Pressure builds as two attracts kick begin the event in Charlottetown
It was a rematch of final 12 months’s gold medal match and it didn’t disappoint. The opening match of this 12 months’s 2025 College Championship featured a defensive 0-0 battle between the York College Lions and the College of Victoria Vikes.
UVic entered the event, rightfully, because the favorite and winner of the final 5 college championships. UVic completed with the very best report within the Canada west, that includes one other west-coast powerhouse, UBC. York certified final 12 months because the host. This 12 months they received the convention, wading their method via the OUA massacre that includes Waterloo, U of T, and Guelph.
Each groups are stacked with expertise. The Vikes have all-Canadians Maeve Connorton and Libby Hogg. Hogg additionally was tapped because the co-winner of the Liz Hoffman participant of the 12 months this season. In addition they have a depth of expertise from Area Hockey Canada’s junior nationwide group and NextGen pipeline. That mixed with the teaching tandem of Krista Thompson and FHC Corridor of Famer, Lynne Beecroft, UVic will at all times be a pressure to be reckoned with at this occasion.
The York Lions, a back-to-back qualifier for the brand new ‘final-four’ college championships is loaded prime to backside as properly. All-Canadian Kathryn Carlow leads a veteran group that includes Elise Piper, Abby Thompson, Jewel Lew, Avery Davis and second-year goal-scoring menace Gates McAllister.
The groups traded early possibilities, with York securing the primary penalty nook of the sport. The groups have been feeling one another out and enjoying conservative via the mid-field, avoiding exposing themselves. UVic discovered some juice within the second quarter and pressured laborious. Again-and-forth they went with York profitable the possession and likelihood battle within the third quarter. Within the fourth quarter, UVic introduced the stress and hemmed York in for the final 10 minutes. Regardless of the probabilities at each ends, neither group have been in a position to crack the scoreboard and the sport completed in a nil-nil draw.
Lions’ captain, Abby Thompson stated she’s happy with the group’s effort right this moment and the way this sport will arrange the remainder of the occasion for York.
“We’ve had a terrific season coming into this after profitable OUAs. Everybody is absolutely stepping up and peaking on the proper time,” Thompson stated. She added that she believes the group is dealing with the short turnaround from final weekend’s OUA championships properly. “Since our season is so fast…with two video games each weekend. We’ve got that dialled.”
Pictures from the day-one match up between York and UVic. Pictures/Yan Huckendubler
On a fantastic, crisp afternoon in Charlottetown, the hometown PEI Panthers and the Dalhousie Tigers performed to an exciting 1-1 draw to shut out the primary day of motion from the 2025 college championships. The powerhouse of the Atlantic, UPEI, trailed for a lot of the sport however late heroics saved the day in a decent regional matchup.
Dalhousie got here into the event because the second-place finisher out of the Atlantic College Area Hockey League, returning to the nationwide event for the primary time in over a decade. They’ve two all-Canadians in fourth-years Sanne Meijer vanLoendersloot, and Molly Doyle main a veteran squad with some high quality youth (Rookie of the Yr nominee Sarah Viau) and a boatload of expertise (seven higher classwomen).
The UPEI Panthers are led by coach of the 12 months Lacey MacLauchlan and Atlantic convention MVP and all-Canadian Kayla Batchilder. They’re coming off their fourth consecutive Atlantic title and trying to do some injury on the nationwide event.
Dalhousie was in search of some redemption after dropping the Atlantic closing 3-0 to UPEI. The Tigers introduced the early stress. Each groups earned some circle entries and PCs within the first half, however Dal largely carried the play. Mid method via the second quarter, Abby Henn escaped the D for a breakaway and earned a penalty stroke. Meijer vanLoendersloot made no mistake firing the stroke shot prime nook to offer Dal the 1-0 lead heading into the second half.
Dalhousie’s coach, Danielle Dempsey had her group trying hermetic and fired up as they jumped on the Panthers once more within the third quarter. However there was a lot of struggle left in MacLauchlan’s facet as they earned a number of PCs within the closing minutes of the third. The fourth quarter noticed the day-light dimming, however the motion heating up. The Panthers discovered their attacking confidence and put the Tigers beneath stress proper to the bitter finish. Batchilder confirmed why she was the main goal-scorer within the Atlantic this season as she completed off a damaged play in tight, tying the sport within the final two minutes.
The horn sounded, ending the primary day of play in dramatic trend. On the finish of day one, it’s all sq. throughout the board with two attracts. Tomorrow’s matchups function UVic taking over Dalhousie and UPEI dealing with York. Catch all of the motion from the Area Hockey Canada College Championships on the CBC Sports activities YouTube Channel.
UPEI and Dal battle to the buzzer in a 1-1 attract Charlottetown. Pictures/Yan Huckendubler.
