Gaiters men’s basketball evens out season series against McGill

Heading into February hot off two wins, the Gaiters were looking to carry their momentum into the new month. They matched up against the reigning conference champions, the McGill Redbirds, who were entering the series with a 2-8 record but with a much stronger and experienced team than their record would reflect. On Feb. 2 in Montreal, at the Love Competition Hall, both teams were aware of the importance of the upcoming games. Bishop’s, Concordia and McGill are all in contention of securing a playoff spot, but all could potentially lose one.

The home team came out

Micah Della Foresta - Staff Writer

strong, finding themselves up early and maintained a steady lead, controlling the pace and seemingly slicing their way through the Gaiters’ defenses. An uncharacteristic start for the Gaiters found them down 13 points going into the second half. Bishop’s was able to string together a third quarter push that would bring them as close as one point away. Feeling the pressure, McGill retook control and re-asserted the aggressiveness that they had been playing with during first half, closing out the fourth period with composure and efficiency. McGill took the win over the Gaiters by a score of 89-76. The freshman core contributed significantly in this game, seeing Étienne

Gagnon produce another double double, along with Zachary John and Tiernan McDougall who both scored 18 points in the game.

Next up on Saturday, the Gaiters came into their matchup with a playoff mentality and focused on neutralizing the Redbirds’ weapons that had kept the game mostly out of reach on Thursday. A win would improve Bishop’s in the standings to third place, and a loss would plummet them to fifth. An adjusted game plan and the innate desire to win propelled the Gaiters from the get go and gave McGill a taste of their own medicine. Leading by as many as 17 points, the men maintained dominant control and evened out the

Gaiters women’s hockey recap

Thispast weekend your Gaiters women’s hockey team went into their games with the opportunity to clinch a playoff berth. With games against Carleton on Friday and Concordia on Sunday, they set forward with their goal in mind.

The team started the weekend with a bus ride to Ottawa where they took on the Carleton Ravens. The game was highly anticipated since Carleton and Bishop’s were both battling for the final playoff spot. As the puck dropped to start the first period, BU came out prepared to execute their plan in sealing the Ravens’ fate and sending them to an early off-season. When the final horn blew to end the game the Gaiters found themselves victorious with a 4-1 win over Carleton. Notable standouts in the playoff-clinching win include an impressive four-point night for Neleh Vigneau Sargeant including two goals, as well as two goals and an assist from Maude Pépin. Goaltender Aglaé René de Cotret only let in one goal on the 25 shots she faced, giving her a .960 save percentage on the night.

Following their big win against Carleton, the women were back playing at the Jane & Eric Molson Arena against Concordia on Sunday. They looked to continue their success from two nights prior and came out strong, but they sadly ended up falling a goal short with a 3-2 loss on home ice. Aglaé René de Cotret once again got the nod between the pipes allowing 3 goals on 24 shots for an .875 save percentage. The Gaiters’ goals were scored by second year Jamie Aspropotamitis and Neleh Vigneau Sargeant, with four other Gaiters picking up assists in the game.

Following that weekend, the Bishop’s Gaiters now stand at 10-8-3 on the year. With a playoff spot guaranteeing four games remaining in the season, the Gaiters have a chance to improve on what they have going season series with McGill. Charles Robert had a rounded performance, almost notching a triple-double and filling the stat sheet with 16 points, 10 rebounds, and 8 assists. for them without having to stress about another team nipping on their heels and trying to take their spot. To round out the season, the team will face McGill and Université de Montréal once each respectively with a double header against the University of Ottawa before playoffs.

The Gaiters’ final four games against UQAM and Laval will be crucial in order for the Gaiters to maintain their spot in the playoffs. They face off twice against the Citadins on Feb. 9 and 11. Head Coach Matt McLean is anticipating these matchups and the upcoming games against the first-place team in the league. “A ton has changed since then so we are excited for the challenges ahead,” he said, referring to the last time the Gaiters played UQAM, nearly three months ago.

Owen Kitzan, Sports Editor » thecampus.sports@gmail.com