Hockey this week: Outstanding offences and international absences
Toronto, Ont. (via Ben Steiner) – With international absences, World Championship medals, and more, it’s a busy time for Canadian university hockey, particularly the schools fighting for regular season positioning in the OUA.
As programs hit their stride after the holiday break, the battles for Queen’s Cup and McCaw Cup playoff spots heat up. Some teams will have to do so without their star players; however, many of whom are representing Canada at the FISU World University Games.
Let’s get you caught up with the biggest stories in OUA hockey this week.
Western Mustangs’ men lead big turnaround amid tight West race
Few athletes from the delayed COVID-impacted classes remain, so the gaps in the OUA have closed significantly. Look no further than how tight things are in the OUA West.
As teams hit or near the 20-game mark, six are within three points of each other, with five all within one or two points. The Western Mustangs were in first to start the second weekend of January. Despite winning 2-0 against the York Lions and losing 5-2 to the Guelph Gryphons, they’d dropped to 5th by the weekend’s end, just one point off second.
Things are close. It’s fun, and a few teams have turned things around. Few more so than the Mustangs.
After finishing the 2023-24 season with 20 points and 10 wins in the OUA West, head coach Clarke Singer’s team has bounced back tremendously, matching those 10 wins and up to 21 points with plenty of time to spare.
Rookie netminder Matteo Drobac has hit a strong vein of form through his 15 games, keeping a .913 save percentage and offering consistency in net that the team hasn’t had in nearly a half-decade. Meanwhile, returning veteran Franco Sproviero’s 19 points have brought the team back into contention.
They’re far from the only strong team, though. The fresh-faced and retooled TMU Bold lead the division, while the Toronto Varsity Blues, Windsor Lancers, and Lakehead Thunderwolves have held their standards to second.
While the season's final stretch will soon be in focus, the playoff picture may have already started separating itself. But there’s still time and it has seldom been tighter.
Concordia Stingers’ men dominating with offensive outburst
Quebec-based OUA schools have been the dominant teams in the OUA East for several years. Yet, in 2024-25, the Concordia Stingers have ripped the crown from the three-time defending Queen’s Cup champion UQTR Patriotes.
While the Patriots sit 7th, just on the edge of the playoffs, the Stingers have an ample lead atop the standings with 36 points, ahead of the Queen’s Gaels in second with 32. Concordia has only played one current playoff-spot team in their last four games – a 4-2 loss to the Windsor Lancers – but they’ve been the best team in the OUA East this season.
Mathieu Bizier and rookie Mikael Huchette lead the squad in scoring with 24 points apiece, but are away with Team Canada at the FISU World University Games, leaving the Stingers with holes to fill.
Concordia’s offence has been the key to its success this year. The team has scored 97 goals in just 20 games, averaging nearly five goals per contest. It has also conceded just 38 goals, the best goal differential in the OUA by a whopping 29.
Oh, and the Stingers beat NCAA DI Clarkson University before the break.
18 OUA players at FISU Games Torino 2025, Sunohara wins IIHF gold
12 men and six women players from the OUA have travelled to Italy for the Torino 2025 FISU Games, where Canada is defending its gold medals in men’s and women’s hockey. One of the few returning players from the gold-medal team at Lake Placid 2023, TMU goaltender Kai Edmonds, was one of Canada’s Opening Ceremony flag bearers.
Waterloo’s Leah Herrfort and Toronto’s Scout Watkins-Southward are among the returnees on the women’s team, with the Varsity Blues forward captaining the team.
Team Canada opened men’s competition prior to the official Games opening, beating South Korea 11-0 before losing 2-1 in a shootout to Czechia. Canada’s final group games are against Kazakhstan and Sweden before knockout rounds start on January 19th.
Canada’s women are undefeated through their first two games, meanwhile, with a 16-0 win against Taiwan and a 14-0 win against Great Britain. They’ll close group play against Slovakia before the semifinals hit the ice on January 17th and 18th.
Semifinals and medal rounds will be streamed on FISU TV on January 21st and 22nd.
In other international hockey news, the Toronto Varsity Blues women’s hockey head coach, Vicky Sunohara, led Canada’s U18 National Women’s Team to a gold medal at the IIHF World U18 Championships, defeating Team USA 3-0 in Sunday’s final.
Ottawa Gee-Gees’ women off to strong OUA debut
Making the switch to the OUA was always going to be challenging for the Ottawa-based squads making the switch from the RSEQ circuit and taking on a more significant schedule. But the Ottawa Gee-Gees have taken it in stride. They are second in the OUA East with 32 points, only trailing the high-flying Nipissing Lakers.
While Carleton has had a rockier transition, sitting seventh on 14 points through 17 games, the Gee-Gees have been able to muster 10 wins, even in a year that sees them taking on more significant travel than years past.
Arianne Gagnon leads the team and the OUA in scoring with 10 goals and 22 points, while the group’s 56 tallies are third-best in the conference.
Now, the question remains whether they’ll be able to maintain that level and head into the lengthy McCaw Cup Playoffs on a high note.
