Waterloo Warriors aim to make history at U Sports Women’s Hockey Championship
The University of Waterloo women’s hockey team are provincial champions for the very first time.
The Warriors clinched the OUA title in a 2-1 overtime win over the host University of Toronto on Saturday. The Varsity Blues were exiting the zone when Carly Orth stripped Juliette Blais-Savoie of the puck at the blue line.
“That kind of allowed me to step in, lift her stick, and grab it,” Orth described to CTV News.
Waterloo went on a 2-on-1, when Orth threw a cross-crease pass to Paige Rynne, who buried the game-winner.
“I saw Paige open right there so I kind of set it across the crease,” Rynne said. “I just was able to pop it in.”
The win gave the Warriors their first McCaw Cup in the program’s 22-year history and fans, wearing their yellow jerseys, hopped over the boards of Varsity Arena to celebrate.
“At first I just thought it was another goal,” Orth said. “Our team was getting off the bench and I’m like: ‘Oh my gosh, our team just won the whole thing.’”
The celebration was short-lived as the Waterloo Warriors sets their sights on a national title. The team hopped a plane for Saskatoon on Monday to compete in their first-ever U SPORTS Women’s Hockey Championship.
“First time here, everything’s new,” head coach Shaun Reagan said during a Wednesday morning video call. “It’s exciting, but we’re dialed in. We feel we can win the championship.”
The University of Waterloo enters the tournament as the 4-seed. The Warriors open the quarterfinals at 1 p.m. Thursday against Nova Scotia’s St. Francis Xavier University.
Complete tournament seeding is as follows:
- Concordia Stingers (RSEQ champions, 25-0 regular season, 4-2 playoffs)
- UBC Thunderbirds (CW champions, 24-4 regular season, 4-2 playoffs)
- UNB Reds (AUS champions: 21-7 regular season, 5-1 playoffs)
- Waterloo Warriors (OUA champions, 18-10 regular season, 5-1 playoffs)
- STFX X-Women (AUS finalists, 21-7regular season, 3-4 playoffs)
- Toronto Varsity Blues (OUA finalists, 19-9 regular season, 4-3 playoffs)
- Montréal Carabins (RSEQ finalists, 13-12 regular season, 3-3 playoffs)
- Saskatchewan Huskies (hosts, 19-9 regular season, 1-2 playoffs)
Waterloo also has a shot at becoming just the fourth team to hold both the OUA and U SPORTS titles in the same year.
With the U SPORTS Women’s Hockey Championship coming to Elmira’s Woolwich Memorial Centre in 2025, the Warriors could return to next years championship as host and the defending champs.
“You have to return the trophy 30 days after winning it and it goes to the host city,” Reagan said. “It would be cool to bring it back and not even have to return it.”
You can follow all of this year’s U Sports Women’s Hockey Championship on the U SPORTS website.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
Man banned from owning animals after fatal Calgary dog attack
The owner of three Calgary dogs that got loose and mauled a woman to death in 2022 has been ordered to pay a $15,000 fine within one year and banned from owning any animal for 15 years.
Mediterranean staple may lower your risk of death from dementia, study finds
A daily spoonful of olive oil could lower your risk of dying from dementia, according to a new study by Harvard scientists.
DEVELOPING Hamas accepts Gaza ceasefire proposal from Egypt and Qatar
Hamas said it has accepted a ceasefire deal proposed by Egypt and Qatar, which seeks to halt the seven-month war with Israel in Gaza, prompting Israel to say it would send a delegation to negotiate – though it warned the proposal remained far from the 'necessary requirements.'
An American soldier was arrested in Russia and accused of stealing, U.S. officials say
An American soldier has been arrested in Russia and accused of stealing, according to U.S. officials. The soldier was stationed in South Korea and was in the process of returning home to the United States, but travelled to Russia.
An El Nino-less summer is coming. Here's what that could mean for Canada
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Competition Bureau launches inquiry into Lululemon over 'greenwashing' allegations
Canada's Competition Bureau has launched an inquiry into Vancouver-based Lululemon following a complaint from members of an environmental group.
NDP calls out Conservatives for effort to quash pharmacare legislation
The federal New Democrats are calling out Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and his party for trying to block the bill that could pave the way for millions of Canadians to access birth control and diabetes coverage.
Canadian gov't proposes new foreign influence registry as part of wide-spanning new bill
Democratic Institutions Minister Dominic LeBlanc tabled legislation in the House of Commons on Monday proposing a suite of new measures and law changes aimed at countering foreign interference in Canada. Bill C-70 proposes to enact a new 'Foreign Influence Transparency and Accountability Act.'