By Reegan MacAulay

There’s no better way of entering March than by crowning more regional champions! The Holland Hurricanes enter the first weekend of March seeking three championships, including two Atlantic Collegiate Athletic Association (ACAA) basketball titles on home-court at the McMillan Centre in Charlottetown, and an Atlantic Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) crown on the road in Wolfville, Nova Scotia.

Here is everything you need to know for this weekend.

Women’s Basketball

The women’s basketball team enters the 2024 ACAA Basketball Championships as the fourth seed with a 10-8 regular season record and 77.8 points per game (second in the conference). The young squad went 6-3 in the second half of the season after a middle-of-the-pack-style 4-5 first half, with one game being a massive upset win against the top-ranked Mount Saint Vincent University (MSVU) Mystics at the McMillan Centre.

Fun fact, the ‘Canes went 7-2 on their home court all season.

Head coach Chris Connolly and the team are excited to be hosting the championships.

“Having it in our gym is going to be amazing. It’s been a long time since we’ve had that luxury. I know the girls are excited to play in front of our fans,” Connolly said.

Connolly said the team has been coming together at the right time.

“We had a much better second semester. We have a great group that has worked hard all year.

Connolly expects a tough match on Friday, which is when the ‘Canes will face the fifth-ranked St. Thomas University (STU) Tommies in quarter-final action at 11 a.m.

“They play a tough defensive game and have some great shooters. For us to be successful, we will need a full team effort and to leave everything out on the floor. It will be an exciting weekend of basketball,” Connolly said.

STU enters the championships with a 9-9 record. In the season series between Holland and STU, the ‘Canes went 1-2, recently losing to them 77-68 last Saturday, Feb. 24 in Fredericton, N.B. 

Forward Alexa Rancourt is preparing to continue her offensive storm, as she led the ACAA with 293 points and 10.6 rebounds per game. Joining her to pioneer the squad will be guards Amy Plaggenhoef (fifth in the ACAA with 255 points, fifth with 15.0 points per game), Lauren Armstrong (sixth in the ACAA with 232 points, second with 10.1 rebounds per game), and Molly Steadman (first in the ACAA with a 57.6 field goal percentage). 6’5” center, Sarah Nyhouse, has her eyes set on being a heavy presence at both baskets.

If Holland wins on Friday, they will face either the MSVU Mystics or the second-ranked Mount Allison Mounties on Saturday, March 2 in the semifinals. The championship game will commence on Sunday, March 3 at 1 p.m.

Connect with the women’s basketball ‘Canes at www.x.com/caneswbball and www.instagram.cm/hurricanesbball.

Men’s Basketball

The men’s basketball team enters the championships as the third seed with a 9-9 regular season record and 79.8 points per game (fourth in the ACAA). The young squad finished the season tied with the Crandall University Chargers and Mount Allison Mounties for third place with 18 points each, but since Holland won both season series, the ‘Canes won the tiebreaker.

The young squad flipped their 3-6 first half record into a 6-3 second half record, which included a four-game winning streak to start the semester. 6-3 was also the team’s overall home record.

Head coach Tim Kendrick and the team are thrilled to be hosting the championships, especially with the second-half momentum.

“Our school and Athletic Department have a fantastic reputation for hosting both National and Atlantic championships, and I’m sure they will do a wonderful job. We had a solid second half of the season. We’re hoping and counting on our gym being packed full of our great and loud Hurricanes fans, and we hope that support will help us go on a huge playoff run.” Kendrick said.

The former Island Storm head coach expects a competitive weekend, which includes quarter-final action for the ‘Canes on Friday, March 1 at 3pm against the sixth-ranked University of New Brunswick Saint John (UNBSJ) Seawolves. UNBSJ enters the championships with a 7-11 record and went 1-2 against Holland in the regular season.

“Our league is exceptionally talented, all teams filled with great players, and the coaches are certainly some of the best and most experienced in the country. The Seawolves are a very strong team. They shoot the ball very well and play hard. I have a great deal of respect for their head coach Paul Vaughn. His teams over many years are always very difficult to play against. We certainly know that we have our hands full,” Kendrick said.

If Holland wins, they will face either the top-ranked STU Tommies or the second-ranked MSVU Mystics on Saturday, March 2. The championship game will commence on Sunday, March 3 at 3:30 p.m.

Interested in attending the 2024 ACAA Basketball Championships? Tournament passes and single day passes will be available for purchase at the McMillan Centre (323 Grafton Street, Charlottetown, PEI). Payment can be made by cash or card on-site.

Tournament passes are $30 for adults, $25 for seniors, and $15 for students. Day passes are $15 for adults, $10 for seniors, and $6 for students. All Holland College students and staff get in FREE with a valid Holland College Holl Pass. Student pricing is for those who show valid student ID from post-secondary institutions or those aged 11-18. Senior age is 65+. Children 10 and under are FREE.

All 10 games will be broadcasted, for free, live at www.acaa.tv.

Follow the 2024 ACAA Basketball Championships on social media at www.facebook.com/acaa.aasc,www.x.com/acaa_aasc and www.instagram.com/acaa_aasc.

For information on the 2024 ACAA Basketball Championship, like news, results, stats, photos and more, visit www.acaa.ca.

Connect with the Holland Hurricanes at www.hollandhurricanes.com, www.facebook.com/hollandhurricanes,www.x.com/hc_hurricanes and www.instagram.com/hollandhurricanes.

Women’s Hockey

The women’s hockey team will head to Wolfville, N.S. this weekend to defend the ACHA title at the 2024 ACHA Championships, hosted by the Acadia University. The squad enters the championships with a 6-1-1 record and a six-game winning streak, having won the regular season championship.

Quite the achievement for a team with an entirely new coaching staff and half the roster featuring new faces. Head coach Brody Irving is happy with how it all went.

“There has been a learning curve this year for the coaches as this is the first time for all three of us (Irving, Jenna Pellerin, Dylan Sanderson) coaching at the collegiate level. Overall, the season went well, and the players were easy to work with. Both players and coaches have been receptive to criticism as we continue to improve. There is a lot of work going on behind the scenes to improve the program and expand and grow collegiate female hockey, so hopefully this is only the beginning,” Irving said.

Irving expected the team to be competitive from the start, and that turned out to be true.

“We knew coming into the season that we had a strong group of recruits mixed with a solid core of returning players. We were confident we would have a competitive team and the team was able to execute at a high level for the majority of regular season games,” Irving said.

The ‘Canes will start the championships with a game on Friday, March 1 at 7:45 p.m. against the second-ranked Acadia University Axewomen, who finished the season with a 5-2-1 record and went 1-2-1 against Holland in the regular season. Acadia seeks revenge after losing to Holland in last season’s championship game. The ‘Canes will then face the Cape Breton University (CBU) Capers on Saturday, March 2 at 5:30 p.m. CBU failed to win a game in the regular season, finishing it with an 0-8-0 record.

Irving said the team’s mindset going into the championships will be the same that it’s been all season.

“Continue to improve each game and play with a high level of compete. We are confident that if we play a fast transition game and a structured defensive zone, we will have a great shot at repeating. Every game against Acadia this year has been a tight-checking, close game, and CBU has drastically improved where they are competitive in almost every game. Overall, this should result in exciting, close games this weekend between all teams.

“We will again look to our cornerstones in (first-year forward) Taylor Gillis and (veteran goaltender) Emma Arsenault to provide strong performances. Veteran forward Gabby MacDonald will be looking to make an impact offensively. Rookie Kristyn Taylor has continued to gain confidence throughout the year and has quietly become one of the strongest players in the league. On the backend, (captain) Jacy McMillan and (rookie) Kayla Batchilder will log a lot of minutes and will be relied on to match the speed of Acadia’s talented forwards,” Irving said.

Follow the 2024 ACHA Championships on social media at www.facebook.com/AxewomenHockey or www.x.com/AtlanticHKY.  All games will be live streamed at the Acadia Facebook page. 

Connect with the women’s hockey Hurricanes at www.twitter.com/caneswhockey andwww.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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