TORONTO, ON – With a scintillating regular season of OUA women’s hockey in the rear-view mirror, it’s finally time to drop the puck on the McCaw Cup Playoffs. Of course, the regular season’s parity likely won’t carry over into the tournament stage. In this sport, juggernauts have established themselves, while outsiders are far from favourable.
Still, it’s playoffs, and anyone can win. With eight teams in the fold, 49 Sports previews the top three contenders and two teams to keep an eye on this postseason.Â
OUA McCaw Cup Contenders
Guelph Gryphons
This season, Guelph has hit new levels. At the beginning and end of the season, they carried out dominant win streaks that nobody dared to stand in the way of. Once the dust settled, Guelph managed 23 wins, beating Waterloo to the West title by 15 victories, a truly remarkable feat.Â
Chemistry is by far the scariest part of this Guelph side, with their top six often having two to three players chipping in significantly on any given night. While Hannah Tait was the only Gryphon who finished in the top five in OUA scoring, Guelph had two other players who recorded over 20 points in Tori Verbeek and Jaime Magoffin.
Since the team also features consistent role players and some shutdown defenders, they’re poised to go deep as a well-rounded team. To make matters more difficult for opposing teams, goaltender Martina Fedel owns a 1.04 GAA. Guelph finished top of the pack for a reason, and they can, without a doubt, continue that serial winning into the playoffs.
Nipissing Lakers
Look at any stats in OUA women’s hockey in 2023-24. There’s a good chance that Nipissing or Laker players, are near the top. However, that’s far from the whole story. Go beyond the box score, and there’s a team that has experienced a downturn in form even before the new year arrived.Â
The frequent contributors such as Katie Chomiak and Mallory Dominico found it challenging to hit their stride like at the beginning of the campaign. It hasn’t just been losses or lacklustre performances against the big teams; Nipissing has been dropping points in games they weren’t expected to. One has to wonder if this new beginning will boost their morale or, considering their loss in the 2023 McCaw Cup final, nerves will start trickling in again. Either way, the Lakers enter with a chip on their shoulder, which wasn’t expected back in October and November.
Toronto Varsity Blues
The Blues are the odd ones out in this group of contenders because they didn’t win their division. While that could hurt during the second round and final, at least Toronto can relish home ice in their first series against Queen’s. With an experienced group, primarily of seniors, Toronto is hoping they can make a last ride together memorable.
The Varsity Blues have all the tools: Taylor Trussler is a good start, but the Blues’ ability to pour on shots and pressure until other teams succumb has allowed them to finish the season strongly. Netminder Erica Fryer has been excellent with her .929 SV%. All the pieces are lining up for yet another deep run in the OUA and perhaps the national championship.
OUA Dark horsesÂ
Waterloo Warriors
The Warriors have been slept on for much of the season. That comes naturally with being in Guelph’s division and their best performances against weaker opponents. Still, it’s simply that Waterloo has turned in strong showings against the contending group.
The exploits of Leah Herrfort have raised their game to new heights, and when coupled with Tatum James, a dominant one-two punch is created. They know their capabilities, it’ll take a lot of work to keep their shots out of the net – and just as much finding the net against their blueline.
York Lions
Yes, this is a significantly outside pick as a sleeper. But let’s face it: York has been playing playoff games for many weeks. They were once bottom-feeders in the East and came all the way back against Ontario Tech and a surging TMU Bold to qualify for the big dance.
Playing Nipissing, a team they beat in recent memory, the Lions have a real chance. The longer it takes the Lakers to score, the more it plays in York’s favour. It might not be a guarantee, but it’s more than possible.