With just one game remaining in the OUA regular season, the Gaels sit in second place with a point and game in hand over the first place Concordia Stingers.
Being one of the top two teams in the division means the Gaels have earned themselves a first-round bye into the semi-finals in the OUA East.
The playoffs are constructed so the top six teams in each division advance to the playoffs, and the postseason matchups occur in a straight bracket format with no re-seeding. It’s a best-of-three series, with the higher seed team having home-ice advantage for two of the three games.
With that said, Queen’s is currently slated to play either the Ottawa Gee-Gees or the University of Québec Trois Rivières (UQTR).
Queen’s split their regular season matchups against the Gee-Gees this year, defeating Ottawa 4-2 on Oct. 27, then falling to them a couple weeks later, 1-5 on Nov. 9.
The Gaels have only faced UQTR once this year, beating them in a physical 3-2 game. The two are scheduled to play again on Feb. 15 in Trois-Rivieres, QC.
The fifth and sixth seeds are still subject to change, so there’s an opportunity to see the McGill Redbirds fall to sixth, making it possible for a rivalry matchup in the semi-finals.
Either way, Queen’s has secured itself a semi-final berth and home-ice advantage through two of the three games to be played before the finals.
The Gaels have been heating up lately, posting the best record in the last 10 games out of any team in the division with eight wins and two losses. This year, a deep playoff run should be in the cards.
Forward Nolan Hutcheson, ArtSci ’25, still leads the league in goals, with 20 in 24 games played. Combined with defenseman Owen Lalonde, ArtSci ’25, who has 23 assists in 25 games, the Gaels have the offensive tools—they just need to show up when it matters most.
In of goaltending, Christian Purboo, ArtSci ’25, has posted the third-best save percentage in the league, stopping 92.8 percent of shots whilst recording the most wins in the league.
With all of this in mind, the Gaels have shown they’re a true contender from top to bottom. Should they stay focused, there’s little doubt they will succeed.
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