Varsity Athletics | 1/23/2025 10:00:00 AM
The push for the playoffs is heating up for the York University Lions.
With now officially less than a month remaining of regular season play, Lions teams continue to jockey for position. Four teams – men’s and women’s volleyball, women’s hockey and women’s basketball – have a chance to earn postseason berths heading into the home stretch. Men’s volleyball is trying to lock up second place in the OUA, currently sitting third a game behind Queen’s in the standings. Should they finish tied with Queen’s, the Lions would earn second by virtue of sets won in head-to-head competition (5-4).
The other three teams are vying for spots near the bottom of the standings. Women’s basketball is currently in the 12th and final playoff spot in the OUA, while women’s volleyball and women’s hockey currently find themselves on the outside looking in – but still very much in the fight – for a playoff berth in their leagues.
It will be a fun weekend on campus, as the Lions hockey programs host their second straight double-header on Saturday – Alumni Day – at Canlan Ice Sports. The men’s kick it off at 3:15 pm against the UQTR Patriotes with the fifth annual Mark Cross Memorial Game, and the women will host their own alumni event at 7:00 pm when the Carleton Ravens pay their first ever visit to Canlan.
Meanwhile the basketball teams are back home – finally! – to play their first games of the calendar year on their home floor.
Here’s what’s going on in the den this week:
MEN’S HOCKEY
The Lions men’s hockey team is coming off a win on Sunday against the RMC Paladins, and will now look to put a win streak together starting Thursday in Guelph. The theme for the Lions this year has been ‘competitive,’ one we’ve seen illustrated the last four games. The Lions have gone 2-2 in those games, the losses being a 2-0 loss to Western and a 5-2 loss to Brock which was tied midway through the game. They will face a Guelph team fighting for its playoff lives, sitting at 11-9-0, a point up on the last playoff spot in the West. The Lions will then host the Mark Cross Memorial Game on Saturday against UQTR. The night will honour the life of Cross, a Lions men’s hockey alum, who was tragically taken in the Humboldt Broncos bus crash in 2018. A pregame ceremony will be held featuring 18 seconds of cheering from those in attendance, as well as a ceremonial puck drop by Mark’s parents, Brad and Marilyn. Additionally, several former winners of the Mark Cross Heart of a Lion Award will be in attendance. Thursday’s game begins at 7:00 pm, while Saturday’s game is slated for 3:15 pm. You can purchase tickets for Saturday’s game here and you can stream both games here.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
The Lions will host the Lakehead Thunderwolves on Friday and Saturday night in a pair of crucial games. The Lions are currently 12th in the OUA, but only have a half-game of breathing room over Nipissing and Laurentian – a pair of clubs over whom the Lions do not own the tiebreaker. Lakehead, currently boasting the second-worst record in the OUA, is a team the Lions absolutely need to beat – twice – to have a realistic chance at making the postseason. Tip-offs for both games are at 6:00 pm. You can purchase tickets here or stream the games here.
MEN’S BASKETBALL
The Lions men’s team also welcomes in Lakehead for a pair of tilts this weekend. However, unlike on the women’s side, the Thunderwolves present a tough test for a young York team. They come into play Friday ranked No. 10 in the nation and leading the OUA Central with just two losses on the year. However, those two losses have come in the last six games, including their most recent, an 81-59 loss to fellow nationally ranked team Ottawa (No. 10). That said, the Lions have had solid outings in two of their last three games, and will hope to compete against a strong Lakehead team as they build for the future. Tip-off for both games is scheduled for 8:00 pm. You can purchase tickets here or stream the games here.
WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL
While the Lions basketball teams host Lakehead this weekend, the women’s volleyball team heads to Thunder Bay to battle the Thunderwolves for two matches up North. York is coming off a split last weekend with the Nipissing Lakers after losing a 2-0 lead in the finale to fall in five sets. York currently sits ninth in the OUA behind none other than – you guessed it – Lakehead for the OUA’s final playoff berth. The Lions can move into eighth with two wins over the Thunderwolves or a split in which the Lions win more sets. In the event both teams win a match in an equal number of sets, it will come down to total point differential over the two matches to determine who will be eighth after this weekend. There is also a scenario where York is seventh following play this weekend, which would come to be if the Lions beat Lakehead twice and Nipissing loses twice to a winless Trent team. Both matches this weekend begin at 6:00 pm and can be streamed here.
MEN’S VOLLEYBALL
The Lions men’s team heads down the QEW to meet the McMaster Marauders for a pair this weekend. The Lions are third in the OUA at 9-3 after splitting with the Toronto Varsity Blues last weekend, each team winning in three sets. York is now tied in the loss column with Queen’s and has a pair of games in hand and the tiebreaker on the Gaels. This is a big pair of games against a McMaster team having a down season, sitting at 6-8 and clinging to the final OUA playoff berth. These games are all the more pivotal when you consider Queen’s and Western – currently sandwhiched around York in second and fourth in the OUA, respectively – play each other this weekend in London. If the Lions can sweep McMaster, that gets them to 11 wins while the two teams around them battle it out. Friday’s game begins at 8:00 pm, while Saturday’s first serve is set for 4:00 pm. You can stream both games here.
WOMEN’S HOCKEY
The Lions women’s hockey team’s lone game this weekend is another critical one in their pursuit of an OUA playoff berth. They welcome in the Carleton Ravens, whose first foray into the OUA hasn’t been especially successful, as they are sixth in the OUA East with a 3-10-2-4 record. 1-1-3-0 since the don of the winter term, the Lions sit six points behind the Laurier Golden Hawks for fourth in the OUA West. The Hawks own a game in hand, which they will make up this weekend when they play both Western and Windsor. Simply put, the Lions can ill afford to see Laurier win both those games, even if they win themselves. That would put York nine points – three regulation wins – behind the Hawks with only six games remaining after this weekend. The Lions will also be hosting an alumni night for former members of the program, and will host a pre-game ceremony honouring current assistant coach Jessica Turi, who played for the program from 2004-08. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 pm. You can purchase tickets here and you can stream the game here.
WRESTLING
The Lions wrestling team will compete in its final meet ahead of the OUA championship on Sunday when they head to London for the Western Open. They will then prepare for the OUA championships on Feb. 8 at Algoma.