WATERLOO, Ont. - Fresh off its most successful season in more than a decade, the Laurier Golden Hawks will begin the 2026-27 Ontario University Athletics (OUA) women's hockey campaign on October 15 against the Toronto Varsity Blues, part of a 26-game schedule released Tuesday afternoon.

The October 17 home opener against TMU marks the first time since 2022 that Laurier will host the Bold to open its home schedule.

The Golden Hawks enter the new season following one of the most successful campaigns in program history. Laurier finished atop the OUA standings for the first time since 2012-13, posted a 21-4-0-1 record and 60 points, and captured its first playoff series victory in nearly a decade before advancing to the OUA semifinals.

"As we look ahead to the upcoming OUA season, there's a real sense of excitement within our program," said Laurier's manager of women's hockey operations and head coach Kelly Paton. "Last season was a significant step forward for us, and our success has created a strong foundation to build upon. While we're proud of what we accomplished, our focus is on continuing to grow, embracing new challenges, and raising our standard every day.

"We have an outstanding group of student-athletes who are committed to our culture, our process, and competing for championships."

The home opener begins a stretch of five consecutive home games after opening night in Toronto. Among the highlights of that run is a Halloween night match-up against the Western Mustangs.

The Golden Hawks' 2025-26 season came to an end in the OUA semifinals against the Ottawa Gee-Gees, who claimed the best-of-three series two games to one. Laurier will get an early opportunity for a rematch, traveling to the nation's capital on November 6 for its first meeting with Ottawa since the postseason.

Another marquee match-up follows on November 14 when the Golden Hawks visit the defending McCaw Cup champion Guelph Gryphons in their first meeting of the season.

The first Battle of Waterloo match-up of the year is set for November 18 at the Waterloo Memorial Recreation Complex. After splitting the season series a year ago, Laurier and Waterloo will meet again three days later at Columbia Ice Fields to complete the home-and-home rivalry set.

Following the holiday break, the Golden Hawks return to action with a pair of home games, hosting the Ottawa Gee-Gees on January 7 before welcoming the Carleton Ravens on January 9.

The schedule features two four-game road trips, Laurier's longest stretches away from home during the season. The first comes at the start of November, while the second spans the end of January and the beginning of February.

Laurier closes the regular season with back-to-back contests on home ice, including Senior Day against the Brock Badgers on February 20.

Single-game and season tickets are available at tickets.laurierathletics.com

Fans can view and sync the full schedule by visiting the laurierathletics.com/sports/whock/schedule/2026-27 a { text-decoration: none; color: #464feb; } tr th, tr td { border: 1px solid #e6e6e6; } tr th { background-color: #f5f5f5; }