Hawks soaring to hot start and other takeaways from OUA hockey

Toronto, Ont. (via 49 Sports, Ben Steiner, Richard Coffery) – As the first month of the OUA hockey season fades into memory, a few teams have already established themselves as true contenders heading into the stretch run before the holiday break.

While men’s hockey has completed over a third of the season, women’s hockey programs are still getting up to speed as they look to set standards ahead of what they hope is a season with McCaw Cup potential come the spring.

WHKY: Laurier looks to continue lights out start

Are the Laurier Golden Hawks for real? That’s been the question that perhaps not many thought they would be asking, and so far, is what it has looked like. Through the first five games of the new season, the Golden Hawks sit 4-1-0, and are off to their best start as a program since 2013-14.

After taking a pair of wins over the struggling Queen’s and Ontario Tech the previous weekend, the Golden Hawks got their first true test with a Wednesday night matchup on October 25th against the Waterloo Warriors. Thanks to Acadia Carlson, the long-time Laurier starter, leading the way with 38 saves and a clutch first OUA goal for Kamryn Szumlinski in the middle of the third period to break a 1-1 deadlock, the Golden Hawks left the Ice House with a 3-1 win over the Warriors.

Two nights later, back at Waterloo Memorial Recreation Complex against the Western Mustangs, it was Carlson again stepping up. The fourth-year kinesiology student stopped all 29 Mustang shots in regulation and overtime, along with six shots in the shootout before Eryn Wolfe was finally able to get one through to give Laurier the 1-0 win.

The start has not been completely perfect for the Golden Hawks. They have been outshot in four of five games, including by a massive 39-15 margin in their 3-1 win over Waterloo, but thanks to Carlson and backup Kayla Renaud (who earned her first career OUA win and shutout with a 1-0 victory over Queen’s the previous weekend), the Hawks are in the strongest position they have been at the start of November in nearly a decade.

Things don’t get any easier for Laurier as they open November with two games at Capri Pizza Recreation Complex in Windsor. The Golden Hawks have dropped eight straight games to the Lancers (0-4-4), with their last win coming all the way back in November of 2019.

WHKY: Ontario Tech still searching for answers early

The Ontario Tech Ridgebacks had an outside chance to grab the last playoff spot in the OUA East division at the end of last season, but a three-game losing streak to end their year saw them stuck in fifth place, five points behind the TMU Bold. So far, five games into their new season, the slump they ended last year on has unfortunately seemed to carry over.

At 0-5-0 with a goal differential of -12, the Ridgebacks sit at the back of the pack in both regards across the OUA through three weeks of the new season.

There was at least some hope that a change of scenery could do some good after three games at the Campus Ice Centre to begin the year. On October 26th, though, the Ridgebacks traveled across Toronto to Varsity Arena to take on the Varsity Blues, where they could not find any offence. Toronto outshot Ontario Tech 36-19, and along with going 0-for-8 on the powerplay, it meant the Blues cruised to a 3-0 win.

The next night, over at Mattamy Athletic Centre against the Bold, it was more of the same, with the Ridgebacks struggling early, getting outshot 16-8 in the first and 34-24 overall, and struggling on the powerplay. An 0-for-5 showing with the extra skater pushed Ontario Tech to 0-for-23 in their last four games. The Bold ultimately took the 4-0 win, marking the first time since October 2012 that the Ridgebacks were shutout in back-to-back games.

The schedule to start November does not make things easier for the Ridgebacks as they head to Nipissing on November 3rd to take on the Lakers, who swept the season series a year ago. On Sunday, though, they head back to Oshawa for what might be their best chance to break out of their slump with a matchup against the Western Mustangs. The Ridgebacks have played the Mustangs well recently, taking both matchups a year ago and three of the last four overall.

MHKY: Queen’s men’s hockey returns to contention in October

Sitting atop the OUA East as October came to a close, the Queen’s Gaels have defined themselves as one of the top teams in the conference this season. Most recently, they defeated the TMU Bold 7-2 and looked unfazed against one of the stronger teams in the conference. Although they also dropped a 6-2 game to UQTR in the latest weekend of play, the group has started to come together in ways the Gaels haven’t seen since their 2019 Queen’s Cup run.

Led by the offensive trident of Dalton Duhart, Jonathan Yantsis, and Nolan Hutcheson, the Gaels have a composed approach to their opponents, often attacking them early in games before shutting down defensively. At the same time, their top six is structured in such a way to deliver the majority of the scoring, allowing the bottom of their lineup to focus on defending for the other portions of the game. 

Meanwhile, the speed of the forwards, combined with the skill among their defenders, has helped them immensely this season, featuring two-way players such as Owen Lalonde and his eight points, in addition to Jacob Paquette, Trevor Longo, and rookie Michae Renwick.

Despite not getting their desired results against Brock, a 6-0 loss, and UQTR, head coach Brett Gibson has his team hitting all cylinders early in the season. As such, he earned himself the nod as head coach of the U SPORTS All-Stars that will face Hockey Canada’s World Junior Selection Camp in December.

MHKY: Rookie goalies standing out in the OUA

While significant OUA score lines haven’t been rare this season, the emergence of rookie goaltenders as standout contributors is an intriguing trend across the board. It still may be early days, with only one month gone in the campaign, but Brock’s Connor Ungar, Ottawa’s Frankie Lapena, and Nipissing’s Reece Proulx have all stood out with save percentages well north of .930 through at least three starts.

Ungar, particularly, leads all OUA goaltenders in save percentage with a mark of .943 as Brock’s main man between the pipes, acting as a vital finishing touch to a team with hopes of a Queen’s Cup and U CUP run this season.

Although rookie goalies standing out isn’t an entirely new topic, given TMU’s Kai Edmonds and Concordia’s Jonathan Lemieux finished in the top three in save percentage last season, the dominance of young netminders is more prevalent this season.

Take, for example, a Toronto Varsity Blues team that struggled in their first of two games against the Lakehead Thunderwolves and the struggles of veteran netminder Jett Alexander in a 6-2 loss. The day after, rookie debutant Jordan Fairlie made 42 saves in his first OUA game.

While the veteran savviness of UQTR’s Alexis Gravel and Carleton’s Mark Grametbauer stand out in their own way, the OUA has consistently shown to be a haven for young goaltenders, and that is proving true in several ways in 2023-24 so far.