By Reegan MacAulay
The Holland Hurricanes experienced an excellent weekend in their push toward playoff season. Most notably, each basketball team ended their regular season campaigns with wins on the road and the women’s volleyball and hockey teams went undefeated at home.
Here’s what occurred in 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 entered the weekend on the brink of potentially missing the playoffs as the championship-hosting team. Knowing they had to put forth their best performances of the season, they exited the weekend with back-to-back straight-set victories at home against the Universite de Saint-Anne (USTA) Dragons and the University of King’s ÎçÒ¹av (UKC) Blue Devils; the latter featured an ending that fans will remember for a long time.
On Saturday, Holland welcomed the winless Dragons to the McMillan Centre and made sure to come out of that day’s match with an easy victory. They dominated the first set, jumping out to a 17-9 lead and continuing to extend it en route to a 25-14 set win. Third-year right-side Charlotte Sweetapple (Corner Brook, NL) impressed early with five kills, two block assists, and a service ace. USTA fought back early in set two but the Hurricanes eventually pulled ahead from an 11-11 tie to take the set 25-18. They then had a monstrous third and final set, using nine and seven-point runs to win 25-10. Holland improved their record to 8-10 and ended a three-game losing streak whilst USTA dropped to 0-18, remaining winless with two games remaining in their regular season campaign.
On Sunday, the Hurricanes were met by the Blue Devils, who were coming off a close 3-2 loss against Crandall on Saturday and needed to win to maintain a shot at playoff contention. Leads were exchanged early in the first set until Holland jumped ahead from an 8-8 tie to lead 21-10. UKC briefly scared them with a six-point run but the Hurricanes came in clutch late to win 25-18. The second set was relatively the same as Holland took a 2-0 game lead with a 25-19 set win.
The late stages of the third and final set featured what may go down as one of the best comebacks in Hurricanes history. After some early point exchanges, the Blue Devils began to pull ahead and were up 23-17, two points away from forcing an extra set. However, after Hurricanes head coach Craig Hoskins called a timeout, his squad shocked the entire McMillan Centre crowd by tying the score 24-24 and, thanks to two big blocks by Sweetapple and third-year middle Abby Macdonald (Charlottetown, P.E.I.), winning the set 26-24.
Sweetapple tallied 12 kills, eight digs, six block assists, four service aces, and two assists across both games. Fourth-year left-side Jenna O’Neill (Cornwall, P.E.I.) had a strong weekend with 21 kills, 17 digs, one assist, and one service ace. Rookie setter/libero Marissa O’Donnell (Fredericton, N.B.) impressed with 42 assists and seven digs.
While the Blue Devils dropped to 7-12 and are now mathematically ineligible for the playoffs, the Hurricanes improved to 9-10 and are now tied with Dalhousie for fifth in the standings with 18 points; both teams are two back of STU.
Holland will conclude the regular season next Saturday, Feb. 15 at home against the second-place 15-4 UNBSJ Seawolves, who the Hurricanes remain winless against so far this season.
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Men’s Volleyball
The men’s volleyball Hurricanes came incredibly close to upsetting the USTA Dragons two more times after doing so last November, falling short in both games of this past weekend’s McMillan Centre doubleheader.
On Saturday, fans witnessed an intense match that ended in heartbreak for their home team. The Hurricanes were fiery out of the gates, jumping out to a 13-3 lead in the first set with great serving help from second-year setter John MacKinnon (Grand Tracadie, P.E.I.). USTA attempted to rally back but was unsuccessful as Holland held on 25-17. The Dragons battled harder early in the second set but Holland pulled ahead again and never looked back, winning 25-17 again.
Unfortunately, USTA saved their superior form for the end, storming back with three consecutive set wins to steal the match. Despite the loss, the Hurricanes kept things tight throughout the final three sets and never gave up.
On Sunday, the Dragons had the best start, jumping out to leads of 8-2, 12-4, and 16-5 in the first set, which they won 25-7; the Hurricanes called two timeouts in the first set alone. Holland bounced back early in the second set, pulling ahead 11-8, but their lead was quickly swallowed by a seven-point run. They regained the lead which got exchanged multiple times until the Hurricanes ultimately held on 25-22. They went on to dominate the third set 25-13, taking a 2-1 game lead and, once again, being one set win away from victory.
USTA kept the game going with a close 25-22 fourth-set win, taking advantage of a late timeout to seal the deal. For most of the fifth and final set, Holland kept the deficit at one point. Sadly, the Dragons went from up 10-9 to recording a five-point run en route to a doubleheader sweep.
Despite the losses, third-year left-side Carson Gray (Stratford, P.E.I.) continued his dominant ways, recording 35 kills, 20 digs, and two assists across the weekend. Third-year setter Tyler McBride (Oakville, Ontario) contributed 72 assists, 18 digs, two kills, and one service ace. Second-year left-side Dominik Pineau (Cornwall, P.E.I.) scored 19 kills, 13 digs, two block assists, one assist, and one service ace.
The Hurricanes dropped to 9-9 after the weekend, putting them out of reach for second in the standings and extending their losing streak to four games. The Dragons improved to 16-2, extending their winning streak to six games.
Holland will look to defend third place and end the regular season on a high note next weekend with a McMillan Centre doubleheader against the fourth-place 7-11 UNBSJ Seawolves.
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Women’s Basketball
The women’s basketball Hurricanes ended their regular season campaign with one of their best halves in program history at 8-2 which capped off with back-to-back victories against the UKC Blue Devils this past weekend in Halifax, N.S.
Saturday’s game saw back-and-forth action within the first two minutes of the first quarter. Holland slowly extended the gap over the next few minutes and led 25-16 by the final buzzer. They remained strong throughout the second quarter and grew their lead to 43-30 by halftime and 20-16 at the end of quarter three. The Hurricanes went on to take the game 83-65 despite the fourth and final quarter having a one-point difference in it alone.
Sunday’s game was almost the same but it was a dominant first quarter by Holland that would pay off by the end, as 27 points compared to UKC’s 12 in the quarter alone was a big difference compared to what the next three quarters offered (18-17, 21-18, 20-18 UKC).
Third-year guard Lauren Armstrong (Canberra, Australia) made sure to end the regular season portion of her Hurricanes career with a statement ahead of her final chase for an ACAA championship, recording her best doubleheader performance with 48 points, a 15-for-32 field-goal record, a 3-for-4 three-point record, a 15-for-17 free-throw record, 18 rebounds, eight assists, three steals, and one block.
Rookie guard Nykeva Brown (Halifax, N.S.) also had a career-best weekend, tallying 36 points, a 14-for-27 field-goal record, an 8-for-12 free-throw record, 27 rebounds, five assists, and seven steals.
The Hurricanes repeated their 2022-23 regular-season record at 14-4 but remain tied with MSVU for the conference lead with 28 points; the final standings will be determined once MSVU completes their final game next Saturday. Holland is on break for the next two weekends and will return to action in early March for the 2025 ACAA Basketball Championships in Saint John, N.B., seeking to end a six-year championship-less streak (excluding 2020-21 due to COVID-19) and a three-year streak of semifinal losses.
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Men’s Basketball
The men’s basketball Hurricanes also repeated their 2022-23 regular-season record at 13-5. This time, however, they concluded another fantastic campaign with a doubleheader sweep against the UKC Blue Devils in Halifax, N.S., which capped their recent winning streak at eight games between Jan. 18 and Feb. 9.
On Saturday, the squad was counted on to step up against the 3-12 Blue Devils with fifth-year guard and ACAA points leader Bryce Corless (Quispamsis, N.B.) out of the lineup. With the absence of their top player, Holland had a rough start, only leading 17-15 at the end of quarter one. Their scoring slowly ramped up in the second quarter after head coach Tim Kendrick called a timeout at a 28-28 tie, as third-year guards Spencer Rossiter (Summerside, P.E.I.) and Zachary Dawkins (Edmonton, Alberta) contributed multiple free throws, three-pointers, and layups to give the team a 44-36 lead at halftime. Things remained close in the third quarter but the Hurricanes finally exploded in the fourth quarter, outscoring UKC 22-11 and winning the game 84-62.
On Sunday, Corless returned to the lineup and did his usual thing of boosting the team’s offense. Although they had another slow start, leading only 27-26 after one quarter, the Hurricanes stormed back onto the court with firepower and outscored the Blue Devils 57-28 across quarters two and three alone; Corless and second-year guard Aaron Simmons (Nassau, Bahamas) each recorded a plethora of field goals and three-pointers. The fourth quarter saw each team swap points but the Hurricanes were already far enough ahead to ultimately claim the game win 105-72.
Simmons led the team across both games with 45 points, a 20-for-32 field-goal record, a 2-for-4 three-point record, a 3-for-3 free-throw record, 13 rebounds, seven assists, and three steals. Rossiter collected 36 points, a 12-for-22 field-goal record, a 5-for-13 three-point record, a 7-for-10 free-throw record, eight rebounds, two assists, and seven steals. Corless added 19 points, an 8-for-17 field-goal record, a 1-for-6 three-point record, a 2-for-2 free throw record, five rebounds, three assists, and three steals on Sunday.
The Hurricanes will enter the 2025 ACAA Championships as the second seed (second and final bye into the semifinals) and await their semifinal opponent once the tournament arrives and quarterfinal matches commence. Like the women, they are also on break till early March. While they had a spectacular finish to regular season competition, the now 3-14 Blue Devils will look to end their season strong and snap a five-game losing streak next Saturday.
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Women’s Hockey
The women’s hockey Hurricanes snapped their three-game losing streak with their first regular season doubleheader sweep this past weekend and first wins since Nov. 30, 2024, defeating the Cape Breton University (CBU) Capers on Saturday and Sunday at the Eastlink Centre in tight matches.
On Saturday, each team began the final chapter of their “Battle of the Islands” regular season series ahead of the 2025 ACHA Championships in March. The Hurricanes were first on the scoresheet as, when Capers defenseman Leila Ludyka tried to fire the puck out of reach of third-year forward Livi Lawlor (Sherwood, P.E.I.) near the net, she put it in her own net, giving Holland a 1-0 lead with 18:27 remaining in the first period. The rest of the first period and most of the second, which included multiple penalties, went scoreless. It wouldn’t be till 1:04 left in period two when Capers forward Jeneva Marshall jammed the puck past fourth-year goaltender Emma Arsenault’s (Searletown, P.E.I.) left pad to tie the game 1-1.
The Hurricanes didn’t take long to respond in the third period; with 16:46 remaining, rookie forward Adyson MacGillivray (Fall River, N.S.) skated from zone-to-zone, through multiple players alongside both team benches, and ripped a bar-down shot past Capers goaltender Morgan Muise for her first career ACHA goal. Later, on a power play, rookie forward Cassie Gordon (Murray Harbour, P.E.I.) gained puck possession after a blocked Emmy Parsons (Sackville, N.B.) shot and buried a rebound home to extend Holland’s lead to 3-1, which was the final score.
Holland improved their record to 3-5-1, while CBU’s record dropped to 3-6-0. Arsenault stopped 30 of CBU’s 31 shots en route to her third win this season. Muise denied 30 of Holland’s 33 shots and her record dropped to 1-2-0.
On Sunday, fans were treated to a roller coaster of a battle in the two team’s final regular season match against each other. It took over 15 minutes for the first goal scored by CBU’s Amira Paul. Early in the second period, the Capers extended their lead to 2-0 with a power play goal by Lauren Barrett. About six minutes later, the unthinkable happened, as the Hurricanes potted three goals within 1:04 to take a 3-2 lead. Rookie forward Emma Carey (Yellowknife, NWT) tipped a shot from the blue line by fourth-year defenseman Emma MacKinnon (Cornwall, P.E.I.), MacGillivray scored on a rebound in front of the net from a shot by second-year forward Kailey Lutley (Stratford, P.E.I.), and second-year forward Josee Allain (Bouctouche, N.B.) ripped a slap shot from the point for her first goal this season.
In the third period, Lutley added a rebound goal with 18:21 remaining to make it 4-2 Holland. Unfortunately, the team’s momentum was cut short when CBU’s Ella MacLean scored a shorthanded breakaway goal with 10:03 remaining and was followed by a Marley Hiscock goal under three minutes later that tied the game 4-4. Nobody scored in overtime, forcing the first shootout in ACHA history. The Hurricanes went 2-for-2 with goals by Cassie Gordon and second-year forward and captain Kristyn Taylor (Summerside, P.E.I.), while the Capers went 1-for-3 with their only goal by Belle Jacobs, and Arsenault made the game-winning save against MacLean.
Arsenault made 24 saves on 28 shots in regulation and improved her record to 4-4-1 while CBU’s Emily O’Neill recorded 36 saves on 40 shots; her record dropped to 2-2-1 in her fifth start this season. Holland’s two victories over the weekend leapfrogged them to second place over CBU, now sitting two points ahead (nine versus seven) with one doubleheader remaining per team.
The Hurricanes will conclude their regular season campaign next weekend with back-to-back home games at the Eastlink Centre against the league-leading Acadia University Axewomen, who are 7-0-1, have won their last six games, and have yet to lose in regulation. So far, Holland is 1-3-0 against Acadia with a 2-0 loss and 3-2 overtime win in Oct. 2024, and 3-2 and 2-1 losses in Nov. 2024.
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