Thunder Athletics Weekly Recap - Week 15

The second week of January was another weekend full of games, as Thunder Basketball, Curling, Hockey and Volleyball were all playing. Check out below what went down for all our Concordia (CUE) Thunder teams last weekend.
 

Basketball

It was a big weekend for Thunder Basketball as both teams played two games each against the U of A Augustana Vikings. 

For the women’s team, CUE edged Augustana 71–69 in overtime on the road Friday night, showing composure late to secure a key conference win. Grethe Winchell led the Thunder with 19 points on an efficient 8-of-11 shooting, while Chloe Sutherland-Deklerk added 18 points, nine rebounds, and five assists in a complete performance. A back and forth affair, Concordia outscored Augustana 8–6 in overtime to close out a tightly contested matchup between two top teams in the division. The Thunder then completed the weekend sweep with a 63–48 win over the Vikings on Saturday in front of the home crowd, controlling the game defensively from start to finish. Sutherland-Deklerk led the Thunder with 17 points, five assists, and three steals, while CUE held Augustana to just 28.6% shooting. A strong second quarter and balanced scoring helped the Thunder pull away and secure another important conference victory.

Men’s basketball was equally as successful, as CUE dominated on the road for an 86–63 win over Augustana on Friday, building steady momentum in each quarter and closing strong with a 25-point fourth quarter. The Thunder shot 49.3% from the field and placed five players in double figures, led by Evan Li (17 points) and Malik Edwards and Roka Phalen-Baker (16 each). Concordia’s balanced offense and control on the glass helped keep Augustana at bay and secure a convincing victory. Coming back home on Saturday, Concordia rallied for a 72–66 home win over Augustana, outscoring the visitors 21–7 in the fourth quarter to complete the comeback. Shak Jama led the Thunder with 18 points, while Roka Phalen-Baker (13) and Malik Edwards (12) also finished in double figures. Concordia’s late defensive push and balanced scoring proved decisive in closing out the win.

With each team netting two big wins this weekend, women’s basketball now holds a 11-1 record, putting the team in a three way tie for first in the division with NAIT and The King’s University. Men’s basketball is officially in fourth place with a 5-6 record, holding on to the final playoff spot in the North Division.

Curling

Thunder curling was back in action for the first time this semester, participating in their second tournament of the ACAC season at the Thistle Curling Club, hosted by the NAIT Ooks.

Men’s curling had a strong weekend, finishing second overall with a 5-1 record. With any team being able to win any given day, the Thunder were able to secure wins over Lakeland (9-5), Red Deer (8-2), NAIT (7-0), and Augustana (10-7). Their only loss in the tournament was to SAIT by a score of 5-3.

Women’s Curling had an equally successful weekend, finishing 4-1. The group took down Lakeland (10-3), SAIT (8-4), NAIT (6-1), and Augustana (6-3). Their lone defeat came at the hands of Red Deer Polytechnic by a score of 6-5.

The Thunder mixed curling team finished 0-3 in the tournament, falling to NAIT (8-0), Lakeland (12-2), and SAIT (12-0).

All three teams will be heading to ACAC Championships next. Championships will be held by Portage College on January 30th, 31st, and February 1st.

Hockey

A weekend matchup with huge impacts on the standings, Thunder hockey hosted two home games against the Briercrest Clippers last weekend. Both teams entered the weekend looking to break free of the logjam in the ACAC hockey standings.

CUE dropped a 7–4 decision to Briercrest on Friday night at Clareview, battling back after a difficult first period that saw the visitors build a four-goal lead. The Thunder fought back in the second and third periods, getting goals from Dylan Handel (2), Liam Fitzgerald, and Carson Kurylo, with Handel also adding two assists. Despite outshooting Briercrest 35–32 and pushing late, Concordia was unable to fully close the gap.

Saturday afternoon was a different story for the Thunder as they earned a 6–3 home win over the Clippers, scoring twice in each period to secure the series split. Isaac Leik led the Thunder with two goals, while Dylan Handel added a goal and two assists as Concordia built momentum throughout the game. Strong special teams and a steady performance from Griffin Bowerman in goal helped the Thunder pull away in the third period.

The situation is much of the same in the ACAC hockey standings, with the Thunder in fourth place holding a 6-10-1 record. 

Volleyball

A tough test for both teams this weekend, Thunder Volleyball took on the U of A Augustana Vikings looking to push for a playoff spot.

Both Thunder teams were swept 3-0 on Friday and Saturday night by the Vikings. On the women’s side, Emma Thompson had the strongest overall weekend offensively. In the first match she led Concordia with 11 kills on .333 efficiency and added 10 digs. Jenna May quietly had a good weekend as well, running the offense with 25 assists in the first match while contributing defensively with 5 digs. For men’s volleyball, Keenan Farrell showed improvement across the weekend, leading Concordia with six kills in the second match and adding key defensive work with five digs, providing steady production on the outside. Zach Fernandez also had a good weekend contributing consistently as a setter with 14 assists across the two matches.

After the weekend, women’s volleyball now sits at 6-7, still tied with Northwestern Polytechnic for the final playoff spot. Men’s volleyball is now 2-11 and in seventh place in the ACAC North Division.