The final weekend of the fall term is here (already!).
The York University Lions have one more week of competition ahead of the exam and holiday break, with the exception of the volleyball teams, which played their final matches of 2024 last weekend.
Last weekend for the Lions was highlighted by a huge four-set win for the No. 10 nationally-ranked men's volleyball team over the No. 4 Queen's Gaels. That victory was a great rebound for the Lions after a hard-fought five-set loss to Queen's on Friday, and moved them up to No. 9 in the latest rankings. York heads into the new year tied for second in the OUA with the Gaels at 8-2, but would drop to third with one Gaels win this weekend over the Toronto Varsity Blues. However, the Lions are firmly in the OUA playoffs as they look to lock up their second home playoff game in three years, and perhaps more.
The women's team, meanwhile, dropped both games to the Gaels, who entered the weekend tops in the OUA at 7-1. The Lions, finish the fall on the outside of, but in the mix for, the OUA playoff picture at 4-6. They currently sit ninth behind the Toronto Varsity Blies for the eighth and final playoff spot.
The York basketball teams each split their two games last week, dropping tight games at Waterloo last Wednesday before being on the other side of a close one Saturday afternoon at Algoma. The win for the men was their first of the season, a solid steppingstone for an extremely young team as it looks to build toward contention.
The Lions men's hockey team looked poised to win its third game of the season Friday night against Nipissing, but surrendered a late equalizer before falling in a shootout. Despite then finishing their 2024 home schedule with a loss to the Laurier Golden Hawks, the Lions have still earned points in four of their last six games, and have been playing extremely competitive hockey heading into the holiday break with one more weekend to go.
With that look at the week that was, here's what's going on in the den this week:
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
The women's basketball team looks to end the fall term on a high note and go into the winter break on a winning streak. The Lions face the Queen's Gaels for the only time this season in their home finale on Friday night in their Shoot for the Cure game, with all proceeds benefitting the Canadian Cancer Society. They then travel to Guelph to play the Gryphons in their final tilt of 2024 on Saturday evening. The Gaels and Gryphons present another tough test for a Lions team looking to stay in the playoff picture. York owns the 12th and final playoff spot in the OUA at 3-5, while this weekend's opponents come in a combined 12-5. If the Lions can even split this weekend's game against 6-2 Queen's and 6-3 Guelph, York will come into the winter term at 4-6 with two games each against Lakehead (2-7) and Toronto (1-9) remaining on the schedule. Both games this weekend tip off at 6:00 pm. Tickets for Friday's game against the Gaels are available here, and you can stream both games on OUA TV.
MEN'S BASKETBALL
The men's team also hosts Queen's for Roar for the Cure and visits Guelph on the final weekend of fall play, looking to build off their opening win of the season last Saturday over the Algoma Thunderbirds. This young Lions team, which boasts nine first-year players, will be in tough against a 7-1 Queen's team whose only blemish came at the hands of the Windsor Lancers in a surprising result back on Nov. 1. Since then, the Gaels have won six straight and, were it not for undefeated 9-0 Carleton, would be leading the OUA East. Conversely, the Gryphons come in on the other side of the ledger to Queen's, also with just a single win on the season. That game is a good opportunity for the Lions to go into the winter break with some confidence Additionally, three of the Lions first four games out of the break are against teams at or below .500, so if the Lions are able to get a win, or even two, this weekend and build off it early in the new year, they could quietly make their way back into the playoff picture in the OUA. Tickets for Friday night's game can be purchased here, and both games can be streamed live on OUA TV.
WOMEN'S HOCKEY
The Lions women's hockey team looks to get back on the winning track and halt a three-game winless streak when they close out a four-game pre-holiday homestand this weekend. They welcome in the Ontario Tech Ridgebacks on Friday night in what is their Roar for a Cure game, with all proceeds raised going to the Canadian Cancer Society, before hosting the Queen's Gaels in another Sunday matinee at Canlan Ice Sports. These games end a string of six in a row against West Division opponents for York, and begin a seven of eight games against the East stretching though Jan. 25. These are a pair of huge games for the red & white as they look to claw their way into a playoff position. Ontario Tech currently occupies the fourth and final East playoff spot at 4-7-1-0, while Queen's sits in the bottom of the OUA with a 2-7-1-2 record. If the Lions are to make a push, these are games they'll need to take before the holiday hiatus against two teams they're on par with or better than. Tickets for this weekend's games can be found here, while the games can be streamed live on OUA TV.
MEN'S HOCKEY
The men's hockey team makes its final trip across the Ontario-Quebec border this weekend to battle the McGill Redbirds and Concordia Stingers on Friday night and Saturday afternoon, respectively. The Lions come in with just two wins on the season, but have played extremely well over the last month, going 2-3-3 since Oct. 26 and keeping themselves in the mix for a late-season run to the playoffs. Friday night provides a chance for York to move to within six points of the sixth and final playoff spot in the OUA East behind its current occupant, McGill, in what is a big 'four-point' game and could tell us a lot about the Lions chances to get to the sixth spot. They will then battle a team in the conversation for a national championship, the Concordia Stingers. Concordia is the only team in the country without a regulation loss, coming in at 14-0-2, and on a 16-game point streak to start the season. That game will be difficult proposition for York for obvious reasons, but we've seen them compete hard against top competition such as Queen's, Ontario Tech and UQTR of late, so time will tell if the Lions can hand Concordia its first regulation loss of the year. Friday night's game at McGill (in Laval) begins at 7:30 pm, with Saturday's game at Concordia beginning at 2:00 pm. Both games can be streamed on OUA TV.
TRACK & FIELD
The Lions host the first of two meets at the Toronto Track & Field Centre this season, the York Holiday Open, on Saturday. Events begin at 12:30 pm, and admission is free.
WRESTLING
Finally, the wrestling team looks to build off a strong start to the season in which athletes have earned medals in two of three meets and scored top five finishes in all three. They head downtown to the U of T Athletic Centre for the U of T Open on Saturday in their final tussles of 2024.
