Gill, Banks, Kutkevicius named OUA athletes of the week

Graphic on predominantly blue background with action photos of Toronto field hockey player Deepi Gill, Queen's women's rugby player Maggie Banks, and Guelph men's hockey player Luke Kutkevicius, on top of white text that reads 'Athletes of the Week' and the OUA Athletes of the Week logo
October 23, 2023

Burlington, Ont. – Deepi Gill, Maggie Banks, and Luke Kutkevicius have been named OUA athletes of the week for the period ending October 22, 2023.

Deepi Gill, Field Hockey, Toronto Varsity Blues

Close up of Toronto field hockey goalie Deepi Gill in in a bright yellow jersey staring in towards a team huddle

The Toronto Varsity Blues have been a mainstay in the OUA field hockey finale over the years, and with a championship berth on the line this past weekend, Deepi Gill stepped up between the pipes for her squad.

Facing a tough Waterloo team who had earned the edge on Toronto in both the standings and in their season opening matchup, the Blues turned to their veteran netminder for a critical performance. Locked in a scoreless draw for much of the game, the fourth-year global affairs major from Brampton, Ont. kept the Warriors off the scoreboard through regulation and led her team into a winner-take-all shootout. In the shootout, Gill turned to her experience and poise under pressure to fend off three Waterloo shots and earn her side the 3-2 edge therein, and ultimately, the 1-0 semifinal victory.

Gill and the Varsity Blues will now turn their attention to this weekend’s OUA Field Hockey Championship rematch against the York Lions.  

Maggie Banks, Rugby, Queen’s Gaels

Queen's women's rugby player Maggie Banks running with the ball tucked in to her right arm as opposing players try to tackle her from behind

A spot in the OUA championship was on the line in Kingston this past weekend, and Maggie Banks stepped up in a big way to help the conference’s top-seeded Queen’s Gaels claim a spot in the finale.

After an undefeated regular season that saw Queen’s power past their opponents in consistently convincing fashion, their semifinal fixture with Western proved to be a tougher test. Banks, however, was up to the task and made her presence felt with multiple highlight-reel runs throughout the game. Not only was she turning heads, but she was scoring pivotal points along the way, capping off several of those runs with a try. When the final whistle blew, the fifth-year senior from Coquitlam, B.C. had tallied a game-high four tries as part of the Gaels’ 45-5 win.

Banks will look for a similar performance when the Gaels host the OUA Women’s Rugby Championship this weekend.

Luke Kutkevicius, Hockey, Guelph Gryphons

Guelph men's hockey player Luke Kutkevicius skating on the ice with the puck on his stick

It was a weekend to remember for the Guelph Gryphons on the ice, as their offence produced a sizzling 17 goals in two games, with Luke Kutkevicius a leading figure therein.

The senior’s scorching stretch started on Friday against RMC. Guelph managed to find the back of the net early and often en route to a double-digit performance against the Paladins, with the fourth-year centre netting three of those on his own. Kutkevicius added a helper to go along with his first career hat trick, finishing with a four-point night.

The Toronto, Ont. product didn’t stop there; however, as he was also a key part in the team’s follow up with Queen’s. In another offensively-drive game, the Gryphons came away with a 7-6 win, but not before falling behind 3-0 against the Gaels. With his team trailing, it was Kutkevicius’ tally – his fourth of the weekend – that sparked a string of four straight Gryphons goals. He would also add a primary assist on the team’s second goal of the game to cap his six-point weekend.

Four of those six points came at even strength and ultimately helped catapult him into the OUA’s top-10 in points on the year through his first five games.