Weekend Recap - Week 16

Thunder Athletics was busy again this past weekend with Basketball, Hockey, Indoor Track and Volleyball all in action. Here’s what happened last week:

Basketball

Thunder Basketball was rolling this weekend against the Northwestern Polytechnic (NWP) Wolves as Women’s Basketball were victorious in both games vs. NWP and Men’s Basketball won one of two against the Wolves.

Friday night, Women’s Basketball dominated NWP, defeating the Wolves 65-30. Concordia’s defense stifled NWP throughout the game, holding them to just 21.7% shooting from the field and 11.8% from three-point range. The Thunder were led by standout performances from Chloe Sutherland, who scored 16 points with 7 rebounds and 4 steals, and Grethe Winchell, who contributed 12 points on 6 for 9 shooting. Saturday was more of the same for the Thunder, as they cruised to 68-36 victory over the Wolves. The Thunder took over early, scoring 29 points in the first quarter, and sealed the game with a commanding 25-point fourth quarter. Key contributors included Haley Cleland, who led the offense with 16 points and 6 rebounds, and Georgia Bowman, who added 15 points, 3 rebounds, and 4 assists. Concordia's defense forced 29 turnovers and limited NWP to just 22.6% shooting, while the Thunder capitalized with 25 assists and a well-rounded scoring effort. 

Friday for Men’s Basketball was a close contest where the Thunder ultimately fell to the Wolves 71-64. O’Ryan Wallace led the charge with an impressive 25-point performance, while Kyler Dutka controlled the boards with 15 rebounds. After a tough first half, Concordia found momentum in the third quarter, outscoring Northwestern 20-14 and getting the game to within one, but struggled to maintain offensive efficiency in the final frame. Saturday was another tight game for Men’s Basketball, but this time they were victorious, edging out the Wolves 73-70. After a dominant 42-30 first half for the Thunder, the Wolves crept their way back into the game outsourcing the Thunder in the third and fourth quarters. Thanks to an impressive 17 point, 14 rebound, 4 assist, 4 block performance from Kyler Dutka, combined with a 16 point 5 rebound game from senior Alex MacLean, CUE was able to hold on and grab the win.

Both teams will be playing once again this weekend, hosting the U of A Augustana Vikings on Friday, then travelling to Camrose to play the Vikings on the road. Both teams are an identical 7-9 and both are holding onto the fourth and final playoff spot in the ACAC North Division for their respective leagues. It will be a battle to the end for both teams, as multiple teams are pushing to get in right until the final weekend of regular season play.

Hockey 

It was a huge weekend for Men’s Hockey as they faced off against the Red Deer Polytechnic Kings on Friday and Saturday. A battle of last year's ACAC Hockey Final, Concordia had something to prove.

Friday night at Clareview Rec Centre saw Concordia secure a 6-4 victory over Red Deer Polytechnic. The game opened with an early goal from Concordia's Zachery Carlson just 29 seconds in, setting the tone for a high-scoring affair. Carlson struck again early in the second period, but Red Deer responded with three quick goals from Holden Knights, Nolan Doell, and Tristan Baumung to briefly take the lead. The Thunder regained momentum late in the second with goals from Isaac Leik and Zach Cunningham putting the score at 4-3 going into the third period. Despite a third-period goal by Red Deer’s Alex Bernauer, goals from Concordia's Carson Kurylo and Ethyn Hopp put the game away for the Thunder. Dylan Handel and Zachary Cunningham led with standout performances for CUE, both racking up 4 points, while goaltender Griffin Bowerman made 37 saves to secure the win.

Saturday night was another high scoring game, with Concordia again coming out on top 6-5 in the shootout. Red Deer struck first in the opening period with a goal from Kevin Minnoch, but Concordia responded with a dominant second period, scoring four times, including two goals from Isaac Leik. Red Deer clawed back in the third with power-play goals from Deegan Mofford and Nolan Doell to force overtime. After a scoreless first overtime, Concordia sealed the win in the shootout thanks to goals for Alex Bend and Zach Cunningham. Isaac Leik had a standout performance, securing four points of the night (two goals, two assists). Bowerman again was solid between the pipes, making 46 saves to secure the win for the Thunder.

Thunder Hockey is back again this coming weekend as they host two home games at Clareview Rec Centre against Briercrest College. Concordia currently sits at 8-10 in the ACAC Hockey Standings, 5th place overall and sitting comfortably in a playoff spot. They’ve been on a hot streak as of late, going 5-1 since coming back from the winter break.

Indoor Track

Concordia hosted the first ACAC Indoor Track Grand Prix of the season at Kinsmen Sports Centre this past Saturday. It was a successful event for both the Thunder Men’s and Women’s teams. Domenico Marchese was a star for the men’s team, finishing 1st in both the 50m (6.18 time) and 300m (37.75 time) events. The men’s team also finished 3rd in both the 4x200m and 4x400m relay continuing their successful weekend. For the women’s team, it was Ashlee Walker getting off to a great start, finishing 2nd in the 300m, and 4th in the 600m.

As for team standings, the men’s team currently holds 3rd place overall with 42 points, while the women’s team is in 7th overall with 13 points. The next indoor track event will take place February 15th as both teams will travel to Red Deer for Grand Prix #2.

Volleyball

Thunder Volleyball travelled out to Grande Prairie for two games against the Northwestern Polytechnic Wolves.

Men’s Volleyball unfortunately comes home 0-2 after losing 3-1 on Friday and 3-0 on Saturday night. After narrowly dropping the first set of Friday’s game 25-21, Concordia rebounded with a dominant 25-16 win in the second set, fueled by standout performances from Brodie Wight, who led the team with 18 kills, and setter Zach Fernandez, who tallied 30 assists. Despite their strong effort, the Thunder couldn’t maintain momentum, losing the third and fourth sets 25-23 and 25-18, respectively. Saturdays three set loss saw scores of 29-27, 25-21, and 25-16. Concordia started with intensity, pushing the first set into extra points, with standout performances from Alexi Dufour, who led the team with 10 kills and 12 points, and Logan Kranrod, who contributed 9 kills. Despite their efforts, NWP's efficient attack proved too much to overcome. 

Women’s Volleyball secured their first win of the season, defeating NWP in a thrilling five-set match. The Thunder started strong, taking the first set 25-23, but stumbled in the second, falling 25-8. Regrouping in the third set, they edged out a 25-22 win before narrowly dropping the fourth, 25-20. In the decisive fifth set, Concordia triumphed 15-12, led by standout performances from Sydney Horyn with 14 kills, and Jenna May, who contributed 36 assists and 10 digs. On Saturday vs. NWP, Concordia fought hard in a closely contested five-set match but ultimately fell 3-2. The Thunder started strong, claiming the first set 27-25, but struggled to maintain momentum in the second, losing 25-12. Despite bouncing back to take the third set 25-23, the Thunder were unable to close the match, dropping the final two sets 25-17 and 15-13. Key performances from Emma Thompson, who led the team with 13 kills, and Caitlin Wylie, who posted an impressive .450 hitting percentage with 10 kills, kept the team competitive. Setter Jenna May contributed 34 assists and 7 digs, while Sydney Horyn added another 10 kills.

Both teams look to get back in the win column this week as they go up against the U of A Augustana Vikings Friday on the road and Saturday evening at home.