Looking through Bier goggles - Durham College and UOIT

The Chronicle October 4, 2011 25
Sports
Where the rubber meets the grass
Tyler Richards
The Chronicle
Hockey may be Canada’s
national sport, but
Canada’s oldest sport
isn’t hockey, it’s lacrosse.
Currently UOIT does not
have its own men’s lacrosse
team, but its women’s lacrosse
team just gained full varsity
status this season.
The women’s lacrosse team
got its start three years ago as
a club. When starting a new
sports team it is an OUA rule
that there is a probationary period
during which the start-up
team can play exhibition games
against OUA teams, but is not
actually a member of the OUA.
There are currently eight
women’s teams in the OUA
--- Western, Guelph, McMaster,
Laurier, McGill, Toronto,
Queens and UOIT.
Thankfully for lacrosse fans
at UOIT, the women’s team
made it through the probationary
period and is now playing
for the OUA championships.
Amy Fincham has been
the head coach of the lacrosse
team since its beginning, and
when she was a student herself,
played in the OUA for the
Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks,
winning four championship
titles.
“We want everyone to know
that we are a start-up team, so
Zak McLachlan
The Chronicle
we are accepting all levels of
players,” Fincham said. “Anyone
is welcome.”
Fincham is also trying to
The UOIT Ridgebacks men’s hockey team continued
their preseason action on Sept. 23 and
24 with an 8-4 loss to the Nipissing Lakers and
a 4-1 win against the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks.
The Ridgebacks haven’t had the best of luck at
Memorial Gardens in North Bay. The team’s only
other visit there resulted in a 5-0 loss to the Lakers.
Although their defensive lapses allowed the Lakers
to net eight goals, head coach Marlin Muylaert
was happy with their offensive output.
“I was disappointed with how crappy we played
away from the puck on defence,” Muylaert said. “If
it wasn’t for their goaltending we would’ve been in
the game.”
A bright spot in the game was the goal production
from former Oshawa General Kody Musselman.
Musselman had a two-goal effort on the night for his
first two goals as a Ridgeback.
“Kody has a lot of respect (from his teammates)
from his years in the OHL,” Muylaert said.
The Ridgebacks travelled home to the Campus Ice
Centre the next night to take on the Wilfrid Laurier
Golden Hawks. That was the first time the two teams
faced off after the Hawks eliminated the Ridgebacks
from the second round of the playoffs last season.
The Hawks held a 1-0 lead until early in the third
when Tony Rizzi netted a shorthanded goal to even
the score.
The Ridgebacks then exploded for three goals in
the last five minutes to walk away with a 4-1 victory.
help out the new women’s lacrosse
team at York University.
“They’re kinda starting
out where we were two years
UOIT HOCKEY: James Woodcroft passes through legs of Golden Hawks defender.
After being concerned last week with the team’s
ability to execute a physical style of play for the entire
game, Muylaert was pleased with what he saw
against the Hawks.
“That was our first 60-minute effort,” Muylaert
said.
The team will travel south of the border on Oct. 1
to take on the Michigan Wolverines and to Ohio the
next day to battle the Bowling Green Falcons.
Michigan is ranked fourth in the nation in NCAA
hockey.
Tyler Richards
VARSITY WOMEN’S LACROSSE: Third-year nursing student Megan Scott fires
at goaltender and first-year Kinesiology student Tessa Lam at practice in Whitby.
ago. Only one other team has
agreed to play them. A lot of
the teams don’t want to play an
extra game because it’s taking
the chances of getting more injuries.
We were there two years
ago and we know how it feels.”
Fincham said a lot of people
in the Durham region play lacrosse,
and she believes that
with the new varsity status of
the team those players in the
region will be more attracted to
UOIT.
Tristen Cruickshank, a
third-year Nursing student and
Stephanie MacAskill, a thirdyear
Communications and
Health Sciences student are
two captains of the team. Both
Cruickshank and MacAskill
have been on the team since the
team’s beginning.
“We get better and better every
year,” says Cruickshank.
“It’s a different atmosphere,”
said Cruickshank, “there are a
lot of players out there with experience
and it provides good
competition.”
MacAskill said: “this year
has been really awesome, more
players have come on board
with some experience.”
Currently the team does not
practice on the campus field
because there isn’t enough time
with the four soccer teams of
Durham and UOIT already using
it.
UOIT is set to host the
Women’s lacrosse championship
in 2013 so lacrosse fans at
the university can look forward
to that in the future.
Ridgebacks needed a slap...shot
Zak McLachlan
Muylaert knows these games will be a challenge
for his Ridgebacks but with six of the team’s first
eight games being played on the road, he plans on using
this experience as a building block in the team’s
development.
“If we can survive those games and come out with
some positives, we’ll be able to handle the first part of
the season,” Muylaert said.
The Ridgebacks will be back at home for their
season opener on Oct. 8 against the York Lions. The
puck drops at 7:30 pm at the Campus Ice Centre.