Dylan Denomme dekes a goalieRookie forward Dylan Denomme of the no. 9 ranked Lancer men’s hockey team makes a move past goalie Keith Hamilton of Guelph during the team’s season opener.

Three Lancer teams among country’s top-ranked

Strong performances by the Lancer men’s hockey and football teams have won them recognition in the top-10 rankings released Tuesday by Canadian Interuniversity Sport. The programs joined the men’s cross-country team, currently fifth and consistently among the nation’s top 10.

Men’s hockey, defending Queen’s Cup winners as Ontario University Athletics champions, have opened the season with three straight wins, earning the squad ninth place in the national rankings. Windsor will host the Laurier Golden Hawks on Friday and the Toronto Varsity Blues on Saturday; both games at South Windsor Arena at 7:30 p.m.

With a win in its final regular season home game October 10 to go 5-1, Lancer football clinched a playoff berth for the fourth consecutive year and won a spot as No. 10 in the CIS poll. The team’s final two games are on the road—Saturday in Ottawa against the Carleton Ravens and October 25 in London against the Western Mustangs, currently ranked fourth.

The OUA named running back Beau Lumley its offensive player of the week in football, after he ran for 91 yards and added 99 receiving yards in Friday’s victory over Ottawa.

The league also recognized Krystin Lawrence of the Lancer women’s soccer and hockey teams as its female athlete of the week. She played two games in each sport over the weekend, backstopping the soccer team to a win and a shutout draw, and scoring the game-winning goal in Saturday’s hockey contest against the nationally-ranked Laurier Golden Hawks.

The cross country team will next see action in the OUA championship meet, October 25 in Kingston.

Both women’s and men’s soccer have secured post-season berths but are looking to secure their positions in their final weekend of regular-season play. They will travel to Toronto for a game Saturday against the York Lions and then play the Gryphons in Guelph on Sunday. One win would give the women fourth place to open the playoffs at home. The men could finish as high as third or as low as fifth.

Women’s hockey will face off against the Western Mustangs on Saturday in London to start a series of five straight games on the road. The squad returns home November 7 to host York at South Windsor Arena.

Lancer volleyball opens its season this weekend, with both men’s and women’s teams taking on the McMaster Marauders in Hamilton on Saturday, and the women heading to St. Catharines on Sunday to play the Brock Badgers.

Rounding out varsity action, the golf team will tee off in the OUA championship tournament, Sunday in Oshawa.

Read more about the weekend schedule at goLancers.ca.