Nation,
This weekend the best college teams in Ontario and Quebec will be squaring off in lovely London, Ontario. London has seen tremendous growth ultimate wise in the past 5 years. The development of the local league and the University program has seen steady progress and now the league is able to host such an regional event with ease.
12 women's teams will compete for the Eastern crown. The division will feature perennial powerhouses, developing teams and new squads.
Ottawa Gee Gees
2008 CEUUC Finish: 1st
Fresh off a 2nd straight UPA college finals appearance, the Ottawa Gee Gees are looking to take thier third straight CEUUC title and return to CUUC for the first time since 2006.
Some of the core players from the last three years have graduated/moved on (Jaimie Collins, Kate Crump, Jen Reid, Alex Benedict), but the leadership trio of Anne Mercier, Sam Morris and Kathryn Pohran is terrific. Mercier's abilities to handle and play d are especially effective in the college game, so expect her to have a standout season should UPA club committments not interfere with the fall season. Morris had a great performance at Canadian nationals and can mark up with any college player. Pohran and Sonia Kommenda are very tough to stop even at the elite club levels.
Other big time players to look out for include Shannon Becker, Danielle Fortin, and Kaylee Sparks.
Expect the remaining core to work with the new junior and athletic talent and be a top 3 program in the country.
McGill University Martletts
2008 CEUUC Finish: 2nd
When one looks at the past results of McGill, we see a team that has been banging on the front door of a CEUUC championship for most of the decade.:
* 2004 Championship
* 3 second place finishes
* 2 third place finishes
It's been a strong decade, and it should continue to be that way. Outside of the club/varsity woes that this team faces, it appears that McGill is one of the schools that has strong support from its school, strong coaching (Dan Fassina) and good leadership (Kirsten Niles et al).
Players to watch include Niles, veteran Brenda Campbell, Rachel Moens, and Alison Verney. Finally, fans should watch for ex Stella/Scarlett player Emily Sangster. I was told about Sangster's ridiculous athleticism and potential early in the summer, and I saw it firsthand in August. It's an accurate description.
One question remains: Can they beat Ottawa? They will need a good tactical system and players who can carry it out to shut down Ottawa's best.
University of Western Ontario Sharks
2008 CEUUC Finish: 3rd
This team finally broke through with a 3rd place finish at last year's regions. That team boasted the likes of Tiffany Lin, Andrea Cheng, Michelle Chandler, Tawnya Jackson, Christine Moore, Erin Dahlke and Rebecca MacPherson. Some of those players won't be returning. (Chandler, Moore, Dahlke).
While there was pre-season concern about the numbers and depth of the team, much talent exists on the host team. Jordan Meron enters her second year of college play after a great season on the Canadian National Champion club team Lotus. She was not just a part of that team but had a regular shift in championship game situations.
The top end talent to compete with any ladies team in the country is there. We will soon see at CEUUC if the right amount of time and effort has been put in to make this club a possible championship team.
Queens University (Paper Bag Princesses)
2008 CEUUC Finish: 4th
Like the men's side, Queens used to be the priority destination for junior players from all over the country. The establishment and development on programs in Ottawa (for example) have cut into that pipeline, but this team seems to be headed back to title contender status.
One player to watch is Ottawa's Sarah Wildgen. Wildgen is a second generation ultimate talent who's dad is a member of the Ottawa league's Hall of Fame as a world/national level d line player for many years.
Guelph University
2008 CEUUC Finish: 6th
A long tradition of women's teams from Guelph U. Known for their trademark shiny skirts, the school has not won CEUUC since 2003. Despite not possessing a lot of touring women's club talent in recent years, the team is usually in the middle of the pack for Easterns and always has the promise to upset other top teams.
Brianna Jaffray of club team Scarlett will be on of the players relied on to help the team in the clutch.
Carleton University Stealth
2008 CEUUC Finish 7th
Despite the large shadow of cross town powerhouse U of O, the Carlton program continues to grow and develop. Lead by captain and coaches Onita Basu and Paula Saliba, the squad will look to improve on their 2008 results.
The team lists Stella/Capitals player Kate Cavallaro as their technical coach and has experienced handlers Amy Richardson and Draza Stehlikova on the team. Richardsons ability to throw deep and against zone will be helpful in the college game where zones will be heavily used.
Of the new players, Dominique Rioux is an exciting rookie from the Ottawa Junior program who has huge upside.
University of Toronto Torontula
2008 CEUUC Finish 8th
2007 CEUUC runners up had a strong day of 2008 pool play but were upset in the quarters by Western and the wheels simply fell off. Bit shocking.
Given their location and the strong club/junior teams in the area, this team could very easily revamp and contend this weekend.
Former Western striker/cutter Erin Dahlke is listed on the A team and will be a welcome edition after a full season of summer club experience with coed squad Tundra.
University of Waterloo Kinnari
2008 CEUUC Finish: 9th
Yet another school with a solid/growing local comp program and a large school population base to build on.
Don't have much information for this relatively new program.. but given the progress of the men over the past five years, I would expect the women's team to have similar results.
McMaster University
2008 CEUUC Finish: 10th
This is a big squad in terms of roster size, with over 20 players registered for the tournament. Like the men's side, the progression of this program is evident, and the team may be a factor in the quarter finals.
Universite de Montreal (Ultime Diva)
2008 CEUUC Finish: Did Not Play
Easterns loses University of Sherbrooke but gains another Montreal team.
Despite it's newbie/expansion status, reports say there is established club talent affiliated with the squad and they might be a very difficult opponent.
Sonia Krajicek of Storm fame will serve as the coach of the team, and she will be an extremely helpful resource for this new program establishing a long term system.
University of Toronto Torontula B
2008 CEUUC Finish: Did Not Play
Second squad for U of T.
A little undermanned (13 players) for a two day tournament, but should be an excellent experience for players, many of who will graduate on to the A team.
McGill University Martletts B
2008 CEUUC Finish: Did Not Play
17 players on the second squad for the McGill team. Amanda Fortier and Krista Smeltzer will be serving as coaches.
Seeing this many players on a B team, being groomed to help out the A team in the near future might help explain why McGill has had such a strong decade of performance.
6 comments:
dan fortin is still playing!?!??!
when will that grandma be out of here?
now if only we could see what the schedule is like for the weekend. . .
I think the Ladyy Gee-Gees and the Martlets are definite front-runners - sure bets for semis, but after that, I think the other two semis spots are up for grabs! Should be an exciting tournament.
Guelph Women's team came fifth at last year's Easterns!
PS, I don't go to Guelph.. I'm still at Ottawa U with the GGs and scarlett (summer). haha
Brianna,
At first I was about to accuse you of being listed on the wrong team list for CEUCC (which would have been trouble)
But it turns out there is a Brianna Jarvis on Guelph, and a Brianna Jaffray on Ottawa.
Given Guelph's strong performance at CEUCC, I hope to have some info on Ms Jarvis.
Off the top of my head, bear with me... Born August 17th 1991, Brianna Thunder Jarvis was born in Ottawa, ON and lead St. Matthew's High School to strong performances and high finishes throughout her 4 year carear. During her time in Ottawa she also captained the Ottawa Junior team, getting open at will, catching everything in the long arms of her 6'1 frame. She is definately someone to watch with World Junior tryouts just around the corner. Expect her to be a go-to offensive threat with the Guelph womens team for a while.
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