2005-2006 FINAL LEAGUE STANDINGS
East
Humber (15-1)
Seneca (15-1)
Algonquin (11-5)
Durham (10-6)
Georgian (7-9)
St. Lawrence K (7-9)
George Brown (5-11)
Loyalist (2-14)
Fleming P (0-16)
West
Niagara (9-3)
St.Clair (8-4)
Fanshawe (8-4)
Mohawk (7-5)
Sheridan (6-6)
Redeemer (3-9)
Algoma (1-11)
2005-2006 CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS
Gold: Seneca Sting
Silver: Algonquin Thunder
Bronze: Humber Hawks
2006-2007 MEN’S VOLLEYBALL TEAM PREVIEWS
EAST
Algonquin Thunder
2005-06 Regular Season Record: 11-5
2005-06 Post Season Finish: Silver
Championships Won: 2
After upsetting the Humber Hawks in the semifinals of the 2005-06
Women’s Basketball Championships, the Algonquin Thunder were
one win away from winning their first OCAA Championships since they
won back-to-back titles in 1972 and 1973. Although the team showed
a lot of heart in the gold medal game, the Thunder fell a bit
short. The 2006-07 season brings hope for the team from Ottawa, as
they have unfinished business on their mind. Coach Brian White has
recruited ten new rookies for this years team while bringing back
four key players from the silver medal squad. Key returning
veterans include guards Sara Maybee, Jenny Allen & Kacie
Blundell as well as forward Brigille Gratton. In the preseason and
their first regular season game, the Thunder have shown that they
are high paced team which place with a lot of energy on the court.
This will be the first season in five years that the Thunder are
without their previous scoring leader Sophie Caron.
Durham Lords
2005-06 Regular Season Record: 10-6
2005-06 Post Season Finish: 4th
Championships Won: 1
The Durham Lords enter the 2006-07 season coming off an impressive
playoff run where they qualified for the final four in Ancaster,
ON. Head Coach Craig Andrews is hoping his team can take it one
step further as they shoot for OCAA gold and a berth in the
National Championships. First team league all-star and team MVP
Samantha McConnell returns for her fourth season with the Lords and
will be relied on for veteran leadership as ten rookies take to the
court this season. Other key returning veterans include Carly
McGhie, Krista Colley and Roxy Foster. This year marks the 10th
anniversary since the Lords first and only OCAA Championship and
Coach Andrews hopes his team which includes ten rookies will bring
the title back to Oshawa.
George Brown Huskies
2005-06 Regular Season Record: 5-11
2005-06 Post Season Finish: DNQ
Championships Won: 5
The George Brown Huskies are looking to return to their
championship form that they displayed in the 1970’s where
they won five OCAA Championships. Third year head coach Sharon
Butler is hoping that the Huskies will use their fast-paced style
of play to propel them into the OCAA Championships hosted by
Algonquin College in March. To do this, George Brown will have to
rely on their two leading scorers from 2005-06, guards Niveal
Pastrana and Rochelle Reid who return with great expectations. The
two guards combined for an average of 21.75 points per game last
season, leading the Huskies to a five win season. The Huskies have
been in a slump as of late, as there last winning season was in
2003.
Georgian Grizzlies
2005-06 Regular Season Record: 7-9
2005-06 Post Season Finish: Lost in Quarterfinals to Seneca
Championships Won: 0
Last season was a turnaround year for the Grizzlies with more wins
in 2005-06 (7-9) than they had combined for in the previous three
seasons (2002-03: 2-10, 2003-04: 1-11, 2004-05: 3-9). The Grizzlies
flew under the radar during last year’s regular season
finishing sixth in the East Region and having to go onto the road
for the crossover matches. With their backs against the wall, the
Grizzlies pulled together and pulled out a 79-62 upset victory over
the third place Fanshawe Falcons. In the last two years, the OCAA
league scoring champion has played for the Grizzlies as Chieko
Moriyama won the title in 2004-05 with 16.6 PPG and Judita
Jarkovsky attained the title last year with 19.2 PPG.
Humber Hawks
2005-06 Regular Season Record: 15-1
2005-06 Post Season Finish: Bronze
Championships Won: 6
The Humber Hawks had a disappointing post season in 2005-06 as they
were unable to qualify for the gold medal game after being upset by
the Algonquin Thunder 76-74 in the semi-finals. Humber looked
poised to win their sixth title in nine years after posting a 15-1
record winning the East Region in the regular season. In 2006-07,
the Hawks will look to their recruits for success on the court as
eight of their top ten scorers last season are not returning to the
squad. Kristina Harse and Minique Faulknor must emerge as leaders
on and off the court for the Hawks, if the team hopes to have
success this season. One thing for certain is that the young Hawks
squad will be well coached as Denise Perrier returns to her
position at head coach.
Loyalist Lancers
2005-06 Regular Season Record: 2-14
2005-06 Post Season Finish: DNQ
Championships Won: 0
The Loyalist Lancers are the Toronto Raptors of the OCAA this
season as both teams are relying on an up-tempo style of play,
hoping to outrun their opponents on way to victory. Fans of the
Lancers will definitely need a program to learn some new names as
the Loyalist squad will be made up of ten rookies, with only four
veterans returning. Guards Amy Rose and Jordan McConnell will be
looked upon for leadership on and off the court. The two guards
scored 9.4 and 8.3 points per game in 2005-06. Head coach Erik
Anderson hopes that this year’s recruitment class will turn
around the program and qualify for the post-season for the first
time since 2002-03. Kara Muhlhausen, Stephanie Houle, Erin Spencer
and Larissa Dykstra are some of the freshmen who should contend for
a starting position.
St. Lawrence Vikings
2005-06 Regular Season Record: 7-9
2005-06 Post Season Finish: DNQ
Championships Won: 0
Head Coach Tom Turnball has began to steer the Vikings ship in the
right direction as last year’s team which was made up of all
freshmen sailed to a 7-9 record and a berth into the crossover
portion of the OCAA schedule. The Vikings have had an impressive
preseason winning the 6th Annual Fall Classic hosted by Loyalist
College. The squad from Kingston features a lot of depth at the
guard position. Returning to the lineup from 2005-06 is Rachel
Niven from Calgary, who won tournament MVP honours at the Loyalist
Invitational. Also returning from last season is April Fox and
Reanne Ogden, who proved to be leaders on the court during their
rookie season. This year’s freshmen class includes guard
Britt Pegg from Saskatchewan who scored 16 points in her regular
season debut against the Humber Hawks.
Seneca Sting
2005-06 Regular Season Record: 15-1
2005-06 Post Season Finish: Gold
Championships Won: 4
The Seneca Sting are clearly the team to beat in OCAA Women’s
Basketball this season. The 2005-06 Sting had a phenomenal year
winning the OCAA Championships and finishing in fifth place at the
National Championships . With several key players returning from
last year’s squad and several key recruits entering the mix,
the Sting looked poised to repeat as OCAA Champions. 2005-06 OCAA
Player of the Year and All-Canadian Natasha Thombs returns for her
third year with the Sting. Accompanying Thombs are guards Heather
Elchuk and Ashley Docking, as well as 6’1 forward Alana
Vicks. Head coach Marcy Skribe has highly touted rookie prospect
Rachel Marcus from Toronto and is excited for her and the rest of
her teammate’s future with the team. With more size and
increased depth on the bench, Seneca’s success is
limitless.
Fleming Knights
2005-06 Regular Season Record: 0-16
2005-06 Post Season Finish: DNQ
Championships Won: 0
The Fleming Knights went through a tough 2005-06 season as they
went 0-16 in the regular season. Fans in Peterborough will hope the
team turns things around this season as a new crop of rookies have
joined the team. First year point guard Dayna LeClair is a natural
threat from three-point range. If the Knights hope to be the
surprise team in 2006-07, they must stay out of foul trouble as
they committed 203 fouls in 2005-06.
WEST REGION
Algoma Thunderbirds
2005-06 Regular Season Record: 1-11
2005-06 Post Season Finish: DNQ
Championships Won: 0
The Algoma Thunderbirds have gotten off to a hot start as they have
begun the 2006-07 season with four straight wins outscoring their
West Region opponents by a combined 244-174 points. For the first
time in Algoma Women’s Basketball history, the Thunderbirds
are ranked in the Top Five in Ontario as they sit ranked third in
the province. Leading the way for Algoma is 6’0 forward
Danielle D’Ettorre who has scored 100 points in her first
four games, including a 41 point performance against the Mohawk
Mountaineers in her OCAA debut. If teams decide to focus in on
D’Ettorre, the Thunderbirds will look to four year veteran
Jessica King, who was a first team All-Star in 2005-06.
Women’s Basketball fever has definitely hit Sault Ste. Marie
as the Thunderbirds look like a potential threat to win the always
tough West Region.
Fanshawe Falcons
2005-06 Regular Season Record: 8-4
2005-06 Post Season Finish: DNQ
Championships Won: 11
Coming off a disappointing season ending in a 79-62 loss to the
Georgian Grizzlies, the Fanshawe Falcons hope to turn things around
in 2006-07. The Falcons squad is quite young as only three player
return from last year. Third year starter Jessica Finlay will once
again be the featured scorer for the Falcons, as she returns after
averaging 15.1 PPG in 2005-06. The Falcons will have a big time
presence in the paint as 6’2 centre Taylor Knipe from Owen
Sound enters the OCAA basketball scene. In her OCAA debut, Knipe
netted a team high seven field goals for 14 points. First year head
coach Kevin Gordon hopes his Falcons squad can rebound after an
opening night loss against the red hot Thunderbirds.
Mohawk Mountaineers
2005-06 Regular Season Record: 7-5
2005-06 Post Season Finish: Lost in Quarterfinals to Humber
Championships Won: 6
Head coach Kelly Dunham hopes that her philosophy of an upbeat
tempo style of play will help propel the Mohawk Mountaineers into
the OCAA Championships this season. The Mountaineers can look upon
last season as somewhat of a success as they finished with their
first winning record since 2001-02. Offense will most likely not be
a problem for Mohawk as they led the West Region in scoring with
702 points in the regular season. Key returnees for Mohawk include
guards Erinn Belot and Rachel Boyce as well as forwards Dana
Steckle and Melissa Zwolak. Dunham is also hoping that rookies
Katie Goodburn and Lisa Marie Lavarone will make an immediate
impact for Mohawk.
Niagara Knights
2005-06 Regular Season Record: 9-3
2005-06 Post Season Finish: Lost in Quarterfinals to Durham
Championships Won: 2
After ending the 2005-06 season with 18 points and the best record
in the West Region, the Niagara Knights ended a rather impressive
season with a disappointing exit to the OCAA Championships with a
nailbitting 55-53 loss to the Durham Lords. With the team’s
core still intact with five players returning from last year,
including 2005-06 Rookie of the Year Kaitlyn McKenna (12.1 PPG),
the Knights are poised to have yet another successful season. With
key additions to the team including guard Allana Arundell, centre
Candice Hart, and forwards Andrea Litke and Sharna Shriver, the
Niagara Knights will once again be a contender for an OCAA
Championship, something they haven’t won since the 1969-70
campaign.
Redeemer Royals
2005-06 Regular Season Record: 3-9
2005-06 Post Season Finish: DNQ
Championships Won: 0
The Redeemer Royals will have to be in good shape if they hope to
make an impact in the West Region as they are only dressing ten
players this season. The team does have a good mix of rookies and
veterans as six players return from previous years of play. The
Royals are strong and tall up front as three players are over
6’0. The Royals will also feature a tandem from out East, as
Kara McCarthy and Aileen Hovingh hail from Nova Scotia and Prince
Edward Island respectively. Coach Denita Dyck hopes that her team
remains positive throughout the year as her squad looks to improve
in every game they play.
St. Clair Saints
2005-06 Regular Season Record: 8-4
2005-06 Post Season Finish: Lost in Quarterfinals to Algonquin
Championships Won: 1
With the start of another women’s basketball campaign
underway, the St. Clair Saints are looking to improve upon their
second place finish in the West Region in 2005-06. In his second
year leading the Saints, last years coach of the year Jimmy Parsons
will look to a group of seven players returning to the lineup from
last year to lead the team. Among those players include First Team
League All-Star Lindsay Nield (11.9 PPG), and forwards Kati
Hamilton (11.8 PPG) and Whitney Lucas (7.3 PPG). With a much more
experienced group hitting the hardwood this year, the Saints will
look to capture their second OCAA Championship.
Sheridan Bruins
2005-06 Regular Season Record: 6-6
2005-06 Post Season Finish: DNQ
Championships Won: 0
The Sheridan Bruins are looking to rebound after their first year
returning to Women’s Basketball in 2005-06. With six players
returning to the lineup, and three of the four top scorers from
last year, second year head coach Shane Bascoe is building a
legitimate playoff contender. The Bruins will rely heavily on
scoring from three players, guards Caitlin Johannes and Caity
Wright who averaged 8.8 PPG and 6.0 PPG respectively last season.
Forward Colleen Robertson will look to match her team leading 9.4
PPG of a season ago. With a great mix of experience and youth, look
for the Sheridan Bruins to improve upon last season’s fifth
place finish in the West Region.