After a long winter layoff for the York Lions’ men’s hockey team, the team travelled south to Tucson, Arizona to take on the University of Arizona Wildcats in a pair of exhibition matchups.
The men’s team was looking to get back on the winning track in Arizona after dropping their final two games of the fall semester to the Lakehead Thunderwolves at the Canlan Ice Sports Arena. The two losses dropped York’s record to 8-8, placing them seventh in the West division of the Ontario University Athletics league, with 12 games remaining in the schedule.
The Wildcats are the second of two cross-border opponents the Lions have taken on this season, having taken a trip to Ithaca, New York earlier in the season, where they lost 7-2 at the hands of the Cornell Big Red.
Arizona is a member of the American Collegiate Hockey Association and are currently ranked 14th with a 10-12 record. Prior to earning varsity sport status from the school in 2012, the Arizona Icecats, as they were known, boasted a record of 634-217-23 in their 32-year existence.
Fortunately for York, the trip to Arizona would prove much more fruitful than the one to New York, as the Lions were able to correct their losing ways with two big wins over their American opponents.
In the first game on January 3 at the Tucson Convention Center, York was able to snatch a victory away from the Wildcats after a flurry of first-period power play goals left the game tied at 2-2. After a scoreless second, York was able to secure the game winner early in the third period, giving the Lions a 3-2 win.
After a close-knit contest the night before, the second game of the back to back did not live up to the first game’s hype. The following night on January 4, York overwhelmed Arizona from the first whistle as they cruised to a 7-1 victory.
Although the wins do not count in the standings, any big wins will help the team’s morale heading into the homestretch this season. The Lions have proven time and time again that they can play solid hockey, and their successful trip down south could lead to a resurgence in the second half of the season.
York will play a series of seven critical games against Waterloo, Laurier, Guelph, and Brock to start off the winter semester. If the Lions can emerge from those games relatively unscathed, their path to the playoffs will be much clearer than it sits at the moment.
York returns to OUA action on January 8 in St. Catherines as they take on the Brock Badgers. York sits just one point ahead of the Badgers in the OUA West standings. Puck drop is at 7:15 p.m.
