Blue and White Night: A Celebration of Athletic Pride & Community Support

Join the StFX Athletics community at Oak Manor this Thursday, March 13th, for a night of fun, community, and giving back with the highly anticipated ‘Blue and White Night’.

This Thursday, Oak Manor will host an unforgettable event aimed at uniting the StFX Athletics community, raising funds for the Athletic Therapy department, and providing a much-needed break for student-athletes as they approach the end of the semester.

This evening will feature an exciting line-up of entertainment, kicking off at 7 pm with musical bingo hosted by local comedian Brad Ball, followed by live music from Desmond Thomas at 9 pm. Whether you’re an athlete, a supporter, or simply looking to unwind, the evening promises something for everyone. Not only will the night be filled with entertainment, but attendees can also take part in raffles and enjoy delicious baked goods from local baker Sam Diltz, keeper for the StFX men’s soccer team.

Event coordinator Katie Yanicki states, “Our primary goal for this event is to foster connections between club and varsity athletes while providing a fun-packed evening in support of the athletic therapy department of StFX Athletics. With the Athletic Therapy clinic recently extending its services to club athletes, we see this as an opportunity for all athletes at StFX to give back to those who help them perform and recover throughout the year”.

This event will also feature a raffle, with prizes generously donated by local businesses such as Cleve’s Source for Sports, Canadian Tire, SportChek, and Oak Manor by Burnside. The diverse crowd of athletes and their supporters coming together in the spirit of StFX pride offers the chance to raise significant funds, that will go towards the continuation of services offered by the athletic therapy department.

The coordinators of this event invite all attendees to wear blue and white in support of StFX and its athletics, to unite the athletics community and cultivate a strong sense of school spirit throughout the evening. ‘Blue and White Night’ is more than just a fundraiser—it’s an opportunity to connect, celebrate, and give back. Whether you are a varsity athlete, club athlete, or an enthusiastic supporter, your presence will help make the night a success—don’t miss your opportunity to be part of an unforgettable evening.

For more information visit the event page on Instagram @blueandwhitenight2025.

Where: Oak Manor

When: Thursday, March 13 (7-11 pm)

$5 entry fee: Cash and e-transfer accepted

86 U SPORTS Academic All-Canadians for StFX Athletics

On the morning of January 14th, StFX Athletics hosted its annual celebratory breakfast to honour the numerous student-athletes who received Academic All-Canadian status during the 2023-24 school year. To be named an Academic All-Canadian the individual must have achieved an 80% average or above while consuming a year of U SPORTS eligibility.

This year StFX Athletics honoured a total of 86 Academic All-Canadians, increasing from the previous year’s 82 student-athletes. Of the 86 recognized; forty-three were first-time recipients, sixteen were second-time recipients, thirteen received the honour for the third time, and twelve student-athletes were honoured for their fourth time. Most outstanding, however, were X-Women Soccer players Christina Gentile and Amanda Smith who became five-time USports Academic All-Canadians! X-Women Soccer demonstrated their academic commitment with 73% of their team earning the distinction, the highest of any team in athletics. X-Women Basketball followed in a close second, with 60% of their team named Academic All-Canadians. Leo MacPherson, Athletic Director for StFX Athletics, presented this year’s Athletic Director’s Awards for academic achievement, which are presented each year at the breakfast to the male and female student-athletes who achieve the highest average. This year, the top male academic was presented to Rogan Betts on X-Men Basketball, a third-year BBA student from St. John’s, Newfoundland. The top female academic was presented to Ava Elgood on X-Women Soccer who is from Almonte, Ontario and in her second year of human kinetics.

Being honoured with Academic All-Canadian status is a tribute to the hard work of these athletes day in and day out as they strive to achieve excellence both in competition and in the classroom. First-year education student Kendra McDonell on X-Women rugby states, “I am incredibly proud to have been recognized for this achievement. Student-athletes put in work all year round, as much as we do on the field, it’s just as important to work hard in the classroom”. These athletes will continue their commitment to upholding academic excellence as they finish out the 2024-25 academic year, striving to earn the distinction of Academic All-Canadian once again.

The complete list of 2023-24 StFX Academic All-Canadians can be found at: https://www.goxgo.ca/general/2024-25/releases/20250110mzur6o

Oliver Smith: A Legacy to Remember

On November 9th, X-Men hockey and the community of Antigonish gathered at the Charles V. Keating Centre arena for the fifth annual Oliver Smith Memorial Hockey Game, in support of Ewing’s sarcoma. 

In February of 2017, Oliver Smith, a grade six student at St. Andrew Junior School and proud member of the Antigonish Bulldogs, was diagnosed with stage four Ewing’s sarcoma. Ewing’s is an aggressive form of cancer affecting bone and soft tissue that is most often developed in those between the ages of 10 and 20. Oliver was an endeared member of not only the Antigonish community but also StFX Athletics, playing an integral role in the X-Men hockey legacy of 2019. 

Oliver’s father, Bryan Smith, speaks to Oliver’s connection with StFX Athletics stating, “Oliver read the game speeches for the X-Men hockey team in 2019, the year that he passed away”. Smith elaborated, “Oliver, the first game of the playoffs, went to give them an OllieBot to kind of wish them well and they asked him to read the lineup. They won that game and then asked him to come back every other game and they kept winning—it got them to nationals and Oliver kept getting sicker and sicker”. By the time the X-Men reached the end of playoffs, Oliver had become a part of the team, but it didn’t end there, “my wife flew [Oliver] out to Lethbridge, and he showed up to nationals with them, surprising the team. He ended up doing speeches at those games, he was on SportsNet—they came into the dressing rooms and did it. They lost the semi-final game and then they played for bronze the next day’’. The X-men ended up winning the bronze medal in the final season which Oliver would be with us to witness. 

The OllieBot campaign was started in 2017 by Oliver and his father Bryan, who recounts the project originating while filling the time Oliver would have otherwise occupied with sport. After receiving positive interest and support from family friends, Smith says they thought ‘‘Hey, we could do this as a fundraiser and give back to Ewing’s’’. Smith remarks on the initial success of the

OllieBot campaign as “ridiculous”, “I think from [November 2017] until the day before Christmas we made 273 … it was a steady stream of people coming to the house, handing money”. Since November of 2017 when it all started, the family has produced and distributed over 6,000 OllieBots. 

Since 2019, in partnership with StFX Athletics and X-Men hockey, the Smith family has held an annual Oliver Smith Memorial hockey game, branded with the motto ‘Be the Hardest Worker’. ‘Be the Hardest Worker’ was something reinforced to Oliver and his siblings from a young age by parents Shauna and Bryan and was carried across all aspects of their lives. Bryan emphasized how well Oliver was able to translate what it meant to work hard in school and hockey, and then apply it to the hardships of his treatment.

The memorial game originally started as a business project for X-Women hockey player Santana Gravelle, with the first game in 2019, raising $8,000. The campaign was then handed over to the Smith family and has since raised over $100,000 for the Ewing’s Cancer Foundation of Canada Endowment Fund at the Toronto Sick Kids Hospital, as well as supporting families in the community whose children are battling cancer. 

X-Men Soccer on the Path to Success Once Again

After being named AUS champions last season, X-men soccer is back and looking to do it again with a nearly undefeated 7-1-2 season. Leading the league in goals scored, shutouts, and shots per game, the boys are on track to another victory.

In an interview with the head coach of the X-men, Graham Kennedy described, “I knew we had a good team before the season started, we were good last year, and we didn’t lose very many players, so we had full expectations that we would be a strong side this year.” When asked about the difference between last year’s team, Kennedy noted, “It’s a slightly different team from last year; we lost 5 or 6 players. We had some leadership walk out the door, which is always a concern, but our players are a year older, a year more physically and mentally mature, and one year better… one more year of experience.”

He also highlighted two exciting additions to the team: Noah MacIntyre, from Georgetown, ON, and Luka Robichaud Allah, from Moncton, NB. Both of which Kennedy believes can help the team to achieve AUS championship status once again, expressing that, “Noah’s been an excellent addition in mid-field” and “Luka has added some speed to an already fast team.”

Returning players, Kyle Cordeiro and Logan Rieck have also made their mark this season, accumulating an astounding 21 points between the two. When asked about the role of these individuals on the field, Kennedy described that “Kyle has always been influential – a leader by example. He’s not one of those boisterous, vocal leaders – when he speaks people listen – but he is more of a leader by example. Logan Rieck is a little bit like that as well, Kyle may have more goals, but I think Logan is more of a playmaker… they complement each other really well.”

Kennedy also recognized the hard work of the team defensively, “often our top statistical players are attackers, and they get a lot of attention because of the numbers they put up, but if you look at our team, one of our biggest strengths is our defending and our mid-field. We’ve got a lot of strong players throughout the squad, and we’ve been consistently ranked in the top ten now for probably a decade. We have high expectations around our team – players that come in here are players that want to play in a good program, so we tend to attract high-character guys with good skill sets”.

Closing off the interview, Kennedy emphasized, “I’m really proud of these guys, they’re a tremendous group of young men and I think they represent the school in the best possible way.” The team will take the field again on October 18 at Moncton University, where they look to get back on track after falling 2-1 to Cape Breton University last Wednesday in their first loss of the season. But with only two games left in the regular season, the X-men seem a top contender for yet another AUS banner.