The York Lions men’s and women’s basketball teams return to the Tait McKenzie Centre this week for a pair of games against the Carleton Ravens and Ottawa Gee-Gees. On Saturday night, Rogers Television will be broadcasting both the men’s and women’s games against the Gee-Gees. This marks the second of four Lions basketball contests to be televised on Rogers Cable. The women’s game can be seen at 8pm followed by the men’s at 10pm in the Toronto and Ottawa regions.
The No. 8-ranked Lions women’s basketball team will put their perfect 4-0 home record on the line Friday night at 6pm when they entertain the Ravens. Last season, the Lions won both regular season contests. On Saturday, the Lions face the 2-8 Gee-Gees, a team they defeated 69-33 in last season’s playoffs. Returning to regular season play last weekend, the squad continued to rack up wins, improving to 9-2 on the year after a pair of road victories over Queen’s and RMC. Fourth-year Lions player Brenan Rurak (right) had the hot hand over the two games, averaging 13.5 points per game, while shooting 65 per cent from the floor. Rurak is this week’s Female Athlete of the Week.
On Friday, the men’s basketball team welcomes to No. 1-ranked Carleton Ravens to the Tait McKenzie Centre. This is the first meeting between the two teams since last year’s Ontario University Athletics East Final in which the Lions defeated Carleton, 82-74. On Saturday, the squad faces the No. 5-ranked Gee-Gees. In their last meeting, the Lions knocked off the Gee-Gees in last year’s OUA East Semi-final, 76-55. In the first week of the New Year, the Lions split a pair of away games, falling to Queen’s 73-66 before rebounding with a 76-57 victory the following afternoon against the RMC Paladins.
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On the ice, the men’s hockey team picked up a pair of impressive wins last week, topping the No. 7-ranked Laurier Golden Hawks, 4-3, before despatching the Brock Badgers, 5-2. Lions netminder Kevin Druce (right) continued to perform in goal for the squad, turning aside 43 of 46 shots against the Golden Hawks and 29 of 31 against the Badgers. For his efforts, Druce is this week’s Male Athlete of the Week. Second-year centre Tyler Harrison continues to shine as well, extending his point streak to nine games after scoring against Laurier and adding two assists in the Brock game. This week, the Lions play a home-and-home series with the Guelph Gryphons. Saturday’s game faces-off at 7pm at the Canlan Ice Sports arena at York.
The women’s hockey team returns to the ice in OUA action this week when they play host to Western on Saturday at 2pm. On Sunday, the team travels to Waterloo to face the Warriors. The Lions sit one point behind the Warriors for the final playoff position, and one point ahead of the Mustangs. In two previous meetings with the Mustangs this season, both games were decided by a single goal, with each team coming out on top on home ice. The contest against Waterloo will be the Lions second against them this season. York fell 3-2 in the first meeting.
This past weekend, the York Loins men’s volleyball hosted the 28th edition of the Excalibur Volleyball Classic. With five of the Top 10 teams in the country in attendance, as well as an international entry from Mexico, the competition was top notch. The top ranked teams in the event lived up to their billing, as the No. 5-ranked Manitoba Bisons knocked off the No. 3-ranked Dalhousie Tigers in the championship to defend their Excalibur crown. The title was the sixth overall at the event for the Bisons. The No. 8-ranked Laval Rouge et Or defeated the No. 7-ranked Queen’s Golden Gaels for the bronze. After dropping three close contests in the first two days of competition, the Lions finished the tournament on a winning note, defeating Anahuac University from Mexico in the placement match. This week, the Lions return to regular season with a pair of weekend games at the Tait McKenzie Centre. On Saturday, the team welcomes McMaster at 2pm, while on Sunday they entertain Guelph at 3pm.
The women’s volleyball team headed to the University of Toronto last week for the National Invitational Tournament. The squad defeated the Waterloo Warriors en route to a place in the bronze medal game. In the bronze match against the Winnipeg Wesmen, the Lions fell short, losing in straight sets. This week, York returns to the Tait McKenzie Centre where they sport a 4-1 record. On Saturday at noon, the team plays host to McMaster followed by a meeting with Guelph on Sunday at 1pm.
The Lions track & field team traveled to the University of Toronto for the Sharon Anderson Memorial meet last week. Ainsley Miller recorded the best result on the men’s side, claiming the silver in the 300m, while Janice Perry was the women’s top finisher, placing third in the Shot Put. The team saw athletes put forth eight personal bests and 10 OUA qualifying performances. This week, the squad travels to Windsor for the Can Am meet.