Puck drops on 2016-17 women's hockey season October 7 with McCaw Cup rematch

BURLINGTON, Ont. - Ontario University Athletics (OUA) announced on Thursday the league schedule for the upcoming 2016-17 women's hockey season with regular season action to begin in dramatic fashion on Oct. 7, 2016.

The Guelph Gryphons and Western Mustangs have forged one of the biggest rivalries in OUA women's hockey in recent years and the next chapter will be written to open the season at Thompson Arena in London, Ont.

Guelph went 17-4-2-1 last season on their way to hoisting the McCaw Cup for the first time since 1998 with a 5-1 victory over the Mustangs.  It was sweet revenge for a Gryphons' squad that fell to Western 2-0 in the 2015 OUA championship.

On Oct. 15, the Nipissing Lakers will make the trip to Kingston, Ont. to take on the Queen's Gaels at Kingston Memorial Arena.  The Gaels will be out for retribution as it was the Lakers that swept them in the quarter-finals, including a 3-2 series clinching victory on the road.

In Guelph, Ont., the Gryphons will welcome the Laurentian Voyageurs to the not-so-friendly confines of the Gryphon Centre for an afternoon showdown.  The two teams last met in the quarter-finals with the Voyageurs giving the No. 1 ranked Gryphons all they could handle in the best-of-three series.

The 2015 McCaw Cup champion Mustangs will head north Oct. 21-22 for a weekend series with the Voyageurs and Lakers.  Memorial Gardens in North Bay, Ont. has not been kind to the Mustangs as Western hasn't won there since Oct. 25, 2014.

On Oct. 30, the Waterloo Warriors and Western Mustangs meet at Thompson Arena with a big three points on the line.  Last season, only four points separated fourth place Western and sixth place Waterloo in the standings.  Despite the Mustangs sweeping their regular season series, both games were decided by just one goal.

The Laurier Golden Hawks will return to Varsity Arena in Toronto, Ont. on Nov. 18 for the first time since eliminating the University of Toronto Varsity Blues from the playoffs last season.  The Golden Hawks and Varsity Blues are two of the most successful programs in OUA women's hockey with 28 combined titles since 1971-72.

Laurier will need to bide their time before they get a chance at revenge on Nov. 23 against the Gryphons.  Guelph swept their semifinal series against the Golden Hawks with a pair of 2-1 victories last season.  However, Laurier handed Guelph one of their three losses during the regular season at home at the Waterloo Recreation Complex on Oct. 17, 2015.

Regular season play takes a break for the holidays on Dec. 1 as the Golden Hawks make one final 2016 trip to Toronto, Ont. to take on the Ryerson Rams are the storied Mattamy Athletic Centre (formerly Maple Leaf Gardens).

Play resumes on Jan. 4, 2017 as the Varsity Blues take a trip down the 401 for an afternoon matinee against the Windsor Lancers.  Toronto swept their regular series last season, however, they needed OT on both occasions to sneak past the pesky Lancers.

The 2016-17 regular season concludes on Feb. 19 with a trio of games.  In Guelph, Ont. the defending champion Gryphons host the visiting Lakers, while in Oshawa, Ont., the UOIT Ridgebacks will welcome the Waterloo Warriors to town.  The Lancers and Golden Hawks round out the action with an evening showdown at the Waterloo Rec Complex.

The top eight teams will qualify for the playoffs with the quarter-finals beginning Feb. 22 followed by two semifinal matchups beginning on Mar. 1.  Each round consists of a best-of-three series.  

The McCaw Cup will be played on Mar. 11 in a one-game, winner-take-all battle, hosted by the highest remaining team with the best record.

Read the full schedule here.