After finishing third in the ACAC, the men’s hockey team started their playoff campaign. They faced the sixth and final team to make the playoffs, Concordia University, for a chance to make it to the semi-finals. The Ooks started the series off at home on Friday night where they would pull out the 4-1 victory and take a one-to-zero series lead. Saturday night would prove more difficult as the Ooks lost 4-2 after being up 2-1 ending the first period. With the win, Concordia tied the series and sent it to a deciding game on Sunday night. The decisive game did not go the Ook’s way. They lost 3-1, bringing their season to a shocking end. The Ooks were defeated by the last team to make it in the playoffs despite an amazing regular season; this is something they definitely didn’t expect as they finished with an amazing record, but that’s the craziness of the playoffs.
After also having a great regular season, the women’s team was straight in the semi-finals and looking to get the final. Their 17-6 record in the regular season saw them finish as the third-best team in the ACAC. They faced Red Deer Polytechnic, who finished with the second-best record in the ACAC, and they were both looking to get back to the final that they were in last season. Game one was Friday night in Red Deer where the Ooks lost 3-2, starting the series on the back foot. Saturday night at NAIT was a different story as they stifled Red Deer’s offence and won 2-1 to even the series at one. Sunday in Red Deer was the definitive game in the series, and once again the Ook’s defence proved to be too much for Red Deer, as the Ooks got a shutout winning the game 2-0, and advancing to the ACAC Conference Championship finals.
The ACAC women’s hockey championship final starts Friday night at Lakeland College. The final is a best-of-five series that puts the third-place NAIT Ooks against first-place Lakeland Rustlers.
