12 teams across Ontario are chomping at the bit to get back on the ice for another run at the McCaw Cup, and as they prepare to face off once again, the OUA is pleased to announce the 2023-24 women’s hockey schedule.
2023-24 Women’s Hockey | FULL SCHEDULE
After punching their tickets to the postseason a year ago, both the Windsor Lancers and Waterloo Warriors will eye similar spots for this upcoming campaign, and they’ll be the first two out of the gates for the 2023-24 campaign on October 12th.
While neither the Warriors nor Lancers were able to reach the McCaw Cup final last year, the two squads that did will see their seasons start the following night. The Toronto Varsity Blues ultimately tackled the tough terrain in 2022-23 and hoisted the OUA banner following a slim 2-1 victory over the Nipissing Lakers, and the two perennial powers will lock horns early on their 2023-24 journeys. The national attendees will face off on the second day of the 2023-24 season, October 13th, before also closing out the fall semester’s slate on December 3rd.
A slew of other tantalizing matchups will take to the ice throughout the fall, meanwhile, including a bout between the Lancers and Guelph Gryphons on October 14th, two teams that left it all on the ice during a memorable playoff series a few months back. That same day, the Brock Badgers, who also claimed a spot among the postseason participants a year ago, will hit the road for a test against the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks.
The path ahead doesn’t get any easier for last season’s top squads, as the Gryphons then host the Blues on October 19th, while the Queen’s Gaels welcome Waterloo to Kingston the following day.
As the semester draws to a close later on, it will be the aforementioned Blues and Warriors – the reigning regular season divisional champs, respectively – linking up for a late November clash (November 24th), on a weekend that also features all-GTA matchups between Toronto and TMU, as well as the Bold and the York Lions.
Once the action picks up again in the new year, five games will hit the ice on January 5th, including marquee meetings between Western and Windsor as well as Guelph and Queen’s. A semifinal rematch between Waterloo and Nipissing will feature in the following day’s action on January 6th, with even more action to come in the pivotal weeks ahead.
From there, it is the sprint to the finish line, with playoff positions at a premium down the stretch. Teams will cap off their 28-game schedules from February 15th to 17th, and much like what was witnessed a year ago, those final few games can make a world of difference when all is said and done.
Looking ahead to the postseason thereafter, Round 1 series in both the East and West Divisions (No. 4 v. No. 1; No. 3 v. No. 2) will hit the ice from February 19th to 25th in best-of-three formats. Winners of those opening bouts will then cross over for their semifinal series – also best-of-three – before the winners go for gold in the single game championship.
The McCaw Cup Women’s Hockey Championship will close out the conference schedule on March 9th.
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