The Ooks had another strong showing this past weekend, winning seven of the nine games played, with one of the two losses coming in overtime. Here is how each team did.
Men’s Hockey
The men’s hockey team split a pair of games against the Concordia Thunder. At Concordia, the Ooks lost 6-5 in overtime. At the NAIT game, the Ooks defeated the Thunder 5-2. In the first game, Concordia got off to a hot start taking a 3-1 lead by the 11-minute mark in the first period. That would stay into the first intermission, but the Ooks took over the second, scoring four unanswered goals to take a 5-3 lead into the third. The Ooks couldn’t hold on in the third as the Thunder tied the game with six and a half minutes to play. Grayson Reid won it for the Thunder four minutes into extra time.
On Saturday, the Ooks opened the scoring with just over three and a half minutes to go in the first, allowing them to take a 1-0 lead into intermission. Concordia rallied back, scoring two goals just over two minutes apart in the second. The Ooks tied the game before the end of the second, and the game remained tied until the third. The Ooks took control in the third, scoring three unanswered goals just over the period’s halfway mark. Next up, it’s a pair of games against SAIT. Both games are technically home games for the Ooks but Friday’s game will be played at Winsport Arena B in Calgary. Saturday’s game will be at NAIT. Both games start at 7 p.m.
Women’s Hockey
The women’s hockey team won their only weekend game 3-2 over Red Deer Polytechnic. Kyla Hanson opened the scoring for Red Deer on the powerplay just 1:47 into the second period, but the Ooks battled back, scoring three unanswered goals to take a 3-1 lead by five minutes into the third. Jessica Engelbrecht, Halle Graham and Cheyenna Harden all scored for the Ooks. Red Deer would get back one with a goal from Jordyn Mclaughlin with just over two minutes to play but couldn’t get the equalizer. Kaitlyn Slator had 19 saves in the win, while Tanya Disotell-Dunsmore made 31 saves for Red Deer. Next up, two games against Lakeland College, one at home and one on the road. The home game is on Friday at 7 p.m.
Men’s Basketball
The men’s basketball team split a pair of road games against the Northwestern Polytechnic Wolves, winning the first game 56-54 before dropping the second 75-71. The first game was extremely close. Neither team outscored the other by more than three points in a single quarter. On Saturday, though, the Ooks were done in by a rough second quarter where the Wolves beat them 20-12, allowing the Wolves to take a four-point lead into halftime. The Ooks could never make that ground back up, as they lost by the same amount. Next up, two games against Concordia University, one at home and one on the road. The home game is on Friday at 8 p.m.
Women’s Basketball
The Women’s Basketball team dominated the Northwestern Polytechnic Wolves, winning back-to-back games 73-46 and 80-48. On Friday, Ellie Wilde led the way with 21 points, four rebounds and four assists. On Saturday, the Ooks got help from everyone: four players had double-digit points and eight had at least five. One constant from both games was the dominance of the Ooks bench, outscoring the Wolves bench a combined 54-7 in both games. That depth will serve them well in their upcoming test against the top team in the league, Concordia University. They play them twice this weekend, once at home and once on the road. The home game is on Friday at 6 p.m.
Men’s Volleyball
The men’s volleyball team won both their weekend games against the Northwestern Polytechnic Wolves. In the first game, the Ooks took the first two sets 25-23 and 25-21, but then let the Wolves back into the game, losing consecutive sets 25-20 and 25-15. The Wolves couldn’t entirely complete the comeback though, as the Ooks held on to win the fifth and deciding set 15-9. The Ooks continued to struggle on the serve this game, making another 26 service errors, which needs to be cut down for this team to succeed. In the second game, the Ooks got off to a slow start dropping the first set 25-19. They got better as the game went on, winning the following three sets 25-21, 25-17 and 25-12. There were only 14 service errors, which is an encouraging sign. Hopefully, this will continue to improve in upcoming games. Next up, two games against Concordia University:one at home and one on the road. The home game is on Saturday at 8 p.m.
Women’s Volleyball
The women’s volleyball team won both their weekend games against the Northwestern Polytechnic Wolves. In the first game, the Ooks won in straight sets. After a battle for the first set, which was won by the Ooks 31-29, they won the following two sets 25-20 and 25-15. On Saturday, the Ooks picked up right where they left off, winning the first set 25-14. The Wolves didn’t make it easy on the Ooks, though; after dropping the second set as well (25-22), the Wolves battled to take sets three and four at 24-26 and 17-25. Like the men on Friday, the women didn’t let the wolves complete the comeback, winning the fifth set 15-7. Next up, two games against Concordia University, one at home and one on the road. The home game is on Saturday at 6 p.m.
