The Trent men’s extramural hockey team has qualified for the Challenge Cup tournament by winning the University of Toronto Scarborough’s invitational tournament, held on February 1.

The Excalibur defeated Seneca Newnham 4-3 in a hard fought championship game which had to be settled in a shoot-out. It was the second shoot-out win the team enjoyed over Seneca Newnham in the tournament; the previous win came during round-robin play. The Trent team went undefeated in the tournament, winning all five of its games.

The Challenge Cup is awarded to the winner of a year-end invitational hockey tournament featuring Ontario’s best college men's extramural hockey teams. The Challenge Cup tournament was created by the OCAA’s Ontario College Committee on Campus Recreation (OCCCR). The OCCCR is the governing body for campus recreation activities within Ontario's colleges. Twenty-six college and university teams participate in OCCCR men’s hockey competitions.

This is the third year in a row that the Trent team, which was formed in 2010, has qualified for the Challenge Cup. This year’s Challenge Cup tournament will be held March 21 and 22, hosted by Oshawa’s Durham College.

The win in Scarborough was the team’s best showing so far this season in OCCCR tournament play. “We got off to a rocky start because we went through a coaching change at the start of the season,” said Drew Hampel, who is assistant captain and a defence man on the squad. “But since settling in with the new coach, we’ve been improving every game. We were semi-finalists in the Humber College Tournament in late November.”

The team is comprised of undergraduate and graduate students at Trent, who were selected at a tryout at the beginning of the season. “Most of our players have experience playing at a high competitive level, including junior hockey,” said Drew, who is in his third year majoring in Forensics and Environmental Science. The head coach is Gavin McKnight. He is assisted by Dave Shearer.

Doug Moore was the leading scorer at the Scarborough tournament, but Drew points out that various players have stood out during the year. “Every player on the team has contributed throughout the season,” he said. “It’s really been a team effort.”

The team winds up its regular season with a tournament in Barrie on March 7, hosted by Georgina College. They will then have two weeks to prepare for the tournament in Oshawa, in their drive to bring the Challenge Cup trophy to Peterborough.