CIS HOCKEY: GEE-GEES TO TAKE ON TROIS-RIVIERES; LAST CALL AT THE JOCK FOR THE TRICOLOUR

Here's the kind of weekend it was for our university hockey teams of interest from the 613 this weekend:

• MEN'S HOCKEY: The Ottawa Gee-Gees will face the conference's top team, the Trois-Rivières Patriotes, in the best-of-3 semi-final series beginning on the road Wednesday. Coach Dave Leger's club had to wait for the McGill-Concordia series to end to learn their next opponent. The Redmen ousted Concordia with an 8-0 win on Sunday, advancing to play U of T in the other conference semi.
  
  So yes, there could be a Toronto-Ottawa playoff matchup... the Gee-Gees are 0-3-1-0 against the Patriotes this season. The teams played three times in one week in January and the scores were 3-3, 3-1 and 2-0. Since that last game vs. the Patriotes, the U of O has won eight out of nine.
  
  The Gee-Gees got 39 saves from Martin Bricault in Friday's series-clinching 1-0 win over Queen's in Kingston, with Ben McLeod getting the only goal 3:22 in. Once again, a tip of the cap to Gaels rookie goalie Ryan Gibb (R.G., R.G.). Against the Gee-Gees this season, Gibb gave up only six goals on 150 shots for a .960 save percentage -- yet the Gaels won only one of the four meetings. Damn.
• WOMEN'S HOCKEY: Well, Jock Harty Arena hasn't seen its last CIS hockey game, since the Queen's Golden Gaels will be home for an OUA East quarter-final March 3 after losing their regular-season finale 5-2 to Brock Sunday in St. Catharines. Meantime, the U of T Blues clinched second place and a first-round bye, thanks to their goalie Stephanie Lockert notching her second shutout of the weekend in a 3-0 win over Western.
  
  The Gaels, who got a hat trick from Michelle Clark-Crumpton in Saturday's 5-4 win over Brock, will host the sixth-place team. Waterloo is in that spot right now, but still has three games left to pass fifth-place Guelph (one point up), who has one to play.
  
  It might not have been such a bad thing to lose the bye. Queen's already had next weekend off -- they could have gone 19 days without playing.
  
  Ouch for the No. 4 Ottawa Gee-Gees -- one week after ending McGill's 26-game unbeaten streak, they lost 6-0 to the Martlets in the rematch Saturday. Kingston's Rebecca Martindale, a Holy Cross alumna, had the game's first goal for McGill. Friday, Danika Smith had two helpers in the U of O's 3-1 win over Friday before heading off to Montreal today for a rematch with the No. 1 McGill Martlets.

That's all for now. Send your thoughts to neatesager@yahoo.ca.