Varsity sports roundup – Sept. 30

Bears Volleyball

The Golden Bears Volleyball team began gathering momentum ahead of their Oct. 16 season opener last weekend, as they went 5-0 at the annual Sofa Land Invitational Tournament. Played at the Savile Centre, the tournament featured the Bears, along with Thompson Rivers, UBC Okanagan, and University of Calgary squads from Canada West. Rounding out the tournament were ACAC programs from King’s, Ambrose, Lakeland, Lethbridge, Keyano, Concordia, Grande Prairie and NAIT. Friday saw the Bears best UBCO and King’s to the tune of 3-0 and 3-1, respectively. Saturday would bring straight-sets victories against Calgary and NAIT, with the Bears edging TRU 3-1 to cap off the evening.The Bears will travel to Hamilton next weekend to take on the McMaster Marauders in a three-game series. The matchups between last years’ CIS and OUA champions will take place on October 1, 2, and 3 at 5:00 EST; games will be streamed live on OUA’s online channel. — Mitch Sorensen

Golden Bears Hockey

The Bears hockey team played in the 31st edition of the Brick Tournament over the weekend, and posted a 1-1 record to finish the tournament in second place, behind the NAIT Ooks. The Bears and Ooks played in the opening game on Friday night, which featured a furious comeback by the ACAC’s top team, as they erased a 3-0 deficit and came back to win the game in double overtime. The Bears bounced back in their second game however, as they routed the Saskatchewan Huskies 5-0. However, the Ooks were able to take top spot in the tournament with a 4-2 win over the UBC Thunderbirds on Saturday. NAIT forward John Dunbar was named tournament MVP, while Bears forward Stephane Legault and defenseman Thomas Carr took all tournament honors. The Bears open their season Oct. 9 on the road against the Lethbridge Pronghorns. — Zach Borutski

Pandas Soccer

The soccer Pandas had another tough weekend, dropping both of their games of their games without scoring a goal: losing 2-0 to the Fraser Valley Cascades on Friday night, and 3-0 to the Trinity Western Spartans on Sunday, falling victim to three consecutive goals from Rachel Hutchinson in the first half. The losses drop the Pandas record to 1-4-1, and their lack of offense may be in part responsible. They’ve been shut out three times in the young season already, and have only managed to score five goals in six games so far. The Pandas will play their first games against teams from Alberta this weekend, facing off against the Calgary Dinos on Friday, Oct. 2, and the Lethbridge Pronghorns on Sunday, Oct. 4. Both games will be played at Foote Field. — Zach Borutski