In a year that featured the return of the FISU World University Games, last-minute title-clinching goals and underdog teams winning championships, 2023 was a memorable year for U Sports.
As the year comes to a close, we take a look back at 10 standout stories from Canadian university sports in 2023.
WATCH | Top U Sports moments of the year:
Here are some of the best highlights that happened so far to begin the 2023-24 U Sports season, ending a captivating 2023.
Canada wins double hockey gold at FISU Games
Gold medals in men’s and women’s hockey at the World University Games had eluded Canada since both teams won in Trentino, Italy in 2013.
Yet, at Herb Brooks Arena in Lake Placid, NY, Canada won both competitions, securing golds on the ice that hosted USA Hockey’s “Miracle on Ice” at the 1980 Winter Olympics.
Built of U Sports all-stars on both sides, Canada’s men’s team featured seven NHL Draft Picks and was the buzz of the tournament from the opening day. Led by head coach Gardiner MacDougall, who would later go on to lead the University of New Brunswick Reds to the University Cup title, Canada outscored opponents 37-5 in the group stage before beating Kazakhstan and the USA in the semifinal and final.
By topping the preliminary stage, Games organizers gave the Canadian team locker room five, the same room that housed Team USA at the 1980 Games.
“You can’t really draw it up any better, Canada and USA at Herb Brooks Arena; it’s unique and really special,” Team Canada’s Matt Struthers said, gold medal around his neck. “It’s something you dream of as a kid, and to win like that is super special.”
Canada’s gold medalist Scout Watkins-Southward:<br><br>“Speechless, amazing, the best feeling in the entire world, this is something I’ve dreamt of since I started playing hockey.”<br><br>Hear from the <a href=”https://twitter.com/queensgaels?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@queensgaels</a> forward. <a href=”https://t.co/5krXgyMybD”>pic.twitter.com/5krXgyMybD</a>
—@BenSteiner00
Meanwhile, the Canadian women had a golden path that saw them eliminate the Americans from playoff contention in front of a sold-out crowd before eventually beating Japan in the gold medal game. Along the way, however, they had the eye of Marie-Philip Poulin, who reached out to team captain Emmy Fecteau throughout the tournament.
“She congratulated me, said good luck and that I should enjoy it and wanted to make sure I was okay with the role,” Fecteau said. “She also wrote to the leadership group, and she asked how we were doing, and told us good luck, and it was really nice of her.”
After the tournament and end of the U Sports season, several of the Canadian players also turned pro, while Canada’s Audrey-Anne Veillette was selected by Ottawa in the inaugural PWHL Draft, but did not secure a contract.
Hylland wins FISU Games gold for his mom
While the Canadian team winning gold was one of the most significant stories of the year in U Sports, no player had a story similar to Tyler Hylland’s.
A standout player with the Concordia University Stingers, Hylland was added to the roster a week before the Games as an injury replacement, just weeks after his mother had passed away.
“Before she passed, we had spoken about potentially getting this [Team Canada] opportunity, and she was super excited for me. I know she would have been at every single game,” Hylland said ahead of the gold medal game. “I want to do it for her and my whole family that needs something to change the mood — I just want to make them proud.”
Hylland certainly did, playing a pivotal role in Canada’s tournament, scoring four goals, including one in the final.
Tyler Hylland lost his mom suddenly last month. <br><br>Tonight, he will play for a gold medal. <br><br>When he takes the ice, he will have one person on his mind. <a href=”https://t.co/CvbiWxKF0v”>pic.twitter.com/CvbiWxKF0v</a>
—@USPORTSIntl
Canada’s standouts, best individual moments at FISU Games
Canada’s World University Games were its second most successful ever in the winter edition, winning 13 medals to tie its total from Belluno 1985. It also helped establish several student-athletes with the next level of their sport.
Rousseau’s feats made her the first Canadian to medal in World University Games biathlon, while her two gold medals marked the fourth time a Canadian student-athlete had reached that mark.
Yet, Canada’s Owen Purcell of Dalhousie University took the crown for the best single moment of the Games, sending a heavy final throw to force a steal and a triple in the men’s curling bronze medal game against Switzerland, securing Canada a spot on the podium.
Let’s have another look at that spectacular last shot by Owen Purcell. Calm, cool and collected under pressure pulling off a triple!<a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/FISUGames?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#FISUGames</a> <a href=”https://t.co/8p89O40UmS”>pic.twitter.com/8p89O40UmS</a>
—@CurlingCanada
Mount Royal’s late comeback to win women’s hockey national title
Heading into the U Sports Women’s Hockey Championship, the Mount Royal University Cougars had already enjoyed a historic season. Yet, coming in as the eighth seed Canada West runner-ups, few predicted them to win their first national title.
That is, until MRU hit a vein of form at the championship, defeating the OUA champion University of Toronto Varsity Blues, before knocking off the RSEQ’s Université du Québec à Montréal Citadins, leading to the gold medal game, where they defeated Concordia on Emma Bergesen’s golden overtime winning goal.
However, that championship nearly fell into Concordia’s favour, with MRU forward Breanne Trotter tying the game with a perplexing shot with 1.8 seconds remaining in regulation, setting the stage for Bergesen’s winner.
WATCH | Breanne Trotter recalls chaotic U Sports championship game:
CBC Sports presents ‘Behind the Moment,’ a behind-the-scenes look at Breanne Trotter’s game-tying goal in the 2023 U Sports women’s hockey final.
Turner becomes 1st woman to play, score in U Sports football
Maya Turner made history with the University of Manitoba Bisons in 2023, becoming the first woman to play and score in a regular season U Sports football game. She debuted and hit two field goals, including the winning points in a 27-24 victory over the University of Regina Rams at IG Field in Winnipeg.
Turner had scored in preseason action, but the former NCAA soccer player took on vital moments against Regina and throughout the season while also being welcomed into the locker room by head coach Brian Dobie, who made an impassioned speech post-game.
“I’m so excited. It was such an unreal experience,” said Turner after the history-making game. “I think since the last field goal, I’ve just been full of adrenaline and excitement. We won a big game, a tight game. The team fought all the way until the end. I’m just proud of everyone today.”
WATCH | Maya Turner wins homecoming game for Manitoba:
Maya Turner is a football kicker for the Manitoba Bisons. She defied the odds by becoming the first woman to play and score a point in a U Sports football game.
Carleton maintains men’s basketball dynasty
Few can look back on the final game of their U Sports career as fondly as Aidan Warnholtz, who put the Carleton University Ravens on his back in the national championship final against St. Francis Xavier University.
With a cheering sold-out Scotiabank Centre in Halifax, Warnholtz tied the game up at 82-82 with a step-back three-pointer with 13.1 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter before continuing to dominate through overtime.
The teams reached the end of the first overtime at 92-92, sending the U Sports men’s Final 8 championship into double overtime for the first time, where Warnholtz finished two three-pointers to lift the Ravens to a 109-104 victory and 17th W.P. McGee Trophy. The game marked the highest combined score in U Sports Final 8 history.
To make it sweeter, the Carleton women’s basketball team captured their national banner at the same time, beating the Queen’s University Gaels 71-59 at Cape Breton University.
WATCH | Aidan Warnholtz looks back on historic Carleton championship:
A behind the scenes look at Aiden Warnholtz’s game-tying shot in the 2023 U Sports Men’s Basketball final, that led the Carleton Ravens to their 4th straight championship.
Sénécal leads Carabins to Vanier Cup
For the first time since 2015, the Montreal Carabins reached the pinnacle of U Sports football, capturing the Vanier Cup in Kingston, Ont, while also avenging a 2015 Vanier Cup loss to the UBC Thunderbirds.
Quarterback and Hec Crighton Trophy winner Jonathan Sénécal stood out in the championship game, as he did all season, completing 11-of-26 passes for 171 yards and an interception, as well as a team-high 50 yards rushing on 10 carries in the 16-9 victory.
The win at Queen’s University’s Richardson Stadium marked a double for the city of Montreal, with the Carabins winning the Vanier Cup just days after the Montreal Alouettes won the CFL’s Grey Cup. Montreal became the first city since 1980 to boast Vanier Cup and Grey Cup champions in the same year.
WATCH | Montreal’s Marco Iadeluca ecstatic about breaking Vanier Cup heartbreak:
The Montreal Carabins beat the UBC Thunderbirds 16-9 to win the 2023 Vanier Cup, becoming Canadian University Football Champions.
Tolnai scores championship-clinching goal for UBC
How could we talk about coming up clutch in championship moments without mentioning Katalin Tolnai, the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds, and the 2023 U Sports Women’s Soccer Championship?
In her final game of a dazzling university soccer career, Tolnai scored on the last kick of extra-time against the Trinity Western University Spartans, giving UBC a late 1-0 lead after a perfectly placed cross from Jayda Thompson allowed the senior to slot in her final goal.
“It’s not fun to face that team,” Tolnai said after beating their B.C. foes. “I knew it would only take one chance to score, and that one was coming right to my head — I wasn’t going to miss.”
Tolnai scored 40 goals in her UBC career, but the final strike to add a second U Sports title to her resume will undoubtedly be the most memorable.
WATCH | Katalin Tolnai comes up clutch for UBC:
UBC beat Trinity Western in a thrilling match that came down to an extra-time winner by Katalin Tolnai to capture the championship, winning 1-0.
UPEI upset top-seeded Calgary in men’s hockey
Hosting the University Cup men’s hockey tournament, the University of Prince Edward Island put together one of the best team performances in all of U Sports, knocking out the Canada West champion University of Calgary Dinos in the tournament’s first round.
Calgary entered the game after a 25-3-0 regular season, winning 20 straight games heading into the playoffs. Yet, after qualifying for the national championship, their road ended abruptly with a 4-2 loss to the Panthers in front of a sold-out building in Charlottetown.
UPEI came out with a hard-checking, inspired approach and pushed Calgary to elimination, sending the home crowd into a frenzy. The Panthers lost to the University of Alberta Golden Bears in the second round, eventually finishing fourth in the tournament.
WATCH | Panthers upset top-seed Dinos in University Cup quarterfinal:
Watch quarterfinal action at the U Sports men’s national hockey championships between Calgary Dinos and the U PEI Panthers from Charlottetown, P.E.I.
Scholarship policy adjustments help gender equity, remove barriers
In October, U Sports announced that it will become more straightforward for student-athletes to qualify for athletic scholarships in Canada, revising policies that often held some away from playing university sport.
“As a Black student-athlete, there are some kids that look like me that don’t have the chance to play university sport, but I hope they can see this as a chance for them to pursue their education and athletics,” University of Waterloo Warriors football player Trevon Halstead told CBC Sports. “They can believe in themselves and say, ‘I can go here, and I can pursue my dreams of being a student-athlete.'”
Also a part the new policy, athletic departments will be required to commit a minimum of 45 per cent of athletic scholarships to women’s sports and 45 per cent to men’s, with the remaining 10 per cent available to pivot to either side.