Herrfort helps Warriors winning ways and other takeaways from OUA hockey
Toronto, Ont. (via 49 Sports / Ben Steiner) - With the first week of OUA hockey in 2024 in the rearview mirror, some teams continued their strong form coming off the first half, while others had a few hiccups. For some, though, flipping the calendar allowed them a fresh start and a new look in the quick sprint towards the OUA Queen’s Cup and McCaw Cup Playoffs.
Here are four things we learned from OUA men’s and women’s hockey this week.
Western shock UQTR, keep playoff hopes alive
The Western Mustangs began the 2023-24 OUA men’s hockey season with one of their worst starts in program history, dropping each of their first eight games before finally finding a win on November 4th against the Lakehead Thunderwolves.
Yet, they’ve hit a run of form.
In the latest round of contests, they put up their most significant win to date, a 6-3 victory over the two-time defending OUA Queen’s Cup champion UQTR Patriotes. Although the Patriotes are a largely different-looking team this year compared to their title-winning squads, they’ve still proven to be among the best – and the Mustangs played them off the ice.
To say they started 2024 on a high note would be an understatement. In the short term, it’s a single win and improved their record to 7-12; in the long term, it’s a warning sign to the rest of the OUA that the Mustangs aren’t easy to take on this season.
Andrew Bruder scored twice in the win, while Christiano Aiello, Shane Bulitka, and Jake Gravelle had three points apiece, each with a goal and two assists. Their collective efforts lofted Western’s offence and helped to chase UQTR netminder Charles-Antoine Lavallee out of the game, forcing head coach Marc-Etienne Hubert to send in veteran Alexis Gravel in relief.
The Mustangs scored six goals on 22 shots, while goaltender Dylan Myskiw turned away 27 of the 30 shots he faced.
While the Mustangs still sit outside the OUA West playoff picture, they are just four points behind the Guelph Gryphons for the final spot, with a game in hand. Western is back on the ice on Friday and Saturday, hosting the Nipissing Lakers.
Franky Lapenna leading Ottawa’s charge to OUA East peak
Not often does a rookie goaltender take to the U SPORTS and OUA level so quickly, but it’s a remarkable sight to see when they do, just as Franky Lapenna has done with the Ottawa Gee-Gees this season.
Returning from the holiday break, the Gee-Gees posted two defensively astute victories – winning 4-1 against their Ottawa rivals, the Carleton Ravens, before a pesky 1-0 shootout win over the Ontario Tech Ridgebacks.
Lapenna made 30 of 31 saves against the Ravens before stopping 26 of 26 shots against the Ridgebacks, marking his first career shutout. Through 17 games this season, he has a .948 save percentage, and is one of, if not the top goalie in the OUA and U SPORTS.
Ottawa’s East-topping 14-4-1 record isn’t just down to the goaltending; however, as other young players throughout head coach Patrick Grandmaitre’s roster have stepped up and taken on more prominent roles this season.
Notably, rookie Luka Verreault leads the team, scoring nine goals and 21 points, while Max Grondin and Mathieu Desgagnes have continued to contribute offensively in addition to taking on more two-way responsibility.
The Gee-Gees return to action this weekend, hoping to extend their seven-game winning streak when they face the Concordia Stingers and take on another clash with Ontario Tech.
Herrfort is flying as Waterloo keeps winning
The Waterloo Warriors may not quite be in the battle for first place in the OUA West, but they’ve easily been the second-best team in the division all season, and their most recent run of five straight wins points to an even brighter stretch run.
After winning their final three contests of the first half, the Warriors grabbed two wins in their first games back, taking down the East-leading Nipissing Lakers 2-1 before beating the TMU Bold 5-2, just hours after travelling to Toronto from North Bay.
Under head coach Shaun Reagan, the Warriors have established a fast-paced game over the last several years, particularly with their top forward line and defensive pairing, using faster skaters and quick, precise puck movement.
Although the group said farewell to some key players last season, veteran Leah Herrfort, among others, has taken up the reins, and Waterloo is looking as strong as ever. Herrfort, in particular, had a strong first weekend of 2024, scoring three goals, including a highlight reel dangle against TMU.
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Outside of Herrfort and the top-line players, the Warriors also have the luxury of two elite netminders, with Mikayla Schnarr having started 12 games to the tune of a .931 save percentage, backed up five games from Kara Mark, who has a .935 on that stat line.
Waterloo returns to action this weekend against the West Division’s second-ranked Toronto Varsity Blues before facing the Windsor Lancers.
Erica Fryer posts back-to-back shutouts
While the Toronto Varsity Blues have not been as dominant in 2023-24 as they have been in past seasons, but the return from the holiday break couldn’t have gone any better for veteran netminder Erica Fryer.
Entering her final semester with the Varsity Blues, the senior-year netminder posted two shutouts against the York Lions and Laurier Golden Hawks, respectively, as Toronto won 2-0 and 4-0 to chip away at Nipissing’s lead atop the OUA East.
Regardless of the competition, shutouts never come easy, and Fryer ensured that Toronto’s pair of decisive defensive performances did not go to waste.
As head coach Vicky Sunohara, captain Taylor Trussler, and the rest of the Varsity Blues look to end an era for the current core on a high note with a third McCaw Cup in four seasons, they enter the second weekend of the second half with games against challenging opponents in Waterloo and the Queen’s Gaels.