Panthers at Home: Basketball and Women’s Hockey in big match-ups
There will be lots of action on the court and in the rink this weekend for UPEI Panther fans.
Coming off two big four-point wins over Acadia and Saint Mary’s this past weekend, the UPEI Women’s Basketball team hopes to keep the winning momentum going when it hosts the University of New Brunswick in a pair of games this Friday and Saturday at the UPEI Chi-Wan Young Sports Centre. Tip-off is 6:00 pm for both nights.
“UNB is in third place and have already clinched a playoff spot,” says Greg Gould, head coach. “We will need to be at our very best to beat an experienced UNB team, but I believe out players are up to the challenge!”
After last weekend’s losses, the men’s basketball team is looking to get back in the win column in their games versus UNB on Friday and Saturday night at 8:00 pm.
“UNB is in for two big ones this weekend,” says UPEI Men’s Basketball Head Coach Tim Kendrick. “We will have to be at our best to get two victories. We are fully aware of our situation, and know that these remaining three home games on our schedule are extremely important for us. We need to make a run, and every streak starts with one win!”
The Women’s Hockey program is also looking to looking to get back on track this weekend when they faceoff against St. Francis Xavier (Friday evening at 7:00 pm) and Saint Mary’s (Saturday evening at 7:00 pm). Both games are at MacLauchlan Arena.
Panthers Head Coach Bruce Donaldson says, “This is a very tough weekend—both St. FX and SMU are playing very well. We are trying to secure third spot with three games to go and we cannot afford to give up any points.”
Donaldson concedes that the UPEI women’s squad did not play well last Sunday versus the X-Women and is expecting a much stronger effort for the rematch. He adds, “And SMU has been ranked in the top four in the conference all year, and if we want to secure third spot, we will need to match their intensity and physicality. Both teams create a big challenge for our team—we need a better effort throughout our line-up.”
UPEI students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends are encouraged to cheer on your Panthers! Game tickets are now available for purchase online. Find more details at gopanthersgo.ca.
