By Dream Homer
After a busy few days at the Mattamy Athletic Centre (MAC), another whirlwind week is on tap as the Rams men’s volleyball and women’s hockey teams head into their first playoff games. One of the biggest changes this season saw hockey move from a traditional best-of-three style series to a single elimination format in the lead up to the championship game.
This means it’s win and advance or lose and go home for OUA hockey teams. Elsewhere around the conference, volleyball will stick to its traditional single-elimination format. Basketball will follow the same blueprint when its postseason tips-off on March 16.
The sprint to the finish line ahead of nationals is officially underway and if you blink, you might miss it. The Eyeopener has you covered on everything you need to know about this week’s playoff and regular season scenarios.
Men’s volleyball
After finishing fourth in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) East Division, the men’s volleyball team heads into the playoffs coming off a 3-0 win against the Royal Military College (RMC) on Saturday at the MAC. The squad looks to continue its 20-match all-time win streak against RMC in their first playoff game Wednesday on home court. The Rams have historically dominated RMC, winning their past twenty matches 60-4. The team looks to continue its win streak and stay in the playoffs, as the winner will go on to play the University of Toronto Varsity Blues on Saturday, who are the No. 4 ranked team in the country.
First-serve for Wednesday’s match at the MAC flies at 8 p.m.
Women’s hockey
The women’s hockey team travels to North Bay, Ont. on Saturday for their first playoff game against the Nipissing Lakers, who are the No. 9 ranked team in the country. The Rams clinched the third seed in the OUA East Division with a 2-1 win against Ontario Tech on Saturday at the MAC. They went 1-2 in the season series with the Lakers, suffering a 5-4 overtime loss in their most recent matchup on Feb. 23. They’ll look to snap a two-game losing streak against Nipissing in the divisional quarter-final this weekend.
Puck-drop for Saturday’s contest in North Bay Ont., is set for 3:15 p.m.
Men’s hockey
The men’s hockey team sits atop the OUA West division and also shares the No. 7 ranking in the country with Mont Royal University. They’ll look to regain momentum after their eight-game win streak came to an end against the Lakehead Thunderwolves at home on Saturday. The team plays York University on the road Wednesday evening and hosts them Saturday afternoon at the MAC to close out the regular season. The two games on Jan. 13 and 15 were rescheduled from when the OUA went on hiatus. The Rams currently hold an eight game win streak over the Lions, with an all-time record of 16-13 against them, and won their last matchup 4-3 at Canlan Ice Sports.
Puck-drop for Saturday’s regular season finale at the MAC is set for 7:15 p.m.
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