Lakeland Rustlers Weekend Recap - Jan 22, 2024

An eventful weekend was filled with plenty of success for Lakeland's women's teams, but limited success for the men's programs facing stiff competition.

The Rustlers' futsal squads had their first North Regional in Lac La Biche, hosted by Portage College. This is the first of two opportunities for the teams to pile up enough wins to have a shot of qualifying for the ACAC Championship in March.

Both teams played five games, with the women finishing the weekend 3-2, defeating Portage, King's and NWP, losing narrowly to NAIT and Keyano. The men's team had the same result, against the same opponents, however, they sit third in the North standings, while the women sit in second, coming out on top of a three-way tie with NAIT and King's.

Futsal are back in Lac La Biche on Feb. 2 for the second North Regional, the combined results will decide if either squad goes to the final tournament. Both have to finish at least second in the standings, because Portage gets a berth as the host.

Women's hockey hit the road for a pair of games against the Olds Broncos. The first matchup was a lopsided affair, with the Rustlers winning 8-0. Janay Williams and Kylie Perry each had 4 points in the game. However, the following afternoon was a thriller, with Lakeland winning 4-3 in double overtime, courtesy of a Hailey Carothers winner.

This moves the squad to 13-4 as they head into a bye week, one win back of NAIT for first.

Lakeland's volleyball teams were on the road again, taking the Keyano Huskies up in Fort McMurray. The women's squad kept their winning streak intact, with a pair of 3-0 victories. Avery Bates had a massive offensive series, scoring 21 kills with no errors, for a hitting efficiency of 44%, while the entire starting lineup continued to look unbeatable against a capable Huskies team.

The men had a much more stern contest, facing the ACAC North's top team. They were unfortunately not able to elevate their play this time, losing 3-0 both days. Gabe Bjorkas had a team high 15 kills for the weekend.

While the women sit atop the ACAC standings at 12-1, the men are now 8-5 and third in the North Division.

Finally, Rustlers basketball held their first home action of the semester, facing the Keyano Huskies. The women's first contest was another blowout, 84-53, while they found themselves in a rare deficit the following afternoon. After entering the second half tied, the Rustlers were able to slowly gain a lead, eventually winning 76-65, the closest score they've had in league play all year. Hinneaupounamu had a strong showing on Saturday with 23 points.

Both men's games were classics, with the team showing up against the North's top squad. Multiple lead changes occurred Friday, with the Huskies looking like they would pull away Friday, only for the hosts to come back. A late foul call and a hail Mary that was just off the mark was the difference in the end of a 77-76 loss.

Saturday, the Rustlers tried to bounce back, playing with plenty of energy, but a few more costly misses came back to hurt them in the fourth quarter, losing 91-84. Andre McFadden had more than 50 points between the two games, with players like Baha Salma and Favour Ugbah also providing solid play.

Women's basketball has now won 14 straight, while the men drop to 9-5, still good for second in the North.

Most of the Rustlers squads now have a quiet weekend to look forward to, while volleyball prepares for one of the biggest events of the year. After a road tilt on Friday, Lakeland will face the NAIT Ooks on Saturday for Club Volleyball Night, with dozens of teams in attendance. The action begins at 6:00 PM.