Reigning Queen's Cup champion Gryphons open title defence on the road against Lancers
HAMILTON, Ont. – Ontario University Athletics announced the 2015-16 regular season schedule for men’s hockey on Tuesday.
HAMILTON, Ont. – Ontario University Athletics announced the 2015-16 regular season schedule for men's hockey on Tuesday.
The puck will officially drop on Oct. 3, 2015 when the Royal Military College Paladins travel to North Bay, Ont. to take on the Nipissing Lakers.
Among some of the special dates to look for, the 2015 Queen's Cup champion Guelph Gryphons will open up their title defence on Oct. 7 when they travel to Windsor, Ont. to battle the Lancers in a rematch of last season's OUA West division final.
Despite entering the 2014 exam break last in the division with a 3-10-3 record last season, the Gryphons rallied, winning eight of their final 11 games to qualify for the postseason. Once in the playoffs, Guelph upset four straight higher ranked opponents, including the aforementioned 2014 champion Lancers, to claim the school's first Queen's Cup since 1997.
On Oct. 23, the UQTR Patriotes will visit the McGill Redmen, who will be entering their 139th season, in a rematch of last season's OUA East division final. The Patriotes swept the best-of-three series 2-0 and advanced to the Queen's Cup final. McGill and UQTR split their regular season series meetings last season with each team picking up a victory on the road.
Wilfrid Laurier University has a satellite campus in Brantford, Ont. and once again this season the Brantford Civic Centre will host an OUA regular season matchup as the Paladins take on the Golden Hawks on Oct. 24.
This year's 7th annual Frosty Mug Game is set for Jan. 14 at the Sleeman Centre in Guelph, Ont., and will feature the Western Mustangs visiting the Gryphons. Last season, in front of a near capacity crowd, the Gryphons defeated the Brock Badgers 6-4, improving to 4-2 all-time in the Frosty Mug soiree.
The UOIT Ridgebacks will host a special School Day Game for elementary students, with puck drop scheduled for 12 noon on Jan. 29 when they face off against RMC.
The oldest hockey rivalry in the world will be renewed on Feb. 4 as the Queen's Gaels meet the RMC Paladins for the Carr-Harris Cup in Kingston, Ont. The rivalry between the two Kingston squads dates back to 1886 and in last year's Carr-Harris Cup game, the Gaels defeated the Paladins 5-1.
McGill takes on the Stingers at Concordia's Ed Meagher Arena on Feb. 12 for the annual Ronald Corey Cup, a challenge game for Montreal hockey supremacy. The Redmen won last year's game 4-3 in double overtime and improved to 16-7-3 lifetime in Corey Cup play, while the Stingers hold an 8-17-3 record in the annual showdown including a 1-1 record against UQTR.
The OUA men's regular season will conclude on Feb. 13 with six games scheduled including Laurier traveling to Thunder Bay, Ont. to take on the Lakehead Thunderwolves and the Waterloo Warriors heading down the 401 to take on the rival Mustangs.
Playoffs are slated to commence on Feb. 17 with the top eight teams in each division advancing to the post-season. The first three rounds of the playoffs will go from Feb. 17 to Mar. 6, with each round consisting of a best-of-three series.
The 105th edition of the Queen's Cup championship will be played on Mar. 12, 2016 in a one-game, winner-take-all battle, hosted by the highest remaining team from Ontario.
Read the full season schedule here.
The 2015-16 OUA women's hockey schedule will be released on Wednesday, June 10 at 3 p.m. Eastern.
