January was a busy month in the Men's Extramural Challenge Series with four tournaments - and each one had a different champion.
The month kicked off with the St. Lawrence Brockville Invitiational. Non-OCCCR teams Bishop's University and McMaster met in the final, with Mac taking the title. Next up was the Seneca Invitational - a tightly contested affair that needed tiebreakers to determine semi-finalists. Two-time defending champs George Brown defeated Fleming to have a shot at a three-peat against hosts Seneca, who defeated WLU Brant in the other semi-final. However, the hosts eked out a 2-1 victory to thwart the Huskies and move themselves up the Power Ratings to be in contention for a Challenge Cup berth.
Out west, the Fanshawe Invitational took place the same day as the Seneca tourney. The host Falcons came in as heavy favourites, sporting a 21 game unbeaten streak in Challenge Series play that extend back to the start of the 2012-13 season. That streak came to a halt at the hands of Redeemer, and the Falcons then fell again to Conestoga in the semi-finals. Conestoga went on to defeat Redeemer 2-1 in the final to take the crown, their second tournament win of the year.
January 31st saw 12 teams compete in the tough U of T Scarborough tournament. Undefeated Humber North lost all three of their games to finish out of the playoffs, with defending Challenge Cup champs WLU Brant, McMaster and Georgian Barrie winning their pools and Fanshawe getting a wild card semi-final berth. Georgian-Barrie came back from a 3-1 deficit to defeat WLU Brant in a shootout, while Fanshawe defeated McMaster. The final was a rematch of a round robin game that Barrie won 2-1. This time, Fanshawe reversed the tables, scoring a late goal to win 3-2 and claim its second title of the year.
With three tournaments in February and two in March, there is still plenty of hockey left to play to see who will finish in a Top 11 spot to gain an invitation to the Challenge Cup March 20-21 in Brantford. And, as the January tourneys showed - on any given day, anyone can win.
The month kicked off with the St. Lawrence Brockville Invitiational. Non-OCCCR teams Bishop's University and McMaster met in the final, with Mac taking the title. Next up was the Seneca Invitational - a tightly contested affair that needed tiebreakers to determine semi-finalists. Two-time defending champs George Brown defeated Fleming to have a shot at a three-peat against hosts Seneca, who defeated WLU Brant in the other semi-final. However, the hosts eked out a 2-1 victory to thwart the Huskies and move themselves up the Power Ratings to be in contention for a Challenge Cup berth.
Out west, the Fanshawe Invitational took place the same day as the Seneca tourney. The host Falcons came in as heavy favourites, sporting a 21 game unbeaten streak in Challenge Series play that extend back to the start of the 2012-13 season. That streak came to a halt at the hands of Redeemer, and the Falcons then fell again to Conestoga in the semi-finals. Conestoga went on to defeat Redeemer 2-1 in the final to take the crown, their second tournament win of the year.
January 31st saw 12 teams compete in the tough U of T Scarborough tournament. Undefeated Humber North lost all three of their games to finish out of the playoffs, with defending Challenge Cup champs WLU Brant, McMaster and Georgian Barrie winning their pools and Fanshawe getting a wild card semi-final berth. Georgian-Barrie came back from a 3-1 deficit to defeat WLU Brant in a shootout, while Fanshawe defeated McMaster. The final was a rematch of a round robin game that Barrie won 2-1. This time, Fanshawe reversed the tables, scoring a late goal to win 3-2 and claim its second title of the year.
With three tournaments in February and two in March, there is still plenty of hockey left to play to see who will finish in a Top 11 spot to gain an invitation to the Challenge Cup March 20-21 in Brantford. And, as the January tourneys showed - on any given day, anyone can win.
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