“We accept the ruling and we take full responsibility for the regrettable administrative oversight that resulted in the use of an ineligible player,” said Danika Smith.
The Gee-Gee men’s hockey team has been stripped of five wins after self-disclosing the use of an ineligible player during the first six games of the 2026-27 season. In those six games, Ottawa posted a record of 5-1.
The OUA announced the forfeitures on Nov. 6, following Ottawa’s disclosure. As per the league’s policy, those five wins were changed into 1-0 losses, dropping the Gee-Gees from second to eighth place in the OUA East. Despite the forfeitures, individual player stats will not be altered, with only the final score of those five wins being adjusted.
When asked about the team’s morale following the OUA’s decision, head coach Patrick Grandmaître said that “it’s been tense, we’re trying to say the right things … it’s not fun to lose the points we felt we earned.”
Danika Smith, associate director of Varsity Sports at the U of O, noted that the administration team was at fault in this situation:
“A process was not followed by the administrative team to file some additional paperwork regarding the transfer of a student-athlete. Upon realizing this error, we notified the league. We are working to ensure the appropriate checks and balances are in place going forward to prevent this from happening in the future.”
Ottawa appealed the player’s eligibility status, and the OUA has since ruled the player eligible for the remainder of the season. Unfortunately for the Gee-Gees, the OUA’s ruling will not apply retroactively, meaning the five wins will still be stripped from the team’s record. Additionally, the OUA has stated that they may impose further sanctions on the team, pending the completion of their disciplinary process.
In a message to both the team and its fans, Smith stated, “we recognize the hard work and dedication that went into these games, and we sincerely apologize to our student-athletes, coaches and the broader Gee-Gees community for the impact of this mistake. We will work to improve our processes and ensure this does not happen again in the future.”
Fans can take comfort in knowing that a squad this talented won’t go down without a fight. The Gee-Gees only need to place sixth in the OUA East to earn a playoff appearance, where their strong roster and experienced coaching staff could do serious damage.
