By Reegan MacAulay
The Holland Hurricanes inch closer to playoff season with several important games in basketball, volleyball, and women’s hockey this weekend.
Here’s what’s on the go for Atlantic Collegiate Athletic Association (ACAA) and Atlantic Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) competition between Saturday, Feb. 8 and Sunday, Feb. 9.
Women’s Volleyball
The women’s volleyball Hurricanes enter their most crucial weekend of the regular season, as a playoff spot at the 2025 ACAA Volleyball Championships, which they host, lies in the balance.
Tied for sixth in the conference with UKC with 14 points, a 7-10 record, and a three-game losing streak, and sitting two points back of fifth and four back of third, the squad will be faced with multiple “do or die” situations across three games, all at home, for the next two weekends. This weekend, at the McMillan Centre, they welcome the winless Université de Saint-Anne (USTA) Dragons on Saturday, Feb. 8, and the University of King’s ÎçÒ¹av (UKC) Blue Devils on Sunday, Feb. 9.
The Dragons have struggled all season and come into the weekend with 17 consecutive losses and an 8-51 record in set wins and set losses. Nine of their results have been straight-set losses and they have had yet to force a fifth and extra set in a single match. Holland previously beat them 3-1 on Nov. 10 in Pointe-de-l’Elglise. Saturday’s game will be the last between the two teams this season.
The Blue Devils are in the same situation as the Hurricanes, except they don’t carry the pressure of hosting the championships. They are also 7-10 like Holland but recently ended a four-game losing skid, two of which were against Holland, with a 3-2 win against Crandall last Sunday. They have yet to win a set against the Hurricanes as they lost 3-0 to them twice in January in Halifax, N.S.
Riding the momentum from recently earning Hurricanes Women’s Volleyball Player of the Week honours is fourth-year left-side Jamie Spencer (Fort Frances, Ontario), whose past two performances were her best of the season up to this point; across both games, she recorded 26 kills, 18 digs, and one service ace. Second-year setter Hannah Power (Corner Brook, NL) has also shined recently, having recorded 34 assists and seven digs last Saturday against STU; she currently sits fifth in the conference with 7.21 assists per set.
Saturday’s game is at 6 p.m. and Sunday’s game is at 1 p.m with both live streamed at .
Connect with the women’s volleyball ‘Canes at and
.
Men’s Volleyball
The men’s volleyball Hurricanes enter their final two weekends of the regular season simultaneously chasing after second place and defending third place with the 2025 ACAA Volleyball Championships three weekends away.
The next three weekends will see them in action at the McMillan Centre, with this weekend’s penultimate regular-season doubleheader being against the league-leading USTA Dragons on Saturday, Feb. 8 and Sunday, Feb. 9. The Dragons are the favourites heading into the playoffs as they carry a 14-2 record, are on a four-game winning streak, and have won seven of their last eight games. Against the Hurricanes, they last played them in Nov. 2024 in Pointe-de-l’Elglise, winning 3-0 and losing in a reverse-sweep match 3-2.
As for the Hurricanes, while their consistency hasn’t been on par, they have continuously shown they can perform at extremely intense levels and can be a force to be reckoned with. Third-year left-side Carson Gray (Stratford, P.E.I.) continues to have a season for the ages; he recently led his team with 22 kills, 16 digs, four assists, and four service aces across two games against STU, and he sits second in the conference with 220 kills, 3.79 kills per set, and 113 digs, and third in the conference with 1.95 digs per set.
Recently, rookie middle Wason Bulpitt put himself in the spotlight as the next Hurricanes Men’s Volleyball Player of the Week thanks to his strong contributions in last weekend’s doubleheader against STU; he recorded six kills, three digs, and one service ace. Second-year setter John MacKinnon (Grand Tracadie, P.E.I.) has impressed since joining the regular lineup at the start of the second half; he and third-year setter Tyler McBride (Oakville, Ontario) combined for 57 assists last weekend.
Saturday’s game is at 4 p.m. and Sunday’s game is at 11 a.m. Watch live at .
Connect with the men’s volleyball ‘Canes at and
.
Women’s Basketball
The women’s basketball Hurricanes conclude one of their best regular season campaigns in program history this weekend with a pair of games on the road against the UKC Blue Devils in Halifax, N.S.
While the Hurricanes chase the regular season championship and are tied with MSVU for first place with 24 points, the Blue Devils, who are 7-8, hope to steal fourth place from STU, who have 16 points compared to UKC’s 14. It would be a relieving turnaround and a great end to the regular season as they started things off with seven wins across 10 games but have since lost five consecutive games. The last time they played Holland, they lost 85-69 on Oct. 26, 2024 at the McMillan Centre.
This weekend’s doubleheader will feature their final games against Holland before the 2025 ACAA Basketball Championships in Saint John, N.B. In the best-case scenario, the Hurricanes win both games and keep their fingers crossed as MSVU and Mount Allison finish their regular season across the next two weekends; the latter is currently four points back of MSVU and Holland.
Despite some recent losses and close calls, the Hurricanes have won six of their last eight games and eight of their last 10 games, and multiple players have made it clear they’re ready to give the program its first regional championship since 2017. Fifth-year forward Alexa Rancourt (New Dominion, P.E.I.) and third-year guard Lauren Armstrong (Canberra, Australia), who are set to graduate after this season, gave the McMillan Centre crowd one more incredible display of greatness last weekend, recording a combined 64 points, 24 field goals, 15 successful free throws, one three-pointer, 47 rebounds, 14 assists, four steals, and two blocks.
Along with Rancourt and Armstrong, this weekend’s doubleheader will feature the last career ACAA regular season matches for second-year guards Robyne Driscoll (Portugal Cove St. Phillips, NL) and Mariam Elshenoufy (Cairo, Egypt).
Recently, rookie guard Vantaya Talbot (Truro, N.S.) earned herself Hurricanes Female Athlete of the Week and Women’s Basketball Player of the Week honours after recording 12 points, a 5-for-8 field-goal record, a 1-for-2 three-point record, 10 rebounds, eight assists, and three steals in last weekend’s doubleheader against Mount Allison.
Saturday’s game is at 2 p.m. and Sunday’s game is at 1 p.m. Watch the action live at .
Connect with the women’s basketball ‘Canes at and
.
Men’s Basketball
The men’s basketball Hurricanes are riding a high as they enter their final weekend before the 2025 ACAA Championships with an 11-5 record, a six-game winning streak, and eight wins in their last nine games.
While MSVU has mathematically clinched the regular season championship and are eight points ahead of Holland, the Hurricanes hold a four-point advantage in second place ahead of UNBSJ and look to seal the deal this weekend and clinch the second and final bye into the semifinals of the championships. To end things off before a two-week break, Holland will head on the road to Halifax, N.S. to take on the UKC Blue Devils.
Currently, the Blue Devils are sixth in the conference with a 3-12 record, a three-game losing streak, and hold the final playoff spot by four points over Mount Allison. With three games left to play compared to Mount Allison’s four, as long as they pick up a win or two, they can be comfortable with a secured playoff spot. However, there is a potential scenario where the Mounties could steal a playoff spot if things go perfectly the rest of the way, so a win or two for UKC would be beneficial. The Blue Devils and Hurricanes last played each other on Oct. 26, 2024 at the McMillan Centre, with Holland winning 104-80.
Fifth-year guard Bryce Corless (Quispamsis, N.B.) has been making a statement to the rest of the conference across the second half with career-best performances which currently have him leading the conference with 303 points. His recent efforts earned him Hurricanes Male Athlete of the Week and Men’s Basketball Player of the Week honours. In his final career ACAA regular season home games last weekend, he recorded 54 points, an 18-for-34 field-goal record, a 4-for-12 three-point record, 19 rebounds, and four assists.
Along with Corless, four other players will play their final career regular season games as Hurricanes this weekend, including second-year guards Aaron Simmons (Nassau, Bahamas) and James Mullet (Gander, NL), and third-year guards Tyrell Casimir (Dartmouth, N.S.) and Ryan Mackinnon (Summerside, P.E.I.). Simmons put forth one of his best efforts of the season last weekend which propelled him to second in the conference with 280 points and will look to hang on in this weekend’s doubleheader.
Saturday’s game is at 4 p.m. and Sunday’s game is at 3 p.m. The action is available to watch at no charge at .
Connect with the men’s basketball Hurricanes at and
.
Women’s Hockey
The women’s hockey Hurricanes return to the ice this weekend after taking about a month off and will have a lot of valuable points on the line for the next two weekends.
Sitting third in the ACHA with a 2-5-1 record, the young squad looks to end a three-game losing streak and conclude the regular season strong with wins across back-to-back doubleheaders. This weekend, the Hurricanes face the Cape Breton University (CBU) Capers in chapter three of the “Battle of the Islands” season series with games at the Eastlink Centre on Saturday, Feb. 8 and Sunday, Feb. 9.
It will be the third and final time the two teams face each other in a doubleheader before the 2025 ACHA Championships in March and Holland’s first against CBU at home. Both teams are chasing after second place as the league-leading Acadia University Axewomen, who are 7-0-1 with 15 points, have mathematically clinched the regular season championship for the first time since 2023.
CBU sits two points above Holland in the standings with a 3-5 record and recently lost back-to-back games against Acadia, who have yet to lose in regulation this season. The Capers have been led by players like leading scorer and veteran forward Jeneva Marshall, veteran defenseman Leila Ludyka, and goaltenders Emily O’Neil and Meghan Muise. The Hurricanes are 1-3 against the Capers so far, winning 5-3 and losing 4-3 in Nov. 2024, and losing in overtime 3-2 and in regulation 4-3 this past January; all four games were on the road.
As for Holland, while their record is less than ideal, it’s interesting to note six of their eight games played thus far have had one-goal differentials, and they’ve never lost by more than two goals. While multiple players have shined offensively, and fourth-year goaltender Emma Arsenault (Searletown, P.E.I.) has continued to fulfill a great legacy in the net, defensive improvements and better clutch performances will be important these next two weekends.
The squad will benefit from the returns of third-year star forwards Livi Lawlor (Sherwood, P.E.I.) and Abbey Gordon (Murray Harbour, P.E.I.), who are back in the lineup this weekend after missing last month’s road trip doubleheader.
Leading the charge statistically is second-year forward and captain Kristyn Taylor (Summerside, P.E.I.), who has recorded four goals and four assists across eight games; three of her goals have come against CBU. During the team’s previous doubleheader in Cape Breton, she scored two goals and was awarded Hurricanes Women’s Hockey Player of the Week honours. Rookie forward Cassie Gordon (Murray Harbour, P.E.I.) has made a great impression thus far since her transition from the Major U18 Eastern Stars with two goals and three assists in eight games.
In January, multiple players scored their first career ACHA regular season goal, including rookie forward Gabrielle LeBlanc (Middleton, N.S.), rookie defenseman Emmy Parsons (Sackville, N.B.), and veteran defenseman Emma MacKinnon (Cornwall, P.E.I.).
Saturday’s game is at 1:30 p.m. and Sunday’s game is at 11:15 a.m. Catch the games live at .
Connect with the women’s hockey ‘Canes at and .
For more information on the Holland Hurricanes, visit , , and .
-30-
140 Weymouth Street, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada C1A 4Z1
Tel: 1-800-446-5265 | Fax: 902-629-4239