By Reegan MacAulay
It’s championship week for the Holland Hurricanes basketball and hockey programs, with three teams on the road in Nova Scotia on the weekend of March 6-8, 2026.
The women’s and men’s basketball teams will head to Mount Saint Vincent University in Halifax, N.S., for the 2026 Atlantic Collegiate Athletic Association (ACAA) Basketball Championships. The women look to land where they did last year, but flip the script, and the men will take another shot at extending their postseason journey beyond the first round.
The women’s hockey squad will return to Cape Breton University in Sydney, N.S., for a second consecutive week, following up on their regular-season finale with the 2026 Atlantic Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) Championship. They’re ready to continue a historic dynasty while again embracing the underdog role.
Lots are at stake this weekend, especially considering it might be the last of the 2025-26 Holland Hurricanes season, so here’s what you need to know before tuning in.
Women’s Basketball
The women’s basketball Hurricanes will take the court in the postseason as the fourth seed, following a regular season where they posted an impressive 11-7 record for 22 points.
The team stayed a contender throughout the 2025-26 season despite losing multiple key talents from their championship-runner-up squad the previous year. They notably went on a six-game win streak between December and January, and enter the upcoming playoffs on a two-game heater.
The three-time ACAA champions aim to end a nine-year skid of hoisting the regional trophy while carrying a mix of blossomed sophomores, hungry rookies, and veteran depth. Last year’s team fell short of snapping the drought by 10 points to Mount Saint Vincent.
This year’s group begins the tournament with a fourth-vs-fifth quarterfinal showdown against the UNBSJ Seawolves on Friday, March 6.
The Seawolves finished the regular season with a 6-12 record, finishing 10 points behind Holland. The Hurricanes swept the three-game regular-season series.
If the Hurricanes win and advance to the semifinals, here is who their next opponent may be:
During the regular season, the Hurricanes achieved the following records against teams they could encounter after the quarters:
Heading into the championships, numerous players stand out across various disciplines.
Nykeva Brown, the reigning ACAA Rookie of the Year, broke out in her sophomore year, averaging 14.5 points per game (third-best in the conference) and scoring fifth for rebounds per game with 7.8. Fellow second-year star Karissa George took charge defensively, recording 45 steals, the fourth-most in the conference.
Rookie Maryn Kline was one of the league’s best shooters, finishing third in three-point percentage with a 36.4. Fellow first-year prodigy Nadia Barrington finished atop the conference in blocks with 26.
Holland’s quarterfinal game is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. The semifinal games are on Saturday, March 7, at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., with the championship decider on Sunday, March 8, at 1 p.m.
Watch the action live at ACAA.tv.
Connect with the women’s basketball Hurricanes at www.instagram.com/hurricanesbball.
Men’s Basketball
The men’s basketball Hurricanes look to turn a struggling regular season into a postseason resurgence.
The eight-time ACAA champions, who last hoisted the trophy in 2023, finished 6-12 this year, tying Crandall for fourth but falling behind on the tiebreaker.
It was a campaign filled with adversity. After a tough 2-5 start in 2025, the Hurricanes rallied to go 4-3 between January and February, only to stumble in the final stretch, dropping their last four games and five of their final six.
Still, flashes of brilliance and signs of potential have been hard to miss. A February home-court upset over the Mount Saint Vincent Mystics showed they can rise to the occasion, and several narrow losses hint at just how dangerous this team can be when everything clicks.
The Hurricanes will begin their playoff push with a fourth-vs-fifth quarterfinal clash against the Crandall Chargers on Friday, March 6.
Aside from the regular-season standings tie and, like the Hurricanes, finishing the regular season on a four-game skid, the Chargers earned more points for and points against than the Hurricanes. Crandall won the regular-season series 2-1.
If the Hurricanes emerge victorious and venture to the semifinals, here is who they could fight next:
During the regular season, the Hurricanes posted the following records against potential post-quarterfinal opponents:
As the postseason nears, multiple players have made their mark on the court – and they’re looking to make an even bigger impact this weekend.
Spencer Rossiter has been a key leader on and off the court, excelling on both ends of the floor. He led the conference with 43 steals while averaging 14.7 points per game and shooting 37 percent from three-point range.
Zachary Dawkins paced the offense all season, finishing seventh in the conference with 16.2 points per game. Owen Parsons anchored the defense, tallying the conference’s third-most blocks with 16. Quinton and Jaidon Martin had hot performances to close out the regular season, setting the stage for a strong championship showing.
Holland’s quarterfinal game is set for 8:00 p.m. The semifinal matches are on Saturday, March 7, at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m., with the championship decider on Sunday, March 8, at 3:30 p.m.
Watch the action live at ACAA.tv.
Connect with the men’s basketball Hurricanes at www.instagram.co/hurricanesbball.
Women’s Hockey
The women’s hockey Hurricanes may have stumbled through the regular season, but March has a way of rewriting the story.
After finishing last year with a losing record, they captured a third straight ACHA championship – proof that when it counts, this team is built for the spotlight. And that’s the same situation they’ve landed in again this season.
Following a 3-2 overtime win against the Cape Breton Capers to close out the regular season, the Hurricanes finished their campaign with a 5-7-0 record, placing them at the bottom of the three-team league.
But don’t let that fool you – the three teams finished within four points of each other. There was even a tie for the regular-season title – and it doesn’t matter who earned it, because the playoffs ultimately decide who’s the best. Plus, the Hurricanes went from 0-4 during the 2025 portion of the campaign to 5-3 within the 2026 portion, making them arguably the hottest team heading into the postseason.
The league has showcased dramatic parity all season, leading us to the 2026 ACHA Championship, where it could be anybody’s to win. For the Hurricanes, a fourth consecutive regional crown and a continued dynasty lie in the balance.
Holland will have the most jam-packed schedule – in terms of when they play – of all three teams at the 2026 ACHA Championship in Sydney, N.S., with both of its round-robin games scheduled for Saturday, March 7. They’ll face the Acadia Axewomen in an early-morning showdown at 9 a.m., and later the Cape Breton Capers in a classic evening “Battle of the Islands” at 7 p.m.
During the regular season, Holland went 3-3 against Acadia and 2-4 against Cape Breton.
After all the round-robin games across Friday and Saturday, once each team’s total points are tallied, the semifinals and finals will be set. The team that acquires the most points will automatically advance to the finals, set for Sunday, March 8, at 1 p.m. The two teams that finish second and third will play at 8 a.m. that morning to fight for a spot in the gold medal match.
Last year, the Hurricanes went unbeaten in the round-robin to book their ticket to the championship finale and later secured the title with a 5-1 win over Acadia.
Several players hope to continue recent hot streaks at a key time. Team captain Kristyn Taylor is fresh off an overtime winner last weekend in Sydney and finished the season as the team’s leading scorer and tied for the league points lead, with seven goals and six assists in 10 games played.
Cassie Gordon had a stellar sophomore season with six goals and five assists in 12 games, and Josee Allain followed up with a three-goal, five-assist breakout campaign.
Veteran goaltender Emma Arsenault, who started in goal five times and won twice, recorded the league’s second-best save percentage with a 0.922. Olivia Lowe, who won three of her seven starts, registered the best save percentage for a rookie netminder with a 0.897.
Connect with the women’s hockey Hurricanes at www.instagram.com/caneswhockey and www.facebook.com/caneswhky.
Connect with the Holland Hurricanes at www.hollandhurricanes.com, www.facebook.com/hollandhurricanes, and www.instagram.com/hollandhurricanes.
140 Weymouth Street, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada C1A 4Z1
Tel: 1-800-446-5265 | Fax: 902-629-4239
