Weekend Recap - Week 7

Week 7 of the ACAC season was one of the busiest yet for the Thunder with Basketball, Golf, Hockey, and Soccer all taking place throughout the week and weekend. Here’s what happened over the week for the Thunder.

Basketball

Thunder Basketball got their regular season started this Friday with their home opener at Ralph King Athletic Centre versus the Saint Mary’s University Lightning (STMU).

For women’s basketball, STMU pulled off an 80-60 victory over the Thunder. The Lightning got off to a hot start, building a 25-13 lead in the first quarter. Despite a competitive second quarter, where Concordia outscored St. Mary's 20-19, the Thunder couldn’t close the gap. The third quarter saw St. Mary's extend their lead further with a 24-9 advantage, leaving Concordia with too much ground to make up in the fourth. The Thunder showed some resilience, closing the game strong with an 18-12 fourth quarter, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the deficit. Chloe Sutherland led the Thunder with 22 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists, while Georgia Bowman chipped in 11 points and 7 rebounds of her own.

On the men’s side, a close game the entire way saw STMU come up with the 85-78 win. The Thunder started strong, taking a 16-13 lead after the first quarter. Both teams found their rhythm in the second, with Concordia outscoring St. Mary's 27-26 to carry a small 43-39 lead into halftime. The third quarter saw the Lightning turn the tide, outscoring the Thunder 26-21 and taking the lead, setting the stage for a competitive final period. St. Mary's sealed the victory with a solid 20-14 fourth quarter and took the game. Yaadvir Dhaliwal was outstanding for the Thunder, leading all scorers with 21 points, shooting 5-for-7 from three-point range and adding 8 rebounds. Milton Lendein contributed 13 points and 9 rebounds, while Kyler Dutka added 12 points and 8 rebounds.

Thunder basketball will play two games each this coming weekend, hosting the King’s University on Friday October 25th then travelling to King’s to play them on the road on Saturday October 26th.

Golf

Thunder Golf spent the week in Ontario with a chance to capture a National Championship at RedCrest Golf Club. The female trio of Ella Gifford, Lauryn Psutka, and Ava Stach represented Concordia at this year's event.

After the four day tournament was complete, Gifford finished 8th individually, shooting an 83 in Round 1, 81 in Round 2, 82 in Round 3, and 93 in Round 4. Psutka was right behind her finishing 10th individually, shooting an 85 in Round 1, 87 in Round 2, 81 in Round 3, and 88 in Round 4. Stach finished 16th overall, shooting a 95 in Round 1, 106 in Round 2, 105 in Round 3, and 98 in Round 4. The ACAC Women’s Team’s also finished 4th and 5th overall throughout the tournament.

The completion of the event marks the end of the 2024 Thunder golf season. It was another year of championships, awards, and record breaking. The team will be back in action at the start of the 2025 school year in September.

Hockey

Thunder Hockey opened their season with two games against Portage College. The home opener at Clareview Rec Centre on Friday saw the Thunder fall 5-4 to the Voyageurs in a shootout. Zachary Carlson, Nikolai Morrison, Griffen Ryden, and Dallon Wilton each had a goal, while Dylan Handel led the team with two assists in the game. The Thunder held on to a 2-1 lead going into the third period and extended their lead to 4-1 early in the third, but the Voyageurs pushed the game into overtime by scoring 3 unanswered goals. After no scoring in overtime, the Voyageurs sealed the win in the shootout.

Saturday’s game versus Portage was a road game for the Thunder. The Voyageurs got out to a 3-0 lead early in the second period but the Thunder battled back with goals from Alex Bend and Carson Kurylo. Portage ended the second period with another goal, making the score 4-2 going into the third. Matthew Reidy answered back once more for the Thunder but the Voyageurs held on for the 4-3 final.

Thunder hockey will be back at it this coming weekend playing at home versus SAIT on Friday October 25th followed by traveling to SAIT to face the Trojans once more on Saturday October 26th.

Soccer

Thunder Soccer played their final two games of the regular season this weekend as they traveled to face The King’s University Eagles on Saturday, followed by hosting the Lakeland Rustlers at home on Sunday. After a 0-0 tie with the Eagles on Saturday, women’s soccer got back into the win column on Sunday, defeating the Rustlers 1-0. It was graduating senior and team captain Vanessa Pietramala who once again came up big, scoring her 14th goal of the season and second this year off a corner kick. Madison Kempster came up big again for the Thunder, not allowing a goal all weekend.

Men’s soccer finished their regular season with two losses on the weekend, defeated by the Eagles 2-0 and falling to the Rustlers 5-1. Cameron Holman was the lone goal scorer for the men this weekend, scoring his third goal of the season.

Women’s soccer finished their regular season 11-0-1, good for first in the North Division and second overall in the ACAC. Men’s soccer ended their season with a 3-8-1 record, sitting fifth in the North Division. Women’s soccer will now travel to Grande Prairie to battle the best of the best in the ACAC Soccer Championships. ACAC Soccer Championships will run from October 25th-27th.