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NAIT Ooks Recap - Nov 28 - 30
NAIT Ooks Recap - Nov 28 - 30
December 2, 2025
It was a very busy weekend with all the games happening for the NAIT Ooks. In case you missed it, here is your recap.
 
Men's Hockey
The men's hockey team had two games against Briarcrest College. On November 28, the first match took place at the Barkman Arena, where the NAIT Ooks earned a strong win with a 4-1 final score. scoring in every period and applying a fantastic strategy throughout it. Avery Trotter opened the scoring in the first period, putting NAIT up 1–0. In the second period, Ty Hodge added another goal to make it 2–0.
Briercrest cut the lead to 2–1 early in the third, but NAIT answered back quickly. Ty Whitford scored just 15 seconds later, and Tyler Blocha followed with another goal to stretch the lead to 4–1.
NAIT goalie McCoy Bidewell was excellent, making 32 saves on 33 shots for the win.
Ethan Leyer led NAIT in points with two assists, while Brophy Dunne, Evan Arnold, Ashton McNelly, and Drae Gardiner each added one assist. All this combined effort gives the victory to the Ooks in the end.
 
The second match took place on November 29. The Ooks also obtained the victory in this match with a final score of 3-1. Briercrest scored first late in the second period, but NAIT came back strong in the third. Josh Medernach tied the game with a power play goal, and a few minutes later, Avery Trotter scored another one to give NAIT the lead. Tyler Blocha added one more on the advantage to make it 3–1. NAIT's goalie, McCoy Bidewell, was excellent, stopping 36 of 37 shots, adding an impenetrable defence. The strategy and teamwork they presented guarantee the win. 
 
Women's Hockey
The women's hockey team had two games as well during the weekend. On November 28, the Ooks faced Red Deer Polytechnic, where the NAIT Ooks fought consistently but fell in the ned with a final score of 2-0. Red Deer scored early in the first period when Addison Longmore put the puck in, with help from Avery Winchell and Arilyn Toews. In the second period, Jailyn Bablitz added another goal on the power play, giving RDP a 2–0 lead. NAIT tried to push back but couldn't score.
NAIT goalie Jorja Imrie played very well, making 30 saves on 32 shots. Both teams took some penalties, but only RDP was able to score on the power play. In the end, RDP's strong defence and goaltending made the difference in the game.
 
A second game against Red Deer took place on November 29 at the Gary W. Harris Canada Games Centre. Unfortunately, the outcome of the match was not very different from the first game, where the NAIT Ooks fell 0-1 to Red Deer. The only goal came in the first period on a power play, when Arilyn Toews scored with help from Emily Hourie and Tasha Barsby. After that, neither team was able to score, even though both had several chances. Red Deer goalie Tora Ward was excellent, stopping all 30 shots for the shutout. NAIT goalie Aurora Van Wormer also played incredibly, making 22 saves on 23 shots. Both teams took several penalties, but the NAIT Ooks couldn't score on any of their five power plays, while RDP made the most of one of their chances. In the end, strong pressure and good defence helped RDP hold on to their early lead and win the game.
 
Men's Basketball
The men's basketball team had two games this weekend against SAIT and Lethbridge Polytechnic. On Friday, November 28, SAIT won over the NAIT Ooks 94-88. Despite both teams playing hard from start to finish and the Ooks trying to keep the game tight to make a comeback, SAIT made a few big plays in the fourth quarter to stay ahead in the match. On the NAIT side, Peter Kugba-Nyande had an amazing game, scoring 24 points on perfect shooting. Kohl Wedman also played very well with 21 points, and Serhat Chen added 14 points and 7 assists off the bench. All these gave the Ooks a 58.6% accuracy in their shooting throughout the game.
SAIT was led by Marcus Masters, who scored 35 points, including 5 three-pointers. Logan Bennett and Cam Carter also helped SAIT stay alert and ahead with big plays.
 
The next day, November 29, the match against Lethbridge Polytechnic took place, where the NAIT Ooks fought with a formidable strategy but ended falling with a final score of 88-63. Lethbridge jumped out early with 24 points in the first quarter and carried that momentum through halftime, building a 47–25 lead that the Ooks couldn't recover from. Serhat Chen led NAIT with 13 points, shooting 5-of-10 from the field. Kohl Wedman added 12 points, while Peter Kugba-Nyande finished with 6 points and 8 rebounds. Off the bench, Antonio Benjamin provided a spark, scoring 10 points on efficient shooting. Lethbridge was powered by a strong all-around effort. Nathaniel Hosannah had a standout performance with 24 points and 11 rebounds, and Levi Balderson added 21 points.  Despite a more competitive third quarter, the NAIT Ooks couldn't slow Lethbridge's offence, as their team kept the game firmly in control and secured the win.
 
Women's Basketball
The women's basketball team also encounters SAIT and Lethbridge Polytechnic during the weekend. On November 28, the NAIT Ooks secured a victory over SAIT, pulling away after halftime with tough defence and steady scoring. Payton Neilson and Rory Vandermeer led the team with 17 points each. Neilson hit two three-point field goals and grabbed 4 rebounds, while Vandermeer added 9 rebounds and played a big role inside. Mikah Reed supported with 10 points more, and Laila Wright had a strong game off the reserves with 6 points and 10 rebounds, giving NAIT a big boost.
 
On November 29, NAIT encountered Lethbridge Polytechnic, where the Ooks had a dominant 89-52 win. The Ooks controlled the game from the opening tip, outscoring Lethbridge in every quarter and delivering a huge and most complete performance. Mikah Reed, who delivered a historic performance with 46 points, shooting an incredible and having a fantastic percent from the field and from three. Reed's scoring performance set the tone and kept NAIT in full control. The Ooks' ball movement was another major factor that was crucial for the match, finishing with 22 assists on 34 made field goals. Dior Sellars and Payton Neilson each had 6 assists, helping the offence run smoothly. Neilson also added 10 points on efficient shooting, while Laila Wright and Jessica Hardy gave strong energy off the bench.  With a dominant showing, the NAIT Ooks continue to build momentum heading into the next stretch of the season. 
 
Men's Volleyball
The Ooks men's volleyball team won the match 3–0 against SAIT on November 28, with strong play in every set. NAIT took control of a huge part of the sets, showing steady control from start to finish. Their hitting was very good, especially in the first and third sets, where they made very few mistakes and kept a high attack percentage. Josh Watson and Aiden Wright led the scoring with big points, while setter Jace Spinney supported the offence well with 27 assists. NAIT also served tough and blocked well at the net. SAIT struggled to find a rhythm. Even with good effort from players like Jonah Deranger and Logan Williams, SAIT could not keep up with NAIT's clean play. Overall, NAIT's strong attacking, solid defence, and steady serving helped them earn a clear 3–0 win.
 
That is not the only victory that the volleyball team had this weekend; they also earned a strong 3–1 win over Lethbridge Polytechnic on November 29. NAIT started fast, taking the first two sets with clean hitting and strategic defence. Lethbridge pushed back in the third set, winning 26–24, but NAIT stayed calm and finished the match with a 25–23 win in the fourth. Josh Watson once again led the way for NAIT with 23 kills, while Kaden Bennett and Josh Annett also had big games at the net. Setter Mason Gorski ran the offence well with 49 assists. Lethbridge had some good moments, especially from Karl Petker and Gavin Worobec, but they struggled with hitting errors and could not match NAIT's strong attack. Overall, NAIT's power at the net, solid serving, and calmly passing helped them take the 3–1 victory.
 
Women's Volleyball 
The women's volleyball team had two games against SAIT and Lethbridge Polytechnic during the weekend. On November 28, the Ooks earned a hard-fought 3–2 win over SAIT. SAIT came out strong, taking the first two sets with sharp hitting. NAIT bounced back in the third set and carried that momentum into a tight fourth set, winning 28–26 to force a fifth. In the final set, NAIT stayed calm and pulled away for a 15–6 victory. Katie Nashim led NAIT with 21 kills, Rachel Mallett added 15, and Tanisha McQueen had a strong serving night with six aces. Setter Lexi Gedny ran the offence well with 45 assists. SAIT also had strong performances, especially from Jocelyn Ruark and Mia Delaquis, but NAIT's late push, stronger defence, and clutch plays in the fifth set helped secure the comeback win.
 
A second hard-working win was earned on November 29 against Lethbridge Polytechnic with a final score of 3-0. The Ooks controlled the match from the start. Their attack was strong and sharp, staying efficient throughout the match. Katie Nashim led the way with 12 kills on very accurate hitting, while Rachel Mallett added 11 kills as she did in the previous match. Setter Casey Gilmour took the offence into her hands with 25 assists and also added two aces. Tanisha McQueen and Makenna Doyle helped at the service line, each giving NAIT key points. On defence, NAIT stayed organized, with solid blocking. Lethbridge had a few good moments, especially with Robyn Austin's 10 kills, but they struggled with errors and could not keep up with NAIT's strong pace. In the end, the Ooks' strategic play and constant attack grant them the victory.