thrower Brittany Crew led the way with a new school record of 19.80m in the weight throw, erasing her own record of 19.38m she set in 2015. The mark leaves her as the No. 1-ranked thrower in U SPORTS, and she’s on track for another dominant season at the OUA and U SPORTS championships. She also continued her dominance in the shot put event, winning with a throw of 17.16m.

On the track, the York Lions relay teams had a dominant meet, with the 4x200m women’s relay team of Mikeisha Bobb, Christy Ihunaegbo, Marvelous Agbonwaneten and Diana Boa winning gold in a time of 1:42:42, which is a new season’s best. The men’s 4x200m relay team of Daniele Orsini, Mark Hutchinson, Tohma Van Bergen and Quinn Charles also won the gold, with a time of 1:31:71. The Lions “B” team of Brandon Shokour, Demari Grant, Majeed Zabsonere and Sodiq Ibrahim won the bronze medal in a time of 1:33:77. More details.

Lions pick up big win on road over Lancers

The York University Lions women’s hockey team picked up a big win on Saturday as they defeated the University of Windsor Lancers 3-1 at the Windsor Arena in Windsor, Ont., on Feb. 2.

In the first period of the game, neither team was able to get a goal past the other. The Lancers were able to get 10 shots on goal against the Lions; however, they were all saved by York’s goaltender Eva Hall. The Lions were able to get eight shots on goal against the Lancers, but they too were unable to get to the back of the Lancers’ net. More details.

Lions defeat Paladins 3-0 at Tait

The York University women’s volleyball team defeated the Royal Military College Paladins 3-0 on Saturday afternoon at the Tait Mackenzie Centre.

The Lions cruised through three sets to earn their seventh win this season and are now sitting in fourth place with seven games left in the regular season.

The Lions led the Paladins through the first two sets, taking the first set 25-16. Despite the Paladins’ lead at the start of the first set, the Lions earned seven consecutive points to pick up a large 9-3 lead. The Lions entered the midway break with a 10-point lead, 16-6, and won the set after a kill by Sarah Williams. More details.

On Sunday afternoon, the Lions were defeated 3-1 by the Queen’s University Gaels at the Tait Mackenzie Centre. The Gaels topped the Lions in the first two sets; however, a strong third set by the Lions forced the game into a fourth set. Despite a comeback attempt by the Lions, the Gaels took the final set to win the game 3-1.

The Lions opened the match leading the Gaels with a kill by middle Aleksandra Steins. The Gaels led the Lions 2-1 shortly after and maintained their lead throughout the set. By the mid-set break, the Gaels were leading 16-11, but the Lions nearly tied the game with four consecutive points, trailing 18-16 near the end of the set. Despite a strong attempt by the Lions, the Gaels took the first set 25-19. More details.

Comeback in third set leads Lions to defeat Paladins 3-0

The York University men’s volleyball team defeated the Royal Military College Paladins 3-0 on Saturday afternoon at the Tait Mackenzie Centre.

The Lions made a big comeback in the third set, from a six-point deficit to defeating the Paladins in straight sets. The Lions are sitting in fourth place in the OUA East standings, with a 5-6 record with seven games left in the regular season.

The Lions sailed through the first two sets, hardly giving the Paladins the chance to lead. In the first set, the Lions entered the mid-set break with a 16-11 lead. Andrew Shotbolt earned the final kill to end the set with a 25-16 win. More details.

The next day, the Lions were defeated 3-2 after five sets by the Queen’s University Gaels on Sunday afternoon at the Tait Mackenzie Centre.

The Lions jumped out to a 2-1 lead over the No. 9 Gaels, but Queen’s came back and won the last two sets to defeat the Lions. The Gaels are sitting in first place in the OUA East standings with a 12-3 record, while the Lions remain in fourth place with a 5-7 record.

The Gaels had a strong first set, leading the Lions 16-9 by the mid-set break. The Lions managed to cut the large lead to just four points, 24-20; however, the Gaels earned the final point to take the set 25-20. More details.

Lions defeated by Gaels on Friday night

The York University men’s basketball team was defeated 111-71 by the Queen’s University Gaels on Friday evening at the Athletics & Recreation Centre in Kingston, Ont.

The Gaels had a strong game against the Lions and controlled the glass throughout the game by out-rebounding York 47-29. The Lions did a good job getting the free throw line throughout the game, making 24 out of 34 free throws (70.6 per cent).

The Lions were quick to lead the Gaels 7-4 in the first quarter after a steal by Somto Dimanochie led Prince Kamunga to nail a three-pointer. Four minutes into play, the Lions continued to lead the Gaels; however, after a jump shot by DeAndrae Pierre, the Gaels tied the game 11-11 after sinking a three-pointer. The Gaels made a free throw to lead the Lions by one point and maintained their lead to end the quarter 24-16. More details.

Lions topped by Gaels on Road

The York University women’s basketball team competed against the Queen’s University Gaels and fell 80-64 at the Athletics & Recreation Centre in Kingston, Ont.

The Gaels picked up a seven-point lead on the Lions midway through the first quarter. Despite the deficit, the Lions added eight consecutive points to lead the Gaels 15-14. Lauren Golding made a jump shot to increase the Lions’ lead on the Gaels. The Gaels nearly tied the game, but one last jumper by Haley Bowie allowed the Lions to lead the Gaels 19-18 by the end of the first quarter. More details.

Lions topped by Blues in Monday matinee game

The York University Lions men’s hockey team lost 6-1 against the University of Toronto Varsity Blues on Monday, Jan. 28 in a matinee game at the University of Toronto.

In the first period of the game, the Blues’ Joey Manchurek scored the first goal of the game at 5:31 with an assist from Justin Brand and Matt Campagna. Ten minutes later, Manchurek scored again with an assist from Aidan Wallace and Willy Paul. The Blues led 2-0 after the first 15 minutes until the Lions responded at 18:58 with their first goal from Sal Filice, with captain Scott Feser and Justin Bean picking up assists. More details.

On Friday, the Lions lost 5-3 against the University of Windsor Lancers during an away game in Windsor, Ont.

In the first period of the game, the Lions had 12 shots on goal against the Lancers. York was able to capitalize off one of the dozen shots, at 7:26, when Justin Bean scored the first goal of the game. That goal was assisted by Morgan Messenger, his 12th assist of the season, and Stefano Pezzetta, his seventh assist of the season. The Lancers were able to shoot seven shots on goal, but none were able to find the back of York’s net. More details.

On Sunday night, the Lions finished off a busy week by losing 3-1 against the Brock University Badgers during a home game at Canlan Ice Sports.

In the first period of the game, neither team was able to secure a goal, though York was able to produce 11 shots and the Badgers were able to fire 10 shots on goal against the Lions.

The Badgers started off the second period of the game with an unassisted goal from Brody Silk at 17:16. With minutes to spare in the second period, the Lions responded with their only goal of the game, at 18:46, by Peter De Coppi. It was his second goal of the season. More details.

Lions sports medicine manager Andrea Prieur named Team Canada chief therapist for FISU Games

Andrea Prieur

York Lions sports medicine and sports injury clinic manager Andrea Prieur has been named Team Canada’s chief therapist for the 2019 FISU (International University Sports Federation) Summer Games.

Andrea Prieur

Prieur, who was selected for her role at York in July 2018, will serve as chief therapist at the FISU Summer Games for the third time after being appointed to the position for the 2005 (Izmir, Turkey) and 2009 (Belgrade, Serbia) events.

In her role as chief athletic therapist, Prieur will lead a team of sport physiotherapists, sport massage therapists and athletic therapists who will oversee all of the treatment and medical emergencies for all of Team Canada’s athletes. In addition to her on-site role at the games, she is also tasked with planning for all of the medical supplies and equipment the athletes will require and setting up the therapy clinic prior to the start of the games.

“It is always a thrill to be a part of Team Canada and I’m really looking forward to attending the FISU Games again this year,” said Prieur. “I’ve been fortunate to attend other multisport events, but particularly enjoy working in this role at FISU. Being able to see our Canadian university athletes succeed at this level is an amazing experience and I can’t wait to be a part of it again this summer.”

Prieur, a York alumna who earned her certificate in sport therapy in 1997, is well-versed in major multisport events, having served as a therapist at the 2012 London and 2016 Rio Summer Olympic Games; at several Pan American Games, including most recently in 2015; and at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, in 2014. She has also worked as part of the integrated support team for the Canadian diving team since 2010 for events around the world.

Prieur was previously a lecturer within York’s Athletic Therapy Certificate program for 16 years and served as the placement co-ordinator and course co-ordinator for the program.

The 2019 edition of the FISU Summer Games will take place in Naples, Italy, from July 3 to 14.

Weekend wrap: Lions win second straight game with victory over Lakers

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York U Lions

The York University women’s basketball team defeated the Nipissing University Lakers 78-69 on Saturday evening at the Tait Mackenzie Centre.

With the win, the Lions are still sitting in fifth place in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) East standings with five games remaining in the regular season. Despite a comeback attempt by Nipissing in the fourth quarter, the Lions held off the Lakers to win the game 78-69.

Megan Macleod and Katrina Collins-Samuels opened up the first quarter with successful jump shots for the Lions. After a basket by the Lakers, the Lions made three consecutive three-pointers, one by Collins-Samuels and two by Emma Jonas. The Lions had a large lead midway through the quarter, leading the Lakers 21-6. A final free throw by Megan Stewart ended the quarter with the Lions leading 24-13. More details on the York Lions website.

On Friday afternoon, the Lions faced the Laurentian University Voyageurs in front of a packed home crowd and picked up a huge 89-67 victory at the Tait Mackenzie Centre.

With only six games left in the regular season, the Lions picked up a must-needed victory against their division rival. The Lions and the Voyageurs both entered the game with a 6-10 record on the season; however, with the win, the Lions have moved to fifth place ahead of the Voyageurs.

The Lions had a strong start on the Voyageurs, eventually picking up a five-point lead of 16-11 after Chante Clarke and Haley Bowie nailed consecutive three-pointers. The Lions had the momentum of the crowd as they led the Voyageurs 20-13 midway through the quarter. More details.

York wrestlers reach podium at Ontario Junior Championships

Members of the York Lions wrestling team competed in the 2019 Ontario Junior Wrestling Championships over the weekend in London, Ont., and brought home one gold medal and three silver medals.

Lions rookie Bailey Agard led the way with a gold medal in the women’s 53kg division. Agard defeated Brooke Fletcher of the Windsor Lancers by a dominating score of 10-0 in the final round to reach the top step of the podium. Agard has now medalled in all six tournaments she’s competed in for the Lions this season in what has been an outstanding rookie campaign for the Cognitive Science major. More details.

Shields makes 46 saves in Lions 5-4 victory over Warriors

The York University Lions men’s hockey team beat the University of Waterloo Warriors 5-4 on Friday, Jan. 25 at Canlan Ice Sports to snap out of a three-game losing streak.

The Lions began the game with a goal just under four minutes in the first period. At 3:52, York’s Reid Jackman scored the first goal of the game with an assist from linemate Scott Feser and defenceman Sal Filice.

Soon after, at 8:24, the Warriors were able to also get a goal in to tie the game 1-1 against the Lions. At 13:09, York’s Justin Maiolino scored his fifth goal of the season, which was assisted by Nik Coric. To finish the first period, Feser, who started the game off with an assist, scored a goal of his own at 14:22 with the aid of teammates Justin Bean and Jackman. More details.

Lions post big win at home over Lakers

The York University men’s basketball team posted a dominant 77-57 win over the Nipissing University Lakers on Saturday evening at Tait Mackenzie Centre.

The Lions started the first quarter strong defensively to lead the Lakers 6-3 after five minutes of play. The Lions held the Lakers to a total of eight points in the opening quarter. With two minutes remaining, Gianmarco Luciani sunk a three-pointer to increase the Lions’ lead to 15-5 over the Lakers. With 15 seconds left, Chevon Brown made a huge steal and impressive dunk to end the quarter with the Lions leading 17-8.

At the start of the second quarter, the Lakers added five consecutive points, bringing the score to 17-13 for the Lions. By the midway mark, the Lions led the Lakers 25-17. Prince Kamunga and Luciani consecutively sunk three-pointers, causing the Lakers to take a time out with less than two minutes remaining. The Lions ended the half leading 36-24. More details.

A day earlier, the Lions lost a close 79-77 game against the Laurentian University Voyageurs in an action-packed game on Friday afternoon at the Tait Mackenzie Centre.

The Lions, who are now 5-12 on the season, competed against the Voyageurs, who improved to 9-8 with the win. The Lions got out to an early lead, which they held for the majority of the game, until the Voyageurs clawed back in the fourth quarter and won in a controversial way – with the shot clock buzzer going off with three seconds left, leading to confusion on the court between both teams. More details.

Lions medal 11 times in three meets over weekend

The York Lions track and field team continued their road to the U SPORTS championships with some great performances this weekend at three meets across Canada and the U.S. The squad achieved a total of 11 podium finishes, coming home with three gold, five silver and three bronze medals.

At the Robert J. Cane Invitational at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., Emmanuel Nketiah earned the gold in the long jump with a huge personal best of 7.10m and followed that up with another personal best in the triple jump of 14.24m and a fifth-place finish. These performances moved him to No. 3 and No. 4 respectively in the U SPORTS rankings. Pierce Lepage opened up his season with a bronze in the high jump with a mark of 2.04m that places him fourth in the U SPORTS rankings. Teammate Jackson West also came in fourth place in the high jump with a new season’s best jump of 1.95m. Leading the women’s jumpers was Leah Jones, who won the long jump with a new personal best of 5.70m. This performance puts her 7th in the U SPORTS rankings. More details.

Lions falls 4-1 to Ridgebacks on Sunday at Canlan

The York University Lions women’s hockey team lost 4-1 against the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) Ridgebacks on Sunday, Jan. 27 at Canlan Ice Sports.

The Ridgebacks, who picked up their seventh win of the season, scored the opening goal against the Lions at 6:16. Kassidy Ford’s shot found the back of York’s net, giving them an early 1-0 lead over the Lions, who had eight shot-on-goals in the first period compared to UOIT’s seven.

In the second period of the game, the Lions answered the Ridgebacks’ first period goal at 15:47. With the assist of Erin Locke and Tayler Murphy, Taylor Davison scored the first goal for York while netting her second goal of the season. More details.

Lions drop close 3-2 game to Warriors

The York University men’s volleyball team competed against the University of Waterloo Warriors and after five sets were defeated 3-2 on Saturday afternoon at the Physical Activities Complex.

The Lions entered the match with a 4-5 record on the season, while the Warriors had a 3-6 record. With the loss, the Lions are still in fourth place, two points ahead of the Nipissing Lakers, in the OUA East standings.

A tough battle, and back-and-forth momentum throughout the match, led the Lions and Warriors to take the game to five sets. In the first set, the score was tied a total of 20 times. With the score tied 23-23, it was Tyler Covach serving for the Lions that led to two attack errors by the Warriors, allowing the Lions to win a tough set 25-23. More details.

Lions fall in three sets to Warriors

The York University women’s volleyball team was defeated 3-0 by the University of Waterloo Warriors on Saturday afternoon at the Physical Activities Complex in Waterloo, Ont.

The Lions competed against the Waterloo Warriors, who are undefeated and sitting in first place in the OUA West standings. The Lions now have a 6-5 record on the season and are just two points shy of third place with eight games remaining in the regular season.

The Warriors had a strong start in the first set, leading the Lions 7-1 before the Lions earned their second point on a service error. The Warriors picked up an eight-point lead midway through the quarter, which led them to win the set 25-18. More details.

Lions welcome Voyageurs to Tait McKenzie Centre for School Day Game

The York University Lions men’s and women’s basketball teams will welcome the Laurentian Voyageurs on Friday, Jan. 25 for two exciting Lions School Day Game matchups.

Elementary and high-school students from around the York community will attend, resulting in what should be a large and enthusiastic crowd of young Lions supporters.

The event will feature a Fan of the Game contest as well as an on-court obstacle course with great prizes up for grabs. Admission for York students is free.

Matchups:

Women: York (6-10) vs. Laurentian (6-10)
Men: York (5-11) vs. Laurentian (8-8)

Game details:

Women: Friday, Jan. 25 at 11 a.m., OUA.tv
Men: Friday, Jan. 25 at 1 p.m., OUA.tv

Women’s players to watch

York
• Madison Bardoel (guard) had a strong game against the Gee-Gees last weekend, scoring 12 points in 18 minutes off the bench. Bardoel was perfect from the field, sinking all four of her field goal attempts, including two three-pointers.

Laurentian
• Emily Tinnes (guard) ranks third in the OUA in minutes-per-game (36.1). She leads the team with 14.8 points per game, is good for fifth overall in the OUA, and also has 4.0 rebounds per game and 3.4 assists per game.

Men’s players to watch

York
• Prince Kamunga (guard) leads the Lions with a 41.9 three-point percentage. He is having an impressive sophomore season, averaging 9.6 points and 3.6 rebounds per game in 21.5 minutes per game.

Laurentian
• Kadre Gray (guard) is one of the premier scorers in U SPORTS and leads the OUA with 30.2 points per game this season. He also ranks first in the league with 7.1 assists per game and is tied for 14th with 6.8 rebounds per game.

Weekend wrap: Lions reach podium 21 times at three meets

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York U Lions

The York University Lions track and field team had a huge medal haul over the weekend, racking up 21 medals including 10 gold medals, eight silver medals and three bronze medals at three separate meets.

The biggest contingent for the Lions competed at the Ottawa Winter National Invitational meet, where the team brought home 14 of their 21 medals. The men’s team led the way with nine medals, with gold medals going to Kayden Johnson in the 60m hurdles (8.47s), Xavier Jehovah in the 300m (34.55s), the 4x200m relay team of Demari Grant, Xavier Joseph, Tohma Van Bergen and Quinn Charles (1:30.36), and the 4x400m relay team of Jehovah, Mark Hutchinson, Daniele Orsini and Joshua Ching (3:21.82). Jehovah’s time in the 300m was a new personal best and finds him now ranked in the top eight in U SPORTS, while Johnson’s time in the 60m hurdles ranks him sixth in the nation. More details on the York Lions website.

Lions post big 3-1 victory over Lakers

The York University Lions men’s volleyball team beat the Nipissing University Lakers in a thrilling 3-1 game on Friday, Jan. 18 at the Tait McKenzie Centre, winning their first game of the second half of their 2018-19 season.

The Lions were off to an early lead in the first set of the game with setter Logan Mend serving the first ball. By the technical timeout, the Lions were leading 16-10 against the Lakers.

York’s Andrew Tauhid provided the Lions with their 22nd point of the set, which was followed by another point on a serve by Mend. The last point of the set occurred as a result of an out of bounds serve from the Lakers, giving the Lions their first set win with a final score of 25-18. More details.

Lions sweep Lakers 3-0 in convincing win

The York University Lions women’s volleyball team beat the Nippising University Lakers on Friday, Jan. 18 for their sixth win of the 2018-19 season. The Lions beat the Lakers in a 3-0 sweep during their first home game since the new year in front of a packed crowd.

The Lions took the first set 25-17 against the Lakers, who they also beat during their first game of the season by a score of 3-0. The first set saw great plays from the Lions, especially from York’s Cadence Currie who was all over the court for the Lions and had a number of key kills. More details.

No. 9 Gryphons too much for Lions on Wednesday night

The York University Lions women’s hockey team lost 4-1 to the University of Guelph Gryphons in an away game on Wednesday, Jan. 16. The Lions got off to a great start as they scored the first goal of the game in the first period. At 16:15, York’s Courtney Gardiner secured the Lions sole goal with an assist from Tegan Duncan.

In the second period, neither teams scored. However, the Lions controlled the play, as they were able to get 11 shots on goal compared to Gryphons’ five. More details.

Two days later, the Lions lost 1-0 to the Wilfrid Laurier University Golden Hawks in Waterloo on Friday, Jan. 18, their second loss in as many road games this week.

Though both teams had six shots on goal in the first period, neither team was able to get the puck past Eva Hall and Cohen Myers, the respective goalkeepers for the Lions and the Golden Hawks. The first period of the game ended 0-0 for both teams. More details.

York falls to No. 1 Carleton

The York University men’s basketball team were defeated 100-54 against the Carleton University Ravens on Saturday evening at the Raven’s Nest in Ottawa.

The Lions were up against tough competition in Ottawa this weekend, playing against the No. 1 team in the country. The Ravens are also first place in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) East standings with a perfect 16-0 record this season.

The Lions opened the game with Chevon Brown nailing a three-pointer after the Ravens got five points on the scoreboard. Despite keeping the game close at the start of the quarter, the Ravens added 22 points total to lead the Lions 22-13. More details.

A day earlier, the Lions were defeated by the No. 7 University of Ottawa Gee-Gees 92-58 at Montpetit Hall in Ottawa.

The Lions were up against tough competition facing the No. 7-ranked team in the country and the third-place team in the OUA East standings. The Gee-Gees were consistent through all four quarters and maintained a large lead on the Lions after a solid opening quarter.

The Lions kept the game close through the first period and trailed 15-12 with two minutes remaining. In the final two minutes, the Gee-Gees added seven more points to lead the Lions 22-12. In the second quarter, the Gee-Gees extended their lead to end the half by a score of 47-27. More details.

Lions end up on wrong end of high-scoring game, fall 7-6 to Rams

On Saturday, Jan. 19, the York University Lions men’s hockey team lost 7-6 against the Ryerson University Rams in a high-scoring game during York’s first away Subway Series game of the year at the Mattamy Athletic Centre.

In the first period of the game, the Rams were able to get on the scoreboard with a goal with just over a minute to spare, at 18:45, to give Ryerson the first goal of the game. The Rams’ offence provided the home team with 16 shots on goal and all but one was saved by York goaltender Mack Shields. The Lions, on their end, were able to get six shots on goal during the first period, but none were able to find the back of Ryerson’s net. More details.

On Friday evening, the Lions faced a tough 5-3 loss against the Western Mustangs at Canlan Ice Sports.

In the previous Lions vs. Mustangs matchup just six days prior, the Mustangs topped the Lions 2-1, scoring the game winner in the final minute of play. With one point separating the two teams in the OUA West standings, the Mustangs earned a big win to maintain their third-place spot. More details.

Lions fall to No. 5 Gee-Gees

The York University women’s basketball team faced the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees, who are ranked fifth in the country, and fell 88-58 on Friday evening at Montpetit Hall in Ottawa.

The Lions were up against tough competition playing against the Gee-Gees, who are also tied for first place in the OUA East standings with the Ryerson Rams. Despite the loss, the Lions are sitting in fifth place and are looking to end the second half of the season strong to earn a playoff spot.

The Lions kept the game close throughout the start of the first quarter and trailed by only three points, 12-9, midway through the quarter. The Gee-Gees picked up a bigger lead in the final minutes of the quarter and ended it by a score of 27-13. More details.

The following night, the Lions were defeated 71-50 by the Carleton University Ravens on Saturday evening at the Raven’s Nest in Ottawa.

The Lions had two tough matchups against top teams in the country this weekend in Ottawa. Sunday’s matchup against the Ottawa Gee-Gees ended in an 88-58 loss for the Lions. Unlike their previous game against the Gee-Gees, the Lions had a strong first half, making it difficult for the Ravens to pick up a large lead. More details.

York travels to Ryerson in Subway Series matchup on Saturday

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York U Lions

The York Lions men’s hockey team will continue the popular Subway Series promotion this weekend when they battle the Ryerson Rams at the Mattamy Athletic Centre.

The Lions will travel downtown to face the Rams in a rare matinee game on Saturday, Jan. 19. Puck drop between the Toronto rivals is at 2:15 p.m. This Subway Series matchup is a rematch of the inaugural Subway Series game last season, which saw the Lions defeat the Rams 3-2 in front of more than 400 visiting Lions fans.

The Lions will have payback on their minds when they face the Rams this time around, as Ryerson took the first leg of their season series by a lopsided 8-3 score back in November. In that game, Lions forward Stefano Pezzetta scored a goal eight minutes into the third period to tie the score at 3-3, but it was all Rams from there as they racked up five goals in the last 12 minutes to earn an emphatic road victory. The two teams also met in the second round of the playoffs last season, with the Lions winning in two straight games by scores of 6-3 and 3-2 respectively.

After a red-hot start to the year that saw them jump out to a 9-2-1 record in their first 12 games, the Lions have stumbled lately dropping seven of their past nine games. They lost five games in a row before the holiday break, but look to be snapping out of their mid-season funk with two wins in four games so far in 2019. They’ve played well in their two losses since the break, falling 4-3 to the first-place Brock Badgers and losing 2-1 on a late goal to the third-place Western Mustangs. The Lions sit in fourth place in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) West standings with an 11-7-2 record on the season.

Led by a powerful offence that has scored the most goals in the OUA, the Rams also began the season on a hot streak, winning 12 of their first 14 games. They were ranked as high as fourth overall in the country at one point, but a recent four-game losing streak has seen the Rams fall out of the top 10 as they were an honourable mention in the most recent national rankings. The Rams find themselves in second place in the OUA West after 20 games with a 14-5-1 record, five points ahead of the Lions.

The all-Toronto matchup figures to be a high-scoring, action-packed affair, which features the two highest scoring teams in the OUA West. The Lions offence is led by captain Scott Feser and fifth-year forward Reid Jackman, who each have 21 points on the season, followed by Josh LaFrance with 20 points. Ryerson counters with two of the top three scorers in the OUA in Matt Mistele (41 points) and Mathew Santos (33 points), who sit first and third overall, respectively, in league scoring.

Admission for York students is free and all attendees will receive free food, a promotional gift and TTC tokens. Students must sign up at yorkulions.ca/subwayseries before 6 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 19 to attend.

Weekend wrap: Lions mount comeback in third period to beat Golden Hawks

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York U Lions

The York University Lions women’s hockey team scored three times in the third period to secure a big comeback win by a score of 3-1 against the Wilfrid Laurier University Golden Hawks on Saturday evening at Canlan Ice Sports.

After a slow start to the year, the Lions are now red hot having won five of their last six games and earning the maximum six points in two games this weekend.

The game did not start out well for the Lions, as they took an early penalty just 30 seconds into the game and the Golden Hawks capitalized on the game’s first power play when forward Emily Visser gave the visitors a 1-0 lead at 1:27. She broke in off the right wing and rifled a shot over the right shoulder of Lions goaltender Lauren Dubie for her first goal of the season. More details on the York Lions website.

A day earlier, the Lions beat the Waterloo Warriors 4-1 on Friday, Jan. 11 in Waterloo, Ont.

The Lions were the first to get on the scoreboard at 13:23 with a goal from Caroline Eagles. The first-year kinesiology and health science student scored the first goal of her Lions career, with assists from Ellen Donaldson and Leah Hibbert. The Lions continued their momentum as they scored their second goal of the game less than a minute later at 14:05. Erin Locke netted her fifth goal of the season, with assists from Hibbert and Jenna Gray. More details.

Lions claim seven medals at Sharon Anderson Memorial Meet

The York University Lions track and field team kicked off their 2019 year with a successful meet over the weekend, as the team claimed seven medals at the Sharon Anderson Memorial Meet at the University of Toronto campus.

York’s throwers led the way for the squad, earning a combined three medals in the weight throw event. Drew Erskine tossed his way to the gold medal in the men’s event, hurling a personal best of 16.64m on his third throw to win the event. Not far behind Erskine was Jonathan Raspanti, who earned the bronze medal with a throw of 14.49m.

In the women’s event, 2016 Olympian Brittany Crew also claimed the gold medal with a toss of 18.94m, a season’s best for the two-time York female Athlete of the Year. The winning throw came on her sixth and final attempt, and she needed it to win, as Jordana Badley-Castello of the Windsor Lancers had thrown an 18.49m toss on her fifth attempt. More details.

Lions medal at Brock Open, women’s team finishes third in team standings

The York Lions wrestling teams brought home some hardware from the Brock University Open on Saturday, as Bailey Agard, Lynelle Vassell and Shevonne Witter-Watts each won medals and the women’s team finished in third place overall for the meet.

Agard continued her outstanding rookie season with the Lions, bringing home the silver medal in the women’s 51kg weight class. Her biggest win of the tournament came against Sam Ramono of the host Badgers, who was an Ontario University Athletics (OUA) gold medallist and a U SPORT silver medallist last year, in addition to winning the junior national championship. Agard dominated Ramono, winning 10-0 in their match. Her lone loss of the tournament came in the first round of the tournament to Stefana Jelacic from the River Falls wrestling club, one of the most successful wrestling clubs in the U.S. More details.

LaFrance scores shootout winner to defeat Gryphons 4-3

The York University men’s hockey team defeated the University of Guelph Gryphons 4-3 in a shootout after two late goals by the Gryphons sent the game into overtime on Thursday evening at Gryphon Centre Arena in Guelph, Ont.

Josh LaFrance scored the lone goal during the shootout to top the Gryphons 4-3. LaFrance has been on fire this season, earning 19 points with four goals and 15 assists. Lions goaltender Mack Shields also had a strong game and saved 46 shots on goal, adding to his total of 491 saves this season and putting him in third place in the OUA.

The Gryphons scored early in the first period with a goal just under three minutes by Cody Thompson. The Lions tied the game at 17:42 on a short-handed goal by Scott Feser, who was assisted by Justin Bean. The Lions had 12 shots on goal in the first period, while the Gryphons had 15. More details.

On Saturday evening, the Lions lost 2-1 against the University of Western Mustangs on the road in London, Ont.

The Mustangs, who had 13 shots in the first period of the game, were off to a great start as they secured their first goal at 17:49. Western’s Spencer Cobbold was able to get a goal past York’s Mack Shields with an assist from his teammate Kyle Petit.

Two minutes later, the Lions were able to respond to the Mustangs’ lead by closing it with a goal of their own. York’s Jeremy Lucchini, with assists from Stefano Pezzetta and Josh LaFrance, scored the first goal of his Lions career. York had seven shots in the first period as the Lions and the Mustangs finished the first period tied 1-1. More details.

Lions top cross-town rival Blues for first win of 2019

The York University women’s basketball snapped out of a five-game slide and picked up their first win of 2019 with a 69-61 victory over their cross-town rivals the University of Toronto Varsity Blues in front of a full gym at the Tait McKenzie Centre on Friday night.

The Lions started the game strong, scoring on their first two shots of the game. The first came from guard Haley Bowie, and the second on a driving layup by forward Lauren Golding. Two baskets from Megan MacLeod and layup from Alysha Pinck followed and the Lions jumped out to an early 11-2 lead less than three minutes into the game. The home squad cooled off after their hot start as the Blues crept back into the game and led the Lions 17-16 at the first quarter break. More details.

The following night, the Lions lost 71-54 to the Ryerson University Rams at the Tait McKenzie Centre in their second cross-town rivals game of the weekend. The loss followed a big win against the University of Toronto Varsity Blues last night, also at the Tait McKenzie Centre.

The Lions fell behind the Rams in the first quarter by one point as they finished the first stanza down 19-18. York guards Haley Bowie and Emma Jonas, and forward Lauren Golding, all contributed five points in the first quarter of the game to help the Lions remain close to the visiting team that is currently placed second in the OUA East Division. More details.

Lions give No. 4 Rams all they can handle in hard-fought game

The York University Lions men’s basketball team lost 84-77 after a well-played, hard-fought game against the second-ranked team in the country, the Ryerson University Rams, on Saturday at the Tait McKenzie Centre.

York’s Prince Kamunga started the game off with a three-point shot within the first 45 seconds. Nana Adu-Poku supplemented Kamunga’s points with two points of his own with a jump shot to score the first points for the Lions.

Ryerson soon responded to York’s early 5-0 lead by scoring two jump shots in a row of their own. York’s Deandre Pierre was able to contribute four points in the quarter, helping the Lions maintain their lead over Ryerson, while Gianmarco Luciani was also a great contributor for the Lions in the first quarter as well as the entire game. More details.

On Friday evening, the Lions fell to the Toronto Varsity Blues by a score of 63-58 at the Tait McKenzie Centre in the first game between the cross-town rivals this season.

A three-pointer from Blues guard Evan Shadkami opened the scoring in the game, while Lions forward Gianmarco Luciani had the first points of the night for the Lions with a free throw followed by a nice jumper for an early 3-3 tie. Lions guard Chevon Brown got off to a good start, nailing back-to-back three-pointers early in the first quarter as the Lions jumped out in front. The Lions took a 15-10 lead into the second quarter after a defensive opening frame from both teams. More details.

Lions fall on road to No. 4 Rams 3-1

The York Lions women’s volleyball team took a close second set from the Ryerson University Rams on Saturday afternoon at the Mattamy Athletic Centre, but they were unable to steal any more games from the fourth-ranked team in the country as they fell 3-1.

The first set started evenly with the teams trading points in the early going. A kill from Lions outside hitter Celeste Witzell gave the Lions a 15-14 lead at the midway point of the set, but the two squads stayed close and were tied at 20-20 after an attack error by the Rams’ Sara Piana. From there, the Rams took over for the remainder of the set and won five of the next six points to take the first set 25-21. More details.

Lions lose close game to Rams 3-2

The York Lions men’s volleyball team lost a close game 3-2 to their cross-town rivals, the Ryerson University Rams, on Saturday afternoon at the Mattamy Athletic Centre. The Lions held a 2-1 lead, but were unable to hold off their rivals as the Rams took the last two sets to secure the victory.

The Rams drew first blood in the match, winning the first set 25-21. Grant Lynch scored the first point of the set for the Lions to tie the score at 1-1, but the Rams would pull ahead and hold the lead for the rest of the set. The score remained close right until the end, with Andrew Shotbolt pulling the Lions within two points at 23-21, but the Rams would win the next two points to take the opening set. More details.

Lions welcome Varsity Blues to Tait McKenzie for first Subway Series game of 2019

Lions logo
York U Lions

The York University Lions men’s and women’s basketball teams will take on the University of Toronto Varsity Blues on Friday, Jan. 11. The action starts at 6 p.m. for two exciting matchups of city rivals.

The game marks the return of York’s popular Subway Series for the first home date in the promotion’s history. Admission for York students is free and all attendees will receive free food, a promotional gift and a TTC token. Students planning to attend the game must sign up at yorkulions.ca/subwayseries before Jan. 11 at 6 a.m. to qualify for the promotion.

The matchups:

Women’s: York (5-7) vs. Toronto (3-9)

Men’s: York (5-7) vs. Toronto (4-8)

Game details

Women’s: Friday, Jan. 11 at 6 p.m., OUA.tv

Men’s: Friday, Jan. 11 at 8 p.m., OUA.tv

Women’s players to watch

York University

(F) Lauren Golding was named York’s female athlete of the week this week after a big game against the Nipissing Lakers where she scored 19 points and tied her career-high with 14 rebounds. She is averaging 10.9 points per game this year and is second overall in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) with 9.1 rebounds.

University of Toronto

(G) Keyira Parkes, a senior guard, leads the Blues in scoring with 13.4 points per game and assists with 2.5, while also averaging 3.9 rebounds.

Men’s players to watch

York University

(G/F) Gianmarco Luciani, who missed the first five games of the season, has stepped back into a scoring role with the Lions, averaging 17.4 points per game in his past five games. He also leads the team with 5.9 rebounds per game.

University of Toronto

(F) Evan Shadkami, a sophomore guard, leads the Blues with 15.5 points per game and has been dangerous from behind the arc, shooting 38.8 percent from three-point land.

York researchers invent novel computer vision system for automatic hockey videography

Researchers at York University have developed a deep learning-based computer vision system for attentive puck tracking (APT) that is able to automatically track the play in a game of hockey and deliver a dynamic zoomed video feed similar to an NHL broadcast feed.

The project, which is a collaboration between York University PhD candidate Hemanth Pidaparthy and Professor James Elder at York University’s Centre for Vision Research (CVR), will be presented on Jan. 10 at the 2019 IEEE Winter Conference on Applications in Computer Vision in Hawaii.

While hockey involves a large playing surface, instantaneous play is typically localized to a smaller region of the ice. Live spectators attentively shift their gaze to follow play, and professional sports videographers pan their cameras to mimic this process. Unfortunately, manual videography is economically prohibitive below the elite level.

The APT system takes as input a wide-field 4K video feed and automatically tracks the play, allowing an HD 3x-zoomed video feed to be dynamically cropped and re-targeted to a spectator’s display device (e.g. an iPad). This allows family and friends to enjoy high-quality video recordings of amateur games in the comfort of their homes and provides coaches and players with the ability to review play.

Original 4K video. Green dot: automatically estimated puck location. Blue rectangle: instantaneous region of interest
HD 3x-zoomed view, re-targeted for a standard display device

“Without this technology, it is really not possible to enjoy watching a game of amateur hockey on a standard display, as the puck is too small to be visible,” explained Pidaparthy.

A prototype of the system is currently operating at the Canlan Ice Sports facility at York’s Keele Campus, where it is being used to record the York Lions varsity home games for the 2018-19 season. A provisional patent application has been filed, and Innovation York and York’s Vision: Science to Applications (VISTA) program are supporting the researchers to commercialize the technology. The project was awarded funding from the the VISTA Prototyping Fund to accelerate the development.

“This is a good example of how AI (artificial intelligence) can be used to simplify and enrich our lives. In this case, greater online access to community sporting events can cut down on vehicle traffic while keeping us socially engaged,” said Elder, who holds the York Research Chair in Human and Computer Vision and is jointly appointed to both the Department of Psychology and the Department of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science at York.

The research was supported by the Natural Sciences & Engineering Research Council (NSERC) Idea to Innovation program and by the NSERC CREATE Training Program in Data Analytics & Visualization, led at York by Elder.

The researchers are currently enhancing their system to automatically extract video summaries of game highlights, and plan to extend their research to other sports such as soccer in the spring.

Weekend wrap: Lions retire No. 18 jersey of Mark Cross in emotional ceremony prior to Mark Cross Memorial Game

Lions logo
York U Lions

The York Lions honoured hockey alumnus Mark Cross on Saturday, Jan. 5 at Canlan Ice Sports prior to their evenly matched 4-3 loss to the Brock University Badgers in an emotional pre-game ceremony. Cross, who played with the Lions from 2011-16, was an assistant coach with the Humboldt Broncos last season and lost his life in the team’s tragic bus crash on April 6, 2018.

After symbolically stopping the clock at 18 seconds, the Lions celebrated Cross’ life and legacy as a York Lion in a stirring pre-game ceremony that included the retiring of Cross’ No. 18 jersey.

On the ice to take part in the ceremony were Cross’ parents, Brad and Marilyn; his brother, Michael; his sister, Leah; his girlfriend, Molly; friends from his native Saskatchewan; and his former York teammates. Cross became the first member of the Lions men’s hockey program to have his number retired. More details on the York Lions website.

On Friday night, the men’s hockey team opened up their second half of the season with a thrilling 2-1 overtime win against the University of Toronto Varsity Blues at Canlan Ice Sports.

After having been in York’s offensive end throughout most of the first five minutes of the game, U of T had a great scoring chance against the Lions; however, it was saved by York’s goaltender Mack Shields.

Following Shields’ save, the Lions skated the puck down to the Blues’ end with a passing play between Reid Jackman and Sal Filice, who passed the puck to Scott Feser, who scored the first goal for the Lions at 5:14. More details.

Lions defeat Lakers in first game of 2019

The York University men’s basketball team defeated the Nipissing University Lakers in their opening game of 2019 by a score of 73-64 on Friday evening at Robert J. Surtees Student Athletics Centre.

The Lions were off to a strong start picking up a big lead on the Lakers 16-5 midway through the first quarter. The Lions ended the quarter with a 22-16 lead.

The Lions continued to lead the Lakers at the start of the second quarter; however, the Lakers managed to close the large lead to just two-points with three minutes remaining in the half. The Lakers eventually tied the Lions 26-26, and after free throw the Lakers led the Lions for the first time 27-26. It was the Lakers who added one extra basket in the final minutes to lead 36-34 at the end of the half. More details.

The next night the Lions lost 111-80 on the road against the Laurentian University Voyageurs in Sudbury, Ont.

Prince Kamunga led the Lions in points throughout the game with 22 points on the night. In the first quarter of the game, the Lions were able to put in a total of 18 points to the Voyageurs’ 33. Lions guard Gene Spagnuolo contributed four of those points as he started the game well for the visiting team. By the end of the first half of the game, Laurentian was leading 55-36 against the Lions after outscoring them by four in the second quarter. More details.

Lions fall in Saturday night road game to Voyageurs

The York University women’s basketball team lost 64-46 against the Laurentian University Voyageurs during their second game of the weekend on Saturday, Jan. 5 in Sudbury, Ont.

The Voyageurs took the lead in the first quarter of the game and kept it throughout the remainder of the game.

Laurentian’s Kayla Deschatelets scored the first two points for the Voyageurs and picked up three more points in the first quarter to contribute to their 11 points in the first quarter. The Lions’ Alysha Pinck scored the first two points for York. More details.

A day prior, the Lions led the Nipissing University Lakers through three quarters until a push in the final minutes of the fourth quarter by the Lakers led them to a 65-61 victory on Friday evening at Robert J. Surtees Student Athletics Centre in North Bay, Ont.

The Lions came out strong in their first game of the new year and at the end of the first quarter, the Lions led the Lakers 18-12. They continued the momentum into the second quarter and managed to pick up a large, 11-point lead to end the half up 35-24. The Lions continued their lead into the third quarter, but the Lakers cut the lead close, trailing just two points by a score of 49-47 by the end of the quarter. More details.

Big third period by Badgers results in loss for Lions

The York University women’s hockey team was defeated on the road 6-3 by the Brock University Badgers on Saturday afternoon at Seymour Hannah Centre.

The Lions outplayed the Badgers in the first period and kept the game close until the last 10 minutes of the third period. The Badgers got on the scoreboard first at 9:49 of the first period with a shot by Niamh Haughey that slipped through the pads of Lions goaltender Eva Hall. After multiple attempts by the Lions to get on the scoreboard, Erin Locke scored the equalizer off a face-off with four minutes remaining in the first period. More details.

Mustangs claim 40th Excalibur Volleyball Classic

The University of Western Mustangs were crowned 2019 Excalibur Volleyball Classic champions on Sunday afternoon at the Tait McKenzie Centre in the 40th edition of the annual tournament. Western went a perfect 3-0 in the round robin tournament, the only team to go undefeated throughout the entire weekend.

The championship win was the fourth all-time at the tournament for the Mustangs, who also won previously in 2011, 2012 and 2015.

The Mustangs opened the tournament on Friday with a 3-1 win over the Nipissing Lakers (25-23, 19-25, 25-22 and 27-25) and followed that up with another 3-1 win over the host Lions on Saturday (25-22, 25-19, 23-25 and 25-14). They ended their tournament with a hard-fought 3-1 victory over the Queen’s Gaels on Sunday afternoon (29-31, 25-23, 25-20 and 25-22). More details.