This Week in Red Deer Polytechnic Athletics

As for the hockey teams, after playing three games in one week, the Queens will just have the one match in Edmonton against the NAIT Ooks as they battle for the top spot in the conference. For the Kings, they will be down in Calgary as well to take on the SAIT Trojans before facing them in a rematch on Saturday in Red Deer. These three games will all start at 7 p.m.

The indoor track team will make their 2023 debut on Saturday in Edmonton as Concordia University plays host to them and the rest of the ACAC teams in the Running Room Grand Prix #1.

Lastly, The Kings and Queens Curling team’s will be back in the hack this weekend as they are in Edmonton for the Winter Regional, which is their last bonspiel before championships. It runs from January 20-22.

Volleyball

Queens (6-5) vs Ambrose University Lions (11-3)

Friday, January 20 at 6 p.m. at Gary W. Harris Canada Games Centre
Saturday, January 21 at 6 p.m. in Calgary

After a tough weekend for the Queens Volleyball team, they will be looking to get back to their winning ways after falling to a 1-3 record against North Division teams. But it will not be easy as they face a Lions team that is sitting with just three losses on the season so far and sit in first place in the ACAC South Division.

Head Coach Talbot Walton explained that Ambrose University is a team they are much more familiar with.

“We saw them a bit over the Christmas break and are familiar with their team. They brought back most players from their team last year. Obviously, we played them a lot in the last few years, so we have a confident feeling on what they are going to bring to the table come this weekend,” he said.

The Queens will be in Red Deer for a 6 p.m. start on Friday and then head south for the rematch in Calgary for a 6 p.m. start as well.

Kings (10-1) vs Ambrose University Lions (7-7)

Friday, January 20 at 8 p.m. at Gary W. Harris Canada Games Centre
Saturday, January 21 at 8 p.m. in Calgary

The Kings are coming off an impressive weekend as they were able to beat The Kings University Eagles in four sets, who were the number one team in the North Division. They now sit with a nine-game winning streak with their only loss coming in the second match of the season.

Head Coach Aaron Schulha said he has not looked at too much game tape of the Lions but believes he has got a good idea on what they will bring to the table this weekend.

“They got a big Australian left-side who is usually their kill leader so we will make sure to prioritize him. They got a veteran setter, who runs a good offence, and they also have a good coach, who seems to be doing a good job there as well. It will be nice to prepare for one opponent instead of two,” he said.

The Kings will follow the Queens matches this weekend with one in Red Deer and one in Calgary. Both matches will start at 8 p.m.

Basketball

Queens (6-6) vs Ambrose University Lions (7-5)

Friday, January 20 at 6 p.m. in Calgary
Saturday, January 21 at 6 p.m. at Gary W. Harris Canada Games Centre

Queens Basketball is coming off an impressive weekend that saw them sweep the Briercrest College Clippers to sit with a .500 record and now sit in fifth place in a very tight South Division. Between the second and seventh place teams, there is only a six spread. It will be a close contest right until the championship weekend.

Head Coach Avery Harrison said it was nice to start off the second semester with a pair of wins, but the upcoming weekend will be tough.

“It really does feel good to start the year off with back-to-back wins. But this week will be tough as we face off against Ambrose for two games, who are a really good team. Our mindset in this semester is one game at a time, one quarter at a time, and one shift at a time. If we win every quarter, we win the game,” she said.

Harrison and the Queens will be on the road on Friday in Calgary for a 6 p.m. start and then back in Red Deer on Saturday for a rematch with another 6 p.m. start.

Kings (6-6) vs Ambrose University Lions (7-5)

Friday, January 20 at 8 p.m. in Calgary
Saturday, January 21 at 8 p.m. at Gary W. Harris Canada Games Centre

The Kings also had a good start to the year with a sweep of the Briercrest College Clipper as well. In their game on Friday, their offense exploded for 104 points. They currently sit in fifth place. With only six points separating first and fifth place, it will be a tight race right until the championships. With a couple wins against the Lions, the Kings will be jumping a spot to fourth place as Ambrose sits ahead of them by just two points.

Head Coach Darren Graham said it is going to be a big weekend for the Kings as they face off against the Lions.

“We have been focusing on communication and rotation which is a couple of things we will continue to focus on as we have a big weekend coming up against Ambrose. We want to make sure we are closing the gap on shooters and communicating with one another so there is no man left open,” he said.

The Kings Basketball team will be in Calgary on Friday and back in Red Deer on Saturday with both matches starting at 8 p.m.

Hockey

Queens (7-2) at NAIT Ooks (8-1)

Friday, January 20 at 7 p.m. in Edmonton

The Queens will be in tough this weekend as they fight for that number one spot in the conference as they head to Edmonton to take on the NAIT Ooks. As of right now, the Ooks sit in first place just ahead of the Queens. In the season series so far, the Queens are 1-1 with their most recent game against each other on January 8 finishing in a 2-1 win.

Head Coach Kelly Coulter explained having more games consistently has had a positive effect on the girls so far as they went three for three to start the new year.

“It is nice to be playing more games, more consistently. The girls’ competitive juices are flowing a little bit more. I really liked our execution and puck management this weekend. The goals were worker goals and they worked hard,” said Coulter.

With three games in seven days, the Queens will just have one on the docket this weekend, but said they expect a good, championship-like battle as they fight for the top spot. The puck drops at 7 p.m.

Kings (9-5-1) vs SAIT Trojans (9-5)

Friday, January 20 at 7 p.m. in Calgary
Saturday, January 21 at 7 p.m. at Gary W. Harris Canada Games Centre

The Kings Hockey team is coming off a rather peculiar weekend after they were able to blow out the University of Alberta-Augustana Vikings 6-2 in their hometown. However, on Saturday, after giving up three goals in three minutes, the Vikings got their revenge and travelled home with a 5-2 victory. This weekend they will be put to the test as they fight for that number one spot in the conference as the SAIT Trojans are just one point behind the Kings.

Head Coach Trevor Keeper said these games against the Trojans are huge for his team.

“SAIT has a skilled team and solid goaltending, so we will have to be our best. I think special teams will play a significant role in determining the outcome of the games, so we are putting in the work over the next few days.”

The Kings will head to Calgary for the first game on Friday before travelling home for a rematch with the Trojans on Saturday at the Gary W. Harris Canada Games Centre. Both games will have a puck drop at 7 p.m.

Kings and Queens Indoor Track

January 21 hosted by Concordia University of Edmonton

The Kings and Queens Indoor Track team will debut this Saturday, January 21 in Edmonton as the Concordia University of Edmonton hosts the first Running Room Grand Prix of the season.

Head Coach Douglas Spicer said he knows he has talented athletes but, with a variety of distances raced compared to just for cross-country, it will be interesting to see where the athletes stack up against the competition.

“My main objective is for the athletes to run faster than their time trials at each of their distances, and to have a good, solid start to the indoor season so I can see where work needs to be done in order to fully transition to the 200m indoor surface. Looking forward to a great start to the season,” he said.

The team features an All-Canadian in Jenica Swartz and an ACAC All-Conference runner in Dan Szucs. The indoor track team will have one more Grand Prix, which is hosted by Red Deer Polytechnic, on February 18 before the ACAC Championships on March 18-19 in Edmonton.

RDP Mixed and Queen Curling (Winter Regional)

January 20-22 hosted by Concordia University of Edmonton

The RDP curling teams will have their last test before the ACAC Championships on March 3-5 with the Winter Regional hosted by Concordia University of Edmonton this weekend from January 20-22. As it sits right now, the mixed team is tied for first with a 3-1 record. All four mixed teams will make it to the ACAC Championships.

Head Coach Brad Hamilton explained for this team, it is all about improving and trying to peak for provincials in early March. They also have a new player at the second position and say they will be working on getting him used to ACAC play and team chemistry during the games.

For the Queens team, they are tied for second with a 3-2 record. Hamilton said they will need to have a good weekend to ensure they stay in the top four to qualify for championships.

“The team has been practicing a bunch and we are expecting a good weekend out of them. The goal for both teams is to keep improving from week to week and qualify for the ACAC Championships,” he said.

As for the Kings Curling team, they will not field a team for the remainder of the year.

by rdnewsNOW Staff

This Week in Red Deer Polytechnic Athletics

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