Much to decide in final few games and other takeaways from OUA hockey
Toronto, Ont. (via 49 Sports / Thomas Hewitt / Richard Coffey) – We’ve officially hit the home stretch.
Just a single weekend of play remains in the men’s hockey regular season, while just two remain for the women. Then, finally, the race for the Queen’s and McCaw Cups will commence. Still, despite just a few games to go, there is much to decide. There are seniors to be honoured for their final games, scoring races to settle, and standings to solidify as the teams moving on to the playoffs look to finalize their positions.
MHKY: The West division seeding could get very complicated
The top three seeds of Brock, TMU and Toronto have booked their positions, but seeds four through six are where it gets complicated.
Nipissing has faded on the back of a six-game losing streak. They sit in seventh place, which would currently put them in a play-in game this Sunday, while the three seeds ahead of them – Lakehead, Wilfrid Laurier, and Windsor – are all tied at 28 points apiece.
Currently, despite having an identical record to Laurier at 13-12-2, Lakehead holds the #4 seed due to having 12 regulation plus overtime wins to Laurier’s eleven, putting the Hawks in fifth, while Windsor, having one more shootout win instead, slots in at the sixth seed.
Lakehead could make their situation simple as they play their final regular season game at home against Nipissing on Friday, and a win in anything but a shootout would guarantee them the fourth spot. Lose or win in a shootout, and then things could get interesting for Laurier or Windsor.
The Golden Hawks play their final game of the year on Friday against the aforementioned Lancers, and a win would give them an outside shot at the fourth seed, but a loss would leave the door open for Windsor, who play their final game on Saturday against the Waterloo Warriors to overtake both teams for the fourth seed with a pair of wins.
The absolutely wild potential scenario would be a Lakehead shootout win, a Laurier regulation or overtime win over Windsor and a Windsor regulation or overtime win over Waterloo. That would tie each team at 30 points and 12 ROW (regulation + overtime wins), forcing multiple tiebreakers.
Did you get all that? The simple way to put it is the West division could end up being very complicated over the next few days, and it will definitely be something to watch.
WHKY: The playoff hunt intensifies in both divisions
Even if the TMU Bold are the only team eliminated across the OUA, they’re still challenging and have a big chance of playing spoiler in their final two games. A narrow but well-earned 3-2 win against the Ontario Tech Ridgebacks was proof of this, and the result could be a massive factor for the Ridgebacks’ outcome.
The York Lions, just above the Ridgebacks, have stormed back into a playoff spot after a 1-0 overtime victory against the Nipissing Lakers. York is extremely hit-and-miss, but when their preferred low-scoring, gritty style of play is at its best, they can be tough to beat.
Queen’s, who York is somewhat within striking distance of, endured a poor week. It’s almost all about positioning in the OUA East, but in the OUA West, the fates of three schools hang in the balance. A mere three points separate the Brock Badgers, Western Mustangs, and Laurier Golden Hawks, and mixed results have come their way in the last week.
Brock is arguably the best-equipped to come out on top. They deploy a variety of offensive tools, perhaps the most dangerous being defender Madelyn Walsh, who has six goals and is tied for tops among blueliners. Meanwhile, the Hawks have to play Leah Herrfort and the red-hot Waterloo Warriors team twice down the stretch.
A lot could change. But just as easily, it might not.
MHKY: Can Simon Lafrance hang on to defend the scoring title?
Simon Lafrance could be about to do something that has not been accomplished in the twenty-first century in OUA hockey: winning the scoring title in back-to-back seasons.
Lafrance’s 16 goals and 38 points landed him on top of the OUA a year ago, five points clear of Carleton’s Parker Aucoin. With one weekend of regular season play this year, Lafrance finds himself with 24 goals and 43 points, two points up on Kyle Bollers of TMU.
The question remains: can Lafrance hang on or can Bollers break into top spot? Lafrance gets his chance to cement his lead on Thursday when the Patriotes take the trip to Concordia to battle the Stingers. Lafrance has eaten nearly every team alive this season, and Concordia is no exception, as he picked up a goal and two assists in their first matchup on November 1st and followed it up four days later with a hat-trick.
The final game of the Patriotes season, though, perhaps almost too perfect as Lafrance looks to hold off Bollers, comes against the TMU Bold on Friday night at home. It comes in their first meeting since the 2022 U SPORTS semifinal, where Bollers was held off the scoresheet while Lafrance picked up three helpers on the way to a 7-2 UQTR win and eventually the national title.
So perhaps a little revenge will be on the mind for TMU as they look to finish the season strong, heading into the playoffs with Queen’s Cup or bust aspirations ahead of hosting the U SPORTS men’s national championship next month. Either way, it should make for an intriguing finale to both team’s regular seasons.
WHKY: Nipissing has plenty of scorers, but who will step up?
It’s been a tough few weeks in North Bay. Earlier in the campaign, all the anger and pain from last season, where they lost narrowly in the OUA McCaw Cup Championship and were sent packing early at the U SPORTS National Championship, was being brought out on opponents. A 4-1 win against Toronto in their first game, the same team who vanquished them in the 2023 McCaw Cup, was indicative of growth.
Recently, though, the vibe has changed. Not too long ago, the Lakers were as high as third in the U SPORTS ranking. Now, they sit ninth. Even with a variety of scorers, some inconsistency have plagued a 2024 that, so far, isn’t as impressive. On paper, Nipissing is easily one of the top teams in the OUA: three of their players are in the top four scorers, Maggie McKee has been dishing phenomenal passes all year with 20 assists, and Kate Chomiak and Malory Dominico have posted 13 goals each.
Dominico recently became the highest-scoring player in Lakers history as well, hitting a solid run of form in the lead-up to the postseason. That trio hasn’t produced as much in the last few contests as they had before; however, and the Lakers now sit just six points ahead of the Varsity Blues, who technically could catch them.
A variety of scorers is not bad, but it needs to be complemented by a star putting up a couple of points per game when it matters most. Given their knockout heartbreak from 2022-23, one member of that dominant trifecta has to step up the plate so the Lakers can enter the playoffs with momentum.