The University of Ottawa Gee-Gees men’s hockey team has been forced to forfeit six games to start the season after dressing an ineligible player. The OUA says the Gee-Gees self-disclosed the use of an ineligible student-athlete after becoming aware of the situation. “As a result, per the OUA Forfeiture Policy, all games where the student-athlete participated will be declared a 1-0 forfeit,” the OUA said. “The OUA may impose additional sanctions upon the completion of the discipline process.” The Gee-Gees will forfeit five victories between Oct. 9 and 24 in games against Carleton, RMC, Queen’s University, McGill and Concordia. The Gee-Gees loss to Ontario Tech on Oct. 10 will remain as a loss with no change in the score. In a statement, the University of Ottawa said the student “bears no responsibility for this error” and is now eligible to play this season. “The Gee-Gees appealed the eligibility status of the student-athlete after disclosing the infraction, and the player has been declared eligible for the remainder of the season,” the university said. The Gee-Gees said it is progressing through the disciplinary process with the OUA and U Sports, the two governing bodies for university sports in Ontario and Canada. “Integrity, accountability and fair play are part of our core values. We accept the ruling and we take full responsibility for the regrettable administrative oversight that resulted in the use of an ineligible player,” Danika Smith, associate director of Varsity Sports at uOttawa, said in a statement. “We recognize the hard work and dedication that went into these games, and we sincerely apologize to our student-athletes, coaches and the broader Gee-Gees community for the impact of this mistake. We will work to improve our processes to ensure this does not happen again in the future.” The Gee-Gees have two wins in 10 games to start the season. They host Queen’s on Friday night and Ontario Tech on Saturday.
