Men's Hockey: Close to home, far from friendly 

Coming into the weekend winners in four of their last six games, men's hockey's push for a second consecutive Queen's Cup playoff berth is coming down to the wire. Head Coach Brian Bourque's squad have only gotten better and better since the calendar flip, and they had a double duel with two fierce rivals; the Brock Badgers and Laurier Golden Hawks. 

On Friday night in St. Catharines, the Warriors showed their mettle on the penalty kill; exemplifying why their success rate with a man down is in the top half of all OUA squads. With the Badgers getting six cracks at the power play, the Warriors did not let them score. While a man down with 2:45 to play in the first, the black and gold got the break they needed. Relentless as ever in facing a Badger one-on-one, Liam Fedak (Oakville, Ont./Oakville Trafalgar High School) got the puck loose to Owen Wilson (Oakville, Ont./Holy Trintiy Secondary School), whose offensive awareness allowed him to fire a pass to Fedak as he broke into the neutral zone. While Fedak broke away, he had a Badger hounding him as he cut into the slot; while being hooked. Penalty shot. Deceiving the goaltender with his sharp edgework, Fedak slotted the puck blocker-side in the top corner. 1-0 Warriors, on a short-handed penalty shot; Fedak's fourth goal of the year. An intense matchup, as is expected with the Badgers, a total of 54 penalty minutes in the game did not make either side's life easy. Unfortunately for the visitors, the Badgers from the second-onward scored five unanswered goals to take a 5-1 victory. 

Saturday night, and one final road game for the regular season, saw the boys head down the road to face the Golden Hawks in a classic. With women's hockey having clinched the Battle of Waterloo on Waterloo Memorial Recreation Complex ice just seven days prior, this matchup marked the final regular season bout between Waterloo's two Athletics programs for the 2025-2026 season. With the Warriors taking it one game at a time, the motivation from the loss the previous night spoke volumes. It only took 19 seconds to break the ice. Gavin Wood's (Waterloo, Ont./Sir John A Macdonald) wrister from the blueline was tipped by Cole Fraser (Quispamsis, N.B./Kennebecasis Valley High School), to make it 1-0 Warriors. Wood's assist marks his first point of the season, in his seventh game, after having battled through injury; missing the team's first 19 games of the year. Near the halfway mark of the second period, Fedak was back on the attack. With Fraser once again, making a beautiful play below the dot, threading a pass back to Simon Rose (Renfrew, Ont./St. Josephs High School) at the line, he tapped it back to Fraser with speed, who this time, shot it himself. His wrister was tipped by Fedak near the goalmouth, who made it 2-0 Waterloo. The fun would only continue in the third, with a Warrior finding the twine for the first time this season; one Sam McKinney (Fredericton, NB/). With Fedak delivering an incredible, timely hit at the Warrior blueline, McKinney was in all alone. All he had to do was use his quick hands and deception, to fire the puck right along the ice; beating the Golden Hawk netminder through the five-hole. 3-0 for the good guys. Even with Laurier netting a goal, with just under three minutes to play, the damage had been done. The Warriors would take the 3-1 victory, completing their regular season road schedule with a 7-6-1 record.  

Next time out for the boys in black and gold, is one final weekend homestand at Columbia Icefield Arena, where they will take on the Toronto Varsity Blues this Friday night at 7:00 PM, and the TMU Bold on Saturday afternoon at 4:00 PM. Their duel with the Bold, the team's Senior Night, where they will be honouring 13 of their astounding team members; forwards Brendan Bowie (Burlington, Ont./St. Andrews College), Adamo Santia (Richmond Hill, Ont./ST Theresa), Cole Fraser (Quispamsis, N.B./Kennebecasis Valley High School), Nathaniel Bierd, Liam Fedak (Oakville, Ont./Oakville Trafalgar High School), Emmet Pierce (Napanee, Ont./NDSS) and Marco Lopez (Grande Prairie. Alta./Centennial High School), defensemen Gavin Wood (Waterloo, Ont./Sir John A Macdonald), Simon Rose (Renfrew, Ont./St. Josephs High School) and Kieran Ruscheinski (Calgary, Alta./Notre Dame High School), goaltenders Mathias Onuska (Waterloo, Ont./Ressurection) and Daniel Murphy (Waterford, Ont./Waterford District High School), as well as student therapist Rachel-Lynn Fauteux. Come along to CIF Arena this upcoming weekend, to celebrate our wonderful Warriors.  

Men's Volleyball: Frostbitten 

Taking the trip to North Bay to visit the Nipissing Lakers over the weekend, men's volleyball's penultimate two-game set of the season was an opportunity to take points away from the squad sat just ahead of them in the standings. Friday night produced a tough opening set for the Warriors, falling 25-17. The net-front trio of Daniel Nikashov (Vaughan, Ont./Hodan Nalayeh Secondary School), Fehin Awobodu (Oakville, Ont./Hillfield Strathallan College Men's Volleyball Team) and AJ Nichols (Aurora, Ont./St. Andrew's College) however were as electric as could be. All three of them collected two kills each in the set. Even with the Warriors setting game-highs in three categories, Lucas Redmann (Winnipeg, Man./Dakota Collegiate) with 14 kills, Awobodu with two aces, Nichols with four blocks, and Nikashov with 10 digs, Waterloo had taken a dominant third set 25-15 to extend the game but fell in the fourth. A 3-1 loss was uncharacteristic of the athleticism shown, as the stat comparison between both teams was as tight as ever.  

Saturday night brought a back-and-forth affair. Falling in the first set, from 21-20 onward in the second, both teams traded each point, until Thomas Anderson, off the sidelines, delivered the kill to win the set; 25-23 for Waterloo. The Warriors dominated the service game, out-ace-ing the Lakers 7-4. Cohen Peters (Vancouver, B.C./Pacific Acadamy) collected three of those aces. After falling 25-17 in the third, Waterloo stormed back with a 25-20 win in the fourth, to set up a fifth and deciding set. In the mid-part of the fifth, Waterloo went on a heater. After back-to-back kills for Nikashov, Peters activated when it mattered most. One of his three aces, a huge assist on a kill from fellow senior Owen Paddock-Thiessen, he earned yet another kill off a Laker attack error. Nipissing unfortunately for the black and gold, took over at the end; going on an 8-2 run of points. In falling 15-13, the Warriors strong push was countered by the Lakers at the wrong time, in heartbreaking fashion. 

Next up for the squad, are their final two games of the regular season, as they will take to Guelph to face the Gryphons this Friday and Saturday night. 

Basketball: Catching up with two central foes 

Friday night for both Warrior groups on the court was just alright. Welcoming the Varsity Blues to Carl Totzke Court, the women's team also welcomed Jaime Newell (Brussels, Ont./) back to the floor, after missing two games with an injury. She picked up right where she left off, picking up a game-high 10 rebounds, and finishing second on the team in points, with 12. Ghiselle Poblete's (Brampton, Ont./) game-high 14 points led the home side to their fourth straight victory over Toronto. Her eight-point fourth quarter stood out above all else, where her ball possession and aggression in driving the hoop, saw her hit 6 out of 7 from the free throw line. The Warriors took a 66-58 victory, having trailed 41-26 at halftime.  

Proceedings on Friday night for the men's team brought the same energy and excitement. With a 21-20 lead after one, the offence only heated up more as the game progressed. Shooting a near 56% from the field in the second, they shot an outstanding 62.5% in the third quarter. Isaiah Mcrae (Burlington, B.C./) scored 12 in the quarter alone, and he finished with 16 points. The Warriors were led by the ferocity and clutch gene of Stefan Prica (Etobicoke, Ont.); finishing with a game-high 22 points. Thach Wal Nger (Cambridge, Ont./) averaged a steal per quarter as well, finishing with four. Off the bench as well, and only taking to the court for four minutes in the third, Mac Steenburgh (Vancouver, B.C./) hit a huge three-pointer to solidify a 10-point Warriors lead. A lead that would define an eventual 10-point victory; 86-76. 

Saturday came along, and so did Athletics' Fantastic Alumni, Faculty, Staff, and Retirees Day celebrations, a day in which sold out the PAC and the seats inside Carl Totzke Court. With two prominent TMU Bold squads in town, the women's game went down to the wire. With the Bold only managing 18 points in the second half, and the likes of Poblete securing a team-high 21 points, the Warriors lost out on the giveaway game, and TMU scored 22 points off the turnover. Although falling 58-55, a three-point loss to the second seed in the OUA, and the third seed in Canada, represents a valiant effort right to the final buzzer. 

With the men following once again on Saturday, the Bold squad they faced, are the fourth seed in Canada. Despite an exceptional 17 points from Moses Anvari (Ajax, Ont.), in a game where he also grabbed seven rebounds, the Bold came to play; and play they did. The final score was 80-37. 

Next up for basketball, are two games each to close off their season. Tomorrow, they will both welcome the McMaster Marauders to Waterloo for Unity in Motion night, a game that celebrates the cultures that make us all Warriors. This Saturday night, the teams will close out their seasons, and the women's team will celebrate their lone graduate; Jaime Newell (Brussels, Ont./), an athlete who has poured her heart and soul into wearing Warriors colours with utmost pride through her five seasons, Newell will be honoured before tip-off. A Senior Game duel with the Brock Badgers this upcoming Saturday will set the scene for a memorable send-off. The women will take to Carl Totzke Court at 6:00 PM, and the men at 8:00 PM.