Laurier’s strong athletic tradition goes far beyond the reach of just the prestigious football program, and there are currently six teams fighting for OUA Championships at Waterloo. Three of the teams currently hold playoff positions, while the three others are all still in the race. As the action heats up, here’s where the Hawks sit so far this season.
Men’s Basketball: The Golden Hawks started off slowly this season, losing five of their first six. They responded with a three-game winning streak, which is still running. In their one game since the break, they looked ready to play. The men’s Hawks beat Guelph by 25 on the road, improving their record to 4-5. Fifth year Brantford native Jesse MacDonald leads the team in scoring with over 15 points per game and close to three assists per game. Maxwell Allin has been big on the boards, with 70 over the first nine games. The team has 13 games left, two against each team in the West (minus Guelph, who only has one remaining. The Hawks are currently tied with Brock for the last playoff spot, but lose the tiebreaker due to point differential. The Hawks will need to keep their momentum up, especially with upcoming back-to-back home games against first-place Lakehead next weekend, if they hope to make the playoffs.
Quick Facts: Record: 4-5 (3-1 Home, 1-4 Road). Standings: 7th in OUA West. Leading Scorer: Jesse MacDonald (140). If Playoffs Started Today: Would not qualify. Remaining Games: 13 (Next @ Western).
Women’s Basketball: Things have not been much different for the women’s squad on the court either. Well, actually, they’ve been identical. The Lady Hawks also dropped five of their first six, and have since won three in a row. Note that both the men’s and women’s teams play the same teams each weekend, so their opponents have been the exact same. Their last game, in Guelph, saw the Hawks beat Guelph by 11 points, led by Renata Adamczyk who put up 16. She has been a star for the purple and gold, leading the team in scoring, putting up more than 15 points per game, as well as leading in assists and steals. Megan Grant has been doing the dirty work, picking up eight rebounds a game. With 13 games remaining, the Hawks have a four-point lead on Waterloo in the standings.
Quick Facts: Record: 4-5 (3-1 Home, 1-4 Road). Standings: 6th in OUA West. Leading Scorer: Renata Adamczyk (138). If Playoffs Started Today: Would face #3 Western (7-2) in first round. Remaining Games: 13 (Next @ Western).
Men’s Hockey: What a start to a season it’s been for men’s hockey. The Hawks have started off the season 12-4-1, which has them sitting second place in OUA West. Currently riding a three-game winning streak, it’s all steam ahead for the Hawks as they hope to round out the regular season strongly and see success in the playoffs. Their last game was a decimation of opponent UOIT in Oshawa, that saw the Hawks win 7-0. Jeff Borrows scored two goals and two assists, while Clinton Pettapiece had five points, and Ryan Daniels picked up the teams first shutout. Paul Bradley leads both the team and OUA West in points with 30, also leading the team in assists (17) and goals (13). With just 11 games left, Laurier will be looking for Queen’s Cup glory come this post-season.
Quick Facts: Record: 12-4-1 (5-3-0 Home, 7-1-1 Road). Standings: 2nd in OUA West. Leading Scorer: Paul Bradley (30). If Playoffs Started Today: Would have home-ice VS #7 Windsor (6-8-3) in first round. Remaining Games: 11 (Next VS Waterloo).
Women’s Hockey: Can you say…incredible? That’s the only word to do justice to just how good the women’s team has been thus far. The Lady Hawks rounded out 2009 with an unblemished 15-0 record, only really being challenged in two of those games. Their last was a 5-1 win over UOIT on the road, where Katherine Shiriff picked up three points. Shiriff is currently leading the team in points as well, with 17. Kelly Powers has lit the lamp the most, with eight goals, while Andrea Ironside has 11 assists. A powerhouse in the league for the past few seasons, Laurier will be expected to make a run for a national championship this year.
Quick Facts: Record: 15-0 (6 -0 Home, 9-0 Road). Standings: 1st in OUA. Leading Scorer: Katherine Shiriff (17). If Playoffs Started Today: 1st Round BYE . Remaining Games: 12 (Next VS Waterloo).
Men’s Volleyball: Laurier’s volleyball team has had its ups and downs so far this season, sitting at 5-5 at the halfway point of the season. Despite a slow start, the Hawks are currently riding a four-game winning streak, two of which were clean sweeps. Their last one was a 3-2 win over York, in which they battled back from losing the first two sets and then winning the fifth by a score of 15-10. Third year Cameron Wheelan was named player of the game after demonstrating some serious kills and blocks. Wheelan also leads the team in points with 3.92 per game. With 10 games left, the Hawks will hope to round out a good season and advance to the playoffs.
Quick Facts: Record: 5-5 (2-2 Home, 3-3 Road). Standings: 6th in OUA. Leading Points-Getter: Cameron Wheelan (99). If Playoffs Started Today: Would face #3 Queens (8-2) in first round. Remaining Games: 10 (Next @ McMaster).
Women’s Volleyball: Hopefully the new year will be kinder to the women’s volleyball team, who started the year a disappointing 3-7. Despite winning three of their first four, the season fell apart seeing them lose six straight, three of which were clean sweeps of the Lady Hawks. The sole bright spot for the team has been Julie Gordon, who currently puts up 3.08 points per game, leading the squad. While it will take a massive turnaround for the team to gain a playoff spot, they do only sit four points out with a good nine games remaining.
Quick Facts: Record: 3-7 (1-4 Home, 2-3 Road). Standings: 6th in OUA West. Leading Points-Getter: Julie Gordon (125). If Playoffs Started Today: Would not qualify. Remaining Games: 9 (Next VS Queens).
