What do Shakespeare and the McGill women’s basketball team have in common? In most cases, not very much. But at this point in the year, “all’s well that ends well” is becoming an increasingly useful descriptor for the way the Martlets’ season has progressed. After a mediocre start to conference play, the Martlets have picked up their play as of late, and continued their recent surge with a wild 70-69 victory over the visiting UQAM Citadins at Love Competition Hall on Saturday night.

McGill came out of the gates on fire, connecting on a bevy of outside shots to take a 16-10 lead after the first quarter. The hot shooting continued for the Martlets, who pushed their lead to 15 midway through the second period. However, things began to unravel for the home squad after intermission, as McGill failed to sustain their offensive momentum, and UQAM began to connect from downtown. The Citadins took a five-point lead with less than five minutes left in regulation, but the Martlets refused to fold.

“[Head Coach Ryan Thorne] wanted us to just grind it out,” said fifth-year guard Stephanie Bergeron, who was honoured along with fellow seniors Nathifa Weekes and Caroline Hebert following the game. “They were hitting some big threes. That’s basically it. It comes down [to] a battle of the boards, and who wants it more. [Coach] had confidence in us the whole time. We felt that, and we let our momentum carry us through.”

In the dying moments of the game, however, momentum appeared to be heavily on the visitors’ side. After a pair of free-throws by first-year forward Helene Bibeau put McGill up by one, UQAM’s Michelle Auger-Bellemare sunk a jumper from the wing with 36 seconds to go. After turning the ball over underneath their own basket, the Martlets were forced to foul, but a Citadin player stepped out of bounds on the ensuing possession to give the ball right back to the home squad, setting up the dramatic finish. With time running down, the Martlets gave the ball to Bibeau at the top of the key, who drove left before pulling up from 10 feet and connecting on a contested jumper. The shot capped a highly entertaining game, and gave McGill a much-needed lift in the standings.

“It’s definitely a big win. It was a big boost,” said Bergeron. “We jumped into second place with that win so we’re really happy. Helene Bibeau came up big for us […] and down the stretch we were disciplined with our defence and our rebounding. Everybody came together when we needed them the most.”

For the Martlets, every contest now has the feel of a must-win game, as the team scrambles for a higher seed before playoffs begin in March. Bergeron recognized that the team still has a lot to improve upon if they wish to be contenders in a month’s time.

“We have a hard time closing out games – we’ll lose by a couple of points or we’ll go into overtime and lose, and that gets you down,” she said. “When you win a game like this, it’s really a confidence booster. [But] we’ve got to take care of the basketball, and be more disciplined on offence. Our key is Anneth [Him-Lazarenko]. We need to really get her the ball and she just has to do her thing, find the shooters when she’s double-teamed, and we just have to knock down shots.”

Him-Lazarenko – whose stellar freshman campaign was cut short last year after a devastating ACL injury – has returned this season to carry the offensive load for the Martlets. She doubled up with 17 points and 12 rebounds on Saturday, while Weekes and freshman Marie-Eve Martin chipped in with 13 and 14 points, respectively. Playing in her last home game, Weekes was pleased with her squad’s resilience, and expressed satisfaction as to the future of the program.

“I think [Martlet basketball] is headed in the right direction,” she said. “We’ve got a bunch of good recruits and rookies, and the future is bright.”

McGill takes some time off before hitting the road for a date with the first-placed Laval Rouge et Or on February 12. The Martlets play their final game of the regular season against the Citadins at UQAM on February 27.

A straight-set loss to the visiting Montreal Carabins wasn’t the result the McGill men’s volleyball team had hoped for, but for the team and the fans, Friday night’s match was about far more than a small shift in the standings. It was about sacrifice, determination, growth, and an increasingly optimistic future.

Graduating seniors Tom Fabian, Ed O’Dwyer, and Matthew Mosseler were honoured before the start of the match for their sizeable contributions to a program that wallowed in mediocrity for many years, but has become increasingly competitive and successful in recent seasons. Redmen Head Coach Simon Berleur – in his fifth season with the team – was quick to recognize the collective impact his graduating players have had on McGill’s men’s volleyball program.

“This is a group who came in four years ago, when we did not have the momentum that we have now, [and] really helped bring this team to another level,” he said. “Before, we had a tough time [just] to play against the [other team’s] bench, and now we compete with the starters. The next step for us is to bring in new recruits, and start a new generation.”

On Friday, Montreal proved too big and too strong for the undersized Redmen to handle, consistently breaking through McGill’s block and forcing the home squad to send back freeball after freeball. Freshman middle Pierre-Yves Brennan and junior power-hitter Mark Hodge led the team with 11 points apiece, but perhaps more telling than any of the individual performances in the match was the passion and camaraderie exhibited by the Redmen on the court.

“Last time we played [Montreal], we beat them, but I guess it just wasn’t our night,” said Mosseler. “We started off with a lot of emotion, and that sort of decreased near the end. We need to work on maintaining that emotion throughout the whole game. [But] throughout the season we definitely improved – you could see the improvement from last year. This year was one of [the few] times we’ve ever beaten Montreal, a definite improvement for the program.”

While McGill’s record in conference play has been far from stellar this year, the team has been able to compete consistently with many of the better teams in the country. The Redmen beat the teams they were expected to beat, and were even able to pull a few upsets, most notably a straight-set victory last weekend on the road against the Carabins. O’Dwyer, an all-conference libero who has provided invaluable leadership this season, commented on the significance of the team’s steady improvement from year to year.

“Tonight wasn’t about the three guys who are graduating – it was about the future of the team, and we’ve come a long ways from where we used to be,” he said. “We used to never be competitive against very many teams, and now we’re pushing some of the best teams in the country. That’s where I want to see the program. I hope that if I come back in four years, the program will be even further along than it is now.”

It’s a safe bet to assume that O’Dwyer’s wish will be granted. All signs are certainly pointing towards a highly successful program in the near future.

“We have to make sure we recruit three guys of the same quality,” said Berleur. “That’s the goal for us right now, to have the same competitive team or even better on the court, and potentially have a better [final] objective for the future.”

Filling the shoes left empty by Fabian, Mossler, and O’Dwyer will be a difficult task for McGill’s coaching staff, but as the team has improved, so has the quality of recruiting. McGill boasts a plethora of gifted young players at all positions, and pieces necessary to make the Redmen contenders are continuing to fall into place.

“With the guys Simon is recruiting and with Simon as our coach, if we get the right support from the athletics department the sky’s the limit for us,” said O’Dwyer. “There’s no reason we can’t be competitive in our league and try to get to Nationals. It’s all about the will to win; we’ve got the right pieces in place, and hopefully the future will be bright for us.”

For many Canadians, anything less than a gold medal in the Olympic men’s hockey event is unacceptable. Four years ago in Turin, the Russians stunned an entire nation when they blanked Canada 2-0, preventing the Canucks from advancing to the semi-finals. The 2010 edition of the Winter Games is nothing less than a chance at redemption for the tournament favourites.

Mike Babcock, a 1987 McGill grad and current coach of the Detroit Red Wings, has the pieces he needs to win Olympic gold. Canada is deepest down the middle, but the defence is also mobile, fixing what management thought was Canada’s Achilles heel in Turin. As always, Canada is backstopped by three world-class goaltenders – headed by the legendary Martin Brodeur.

Athletes to watch: Joe Thornton. Pegged by many as an underachiever in high-stake games, he must play well if he wishes to silence his critics.

Predictions:Gold: CANSilver: SWE Bronze: RUS

Olympic gold is Canada’s to lose in Vancouver. After winning easily in Salt Lake City and Turin, Canada will be relying on experience to guide them to the top of the podium once again. Canadian legends Kim St. Pierre and Hayley Wickenheiser are back, along with superstar McGill goaltender Charline Labonté, but the team will be without veteran Danielle Goyette for the first time since the 1998 Games.The road to the championship, however, will not be a walk in the park – Team USA will be good competition for the Canadians this year. After the 2006 Olympics, Canada won gold at the 2007 International Ice Hockey Federation World Championships, but had to settle for silver in the same tournament for two consecutive years, falling to the United States both times.Kim Martin – named best goaltender at the 2006 Olympics – and her Swedish squad will attempt to upset both Canada and the United States, while Finland hopes that they can build on their third place finish at the 2009 IIHF Tournament.

Athletes to watch: Catherine Ward, who graduated last year as the highest scoring defender in Martlets history, will make her first appearance with the Canadian Olympic team this year. The 22-year-old Montrealer was part of the senior team that took home silver in 2009, recording four assists in five games.

Predictions:Gold: CAN Silver: USABronze: SWE

While Jamaica will not be participating in bobsleigh next week, there’s no need to fret, as this will remain one of the most exciting events at the Olympics. The biggest stars in the sport will be out at the Whistler Sliding Centre to compete in the four-man, two-man, and two-woman events. Canada will be represented by two men’s crews, led by Lyndon Rush and Pierre Lueders, and two women’s crews, piloted by Kaillie Humphries and Hellen Upperton. As always, the Games will feature elite crews from Germany and Switzerland, the world’s top sliding nations. André Lange of Germany will be looking to add another gold medal to his collection, after winning three in Salt Lake City and Turin. Also joining the field is reigning World Cup champion Steven Holcomb of the USA, who will try to win his first Olympic medal in Vancouver. Canada’s top medal hope should be the two-woman team of Humphries and Heather Moyse.

Athletes to watch: Jesse Lumsden. The Edmonton Eskimos running back joins the ever-growing fraternity of multi-sport athletes, and will serve as Pierre Lueders’ brakeman on both the two-man and four-man crews.

Predictions:

Gold: Beat Hefti, SUISilver: Ivo Rüegg, SUIBronze: Andre Langé, GER

Two-woman:

Gold: Cathleen Martini, GERSilver: Sandra Kiraisis, GERBronze: Kaillie Humphries, CAN