Field hockey teams set to start 2023 campaign on September 16th
Burlington, Ont. – After a thrilling finish to the 2022 campaign, eight conference squads are chomping at the bit to get back on the field, as the OUA is pleased to announce the 2023 field hockey schedule.
2023 Field Hockey | FULL SCHEDULE
A full slate of four games will kick off the upcoming campaign on Saturday, September 16th. All eight teams will begin their respective regular seasons therein, with McGill traveling to McMaster, Queen’s hosting Guelph, Waterloo welcoming Toronto, and the reigning champions from York heading to Western.
The Lions, who roared to the OUA title a year ago, will follow up their opener with a tilt against McMaster the following day, while the rest of the opening week’s deck is shuffled to see the Gaels battle the Warriors, the Martlets take on the Mustangs, and a battle between a pair of perennial contenders, the Varsity Blues and Gryphons, on September 17th.
The Gryphons will see another tough test the following week (September 23rd) when they have their turn against the defending OUA victors in a semifinal rematch from a year ago. The other half of last year’s final four squads will also go head-to-head that same day, with Western looking to flip their script against Toronto following their 2022 semifinal defeat.
While semifinalists square off early in the year, it won’t be until the penultimate week of regular season play that fans are treated to the all-GTA championship rematch. The Lions handed the Blues their lone loss of the year in that conference finale and they’ll look to back that up with some key Week 4 wins against their cross-town rivals on October 4th and 7th, respectively.
Teams will register their final two regular season games in Week 5, which spans from October 13th to 15th, before the page turns to the playoffs just a few days later.
A battle between the No. 4 and No. 5 teams will take place on Wednesday, October 18th, with the right to battle the No. 1 seed on the line therein. That proceeding semifinal, as well as the No. 3 v. No. 2 matchup, will take the field on October 21st, with the two winners then squaring off in the finale.
The OUA Field Hockey Championship, to be hosted by the higher remaining seed, will close out the conference campaign on Saturday, October 28th.
