U of O men’s hockey team suspended after allegations of sexual assault
The University of Ottawa’s men’s hockey team has been suspended after allegations of sexual assault against members of the team caused police to initiate an investigation, according to the Toronto Star.
The assault is said to have occurred in Thunder Bay on the weekend of Feb. 1, while the team was in town to play Lakehead University. Few other details have been made available, including how many players were allegedly involved.
The university was made aware of the allegations after “senior management in the university’s sports services received information from a third party on Monday, Feb. 24,” according to a statement from the university. The information was reported to police the next day, and the university has offered their full co-operation with the investigation.
“The investigation is in the initial stages. We will not disclose any further details which could identify the individuals involved in this incident or jeopardize the investigation,” said a statement issued by Thunder Bay police.
The school has also launched an internal review.
Carleton Raven Philip Scrubb earns third CIS outstanding player award
Fourth-year commerce student Philip Scrubb collected his third straight Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) outstanding player award Wednesday, becoming the first basketball player ever to do so, according to a CIS press release. .
The 21-year-old Richmond, B.C. native adds the trophy to his collection, including CIS rookie-of-the-year for the 2010-2011 season.
“Phil has been the guy we have gone through for four years and without him, there could never have been the success that we have had,” said Ravens head coach Dave Smart in an article from The Globe and Mail. “He is an extremely talented player who is a full team guy over everything else.”
Scrubb was joined by two fellow Ravens in winning national awards. Older brother Thomas Scrubb, a fourth-year forward, was awarded top defensive player in the CIS while Smart continued his reign with a fourth consecutive coach of the year award.
Scrubb’s win also makes it the fourth straight year the outstanding player award has been presented to a Raven, and their seventh time in the last nine years.
According to The Globe and Mail, Scrubb led Carleton in scoring with 18.6 points a game, and assists, with 4.9. He ranked third in the CIS in assist-to-turnover ratio, fifth in three-point shooting, and eighth in free-throw percentage.
U of A goalie called up by Oilers, gold-medal goalie attends Oiler practice
University of Alberta Golden Bears goalie Kurtis Mucha was called up by the Edmonton Oilers for a one-day tryout contract March 3, according to a press release from the NHL team.
Mucha dressed in Oilers’ blue and orange to play backup goaltender against the Ottawa Senators at Rexall Place.
The fourth-year student was called up after the Oilers traded goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov to the Minnesota Wild for a fourth-round pick, creating an opening for the game against the Senators.
It was Mucha’s second brush with the NHL after filling in with the Boston Bruins during a practice in Edmonton earlier this year, according to a Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) press release.
Despite having previous NHL experience, Mucha still called his time with the Oilers “Really special,” in an interview with an Edmonton Oilers blogger.
“It was just a normal day for me,” Mucha said in the interview. “I actually had a dentist appointment at 8:30 and went to class at 11. That’s when I got the call from Ian Herbers, my coach there, and he said the Oilers had stuff in the works and if a trade happened, I was probably going to get to back up. Lo and behold, I ended up getting on the bench there so it was pretty cool.”
Mucha was the 2013 CIS goaltender of the year, was recently named a Canada West second team all-star, and has the second-best goals against average in the country.
The Oilers’ goalie trade also prompted them to call upon recent Olympic gold medallist Shannon Szabados for their practice Wednesday morning, as reported by CBC News.
Szabados won gold alongside the rest of the Canadian women’s hockey team at both the Sochi and Vancouver Olympic Games.
The invitation was prompted by a Twitter campaign to have Szabados play backup goalie in the game against Ottawa.
