The Holland Hurricanes basketball and volleyball teams are in action this weekend in Atlantic Collegiate Athletic Association (ACAA) regular season play starting on Friday night in Charlottetown, while the women’s rugby ‘Canes are in Fredericton, New Brunswick on Saturday as they compete in the ACAA Championship Match.

Basketball

Action begins with a 6pm tip-off on Friday when the women’s basketball ‘Canes host the Mount Allison University Mounties at the McMillan Centre in Charlottetown.

“We are excited to go up against a good Mount Allison team in our home opener,” said Hurricanes head coach, Chris Connolly.

“There were lots of positives last weekend as we opened up with two tough road games. It will be great to get back into our gym and try to get a big win.”

The Hurricanes opened their season last weekend on the road in Halifax, first picking up a 76-61 win over the University of King’s College (UKC) Blue Devils, before dropping a game on Sunday to the Mount Saint Vincent University (MSVU) Mystics, 94-77.  The Mounties enter the game at 1-0 after a 68-50 win over the St. Thomas University (STU) Tommies last weekend at home.

Fourth-year guard, Danielle McKinnon, from Valleyview, Alberta, is looking forward to playing on the Prince of Wales Campus again after a long off-season.

“The girls are excited as we’ve worked hard since early September to prepare for the regular season. We had a minimal preseason and were able to see how much potential we have as a team after last weekend. We are excited to be back playing in front of our home fans.”

You can connect with the women’s basketball ‘Canes at www.twitter.com/caneswbball and www.instagram.com/hurricanesbball.

The men’s Hurricanes will follow on Friday with an 8pm tip-off versus the Mounties.

“We are very excited for our home opener this Friday against the always tough, Mount Allison Mounties,” shared first-year head coach, Tim Kendrick.

“We are coming off two big road wins to start the regular season and we are hoping we can carry that momentum into our home opener.  We are very pleased with our player’s work ethic and team-first attitude, and we need that to continue in order to be successful.  Hopefully our gym will be packed with Hurricanes fans this Friday, giving us a huge lift.”

The ‘Canes sit at 2-0 after wins over the UKC Blue Devils (120-73) and MSVU Mystics (104-90) last weekend on the road in Halifax. The Mounties will be looking for their first win of the season after dropping their home opener to the STU Tommies, 100-97.

Fifth-year veteran from Grand Prairie, Alberta, Logan Rempel, has been impressed with what he’s seen leading into this season from the Hurricanes.

“Entering the season there were some uncertainties surround the team.  A new coach and an entirely new roster, many weren’t sure what to expect from us.  Through training camp and our first few games we have developed the culture of the team that will outwork the opponent with full-court pressure defence and high-paced offence for the entire game.  We are thrilled to be able to finally showcase our new team in front of our home crowd and to show that we are not in a rebuild, but still one of the top teams in the nation.”

Fans interested in following the men’s and women’s basketball ‘Canes this season can join the Booster Club for $99 annually.  Booster Club members receive a personalized season pass, giving them access to all home games for the team of their choosing, plus a Hurricanes t-shirt.  To register, visit www.hollandhurricanes.com.

Connect with the men’s basketball ‘Canes at www.twitter.com/canesmbball and www.instagram.com/hurricanesbball.

Women’s Rugby

For the first time in team history, the women’s rugby Hurricanes will compete for the ACAA Championship when they suit up to take on the University of New Brunswick (UNB) Reds this Saturday at 2pm in Fredericton, New Brunswick.

The path to the championship game for the Hurricanes included a regular season of 4-3, advancing to the playoffs as the number three seed as the team improved each week after making their return to the ACAA in 2022.  In the semi-finals the Hurricanes took down the Mount Allison University Mounties on the road, 21-12, punching their ticket to the finals.

The Reds, a team that has been dominant in recent years in the conference, finished the regular season as the top-seed with a 7-0 record.  They cruised past the UKC Blue Devils last weekend in the semi-finals, 94-10.

This season the Reds defeated the Hurricanes in both matches during the regular season; first by a score of 36-12 on September 18 in Charlottetown, before a closely contested match on October 16 in Fredericton, won by a score of 40-26.

You can follow along with the action this Saturday from Fredericton at www.instagram.com/hollandhurricanesrugby.

Volleyball

After hosting their home openers last weekend in Charlottetown, the volleyball Hurricanes will now hit the road for four weekend matches in Nova Scotia.

The action begins in Church Point, Nova Scotia on Saturday at 4pm when the men’s Hurricanes take on the Université de Sainte-Anne (USTA) Dragons.

The Hurricanes enter the weekend at 1-1 after splitting two matches with the STU Tommies last weekend in Charlottetown, first dropping Saturday’s match in five sets before winning in five sets on Sunday.

The men’s Hurricanes will continue their weekend set with the Dragons on Sunday when they square off at 10am.

The Dragons enter the weekend at 2-0 after impressive wins over the University of New Brunswick Saint John (UNBSJ) Seawolves last weekend; they took back-to-back victories in straight-sets on Saturday before edging out the win in five sets on Sunday.

Connect with the men’s volleyball ‘Canes at www.twitter.com/canesmvball and www.instagram.com/canesmvball.

The women’s volleyball Hurricanes will also take on the USTA Dragons on Saturday in Church Point; first serve is scheduled for 6pm.

The Hurricanes enter the weekend at 2-0 after a four-set win over the Dalhousie Agricultural Campus (Dal AC) Rams last Saturday at home, before defeating the STU Tommies in four-sets on Sunday.

The Dragons have gotten off to an impressive start to the season as well, winning both of their matches last weekend in five sets; first taking down UNBSJ before defeating Mount Allison.

The ‘Canes will then travel to Halifax on Sunday to take on the UKC Blue Devils at 5pm.

UKC enters at 1-1 after dropping their season opener to the MSVU Mystics in straight-sets, before earning the four-set victory last Sunday over the Crandall University Chargers. 

Connect with the women’s volleyball ‘Canes at www.twitter.com/caneswvball and www.instagram.com/caneswvball.

For more information on the Holland Hurricanes, please visit www.hollandhurricanes.com,www.facebook.com/hollandhurricanes, www.twitter.com/hc_hurricanes and www.instagram.com/hollandhurricanes.

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