Hurricanes Weekend Preview: November 23-24, 2024
By Reegan MacAulay
The Holland Hurricanes enter another busy weekend on the road, which includes a continuation of Atlantic Collegiate Athletic Association (ACAA) action and a return to Atlantic Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) competition.
Here’s what to anticipate between Saturday, Nov. 23 and Sunday, Nov. 24.
Women’s Volleyball
The women’s volleyball Hurricanes have a crucial weekend coming up as their trip to New Brunswick on Saturday and Sunday features games against the top teams in the ACAA.
On Saturday, Holland will head to Sackville, N.B. and face the team they’re currently tied with for second place, the Mount Allison Mounties, in a rematch of last Friday’s game, which the Hurricanes lost 3-1 at the McMillan Centre. The Mounties are 5-1 and will look to extend their current five-game winning streak whilst chasing the top spot in the conference. On Sunday, Holland will venture to Saint John, N.B. and take on the league-leading University of New Brunswick Saint John (UNBSJ) Seawolves, who remain undefeated at 6-0 and are two points ahead of Mount Allison and Holland in the standings. Sunday’s game will be the first between UNBSJ and Holland.
The Hurricanes, who currently hold a 5-2 record, will look to use this weekend’s two matches and one more the weekend after to end the first half of the season strong and enter January as a lethal threat to the rest of the conference. As the hosting team of the 2025 ACAA Volleyball Championships in late February, this weekend will be important for getting an idea of what could be expected at the season-end event.
Exiting last weekend’s games, fourth-year left-sides Morgan White (Charlottetown, P.E.I.) and Jenna O’Neill (Cornwall, P.E.I.) are expected to carry their recent momentum forward. O’Neill was recently named the Women’s Volleyball Player of the Week after recording 25 kills and 31 digs against Mount Allison and USTA last weekend.
Saturday’s game time is 12 p.m. and Sunday’s game time is 1 p.m. Watch both matches on the road live at https://acaa.tv.
Connect with the women’s volleyball ‘Canes at www.x.com/caneswvball and www.instagram.com/caneswvball.
Men’s Volleyball
The men’s volleyball Hurricanes are set to conclude the first half of their 2024-25 campaign with a road trip doubleheader in Saint John, N.B. against the UNBSJ Seawolves.
While the women’s team has shown their intent to contend for what would be their second ACAA championship within three seasons, the men’s squad, which is third in the conference with a 4-4 record, has experienced a more frustrating season so far. They have proven to be dynamic and energetic on the court, but inconsistencies have plagued them at crucial times. As hosts of the 2025 ACAA Volleyball Championships like the women, the best thing they can do ahead of resetting for the second half of the season is to end the first half on a high note.
The Seawolves are in a similar situation to the Hurricanes, holding a 3-4 record and currently sitting fourth in the conference, two points behind Holland. They defeated Crandall University twice last weekend to end a three-game losing streak and begin a two-game winning streak, which they look to extend against the Hurricanes whilst attempting to overtake them in the standings.
The Hurricanes, who are coming off a split against USTA last weekend, will be counting on players like third-year left-side Carson Gray (Stratford, P.E.I.) and third-year setter Tyler McBride (Oakville, Ontario) to carry the squad into the second half of the season with more hope. McBride was recently named the Men’s Volleyball Player of the Week after recording 62 assists, 15 digs, and four kills last weekend. Other players including second-year middle Brett MacAusland (Summerside, P.E.I.) and rookie right-side Lucas Lavigne (Bathurst, N.B.) have recently begun to stand out and will look to keep that trend going in the upcoming matches.
Saturday’s game time is 6 p.m. and Sunday’s game time is 3 p.m. Catch both games on the road live at https://acaa.tv.
Connect with the men’s volleyball ‘Canes at www.x.com/canesmvball and www.instagram.com/canesmvball.
Women’s Basketball
The women’s basketball Hurricanes will have a daunting but exciting doubleheader ahead of them this weekend as they will take a ride to Halifax, N.S. to take on the Mount Saint Vincent University (MSVU) Mystics on Saturday and Sunday.
The fun facts going into the weekend are endless. Holland, MSVU, and the Mount Allison Mounties are tied for the conference lead at eight points each. Both Holland and MSVU carry a three-game winning streak, and each team has experienced the same trajectory since their seasons started; win the first game, lose game two, and win the next three matches.
The Hurricanes, who currently have a 4-1 record, will have a chance to claim redemption against MSVU not once, but twice after losing to the Mystics 79-68 at the McMillan Centre earlier this month. Out of all Hurricanes games to be tuned into online this weekend, the women’s basketball matches will easily be favourites to watch.
Third-year guard Lauren Armstrong (Canberra, Australia) has been the definition of unstoppable for the past two weekends, as she recently earned back-to-back Hurricanes Female Athlete of the Week honours after leading her team to two victories on the road. Her incredible performances have her currently sitting second in the conference with 82 points, 16.4 points per game, and 9.8 rebounds per game. Not too far behind her are fifth-year forward and former ACAA Player of the Year Alexa Rancourt (New Dominion, P.E.I.) and fourth-year guard Amy Plaggenhoef (Stratford, P.E.I.), who have been just as successful and remain forces to be reckoned with on the court in each game.
Saturday and Sunday’s game times are both 4 p.m. Witness both matches on the road live at https://acaa.tv.
Connect with the women’s basketball ‘Canes at www.x.com/caneswbball and www.instagram.com/hurricanesbball.
Men’s Basketball
The men’s basketball Hurricanes have been a bit all over the place in the first half of their 2024-25 campaign, but are riding a two-game winning streak going into this weekend where they will join the women in Halifax, N.S. to take on the men’s MSVU Mystics.
While both the women’s Hurricanes and Mystics have been on a similar playing level, the men’s teams are slightly different, as the men’s Mystics are undefeated after five games. Their offense has been incredibly strong, especially in their last three games with 90 or more points. However, their defense has seen ups and downs as the squad hasn’t fully gotten away from their opponent in most games, and their mid-game dominance in their last match against Holland earlier this month at the McMillan Centre nearly fell apart. Both teams played a tight game and the Hurricanes showed promise but couldn’t rebound from poor second and third-quarter performances.
The opportunity for revenge will, like the women, come twice this weekend. Holland currently holds a 3-2 record and is in the midst of a four-way tie for second in the conference, which goes to show the conference’s parity this season. The Hurricanes seek to emerge out of the tie with improved consistency and firepower.
Fifth-year guard Bryce Corless (Quispamsis, N.B.) has seemed to have found his groove after a rocky start to the season. He recently earned Hurricanes Male Athlete of the Week honours after recording 39 points, 16 rebounds, and seven assists in Holland’s two wins in New Brunswick last weekend. Second-year guard Jaidon Martin (Toronto, Ontario) looks to use the momentum from his redemption arc last weekend, which included missing a game and returning to the court to score 14 points and continue to contribute to team success.
Saturday and Sunday’s game times are both 6 p.m. Tune into both games on the road live at https://acaa.tv.
Connect with the men’s basketball Hurricanes at www.x.com/canesmbball and www.instagram.co/hurricanesbball.
Women’s Hockey
The women’s hockey Hurricanes return to action for the first time in over a month with their first road trip of the season, which is the start of back-to-back weekends on the road to wrap up the first half of the season.
After an exciting season-opening doubleheader at the Eastlink Centre on the weekend of Oct. 26-27, which saw Holland lose 2-0 and win 3-2 in overtime against the Acadia University Axewomen, the two teams are set for a big rematch this weekend in Wolfville, N.S. on Saturday and Sunday.
The Axewomen lead the ACHA with a 3-0-1 record, 15 goals for, and six goals against, with their most recent doubleheader earlier this month seeing Acadia defeat the Cape Breton University Capers 7-0 and 4-3 in Wolfville. In their chase for their first ACHA championship since 2022, the Axewomen look to separate themselves further away from the Hurricanes and Capers in the standings and extend their winning streak.
As for the Hurricanes, they currently sit second in the standings with a 1-1-0 record, three goals for, and four goals against. The squad will have two objectives in mind; tie the Axewomen for first in the standings in a best-case scenario of a doubleheader sweep, and build a winning streak heading into the weekend after, when they will face Cape Breton for the first time since the Island Cup in mid-October; that match saw the Capers win 4-2.
Team captain and second-year forward Kristyn Taylor (Summerside, P.E.I.) and rookie forward Cassie Gordon (Murray Harbour, P.E.I.) are the only two players who have recorded points for the team so far, with each player contributing to Holland’s overtime win in October. Fourth-year goaltender Emma Arsenault (Searletown, P.E.I.) started both season-opening games and exited the weekend with a 0.952 save percentage (second-best in the league) and 80 saves (the most out of all goaltenders so far).
While only three players currently shine statistically, many others showed strong promise to add further contributions to the scoresheet down the line. The team has seen immense improvements across practices and will look to further their bond on their first trip off P.E.I. Second-year and speedy forward Josie Lynch (Lunenburg, N.S.) came close to scoring twice in late October. Rookie talents Gabrielle LeBlanc (Middleton, N.S.) and Adyson MacGillivray (Fall River, N.S.) seek to stand out in regular-season competition as they did in the Island Cup.
The squad will also benefit from a recent player addition as Emma Stuart will make her return to the lineup for the first time since the 2022-23 season. Stuart’s leadership, experience, and elite defensive skills are just some of the many attributes that will add to the team’s overall talent and give them a better chance in their chase for a third consecutive ACHA championship.
Saturday’s game time is 8 p.m. and Sunday’s game time is 2 p.m. Both games will be live-streamed on the Acadia Women’s Hockey Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/AxewomenHockey.
Connect with the women’s hockey ‘Canes at www.x.com/caneswhockey and www.instagram.com/caneswhockey.
For more information on the Holland Hurricanes, visit www.hollandhurricanes.com, www.facebook.com/hollandhurricanes, www.x.com/hc_hurricanes and www.instagram.com/hollandhurricanes.
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