Weekend Recap - Week 17

It was another great weekend for athletics as Thunder Basketball, Hockey, and Volleyball all had games over the weekend. Here’s what happened last week:

Basketball

This past weekend Thunder Basketball took on the U of A Augustana Vikings with games on Friday and Saturday.

Women’s Basketball had an incredible Friday night at home, grabbing the win over Augustana 84-79. The game was close early, with both teams tied at 19 after the first quarter. Concordia pulled ahead in the second, outscoring Augustana 31-17 behind hot shooting from Chloe Sutherland (16 points) and Jaycee May (20 points). Augustana roared back in the third, dropping 28 points, but Concordia held on in the final quarter to secure the win. The Thunder’s efficient game from beyond the arc (50%) proved to be the difference-maker. Saturday’s road game was a different result for the Thunder as the Vikings got the 64-55 victory. Despite a valiant effort from Chloe Sutherland, who led the team with 18 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 steals, CUE struggled to find their rhythm offensively, never scoring more than 17 points in a quarter. It was the effective first half shooting for Augustana that gave them the 41- 32 lead at halftime, which they coasted on until the end. 

Men’s Basketball had a very successful weekend defeating the Vikings on both Friday and Saturday. Friday’s night Concordia secured a 94-86 victory over Augustana, fueled by a dominant second-half performance. After trailing 40-31 at halftime, Concordia erupted for 35 points in the third quarter and 28 in the fourth quarter, flipping the game in their favor. Concordia’s offence proved too much to handle as they closed out the win in front of the home crowd. O’Ryan Wallace led the charge with a game-high 38 points, adding 7 rebounds and 4 assists, while Yaadvir Dhaliwal contributed 28 points and 7 assists. Saturday’s game was tight to the very end with the Thunder pulling away for the 95-91 victory. With Augustana leading 75-68 by the end of the third quarter, it was a 27-point fourth quarter that pushed Concordia to victory, led by Yaadvir Dhaliwal’s team high 35 points and a double-double performance from Kyler Dutka with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Both teams have one more week of regular season play versus the NAIT Ooks before heading to ACAC Championships. Both squads sit fourth in their respective north divisions locked into the final playoff spot for the championships.

Hockey 

This past weekend Thunder Hockey went to battle against the Briercrest Clippers, who currently sit second in the division. After starting the new year 6-1, the Thunder were looking to continue their hot streak.

Friday’s game halted the streak, as the Thunder fell to the Clippers 6-1. It was a game to forget for Concordia as Breircrest scored four unanswered goals before Ethyn Hopp got CUE on the scoresheet early in the third period. Hopp’s goal was followed by two more Clippers goals that put the game away. Saturday at Clareview was a different story as Concordia bounced back to beat Briercest 6-5. The Thunder built a commanding 5-1 lead through two periods, with Zachery Carlson scoring twice and Dylan Handel contributing a goal and two assists. Briercrest mounted a comeback in the third, scoring four goals, but fell just short. It was a strong 47-save performance from Concordia goaltender Drew Sim, who stood tall after Briercrest's late third period surge made it a tense finish. Special teams played a key role, with the Thunder netting three power-play goals to secure the victory.

The strong play continues for the Thunder as they have clinched a playoff spot in the ACAC Hockey Championships. Next weekend they will take on the U of A Augustana Vikings as they continue to fight for playoff seeding. February 8th home game will be held at the Silent Ice Centre, one of the top rinks in the province. 

Volleyball

Thunder Volleyball also played the Augustana Vikings for two games each this weekend. In Friday's road game, the women’s team fell 3-1, losing to the Vikings 25-19, 25-21 in the first two sets before taking set three 25-23, and finally dropping set four 25-20. Libero Emma Tran came to play with 16 digs while Caitlin Wylie led the team in kills with 16. Though they kept all four sets close, Augustana managed to pull away with the lead when it mattered most. Saturday’s home game was a bounce back effort for the Thunder, defeating the Vikings 3-1. After Augustana took set one 25-22, the Thunder started rolling, winning the next three sets 25-22, 25-17, and 25-22. It was Concordia’s first win at home on the season, and the first time they’ve had wins in back-to-back weekends this year. Emma Thompson was clutch for CUE, leading the team in both kills with 8 and digs with 14. Kayla Burns also had one of her best games of the season thus far, racking up 20 assists, 10 digs, and 4 kills.

For Men’s Volleyball, the team fell in both games versus Augustana. Friday night Concordia lost in straight sets to Augustana 25-16, 25-19, 25-16. Despite a solid offensive effort from Brodie Wight with 5 kills and Zach Fernandez with 13 assists, the Thunder struggled to find consistency against Augustana’s strong defense. Saturday night Augustana defeated Concordia 3-1 in a competitive match at Ralph King. Augustana took the first two sets 25-23, 25-20 before Concordia responded with a 25-23 win in the third. However, the Vikings closed out the match with a 25-19 fourth set. Alexi Dufour had a strong performance with 10 kills and three aces, but it wasn’t enough to overcome Augustana’s balanced attack and strong defensive play.

Both teams have one more weekend to play and will go up against the NAIT Ooks with their last home game on Friday and one final road game Saturday night.