The first round of the NHL playoffs are officially coming to a close on Thursday, April 26 when the two remaining series in the Eastern Conference decide the teams that will advance to the second round.

Sunday April 22 saw two teams predicted make it to the Stanley Cup finals eliminated from the playoffs. Both the Vancouver Canucks and the Pittsburgh Penguins were eliminated in their respective series. Both teams had dug a deep hole for themselves by going down 3–0 in each series. However, both teams looked as though they might be able to pull off what has only happened three times in NHL history: come back from a 3-0 deficit in a playoff series.

April 18 was one of the more captivating days in the 2012 NHL playoffs. Three teams that were down in their respective series had strong games and important wins; one saw a key player return after injury; one had an offensive explosion; and one battled back from 2-0 to win in overtime.

Three weeks ago, the best Canadian ultimate players under the age of 20 met at three spots across the country to showcase their talents and attempt to make the national junior team. The coaches had a daunting task assembling one men’s and one women’s teams to go to Dublin, Ireland in August to take on the world’s finest.

The Vancouver Canucks are currently riding a seven-game win streak that has taken them into first place in the Western Conference. They have long had the Northwest Division title clinched, so they have been guaranteed a top-three seed in the West for weeks, but their recent push not only has them on track for first in the West, but possibly a second consecutive President’s Trophy (first overall in the NHL). While the Canucks do their business at the top of the standings, their first-round opponent is yet to be determined, and could be any one of: Dallas, San Jose, Los Angeles or Phoenix. It’s likely that this opponent will not be confirmed until the final night of the season.

The 2011-12 school year is on the cusp of completion, and the varsity season is all but exhausted. Only golf maintains a competitive schedule into the summer months. But although varsity has come to an end on the surface, many of the program’s coaching staff will be working through the next few months, trying to bolster their rosters for next season. The recruitment of graduated high school students is one way to do this; luring student-athletes already involved in post-secondary institutions is another.

We are the champions — well, some of us are anyway.

With another spring semester almost over, the banners have been hung, the losses have been counted and the blood, sweat and tears are in with the dirty towels. For many of the Vikes’ varsity teams, another season has ended.

On March 18, the UVic men’s hockey club defeated the Simon Fraser University (SFU) Clan to earn its third British Columbia Inter- collegiate Hockey League Championship in the past six years.

The Vikes men’s and women’s rowing teams ended their seasons with two close battles against UBC in the annual Brown Cup Challenge on March 24.

My fingers slip from the pool’s edge and I linger on the water’s surface a moment before submerging. The wetsuit and air tank cling to my body. My breath quickens as the water envelops my head. I clench the mouthpiece between my teeth, trying to maintain my breathing. Through my mask I see Tyler Preston, president of the UVic Scuba Club, in black scuba gear, hovering just above the pool floor. He makes the A-OK sign at me with his hand. I return it, then plunge through the water toward him.

“You have to start with en guard,” explains Mr. Ho. “Footwork! Footwork alone takes a little bit of training. And then, you have to cross swords with me.”

Both the men’s and women’s UVic golf teams are off to solid starts this semester, thanks especially to the smooth swings of team leaders Darren Hupfer and Megan Woodland.

The Vikes track team traveled to Winnipeg, Man., last week for the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) national championships. With CIS Rookie of the Year Rachel Francois and Second Team All-Canadian Adam Gaudes carrying the team, the Vikes look to be strong for years to come.

UVic men’s and women’s ultimate frisbee club teams — UVictim and the UVixens — had both impressive and disappointing showings in California on Feb. 25 and 26 at the Stanford Open.

On March 3 and 4, UVic hosted the Inter-collegiate Sailing Association (ICSA) Western Canada Cup. Held at the Royal Victoria Yacht Club in Uplands, the scene was set for an exciting weekend of sailing. UVic finished three boats in the top five including first place, third and fourth.

The Vikes men’s basketball team travelled to Saskatoon last weekend to compete in the Canada West Final Four after causing heartbreak for the University of Calgary Dinos on March 26. But this time, it was the Vikes who left heartbroken.

With reading break long gone and the final, grinding last month of school underway, most UVic students are playing the hermit card and holing themselves up to study. Anything other than total educational dedication over the next couple weeks could mean academic defeat. And many of those who made for warmer climes during reading break back in mid-February are kicking themselves now. What was I thinking? they say. If only I’d used that time for school instead of sunbathing!

The Vikes track team swept through the Canada West Championships on Feb. 24 and 25, obtaining eight gold medals and receiving the title of second best all-time Can West performance.

With several Vikes swimmers taking the season off tos focus on Olympic qualifica- tion, both the men’s and women’s teams were depleted as they entered the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) championships last week. The men finished in 13th and the women in 15th place after the three-day event; last season, the teams finished 5th and 4th respectively. But while this year’s results fell short of those set in 2011, head coach Peter Vizsolyi views the experience from a more holistic stance.

The Vikes men’s basketball team caused some visitor heartache for the University of Calgary Dinos over the weekend in a best-of-three Canada West quarter-final series.