OCAA IN THE KNOW: WOMEN'S RUGBY

THE REMATCH

The last time the Humber Hawks and Seneca Sting were on the same pitch, they were battling for the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) championship.

In a tightly contested match last November, Humber edged Seneca 19-17 for its third OCAA gold medal in four seasons. Although the Sting lost, it was a significant improvement compared to the lone regular season meeting between these clubs, won by Humber 27-0.

These crosstown rivals meet again on Wednesday, but they are on opposite ends of the standings. Humber has won its first two matches of the season by a combined score of 163-0. Seneca has lost its opening two games by a combined score of 74-20.

Humber is as balanced as it is deep in talent, with four Hawks scoring three tries, and seven players scoring twice.

BEASTS OF THE EAST

An east region litmus test will take place this Saturday as St. Lawrence-Kingston visits Fleming in a battle of unbeaten teams.

St. Lawrence improved to 3-0 with a 38-17 win at Loyalist, sweeping the two-game season series. Third-year scrum half Samantha Gourdier (Kingston) earned a hat trick, and now has four tries on the season.

Fleming has played one less match, but increased its win streak to two with a 21-0 win at Algonquin. Second-year back Kayla Cassibo (Belleville) has scored three different ways this season, with two tries, three converts and three penalty kicks totaling 25 points to lead all of OCAA. Her three penalty kicks against Algonquin tied an OCAA single game record.

The Vikings and Knights met twice during the 2014 regular season, with Fleming winning both times 24-0 and 29-5. This is the first of two meetings between the teams in October, with the outcomes likely to decide first place in the east region, and a three-in-four chance at an OCAA medal.

BRU CREW

Sheridan's 32-20 win at Seneca on Thursday was significant for many reasons.

It was Sheridan's first-ever win against Seneca in six attempts. When these teams met last October, the Bruins were routed 110-0.

Sheridan picked up its second win on the season, tying its single season high water mark for victories. The Bruins won two games in 2012 and 2013. With a rematch against Mohawk on Saturday - a team it defeated 40-5 on Sept. 12 - there is an opportunity for the Bruins to win a record third time in one season.

Once the calendar flips on Thursday, it will mark the first time that a Sheridan team is above .500 in the month of October. At 2-1, if things continue to go well into the new month, the Bruins may achieve another first - a game in the post-season.

THIRD IS THE WORD

Algonquin and Loyalist have combined to lose all five matches against east region front runners St. Lawrence and Fleming.

All is not lost on Algonquin (0-2) and Loyalist (0-3), as the top three teams in each region at the end of the regular season advance to the playoffs.

These teams meet twice in the span of 20 days, beginning Sunday at Algonquin. The importance of these matches for both teams cannot be understated.

Loyalist will need to rewrite history, however, having lost eight straight to the Thunder.

RECENT RESULTS

UPCOMING GAMES

Source: OCAA Communications