This Week in Red Deer Polytechnic Athletics

Please refer to the information below for more details regarding the weekend games and matches.

Basketball

Lethbridge College Kodiaks (8-1) at Queens (10-0)

• Friday, January 12 | 6 pm

• Saturday, January 13 | 1 pm

The Queens will put their undefeated record to the test against the second-best team in the South Division this Friday evening as they host the Lethbridge College Kodiaks.

The Kodiaks come into this Friday’s game with an 8-1 record with that loss coming against the Lakeland College Rustlers who are the only other women’s basketball team to still be undefeated in the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC).

Last season, the Queens used a huge 70-50 win against the Kodiaks in Lethbridge to kickstart a 12-game regular season winning streak that ended in them hoisting the championship banner for the first time in 31 years. This streak is still alive and currently sits at 22 games. Their last loss in the regular season came against the Kodiaks on November 25, 2022.

But the Polytechnic’s tough defence will be put to the test on Friday as they welcome the ACAC’s leading scorer, Kitawna Sparks and the conference’s top three-point shooter, Emily Hall to the Fas Gas – On the Run Gymnasium.

Janai Hubert, RDP Queens Basketball. (RDP Athletics)

The game on Friday will tip off at 6 pm with the rematch tipping off at 1 pm on Saturday.

Lethbridge College Kodiaks (5-4) at Kings (9-1)

• Friday, January 12 | 8 pm

• Saturday, January 13 | 3 pm

The Kings will look to extend their eight-game winning streak this weekend as they face the Lethbridge College Kodiaks on Friday night and Saturday afternoon. Both games will follow the conclusion of the Queens games against the Kodiaks.

Lethbridge College has struggled this season as they have a 5-4 record which places them in fifth place in the South Division. But they were able to cap off the 2023 year with back-to-back victories against the Medicine Hat College Rattlers. They also have two of the top five players in field-goal percentage as they both are shooting 58 per cent or better from inside the three-point line.

As for the Kings Jose Mauro (Business Diploma) sits in third place in the rebounds category as he averages just over 11 per game. The men’s team currently sits in second place with a 9-1 record in the south.

They will have a tough schedule in the second half of the season with games against St. Mary’s University Lightning, Lakeland College Rustlers and the Keyano College Huskies all in the next month-and-a-half. The Lightning are first in the South Division with the Huskies and Rustlers at the top of the North Division.

Bernardo Moller, RDP Kings Basketball. (RDP Athletics)

Volleyball

Queens (9-2) vs Keyano College Huskies (5-7)

• Saturday, January 13 | 6 pm in Red Deer

Queens (9-2) vs Lakeland College Rustlers (9-1)

• Sunday, January 14 | 3 pm in Red Deer

The highly anticipated match against the defending ACAC and national champions has finally come around with the Queens welcoming the Lakeland College Rustlers to the Gary W. Harris Canada Games Centre on Sunday afternoon at 3 pm. The last time these two teams faced off was in the first semi-final of the ACAC Championships hosted at Red Deer Polytechnic with the Rustlers sweeping the hosts in three straight sets.

The Queens will look to avenge this semi-final loss this weekend, 4but they will first have to go through the Keyano College Huskies on Saturday night. After falling to the Huskies in regular-season action, the Queens earned a victory against Keyano to set up that semi-final match against the Rustlers back in February.

As it sits right now, the Huskies sit in fourth place in the North Division with a 5-7 record while the Rustlers hold first place with a 9-1 record with their one loss coming against The Kings University Eagles. As for the Queens, they hold down first place in the South Division with a 9-2 record.

They will look to extend their lead atop the standings with a couple of victories this weekend as they prepare to host the 2024 Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Women’s National Championship from March 6-9.

Dani Wiens, RDP Queens. (RDP Athletics)

Kings (9-2) vs Keyano College Huskies (10-2)

• Saturday, January 13 | 8 pm in Red Deer

Kings (9-2) vs Lakeland College Rustlers (8-2)

• Sunday, January 14 | 5 pm in Red Deer

The Kings will look to get back in the win column this Saturday and Sunday as they host the Keyano College Huskies and Lakeland College Rustlers. Currently, the Huskies sit in first while the Rustlers are right behind them in second place.

RDP finished off the 2023 calendar year on the wrong end of two five-set matches but still holds down first place with a couple more matches played than Briercrest College Clippers who sit two points back of the Kings.

The Kings both saw the Rustlers and Huskies at the championship hosted by Keyano College. Lakeland College pushed RDP to the breaking point but the Kings managed to come away with a five-set victory which teed up the match against the Huskies. The Polytechnic swept the hosts in three straight sets in the semi-final.

The Kings will look to replicate these final results this weekend as they hope to get back on track with a tough schedule ahead of them which includes a championship final rematch against the Clippers on February 2 and 3 in Red Deer.

Carlson Ockerman, RDP Kings Volleyball. (RDP Athletics)

Hockey

Queens (12-3) vs Lakeland College Rustlers (10-3)

• Friday, January 12 | 7 pm in Red Deer

• Saturday, January 13 | 7 pm in Lloydminster

College hockey will be back inside the Gary W. Harris Canada Games Centre Arena with the Queens welcoming the Lakeland College Rustlers to town for the first game of a home-and-home series.

The Queens will also look to get back in the win column as they too finished off the 2023 calendar year with a loss to the Olds College Broncos. But it will be tough as they host the Rustlers who are making a name for themselves in just their second season in the ACAC. The Rustlers currently sit in third place but have played in two fewer games than the Queens and the NAIT Ooks.

The season series between RDP and Lakeland College is in favour of the Rustlers as they have won two out of the three games this season. The Queens defence will have to keep a close eye on the ACAC’s leading scorer, Hailey Carothers, who has 12 goals on the season so far. Forward Avery Lajeunesse (Bachelor of Education) leads the Queens with six which is good enough for fourth place in the conference.

Both games this weekend will start at 7 pm.

Rylee Mepham goal against the Rustlers. (RDP Athletics)

Kings (5-7) vs University of Alberta-Augustana Vikings (7-5)

• Friday, January 12 | 7 pm in Camrose

• Saturday, January 13 | 7 pm in Red Deer

The Kings will look to put the first half of the 2023/2024 season behind them as they look to climb the standings in the last month-and-a-half of regular season action. RDP sit in fifth place with a 5-7 record and will be up against the University of Alberta-Augustana Vikings this weekend who are just above the Kings with a 7-5 record. It is still a very close race with lots of hockey to be played.

In the season series against the Vikings, RDP dropped both games but managed to squeak away with one point with a 6-5 overtime loss in Camrose which is where they will start the 2024 year off before heading back to Red Deer for the rubber game of the home-and-home series. In those two games, the Kings were outscored 9-6 with two of those goals coming from defenceman Brennan Davis (Bachelor of Arts in Psychology).

The puck will drop at 7 pm for both games this weekend.

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by RDP Athletics

This Week in Red Deer Polytechnic Athletics

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