CIS CORNER: GEE-GEES WIN IN FINAL SECONDS, KANATA HOOPSTER CLAIMS CONFERENCE SCORING TITLE

Here's the kind of night it was for our players/teams of interest from the 613:

• HOCKEY: Sounds like it was a thriller in the playoff opener over at the U of O: Ryan Gibb (33 saves) almost stole Game 1 of the OUA Eastern Conference quarter-final for the Queen's Golden Gaels, but Kevin Glode scored with four seconds left to give the Ottawa Gee-Gees a 2-1 win.
  
  Gibb's Gee-Gees counterpart Jordan Watt (profiled here last week) was tested less often, but came up big in the final 90 seconds. Watt robbed Queen’s captain Brad Walford to preserve the tie before Glode got the winner.
  
  Queen's will try to force a deciding game in Game 2 of the best-of-3 series Friday in Kingston (7:30 p.m., CFRC). If the Gaels lose, it could be the final CIS game ever played at Jock Harty Arena before it's torn down. Suffice to say, it sounds like this would have been an excuse to venture out in that snowstorm that blanketed Eastern Ontario yesterday.
• WOMEN'S HOOPS: Congratulations are in order for Kanata's Cassandra Carpenter, who totalled 23 points last night in the Laurentian Lady Vees' 78-65 loss to the York Lions to win the OUA scoring title. Carpenter's 20.82 average topped Windsor guard Drianada Roc's 20.36.
  
  However... talk about putting a damper on an individual feat, the Lady Vees' loss handed second place in the OUA East and a bye into the division semi to the Queen's Golden Gaels. Instead of having a week to prepare for a home playoff game, Carpenter and the Lady Vees will host Carleton this Saturday. The winner will face Queen's in the semi next Wednesday in Kingston.
  
  The Gaels handled RMC 69-56, putting that tiebreaker advantage into effect after both teams finished with 14-8 records. (Queen's gets second place since it had a three-point win and a one-point loss against Laurentian, so it won the split.)
  
  Should give special mention to RMC's Jennifer D'Onofrio, a Kingston native who was near the top of CIS women's basketball in scoring and rebounding all year while playing for a last-place team and routinely giving up several inches (she's 5-foot-6) under the basket. Claire Meadows, the Gaels' fifth-year senior leader, had a double-double (21 points, 10 rebounds) last night.
• The Tricolour men topped RMC 82-59 in a nothing game: Ottawa native Kyle McCleery contributed five assists and seven rebounds for the Gaels (11-10), while reserve guard Justin Yoo had 11 points.

(Much obliged to Bill Miklas from Queen's and John Bower from the University of Ottawa for keeping us well-informed.)

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