The Rundown - Championship Sunday

It's the final day of hockey for the Canadian university league. Both the men's and women's finals will be played today, and we'll crown champions on both sides of the coin. Of course, The Rundown only focuses on U SPORTS women's hockey thanks to that level of hockey receiving almost zero coverage from anyone not inside the game, so let's dive into the final three games here on Championship Sunday as the consolation final, the bronze medal game, and gold medal game were all decided today! Who is coming home with hardware?

A Quick Note

As stated yesterday, I was going to continue doing the Headline Sports-style recaps as you saw in the Canada West playoffs, but I highlighted the lack of effort from U SPORTS when it came to highlights this weekend. Again, I can't change anything from where I sit so, with no highlights, we're reverting back to the scoring summaries only. I know it sucks, but that's what happens when people don't do their jobs promoting the athletes on the ice.

Let's get into the game action!

Consolation Final

This game had an oddly-familiar feeling to it as the two Canada West finalists met for a fifth and deciding time this season. UBC had won the series with two victories way back in October when the season opened, and Alberta roared back by winning the Canada West banner earlier this month. This would be the fifth time these two teams played this season, and they both wanted to finish in fifth-place. We know the important players for both sides, so all that was left to decide was which team would capture fifth-place!

Pandas goals: Natalie Kieser (1)
Pandas assists: Abby Soyko (1), Taylor Anker (1)
Pandas netminders: Grace Glover (17/21) in 40:00; Mackenzie Dojahn (14/15) in 20:00

Thunderbirds goals: Jacquelyn Fleming (1), Mackenzie Kordic (1), Makenzie McCallum (2), Mackenzie Kordic (2), Grace Elliott (2)
Thunderbirds assists: Annalise Wong (3), Karine Sandilands (1), Ashton Thorpe (1), Meadow Carman (1), Jacquelyn Fleming (1), Mackenzie Kordic (4), Sierra Laplante (2)
Thunderbirds netminder: Elise Hugens (20/21)

Result: 5-1 victory for UBC over Alberta.

UBC will finish in fifth-place, and Alberta will finish in sixth-place. This game also determined seventh-place, and, thanks to UBC's win, the UNB Reds will finish in seventh-place while the StFX X-Women will finish in eighth-place. The non-medal placements are now set!

Bronze Medal Final

The bronse medal game featured last year's U SPORTS finalists in the Concordia Stingers and the Toronto Varsity Blues. Concordia came into the game holding a 5-1 record all-time against Toronto at Nationals, and they were looking to claim a second medal against the Varsity Blues. The last and only time that Toronto was successful against Concordia was back in 2002 when they won 2-1, so it's not like they could draw on recent history to help them. Both teams wanted to bring home their second-straight medal from Nationals, though, so this game had all the makings for great hockey!

Blues goals: Sophie Grawbarger (1), Abby Whitworth (1), Scout Southward (2)
Blues assists: Kaitlyn McKnight (1), Emma Elders (1), Aili McKeown (2), Emma Potter (1)
Blues netminder: Lyla McKinnon (9/10) in 32:47; Sarah-Lynn Gauthier (9/9) in 27:13

Stingers goals: Jessymaude Drapeau (4)
Stingers assists: Emilie Lussier (2), Emilie Lavoie (2)
Stingers netminder: Arianne Leblanc (24/26)

Result: 3-1 victory for Toronto over Concordia.

Toronto is the 2025 U SPORTS bronze medallists while Concordia is the fourth-place team. Of note, Sarah-Lynn Gauthier earned the win after replacing Lyla McKinnon in the Toronto net following an injury suffered by McKinnon. Concordia's Leonie Philbert was assessed a five-minute major and given a game misconduct for the goaltender interference that caused McKinnon's injury. McKinnon did not return.

Gold Medal Final

The gold medal game featured the two "new kids" to the Nationals scene as Waterloo was in their second appearance at this year's tournament while Bishop's was in their first-ever appearance. The Warriors had used a balanced attack, solid defence, and excellent goaltending to reach this pinnacle while the Gaiters were capitalizing on offensive opportunities, holding the fort defensively, and getting solid netminding. Waterloo would have the home crowd on their side, but the Bishop's faithful had been loud all weekend. It came down to one game for all the marbles as one of these two highly-talented squads would claim the 2025 U SPORTS National Championship!

Gaiters goals: Gabrielle Santerre (3), Gabrielle Rousseau (1), Maude Pepin (2)
Gaiters assists: Daphne Boutin (2), Angelique Page (1), Gabrielle Santerre (3), Gabrielle Santerre (4)
Gaiters netminder: Ericka Gagnon (27/27)

Warriors goals: none
Warriors assists: none
Warriors netminder: Kara Mark (26/28)

Result: 3-0 victory for Bishop's over Waterloo.

Officially, the Bishop's Gaiters are your 2025 U SPORTS National Champions while the Waterloo Warriors are the 2025 U SPORTS silver medallists. The scoring summary doesn't give you all the details, though, as Waterloo had a number of chances that were either missed or denied by Gagnon and the Gaiters' defence. This game was far closer than the score states, but it was a heckuva battle between two teams that earned the right to play for Canadian university's biggest prize by being so good all season long.

To The Victors

Congratulations to the Bishop's Gaiters as they had been building all season towards this ultimate ending. One could argue that they were robbed of this chance last season when a missed offside call allowed Montreal to eliminate the Gaiters from the RSEQ playoffs, but none of that matters now. The Gaiters stand atop the mountain and no one can take that from them! It's a huge accomplishment for a program that joined the RSEQ and U SPORTS in 2020-21, and it goes to show what can be accomplishment with support and leadership.

The Gaiters are one of the best feel-good stories in Canadian university hockey in some time, and I'm glad they've shown everyone that dreams can be achieved in a short time with the right amounts of talent, hard work, leadership, and support from all levels. For as expensive as hockey is for U SPORTS schools, this is one of those times where you can truly say it was worth the investment.

Be like Bishop's University. Support women's sports at all levels!

The All-Stars

As we always see at these tournaments, players raise their games to another level after wowing us all season with their talents. This year's tournament All-Star selections are no different as they stood out over the weekend as the games progressed. They include:

• Goaltender Ericka Gagnon - Bishop's Gaiters
• Defender Lyndsey Acheson - Waterloo Warriors
• Defender Regan Garreau - Bishop's Gaiters
• Forward Jessymaude Drapeau - Concordia Stingers
• Forward Kassidy McCarthy - Waterloo Warriors
• Forward Gabrielle Santerre - Bishop's Gaiters

One could make the case that Kara Mark in the Waterloo net was just as good as Gagnon in this tournament, but there's no denying that Gagnon won the battle between the goalies in the gold medal final. The last award was the tournament MVP, and it should surprise no one that Bishop's Gaiters forward Gabrielle Santerre was named the most valuable player at the tournament. She was dynamite all weekend!

Over At The Other Rink...

The University of Ottawa Gee-Gees men's hockey team made good on their second chance after failing to qualify for Nationals as a champion, finaist, or third-place team in the OUA by winning the whole thing! The Gee-Gees beat the seemingly-invincible UNB Reds in overtime in what was an incredible game before dispatching OUA foes TMU and Concordia to win the U Cup as the eighth-seeded team. Add in the fact that they were hosting the tournament, and this story had all the necessary elements of a storybook ending!

For those that don't know the backstory, the University of Ottawa suspended the team in 2014-15 following sexual assault allegations against the team. The head coach at that time, Réal Paiement, was fired, and it seemed like the program was headed for demise. The University of Ottawa did reinstate the program in 2015-16, but with major changes to how the program was run and who was running it.

Patrick Grandmaître was hired to lead the program out of the darkness, and I'd say he's done a masterful job with the conclusion of this season after some lean years. Solid recruiting, a commitment to principles, and hard work has Ottawa standing above all others this season! It's taken a decade, but the Ottawa Gee-Gees are back to being a highly-respect hockey program, and that's a credit to the decade of hard work this program has put into finding good, quality people who want to do better and be better in all they do.

We Should Go And Watch

Yes, you should go and watch if you have the means. The entrance costs to the tournament are fairly low, and the action is so good. While I don't have attendance for the tournament, the gold medal game at the Woolwich Memorial Centre was a solid 1482. It looked sold out on the CBC stream, and it helps that the local team was playing in the final. Either way, the crowds were pretty solid all weekend in Elmira, Ontario, so well done to the Waterloo Warriors for hosting a great tournament for teams and fans alike!

If you're wondering where the next tournaments will be held, you can start making plans for next season and beyond:

• 2026 - Elmira, Ontario with the Waterloo Warriors hosting.
• 2027 - Fredericton, New Brunswick with the UNB Reds hosting.
• 2028 - Halifax, Nova Scotia with the StFX X-Women hosting.

The bidding process hasn't opened for the 2029 tournament yet, but there are several schools and communities interested in hosting the event. I'm sure we'll hear more about this as we get closer to that year, but the next three tournaments have homes and hosts! Get down to one of those rinks if you can and cheer on the ladies who make this game so great! They appreciate the support!

The Very Last Word

Today's finals will bring the 2024-25 season to a close, and what a season it was. Congratulations to the Alberta Pandas, the Toronto Varsity Blues, the Bishop's Gaiters, and the StFX X-Women for winning their conferences! All four showed that it's not have one starts the season, but how one ends the season. To that degree, all will have a new tapestry hanging in their respective arenas next season!

35 teams started the season before that number was pared down to eight who would represent the four conferences at Nationals. From there, it was reduced to four, and then reduced against to two. On March 23, 2025, we found the one team who rose above all others this season as the Bishop's Gaiters claimed their first U SPORTS National Championship banner. It wasn't won easily as they rallied from being down in their opening game of Nationals and defeated the top-two teams in the country en route to victory, so credit where credit is due: the Gaiters earned this championship!

Most teams are near being done or are done recruiting, so there will be a new wave of talent joining the U SPORTS ranks next season. While the senior and graduating students leave their programs as icons, leaders, and stars both on and off the ice, the new generation brings with it hope and talent for each of the 35 teams when it comes to their future championship aspirations. It starts again in October.

To the players, study hard, crush your exams, work hard in the summer if you choose to, and we'll see you on the ice in the fall! For all the coaches, equipment managers, training staff, support staff, and officials, have a great summer, enjoy your well-deserved breaks, and we'll see everyone in the fall as well! You gave us five months of incredible hockey that was so much fun to watch and discuss, and I'm already looking forward to next season!

To all the fans who watched a game via a webstream, attended a rink to catch a game, cheered loudly when your team scored and won, offered encouragement during setbacks, and to anyone who stopped in here to read The Rundown, thank you for believing in these women and supporting them on their journeys that involve getting a top-notch education, making life-long friends, and playing a little stick-and-puck. As much as we cheer for them every weekend, they are student-athletes with the more important part coming first in that hyphenated word. We need to reminded of this every now and then.

It was a heckuva season, everyone. Deep breath. Exhale. Go enjoy your summer, and we'll see everyone again in October!

Until then, keep your sticks on the ice!