It will be two busy days of home games for the men’s and women’s basketball Hurricanes this weekend as they welcome the St. Thomas Tommies and Crandall Chargers to the Holland College Centre for Community Engagement.

On Saturday versus the Tommies, the action will tip-off with the women’s game at 5pm followed by the men’s game at 7pm. On Sunday versus the Chargers, the women play at 3pm with the men following at 5pm.

The men’s Hurricanes enter the weekend with an undefeated record this regular season; they lead the ACAA standings at 10-0. The Crandall Chargers currently sit at 7-3 and in third place while the Tommies are 3-8 and in seventh.

‘Canes guard, Marc Hofer, anticipates two good games this weekend.

“We have two important games this weekend against strong teams. We’re happy to be at home and hope to use our home-court advantage. Coach is making sure we know our plays inside and out this week in practices. We’ll look to play our tempo of basketball this weekend in two important games.”

On October 27, the Hurricanes defeated the Tommies 121-95 in Charlottetown while earning a 96-80 victory on November 11 in Fredericton, NB. They also picked up a 121-107 win over the Crandall Chargers on November 10 in Moncton, NB.

Jace Colley, in his second year with the Hurricanes, gives credit to the Crandall Chargers and the strong team that they have this season.

“We look forward to games against this team because we know we’ll have to play well to win”, he said. “All week we’ve been locked in on making sure we understand our game plan for them.”

The ‘Canes enter the weekend as the second ranked team in this weeks CCAA national men’s basketball rankings.

The women’s Hurricanes look to turn around a four-game losing streak when they take on the 8-3 STU Tommies on Saturday; STU enters the weekend in second in the ACAA.

The Tommies defeated the ‘Canes in their home opener by a score of 64-40, and again on November 11 in Fredericton, NB 84-53.

First-year guard, Ashley Plaggenhoef knows the team has been working hard in practice.

“We have been competing hard through the week by challenging each other in preparation for the weekend. To be successful we need to continue to work together and stay focused on our goals.”

Sunday’s opponent, the Crandall Chargers, sit in a tie with the Hurricanes at 3-7 in sixth place in the ACAA standings. The top six teams qualify for the ACAA conference championships this March.

Sydney Goode, a third-year guard, knows every game will be important for the remainder of the regular season.

“I believe that if we play as a team, communicate and help each other out we will be successful. In preparation for the game we have been practicing hard this week and pushing each other to get better.”

The Hurricanes defeated the Chargers in their only matchup this season, a 70-68 win on November 10 in Moncton, NB.

All four games are available to watch live at www.acaatv.ca for those that cannot attend the games in person.

For more information on ACAA basketball, visit www.acaa.ca.

To connect with the basketball Hurricanes, visit www.twitter.com/caneswbball and www.twitter.com/canesmbball.

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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