Varsity Athletics | 1/8/2025 2:00:00 PM
After a quiet first weekend of 2025, the winter term begins in earnest this week for the York University Lions, as the basketball teams take to the court for the first time in 2025 looking to start the new year on a positive note. Meanwhile, the York wrestling team will compete in its first meet of the calendar year at Brock after a solid start to the season in the fall term.
The Lions hockey teams will each play a pair of games, beginning with the men's team travelling to Waterloo on Wednesday night. Their female counterparts will play their first road games of the year beginning Friday in Kingston as they battle the Queen's Gaels before taking on the Ontario Tech Ridgebacks in Oshawa on Saturday night.
In a unique scheduling oddity, the Lions will not host a home game in any of the OUA's three ongoing league sports on the first full weekend of competition. Here's what's going on in the den this week:
MEN'S HOCKEY
Coming off a loss to the Lakehead Thunderwolves on Saturday, the Lions head to Southwestern Ontario for a pair of games this week, beginning Wednesday at Waterloo. The Lions will look for their third win of the season against a Waterloo team that has made marked improvements this season after winning just four times a year ago. They currently sit at 6-7-3, just three points out of the OUA West's final playoff spot. The Lions then head to London on Thursday night to take on the Western Mustangs, who sit in fourth place in the OUA West with a 9-6-1, and would currently hold home ice advantage in a first-round playoff series. The Mustangs are another team that has taken a step forward this year, as they missed the playoffs with only ten wins in 2023-24. Puck drops for both games will take place at 7:00 pm, as the Lions look to earn their first wins of 2025. You can stream both games here.
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
The Lions women's basketball team kicks off its 2025 schedule Wednesday night against the Brock Badgers, as they continue to fight for a playoff berth. The Lions sit 3-7, which ranks them 12th in the OUA overall standings (playoff positions are awarded on a league-wide basis excluding division winners), which has them currently in an OUA playoff spot. Conversely, the Badgers come in at 7-3, tied for top spot in the division with the TMU Bold. However, they have lost two in a row after a 7-1 start, suffering defeats at the hands of Western and Windsor to end 2024. The Lions will duel with another division foe on Saturday night in the Toronto Varsity Blues, who boast just a single win to their name. The Lions, who are in a dogfight with the likes of Nipissing and Laurentian for that final OUA playoff spot, will view this as a must-win game as they attempt to solidify their spot in the postseason. Both this week's games begin at 6:00 pm. You can stream both games here.
MEN'S BASKETBALL
The Lions men's team also takes on the Badgers and Blues this weekend, looking to earn their second win of the season. Brock comes in with the same record as their women's team, 7-3, but that is only good enough for third in a top-heavy OUA Central. Brock is currently riding a four-game winning streak, having beaten Laurier, Algoma, Western and Windsor in their final four games of 2024, all of whom possess sub-.500 records. This will be an interesting test for a young Lions squad against a Brock team that has taken care of business against inferior opponents but has only beaten one team (Ottawa) with a winning record. Meanwhile, the Varsity Blues are just a spot above the Lions, sitting fourth in the Central at 4-7 in another game the re-building Lions should have a chance to win. York will look to extend the Varsity Blues losing skid to a half-dozen, as Toronto hasn't won since Nov. 9, a 17-point victory over the Guelph Gryphons. Both this weekend's games tip off at 8:00 pm. You can stream both games here.
WOMEN'S HOCKEY
The Lions women's hockey team continues its playoff pursuit Friday in Kingston in what will be another crucial game for the Lions in their bid for a postseason spot. This will be York's second game in the last three against the Gaels, as they look to avenge a 4-2 loss on home ice to close out the fall term. The Lions sit tied for fifth in the OUA West at 4-8-2-1 after a big overtime victory over Brock on Sunday, helping them leapfrog both the Badgers and Western Mustangs (the Lions have the tiebreaker with Western by virtue of having more regulation and overtime wins [6]). That puts them six points behind the Laurier Golden Hawks for fourth in the Western. The Gaels, on the other hand, are sixth in the East at 3-8-1-2 . However, as big a game as this is for York, it's equally as such for Queen's who are just three points behind Ontario Tech for the final East playoff spot. Speaking of Ontario Tech, the Lions will battle the Ridgebacks in Oshawa Saturday night to close out the weekend in another game that could go a long way toward dictating the Lions playoff fate. Friday's game begins at 7:30 pm, while puck drop on Saturday is slated for 7:00 pm. You can stream both games here.
TRACK & FIELD
The Lions track and field team heads west to Windsor for the annual Can-Am Classic beginning on Friday. The Lions have had a nice start to the season, led by a young core of new athletes. Jumper and current York male athlete of the week Tristan Boateng will look to win his third consecutive high jump gold, after capturing top spot at both the York Holiday Open and the Sharon Anderson Memorial Meet. The Lions will also look to build on the 10 OUA standards and five personal bests attained last weekend.
WRESTLING
The York wrestling team is back on the matt this weekend as they head to St. Catharine's for the Brock Invitational on Saturday. The Lions have put together a solid start to the year, earning four top fives at the York Open in November before concluding 2024 with a pair of podium finishes, courtesy of Rav Chahal and Ali Dahcha at the U of T Open.
