​​Martlet Volleyball (9–5)

Coming off the heels of a three-game win streak, the No. 10, nationally ranked Martlets (9–5) were upset by the UQÀM Citadins (9–6) at the Centre Sportif de l’UQÀM in a match that lasted over two hours. After losing the first set 25-23, the Martlets were able to bounce back in the second set to win 23-25. Despite close scorelines in the third and fourth sets, the Martlets were unable to regain their edge over their opponents. The Martlets now sit in a difficult position as they battle with Sherbrooke (9–6) and UQÀM for the fourth playoff spot. Co-captains Victoria Iannotti and Charlene Robitaille led the team in scoring, racking up 14 and 12 points respectively. The Martlets will have the chance to play at UQÀM once more on Feb. 4. 

While the team has been impacted by a flu bug, they hope to recover quickly as they travel to Chicoutimi to play the UQÀC Inuk (0–15) and keep their playoff bid dreams alive. The Martlets have seven games remaining until the postseason and maintain the second best win percentage (0.643) in the division. 

The Martlet’s will play the UQÀC Inuk (0–15) on Jan. 26 and 27 at the Pavillon Sportif de l’UQÀC.

Martlets Basketball (5–5) 

Coming off back-to-back wins against their rivals, the Concordia Stingers (4–6), the Martlets headed into Jan. 18’s game against the Bishop’s Gaiters (6–5) on a high note. Thursday’s game also represented the Martlets’ “Shoot for the Cure” game in which the players donned all-pink uniforms to raise awareness and funds for breast cancer research––so far the team has raised $836.60. Opening with a dominating first quarter, the Gaiters asserted themselves over the Martlets, scoring 27 points to McGill’s measly eight. However, despite the 19 basket point differential, the Martlets rallied, outshooting the Gaiters 24-15 in the second quarter. Entering the game’s second half with the score 42-32, Bishop’s regained their advantage, putting up 23 points to widen the gap between the two teams. Separated by 16 points heading into the final frame, the Gaiters’ early dominance proved to be too much for the Martlets who ended the game 81-59. 

Heading to Sherbrooke to play the Gaiters on their home turf on Saturday, the Martlets hoped to bounce back from the first games’ loss. However, despite Seyna Diggs, Emma-Jane Scotten, and Stephy Tchoukuiegno combining to score 43 of McGill’s 67 points, the Martlets fell to the Gaiters yet again. McGill failed to claim the lead at any point during the two game series, and Saturday’s 80-67 loss allowed Bishop’s to push the Martlets into third place, with the Gaiters claiming second place in the RSEQ standings.  

The Martlets’ will play next against the UQÀM Citadins (0–8) on Jan. 25 at the Centre Sportif de l’UQÀM.

Redbirds Basketball (1–9) 

Settled in last place of the RSEQ standings, the Redbirds have had a rough 2023-24 season with only one win across the opening 10 games. With many of their losses having very tight margins, the back-to-back games against the Bishop’s Gaiters (6–5) were more of the same for the Redbirds. Playing at home on Jan. 18, the Redbirds kept it close, down just one point coming out of the first quarter. With momentum flowing their way, they outscored the Gaiters 14-12 and 18-15 in the second and third quarters respectively. Leading 43-39 as the matchup entered its final frame, the lead slipped away from McGill with Bishop’s outscoring them 17-13 to tie the game and force overtime. Despite their best efforts, the Gaiters bested the Redbirds in overtime leading to a 62-59 loss. 

Unfortunately for McGill fans, Saturday’s matchup was no better than Thursday’s as the Redbirds fell to Bishop’s 75-60. Despite another strong first quarter where McGill remained in lockstep with Bishop’s, keeping an even score at 11-points apiece, things began to falter in the second with the Gaiters taking a 32-26 lead. The loss makes for a four-game losing streak for the Redbirds as they head into this week’s matchup against the second place UQÀM Citadins (7–1).

The Redbirds will next play the UQÀM Citadins on Jan. 25 at the Centre Sportif de l’UQÀM.

Redbirds Hockey (16–5–2) 

Coming off a loss against the Toronto Metropolitan University Bold that put an end to their three-game win streak, the Redbirds resurged, securing two home wins. The back-to-back victories earned the Redbirds 11 straight home wins and allowed them to snatch first place in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Eastern standings. 

On Jan. 19, the Redbirds hosted the now-second-place University of Ottawa Gee-Gees. After facing an overtime shoot-out loss against the Gee-Gees on Dec. 5, the Redbirds were able to snag a 4-3 overtime victory. Despite the Redbirds going down early 2-1, Zachary Gallant tied the game up just under five minutes into the second period. With the game 2-2, the Gee-Gees reclaimed their lead and with just under four minutes left in the second period, Alexandre Gagnon tied it right back up. After a scoreless third that pushed the game into overtime, Scott Walford scored the finisher––his second overtime winner in four games. Walford and Gagnon were crowned first and second stars of the game. 

The momentum from this win carried over to the Redbird’s overpowering 7-1 win against the Nipissing Lakers on Jan. 20. Despite the Lakers opening the score, McGill dominated the face-off, scoring seven unanswered goals. William Rouleau and Eric Uba both recorded two goals, while Gallant earned a four-point game, including three assists and a goal. This performance granted Gallant the first star of the game, while Uba and Frattaroli received second and third stars, respectively. 

Redbirds hockey will be facing the York University Lions (3–19–1) on Jan. 26 at Canlan Ice Sports Arena.

Martlets Hockey (4–13–1)

Facing off against the Bishop’s Gaiters after an overtime shoot-out loss in their last matchup, the Martlets fell 4-1. After trailing 1-0 in the first period and the beginning of the second period, defender Mia Giles capitalized on a power-play opportunity to score the lone goal for McGill. The Gaiters reciprocated when, a few minutes later, they buried their third goal of the night. Bishop’s finished the evening by widening their lead to 4-1 with no response from McGill. The frustrating lack of completed opportunities pushed the Martlets to get more physical, leading the game with seven minor penalties and fourteen total penalty minutes. 

The Martlets hit the rink on Saturday, Jan. 20, with hopes of putting an end to their nine-game loss streak on home ice. The evening started with the Université de Montréal Carabins blowing  two goals past Martlet goaltender Sarah Carmichael. After being led 2-0 for the first period, the Martlets saw the gap widen by the end of the second period, with UdeM scoring their final goal of the night. The third period saw forward Syrine Kacem scoring the first goal for McGill in hopes of bridging this gap. Elizabeth Mura continued this momentum, burying the last goal of the game. Despite their effort to come back in the last period and leading in shots-on-goal, the Martlets still fell 3-2 against the Carabins. 

The Martlets are playing the University of Ottawa’s Gee-Gees on Jan. 25th at the Minto Sports Complex Arena.