2023/24 OUA Thread

[MiamiHockeyII]

The rink in Windsor is pretty mediocre , looks like the rinks I play at in Burtts Corner , Minto etc … quite the range of rinks in the OUA , I personally love McConell Arena, went to see a game when I was down to see the Habs and Rocket which made for a helluva fun week of hockey.

McConnell FEELS like a college arena. Beautiful facility.

I love the look of Columbia Ice Field, but man is it tough to watch a game in there. If they say it has a capacity of 680, they are including every spot along the boards.

My personal OUA favourites for attending a game are:
1) Varsity Arena ... if the U of T has done one thing right, it is to preserve its heritage buildings.
2) McConnell Arena ... college hockey personified
3) Colisee (UQTR) ... what a hockey arena should look like
4) Mattamy Centre ... a bit spacious, but the roof!

I quite enjoy games at:
1) Constantine Rink (RMC) ... so intimate
2) Memorial Centre (Queens) ... Long Live the Queen
3) North Bay (Nipissing) ... Memorial Centre vibes

The following barns should be razed and never spoken of again:
1) Thompson Arena (Western) ... the Big Owe in Montreal has more atmosphere
2) Capri Pizza (Windsor) ... why?
3) UOIT Campus Ice Centre ... zero atmosphere ... cookie-cutter
4) Gryphon Centre (Guelph) ... could they have put the stands any further from the ice?
5) Canlan (York) ... York should not have varsity sports, period.
6) Minto (uOttawa) ... makes me sad ... the Gee-Gees deserve better.

Laurier, Brock, Concordia, and Carleton have newer rinks that are nice enough to enjoy a game, but not so nice that you'd make a special trip there for the atmosphere. They are, at best, inoffensive.

 

[AdamMcg83]

McConnell FEELS like a college arena. Beautiful facility.

I love the look of Columbia Ice Field, but man is it tough to watch a game in there. If they say it has a capacity of 680, they are including every spot along the boards.

My personal OUA favourites for attending a game are:
1) Varsity Arena ... if the U of T has done one thing right, it is to preserve its heritage buildings.
2) McConnell Arena ... college hockey personified
3) Colisee (UQTR) ... what a hockey arena should look like
4) Mattamy Centre ... a bit spacious, but the roof!

I quite enjoy games at:
1) Constantine Rink (RMC) ... so intimate
2) Memorial Centre (Queens) ... Long Live the Queen
3) North Bay (Nipissing) ... Memorial Centre vibes

The following barns should be razed and never spoken of again:
1) Thompson Arena (Western) ... the Big Owe in Montreal has more atmosphere
2) Capri Pizza (Windsor) ... why?
3) UOIT Campus Ice Centre ... zero atmosphere ... cookie-cutter
4) Gryphon Centre (Guelph) ... could they have put the stands any further from the ice?
5) Canlan (York) ... York should not have varsity sports, period.
6) Minto (uOttawa) ... makes me sad ... the Gee-Gees deserve better.

Laurier, Brock, Concordia, and Carleton have newer rinks that are nice enough to enjoy a game, but not so nice that you'd make a special trip there for the atmosphere. They are, at best, inoffensive.

Ah the Icefield. I've called over 100 games on oua TV (and SSN - aging myself on that one!) and it's a totally unique atmosphere.

I can say that 680 is, in fact, capacity - we hit that number twice during Waterloo's run in 2013 (game 2 of the West final against Windsor, and the Queen's Cups game that UQTR won). With a lot of people, and the awesome wooden roof, the sound reverberates. Some players in '13 said it was louder than any league championship game or mem cup they'd ever played in.
Having said all that...the sightlines can be tough, because there are only 3-4 rows of bleachers (my vantage point from the media box is the best in the house, though!) It's warmer now since the renovations a few years back, but still can be very frigid. Both benches and penalty boxes are all on the same side, directly under the camera used on the streams. It's also much brighter and better lighting than appears on camera.
It's an old rink, but the players love that it's on campus, and part of a large athletics facility that includes gym spaces and the new fieldhouse. Always able to get ice, and the players can hang out and do homework or just relax between classes.

 

[FreddyFoyle]

I would agree that on-campus rinks are probably a recruiting plus. Everyone in the AUS has an on-campus rink except Dal, who seem to have the hardest time recruiting. Coincidence?

 

[MiamiHockeyII]

I would agree that on-campus rinks are probably a recruiting plus. Everyone in the AUS has an on-campus rink except Dal, who seem to have the hardest time recruiting. Coincidence?

Without question, being on-campus helps, although I suspect that for Dal it's more a symptom of a general University-level disinterest in athletics rather than a cause. What athletics-oriented President in their right mind would tear down a beautiful on-campus rink?

More important than being on-campus or off-campus, though, is the atmosphere.

McConnell is technically on-campus, but so far up the hill it might as well be off-campus. Same with Thompson Arena at Western ... you're not going there for lunch. UQTR's is off-campus, but not far. Does UOIT even have a campus? (JK ... it does ... but barely).

 

[AUS Fan]

I would agree that on-campus rinks are probably a recruiting plus. Everyone in the AUS has an on-campus rink except Dal, who seem to have the hardest time recruiting. Coincidence?

DAL has some good teams when Darrell (and myself) was there. Fabian had a couple of decent teams, but when Stieny got cookin', SMU got better and DAL got worse.

The Pete Belliveau "incident" put a real damper on recruiting at DAL for several years. Having the rink torn down around the same time certainly didn't help matters.

Even when SMU and DAL were both playing out of the Forum, SMU was generally able to recruit better, again probably a factor of the admin looking over everyone's shoulder.

It took Donnelly a couple of years to clean out the "paid employees", but since then he has worked very hard to recruit. As a fan, I'm glad to see DAL improving because it makes the games more enjoyable to watch.

 

[AUS Fan]

"Without question, being on-campus helps, although I suspect that for Dal it's more a symptom of a general University-level disinterest in athletics rather than a cause. What athletics-oriented President in their right mind would tear down a beautiful on-campus rink?"

Bingo. DAL has been about academics first for many years. Their money comes from foreign students, so the idea of a residence in place of the rink is a no-brainer.

 

[Rob]

1) Thompson Arena (Western) ... the Big Owe in Montreal has more atmosphere

It looks like they stuck a hockey rink in the middle of an indoor track and field facility.
I've heard the stands are quite far from the ice surface as well. Not a great place to watch a game.


I was at the Minto Sports Complex in September watch UNB play an exhibition game against the Gee Gees. Very uncomfortable seating. I stood most of the game.

 

[Rob]

A noteworthy game. UQTR beats McGill 11-5. Goaltenders for both teams chased.
Over 1200 fans in attendance.

 

[Lakeheadfan95]

A noteworthy game. UQTR beats McGill 11-5. Goaltenders for both teams chased.
Over 1200 fans in attendance.

Looks like McGill goalies got chased more than once lol

 

[Rob]

Guelph beat Uof T 6-3 in front of 1200 fans.
I actually watched some of this game last night. It was nice to see the rink packed. I believe it was the "Business Cup" game so there were a lot of students in the crowd.
The broadcasts for Guelph Hockey are excellent. They are up there with TMU Bold.

 

[AdamMcg83]

Remember when UQTR lost their first two, and we were wondering what they'd be? Les Patriotes are cooking - they've won 11 of 13 since, and have been cruising, despite dressing only 16-17 skaters recently.
Last night, Lakehead had a 3-1 lead at home late in the 2nd, before UQTR rattled off five straight goals (including a natural hat trick from Simon LaFrance) to win 6-3.
This is the best Patriotes (and OUA) team I've seen in years - they should be considered on the same level as UNB or Calgary.

 

[RED ARMY EAST]

Better than last year and the 2022 championship team?
This is a surprise with the amount of new freshmen and the loss of a lot of key veteran players.
They have done an excellent job of recruiting.
UNB was loaded with freshmen last year, but possibly better this year?

 

[Rob]

So I was jumping around between games on OUA TV. Checked out the Lakehead stream and was shocked. It was actually watchable. Must have been enough complaints that they finally cleared things up. As for the game itself the upset McGill 5-3. Things got ugly at the end. Will have to check the box score to see if any misconducts were handed out.

https://x.com/BenSteiner00/status/1728601803712045087?s=20

In another OUA game of note Laurier upset Brock 5-2.

 

[AdamMcg83]

Better than last year and the 2022 championship team?
This is a surprise with the amount of new freshmen and the loss of a lot of key veteran players.
They have done an excellent job of recruiting.
UNB was loaded with freshmen last year, but possibly better this year?

Opinion of one: they look better to me than even the past two years. Could just be schedule/hot streak/whatever, but if they're clicking on all cylinders come March, they'll be a tough out at Nationals.

 

[northvanman]

Concordia puts 70 shots on goal in last night's 5-4 loss to Laurier. This includes 33 shots on goal by Concordia in the second period...making that total even more remarkable is that there was only one PP in the second and it belonged to WLU Ontario University Athletics

 

[Rob]

Concordia puts 70 shots on goal in last night's 5-4 loss to Laurier. This includes 33 shots on goal by Concordia in the second period...making that total even more remarkable is that there was only one PP in the second and it belonged to WLU Ontario University Athletics

I think the boxscore may be incorrect. I watched the third period online last night and the shots were 60. Still impressive though.

 

[Rob]

OUA East - UQTR has really come on strong and should be headed back to the Nationals. There will be a good battle for second between McGill, Concordia, Queens and Carleton.

OUA West - Although they lost their last two I expect Brock to come out of the West. UofT and the hosts TMU will battle for second. The other teams don't seem to be a factor.

 

[Lakeheadfan95]

OUA East - UQTR has really come on strong and should be headed back to the Nationals. There will be a good battle for second between McGill, Concordia, Queens and Carleton.

OUA West - Although they lost their last two I expect Brock to come out of the West. UofT and the hosts TMU will battle for second. The other teams don't seem to be a factor.

Lakehead will be better once cicigoi is back they're 5-1-1 when he plays hopefully his ankles healed Jan 5th

 

[Rob]

Lakehead will be better once cicigoi is back they're 5-1-1 when he plays hopefully his ankles healed Jan 5th

Well he definitely has better numbers than Wright.

Would really like to see Lakehead back at the Nationals. They have such a great fanbase.

 

[Lakeheadfan95]

Well he definitely has better numbers than Wright.

Would really like to see Lakehead back at the Nationals. They have such a great fanbase.

Wright has been terrible this year seems like game 3 against wimdsor last year has destroyed his confidence he was good last year

 

[thook]

Wright has been terrible this year seems like game 3 against wimdsor last year has destroyed his confidence he was good last year

They should be giving Aiken more of a chance. Wright was aikens backup at one time for a reason.

 

[AdamMcg83]

Here's a wild OUA stat at the midway point: Waterloo has dressed 30 different players already, due to injuries (and at times, suspensions). At one point in mid November, they were missing 9 regulars from their opening night lineup, including 3 of their top 6 fwds, 2 of their top 4 D, and half of their goaltending duo. I don't know if I've ever seen a team dress 30 different players in a season before, much less in a semester.

 

[AUS Fan]

Here's a wild OUA stat at the midway point: Waterloo has dressed 30 different players already, due to injuries (and at times, suspensions). At one point in mid November, they were missing 9 regulars from their opening night lineup, including 3 of their top 6 fwds, 2 of their top 4 D, and half of their goaltending duo. I don't know if I've ever seen a team dress 30 different players in a season before, much less in a semester.

WOW!!!!!

I didn't think you could fill a suspension. I thought the spot was lost until the guy came back.

 

[AdamMcg83]

WOW!!!!!

I didn't think you could fill a suspension. I thought the spot was lost until the guy came back.

They filled with players already on the roster, so maybe that's the difference! They came into the year with 30 rostered players, and only had to add a third goalie early in the year after an injury to Matt Onuska. It was just one of those years where the numbers grew with a big recruiting class and a lot of returnees.

 

[Rob]

Concordia Stingers leading scorer Charlies-Antoine Paiement has left the program for the ECHL.