Getting hot at the right time and other takeaways from OUA hockey

Toronto, Ont. (via 49 Sports / Ben Steiner / Thomas Hewitt) - With less than a month remaining until the McCaw Cup and Queen’s Cup Playoffs get underway, not only are playoff races heating up, but programs are also rounding into form as they approach the most critical point of their respective seasons.

While a solid start to a campaign can help ease the pressure come the end, few teams would want to go into the playoffs on a losing streak. If you want to start a winning streak, that time starts now.

As men’s and women’s hockey teams ramp up the intensity heading into the final few weeks of action, here’s what 49 Sports learned in the latest week of OUA hockey.

WHKY: Strong goaltending is helping Laurier stay in games

As discussed last week, a tight playoff race is brewing out West. But Laurier, who sits third in the division, has seemingly escaped it for good. Six goals in an absolute barn-burner against Nipissing isn’t a good look on paper for third-year netminder Acadia Carlson, but she still turned aside 27 shots and did well to keep her club in the contest.

Of course, that performance wasn’t far removed from a shutout that featured 35 saves against Windsor. Carlson is now the owner of a .930 save percentage and is allowing only 2.15 goals per game.

She’s not the only one who has been impressing in the crease lately for Laurier.

Kayla Renaud, who appears the frontrunner for the starting role next season and beyond for the Golden Hawks, has posted a .932 save percentage across six games. Recently, she backstopped Laurier to a tight 1-0 win over the Brock Badgers, stopping all 22 shots. The Hawks have a strong blueline, but if they can close down the entry zone just a little more, it could make all the difference.

Laurier being in a position where they can confidently roll with a 1A/1B goaltender system will undoubtedly be an X-factor in the playoffs. Opponents will have to guess on any night whether they’re facing Carlson or Renaud, and whichever netminder they face, a tough challenge is certainly in store.

WHKY: Hannah Tait and Guelph continue to storm their way through the season

The 2023-24 Guelph Gryphons seem like a group that can reach the summit. Standing alone on top of the OUA West, Guelph finally hit ten straight wins after a pair of dubs against Western. Bottom line, the No. 3 seed in the country continues to roll. Laurier was the last team to beat them back on November 17th, and their next and final tilt on Wednesday night with the Hawks is quite intriguing.

Across their two games versus the Mustangs, leading scorer Hannah Tait picked up two assists and a goal. A gold medalist for Canada at last year’s Lake Placid 2023 FISU Games, she’s already scored more points than the previous season in seven fewer outings. Given former head coach Rachel Flanagan is now with PWHL Toronto, pro teams should keep an eye on Tait’s status; leading Guelph in a dominant season is no easy task.

That’s partly due to the number of scorers on the roster: Tori Verbeek and Jaime Magoffin, both centres, have 19 and 17 points, respectively. A feared one-two punch, Guelph might be winning most games by only one or two goals, but if all three of the players mentioned here can produce on the same night, well, Guelph would be pretty comfortable.

MHKY: Nipissing an outside contender with Harrison Caines 

The Nipissing Lakers men’s hockey program won just four games in the 2022-23 season, yet they’ve looked exceptional through 2023-24 and are in a prime position to return to the playoffs after missing out a year ago.

While this weekend’s two losses to the McGill Redbirds and UQTR Patriotes hit them in the standings, cross-conference dropped points by the TMU Bold and Toronto Varsity Blues kept them within solid contention for a top playoff seed.

Although many of the Nipissing players have brought their game to new heights through the first three quarters of the season, none have more so than third-year forward Harrison Caines, who has blasted through his previous career high of 17 points, scoring 31 in just 23 games.

Despite often racking up multiple points against teams outside of the playoff picture, Caines has been a dynamic and versatile piece for the Lakers and has developed into one of the top players in the OUA, alongside teammate Charles Farmer, who has 27 points this season, beating his previous career high of 10 from last season.

With elevated performances throughout the roster and a league-average goaltending tandem of rookie Reece Proulx and Zach Roy, the Lakers are in prime position to make a Cinderella run to and through the 2024 OUA Queen’s Cup Playoffs, starting with a pair of home games this weekend against the U CUP host TMU Bold. 

MHKY: Guelph and Lakehead split proves positive for Laurier

With the playoff race heating up in the OUA West, the battle for the final place in the postseason is the most intriguing. While the Brock Badgers have nearly secured the top seed, and TMU and Toronto battle for the second spot, the final berth is wide open and no clearer after the latest weekend.

Headlined by Thursday’s Frosty Mug in front of nearly 5,000 fans, the Guelph Gryphons and Lakehead Thunderwolves split a two-game set in the latest round of action, keeping Guelph above the playoff bar by one point. However, their split could prove critical to Wilfrid Laurier, who remains just two points out of the final spot and could have been four or more points short after the weekend.

Guelph may have gotten lucky in the Frosty Mug, scoring five times on 14 shots, and the game played out more expectedly on Friday with Lakehead prevailing 2-0, having been the better team throughout the two-game set. However, both are well away from having any security in the postseason.

This weekend, Guelph looks to win a single game against the Windsor Lancers, where a win could vault them to fifth place. Meanwhile, the Thunderwolves face a tough two-game test against the OUA East second seed Ottawa Gee-Gees and the Carleton Ravens. For Laurier, games against the Waterloo Warriors and Western Mustangs, two teams outside the playoffs, are critical points to secure.