Sports in brief

Men’s hockey drops 5-0 decision
After two consecutive wins, the Hawks were unable to find a third as they lost 5-0 on the road to the York Lions. Laurier has dealt with a short bench due to injuries, and after three consecutive overtime meetings, the Hawks were unable to find any help. First-year goaltender Vinny Merante got the start, but was relieved early by third-year Duncan Long. The Hawks play the Guelph Gryphons Thursday in Guelph to battle for the final playoff spot.

Merante, Howe named athletes of the week
Men’s hockey goaltender Vinny Merante and women’s hockey forward Megan Howe were named this week’s athletes of the week. Merante guided Laurier to two big wins over the week, including a 3-2 shootout win against the Waterloo Warriors with a 13-man bench and a 2-1 win over the York Lions with a 14-man bench. Merante sits sixth in the OUA in save percentage with 0.925. Howe extended her point streak to four games with a four-point performance over the weekend. She opened with three assists against the Nipissing Lakers before adding the game-winning goal against the Laurentian Voyageurs. She has eight points in her last four games.

Swimming takes off to OUAs
On Thursday, the OUA championship for swimming will begin at Brock University. The competition will continue through until Saturday, with swimmers having the potential to join Christopher Courtis and Kaitlin Vanderbeek in the CIS championships.