By Reegan MacAulay
The Holland Hurricanes officially conclude the 2024-25 collegiate athletics season this weekend with the women’s hockey team heading to Cape Breton Island for the 2025 ACHA Championship, where they look to make history and win three consecutive regional titles.
Here’s how it will all go down in Atlantic Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) action between Saturday, March 8 and Sunday, March 9.
Women’s Hockey
The women’s hockey Hurricanes ended the regular season in second place with a 4-5-1 (W-L-OTL/SOL) record. Unfortunately, due to the cancellation of their regular-season finale at home against the Acadia University Axewomen earlier this month, the team wound up finishing with more losses than wins for the first time since 2020.
Despite what their regular-season record may indicate, it no longer matters going into championship weekend, which offers a clean slate with a grand opportunity to reset and peak at the perfect time. The team’s regular season results show interesting trends; no single game had a deficit worse than two goals and five of their six losses had a one-goal difference. While the offseason roster overhaul showed its toll early in the season, the young and retooling squad has steadily proven they can compete at a high level, stay alive at all costs, and be frustrating to play against. They look to capitalize on the momentum from their most recent doubleheader in February that featured crucial back-to-back wins on home ice against the Cape Breton University (CBU) Capers.
The chase for a three-peat begins on Saturday, March 8 with an early riser at 9 a.m. against the Axewomen, who won the regular season championship for the first time since 2022-23 with a 9-0-1 record. An offensively dominant and defensively tight team, they recently extended their winning streak to eight games with a close doubleheader sweep against the Capers in Sydney, N.S. Holland went 1-3-0 against Acadia during the regular season. While the puck drops for the Hurricanes on Saturday, the tournament will commence on Friday, March 7 with the Axewomen facing the Capers at 6pm.
Later on Saturday, the Hurricanes return to the ice at 5:30 p.m. against the Capers. Although CBU struggled for most of the regular season, ending with a 3-7-2 record and falling short of second place by a single point, they always kept games close and showed clear improvement compared to previous seasons. Their efforts have made it clear that any team could win this year’s championship due to the fierce and intense parity each game has offered. Holland went 3-2-1 against CBU in a dogfight of a regular season series, which ended with two nail-biting playoff-esque matches last month at the Eastlink Centre.
After Friday’s and Saturday’s matches, two games will be contested on Sunday, March 9. The top-finishing team points-wise will automatically clinch a spot in the championship game at 2 p.m., while second and third place will duke it out in semifinal action at 9 a.m. with the winner moving on.
Captain and second-year forward Kristyn Taylor (Summerside, P.E.I.) finished the regular season as Holland’s leading scorer, recording a career-best four goals and five assists in 10 games. Named to the 2023-24 ACHA 2nd All-Star Team during last year’s championship, she knows and has experienced what it takes to win the big prize, bringing success from an outstanding first season as a Hurricane (gold in regional hockey and soccer, bronze at soccer nationals at home) and a lengthy minor hockey career. Notably, this season, three of her four goals were scored against CBU on the road, so look out for her to remain a force to be reckoned with on Cape Breton Island.
Six players from the program’s 2023 championship-winning roster are ready to continue the team’s streak and five have a chance to be part of the entire three-peat run if successful this weekend. Fourth-year goaltender Emma Arsenault (Searletown, P.E.I.) ended the regular season with a 4-4-1 record in nine games, a 2.67 goals-against-average and a 0.928 save percentage (second-best in the league), building upon an incredible legacy that could become even more legendary this weekend.
Speedy forwards Livi Lawlor (Charlottetown, P.E.I.) and Abbey Gordon (Murray Harbour, P.E.I.) combined for three goals in eight regular season games. Gritty defensemen Emma MacKinnon (Cornwall, P.E.I.) and Hillary Quilty (Cornwall, P.E.I.) have been part of the journey since 2023 while offensive defenseman Emma Stuart (Bridgewater, N.S.), who took a break last season, hopes to put the icing on the cake to what has been a solid return to the lineup this season.
Joining Taylor as sophomores going for back-to-back championships include forwards Josie Lynch (Lunenburg, N.S.), Josee Allain (Bouctouche, N.B.), and Kailey Lutley (Stratford, P.E.I.). All three players combined for three goals and four assists over the regular season. Former Axewoman and second-year Hurricanes forward Bri Hughes (Kinkora, P.E.I.) will embark on her third ACHA championship run seeking her second title as a Hurricane.
Meanwhile, the entire other half of the team looks to capitalize on the experience they’ve built and the lessons they’ve learned as rookies by producing breakout performances this weekend. Forward and former Eastern Stars U18 prodigy Cassie Gordon (Murray Harbour, P.E.I.) has been a rising talent since becoming a Hurricane, scoring three goals and four assists in 10 games. Forward and faceoff ace Adyson MacGillivray (Fall River, N.S.) had her best weekend on Feb. 8-9, recording two goals in two games against CBU, one of which being a highlight-reel bar-down goal that was her first in the ACHA and the game-winner in game one.
Forwards Gabrielle LeBlanc (Middleton, N.S.) and Emma Carey (Yellowknife, NT) have been vital depth pieces all season, adding a mix of speed and grit. Defensemen Emmy Parsons (Sackville, N.B.), Ella Marshall (Bridgetown, N.S.), Ella Duffy (Stratford, P.E.I.), and Tori Acorn (Cornwall, P.E.I.) form a young defense group that has made an immediate impact and is filled with valuable parity in terms of playing styles, personalities, and on and off-ice contributions. Goaltender Olivia Holt (Cornwall, P.E.I.) is always ready to step between the pipes if needed.
All games will be broadcast live on YouTube at for free.
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