“We’ve talked about how much higher the intensity and energy will be throughout playoffs”
The Gee-Gees women’s hockey team is gearing up for their postseason to fight for the McCaw Cup after finishing third in the OUA East. The Gee-Gees enjoyed a strong regular season finishing 15-11-4, scoring 73 goals, and boast two of the top three goal scorers in the league in team veterans Arianne Gagnon and Alyssa Biesenthal with 13 goals apiece.
This team has made a full swing since the 2023-24 season and is better than ever, improving from a .320 win percentage to a positive mark .577, clearly enough to be seated in the playoffs.
Last year’s playoffs were a given considering that the team played in the small RSEQ league, where they lost a staggering 13-0 in the final game of their first-round exit to Concordia. Despite that blowout loss, the Gees were the lone team in the country to take a game off the Stingers all season (in Game Two) behind a 58-save performance from Aurélie Dubuc.
However, after lots of new roster changes, and a promising new head coach in Ali Domenico, the team has high hopes for this year’s playoffs as they face off against the Toronto Varsity Blues. Although playoffs are unpredictable as things like clutch factor, nerves, and experience play a role in post-season hockey, the Varsity Blues have gotten the better of the Gees in their regular season matchups.
In the first matchup the Gees were defeated 4-2 from a devastating third period when the Varsity Blues overcame a 2-1 deficit, while the second game was tight and almost went to overtime as Bilodeau managed to score two goals nearing the end of the game. If there is any consistency between these two matchups, spectators may want to save their popcorn run for the final period when goals are scored, and outcomes are decided.
Needless to say, the Gees have something to prove this playoffs in their long awaited return to the OUA. Thankfully they are packed with talent and are led by the fearless Domenico, a well-accomplished coach with championship experience who will lead the team in their first OUA playoffs since 2001.
Coach Domenico describes the build-up to the playoffs, “We’ve really been taking advantage during this week and a half to really fine tune the parts of our game we think we can elevate to the next level for playoffs. We’re really happy with the foundation we’ve set throughout the course of our season, so now it’s crucial for us to dial it in on the details.”
Domenico, who served previously as the Providence Friars associate head coach, was on the bench for the Friars’ runs to the Hockey East championship in both 2021 and 2023. “We’ve talked about how much higher the intensity and energy will be throughout playoffs, but for us it’s important that we don’t ride that roller coaster, don’t get too high or too low,” said Domenico.
Domenico talked about their opponent being Toronto and the team’s ambition for revenge. “With it being Toronto, this is a team we haven’t seen since October. What’s exciting for us, is as a team our game has really grown and developed over the past four months and we’re excited to face them again, with many more layers to our game. We’re excited to use our experiences and lessons we’ve learned throughout the course of the season into our series vs Toronto.”
This best of three series in the OUA Quarterfinals, the Gees will begin on home soil at the Minto Sports Complex on Thursday, a crucial game where all fans must pack the stadium in support to gain a much needed first game win as they play the remaining games on the road. Buy your tickets here to catch exciting playoff hockey.
