The Queen’s Gaels men’s hockey team hit the ice Thursday for what could be their final practice of the season.
“It’s our last shot to go nationals back-to-back years,” forward Nolan Hutcheson said. “So, I mean, we’re going to give everything we got.”
They’ll face TMU on Saturday in the OUA bronze-medal game.
“The nice thing about TMU is they play in Maple Leaf Gardens, and that’s still a place where players think about, more importantly, probably their parents think about,” head coach Brett Gibson said. “So it’ll be a good contingent of Queen’s support.”
But getting to this point wasn’t easy. The Gaels had to win their last three games of the season just to sneak into the final playoff spot.
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From there, they went on an improbable playoff run, upsetting the No. 3 seed McGill in the first round, and then No. 2 Concordia in the second round.
“We’ve always had big rivalries against the Quebec teams,” Hutcheson said. “So I think we were prepared for that this year compared to years past. So I think we just had a bit more motivation this year.”
Despite busting the bracket early on and taking the first game against Université du Québec Trois-Rivières Patriotes in the East Final, the Gaels lost both road games and ultimately the series.
“We love each other so much that at this point, when the games are do-or-die, we’re just looking at extending our season,” goaltender Tanner Wickware said. “So we’re all giving it all we got just to have another week with each other at the rink, hanging out and get to keep playing games with each other.”
Many Gaels have stepped up this postseason, but maybe no one more than Wickware.
He’s made the most saves these playoffs. He has the second-best save percentage and the third-best goals against average.
“Probably one of the mistakes I made earlier in the year, not starting him,” Gibson said. “But he’s been unbelievable throughout this run.”
With one more shot to keep this run going, the Gaels head into historic Maple Leaf Gardens, looking to make some history of their own.
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