February 10, 2014
WOMEN'S HOCKEY ROUNDUP: Gryphons claim top seed as regular season wraps up
Friday, February 7
Brock 3 @ York 4 (OT)
A thrilling overtime goal by forward Kiri Langford lifted the York University Lions women's hockey team to a 4-3 victory over the visiting Brock Badgers on Friday night (Feb. 7) at Canlan Ice Sports.
With the home crowd behind them, the Lions felt confident in the extra frame and controlled the pace of the action. Once again utilizing a superb forecheck, the Lions set up in Brock's zone and sent the puck back to the point. Defender Lindsay Brook (Ste. Rose, Man.) launched a big shot on mark that was tipped by Langford (Collingwood, Ont.) for the overtime score, handing the Lions the hard fought victory.
The big win moves the Lions to 6-15-2 on the year, while the Badgers fell to 8-13-2 and were officially eliminated from the playoffs.
York came out strong in the first with their forecheck finding a lot of early success, and the extended shifts in Brock's end had the Badgers scrambling. They would end up committing a couple of sloppy penalties as a result, giving York's special teams unit an opportunity. The best chance came from a Kristen Barbara (Mount Hope, Ont.) tip in front on the net, but Brock netminder Jenna Sosnoski (New Dundee, Ont.) was there to shut the door, keeping the game scoreless.
The Lions continued to have success however, and it wouldn't be long for it to show up on the scoreboard. Halfway through the first, Megan Finlay (Hamilton, Ont.), wide on the rush, sent a gorgeous pass along the ice to Courtney Weatherbie (Port Coquitlam, B.C.) out front, who redirected the puck behind Sosnoski for the score, giving York a 1-0 lead. Finlay finished with three points in the game.
Keeping the pressure on, York's forecheck remained lethal, generating a solid one-timer opportunity from behind the net off of a nifty steal that just missed. But a fast break the other way on a suspended penalty almost evened the game for Brock near the end of the frame. Lions goaltender Megan Lee (Orillia, Ont.) was equally impressive in the period though, and turned away the threat.
It remained 1-0 heading into the first intermission.
Brock would come back out in the second firing, sending a lot of pucks, and bodies, towards York's net. Screened by the traffic, Lee had no chance at stopping a resulting chip over her pad off of a rebound by Badgers captain Leigh Vanderveen (Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont.) that evened the game at a goal apiece.
Rejuvenated by the quick score, the Badgers began to reclaim some of their lost momentum and outshot the Lions 14-9 in the frame. But Lee was magnificent for the Lions between the pipes, including a spectacular stop on an odd-man rush, turning away both the first shot, and the resulting rebound with a gorgeous sliding effort to ignite the crowd.
Unfortunately, celebrations were short lived as Vanderveen scored for the second time in the game, catching Lee sliding on a cross-crease pass to take a one-goal advantage.
The score sat at 2-1 after two.
The Lions desperately needed the equalizer goal in the third, and it took half the period to find it. But Barbara would deliver while shorthanded to give York life, evening the game at 2-2.
Both teams were grinding down the stretch as they searched for the go-ahead goal, and the Badgers took the lead with two minutes left to play, as a turnover in the Lions' end saw Katie Howless (Burlington, Ont.) roof her shot for the score.
However, 30 seconds later the Lions answered right back when a bouncing puck fired by Andrea Joyce (Mississauga, Ont.) found pay dirt, restoring the tie that Langford converted into a victory.
Source: York Sports Info
Laurier 2 @ Windsor 4
WINDSOR, Ont.- Fourth-year senior Candice Chevalier earned a hat-trick, and the Windsor Lancers women's hockey team continued its impressive play in the New Year on Friday evening at South Windsor Arena, earning a hard-fought 4-2 victory over a perennial OUA heavyweight and current CIS No. 4 seed Laurier Golden Hawks.
Saturday is Hats on for Healthcare Day at South Windsor Arena. During the women's game against Waterloo and the men's hockey game at 7:30 p.m. against Toronto, Lancer fans are encouraged to wear goofy hats in support of Windsor Regional Hospital. Fans can also make a donation to support the hospital, and there will be pizza available for purchase throughout each of these select events.
The Lancers (13-8-2) handed Laurier (17-3-3) just its third first regulation loss of the season and its first in over three months, as the Golden Hawks last fell in a 60-minute contest on October 23 against the Guelph Gryphons. The guests had taken at least a point in each of the last 16 games, but had that streak come to a halt thanks to Chevalier and an impressive 29-save performance by rookie netminder Marissa Kozovski.
After entering the first intermission at a scoreless stalemate, both sides notched a pair of goals in the middle frame. Veteran Jenny MacKnight scored her team-leading 15th goal of the season to bring the women even after Laurier opened the scoring earlier in the second. Just over three minutes later, Chevalier knocked in her first of three on the night to put the hosts out in front. The lead was short-lived, as the Golden Hawks answered exactly one minute later, and the score remained 2-2 heading into the final period.
The Essex, Ont. native tallied her second marker of the game on a pretty wrap-around at the 5:53 mark of the third. With time running down and the Hawks pressing late in regulation, Chevalier blocked a couple of potentially dangerous point shots before finding room down the right boards on a Windsor clearing attempt, potting an empty-netter to clinch the hat-trick. Six different Lancers picked up an assist in helping the women leapfrog over UOIT and Western into fifth-place in the conference standings.
Laurier was 0-for-5 on the power-play while Windsor was 0-for-3. The Lancers garnered 32 shots on the evening, while Kozovski improves her save-percentage to .894 on the year.
The women will look to maintain their second-half momentum tomorrow evening in their final game of the regular season against Waterloo. Windsor is 6-1-1 in the 2014 portion of their conference schedule, and will look to avenge a 4-3 overtime loss to the Warriors suffered on October 5.
Source: Windsor Sports Info
Saturday, February 8
Laurentian 2 @ Nipissing 1 (SO)
It’s safe to say the Nipissing Lakers women’s hockey team left it all on the ice Saturday afternoon, as they closed out the 2013-14 OUA season.
The Lakers, with a depleted lineup hosted their Highway 17 rivals, the Laurentian Voyageurs and while the Lakers were on the wrong side of a 2-1 decision in a shootout , they played an impressive game.
Brock 3 @ York 4 (OT)
A thrilling overtime goal by forward Kiri Langford lifted the York University Lions women's hockey team to a 4-3 victory over the visiting Brock Badgers on Friday night (Feb. 7) at Canlan Ice Sports.
With the home crowd behind them, the Lions felt confident in the extra frame and controlled the pace of the action. Once again utilizing a superb forecheck, the Lions set up in Brock's zone and sent the puck back to the point. Defender Lindsay Brook (Ste. Rose, Man.) launched a big shot on mark that was tipped by Langford (Collingwood, Ont.) for the overtime score, handing the Lions the hard fought victory.
The big win moves the Lions to 6-15-2 on the year, while the Badgers fell to 8-13-2 and were officially eliminated from the playoffs.
York came out strong in the first with their forecheck finding a lot of early success, and the extended shifts in Brock's end had the Badgers scrambling. They would end up committing a couple of sloppy penalties as a result, giving York's special teams unit an opportunity. The best chance came from a Kristen Barbara (Mount Hope, Ont.) tip in front on the net, but Brock netminder Jenna Sosnoski (New Dundee, Ont.) was there to shut the door, keeping the game scoreless.
The Lions continued to have success however, and it wouldn't be long for it to show up on the scoreboard. Halfway through the first, Megan Finlay (Hamilton, Ont.), wide on the rush, sent a gorgeous pass along the ice to Courtney Weatherbie (Port Coquitlam, B.C.) out front, who redirected the puck behind Sosnoski for the score, giving York a 1-0 lead. Finlay finished with three points in the game.
Keeping the pressure on, York's forecheck remained lethal, generating a solid one-timer opportunity from behind the net off of a nifty steal that just missed. But a fast break the other way on a suspended penalty almost evened the game for Brock near the end of the frame. Lions goaltender Megan Lee (Orillia, Ont.) was equally impressive in the period though, and turned away the threat.
It remained 1-0 heading into the first intermission.
Brock would come back out in the second firing, sending a lot of pucks, and bodies, towards York's net. Screened by the traffic, Lee had no chance at stopping a resulting chip over her pad off of a rebound by Badgers captain Leigh Vanderveen (Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont.) that evened the game at a goal apiece.
Rejuvenated by the quick score, the Badgers began to reclaim some of their lost momentum and outshot the Lions 14-9 in the frame. But Lee was magnificent for the Lions between the pipes, including a spectacular stop on an odd-man rush, turning away both the first shot, and the resulting rebound with a gorgeous sliding effort to ignite the crowd.
Unfortunately, celebrations were short lived as Vanderveen scored for the second time in the game, catching Lee sliding on a cross-crease pass to take a one-goal advantage.
The score sat at 2-1 after two.
The Lions desperately needed the equalizer goal in the third, and it took half the period to find it. But Barbara would deliver while shorthanded to give York life, evening the game at 2-2.
Both teams were grinding down the stretch as they searched for the go-ahead goal, and the Badgers took the lead with two minutes left to play, as a turnover in the Lions' end saw Katie Howless (Burlington, Ont.) roof her shot for the score.
However, 30 seconds later the Lions answered right back when a bouncing puck fired by Andrea Joyce (Mississauga, Ont.) found pay dirt, restoring the tie that Langford converted into a victory.
Source: York Sports Info
Laurier 2 @ Windsor 4
WINDSOR, Ont.- Fourth-year senior Candice Chevalier earned a hat-trick, and the Windsor Lancers women's hockey team continued its impressive play in the New Year on Friday evening at South Windsor Arena, earning a hard-fought 4-2 victory over a perennial OUA heavyweight and current CIS No. 4 seed Laurier Golden Hawks.
Saturday is Hats on for Healthcare Day at South Windsor Arena. During the women's game against Waterloo and the men's hockey game at 7:30 p.m. against Toronto, Lancer fans are encouraged to wear goofy hats in support of Windsor Regional Hospital. Fans can also make a donation to support the hospital, and there will be pizza available for purchase throughout each of these select events.
The Lancers (13-8-2) handed Laurier (17-3-3) just its third first regulation loss of the season and its first in over three months, as the Golden Hawks last fell in a 60-minute contest on October 23 against the Guelph Gryphons. The guests had taken at least a point in each of the last 16 games, but had that streak come to a halt thanks to Chevalier and an impressive 29-save performance by rookie netminder Marissa Kozovski.
After entering the first intermission at a scoreless stalemate, both sides notched a pair of goals in the middle frame. Veteran Jenny MacKnight scored her team-leading 15th goal of the season to bring the women even after Laurier opened the scoring earlier in the second. Just over three minutes later, Chevalier knocked in her first of three on the night to put the hosts out in front. The lead was short-lived, as the Golden Hawks answered exactly one minute later, and the score remained 2-2 heading into the final period.
The Essex, Ont. native tallied her second marker of the game on a pretty wrap-around at the 5:53 mark of the third. With time running down and the Hawks pressing late in regulation, Chevalier blocked a couple of potentially dangerous point shots before finding room down the right boards on a Windsor clearing attempt, potting an empty-netter to clinch the hat-trick. Six different Lancers picked up an assist in helping the women leapfrog over UOIT and Western into fifth-place in the conference standings.
Laurier was 0-for-5 on the power-play while Windsor was 0-for-3. The Lancers garnered 32 shots on the evening, while Kozovski improves her save-percentage to .894 on the year.
The women will look to maintain their second-half momentum tomorrow evening in their final game of the regular season against Waterloo. Windsor is 6-1-1 in the 2014 portion of their conference schedule, and will look to avenge a 4-3 overtime loss to the Warriors suffered on October 5.
Source: Windsor Sports Info
Saturday, February 8
Laurentian 2 @ Nipissing 1 (SO)
It’s safe to say the Nipissing Lakers women’s hockey team left it all on the ice Saturday afternoon, as they closed out the 2013-14 OUA season.
The Lakers, with a depleted lineup hosted their Highway 17 rivals, the Laurentian Voyageurs and while the Lakers were on the wrong side of a 2-1 decision in a shootout , they played an impressive game.
Led by their goaltender Jackie Rochefort who made 26 saves during the game, and two more in the shootout, the Lakers closed out the year with a performance to be proud of.
The Voyageurs scored just 27 seconds into the game and on their first shot of the game on a loose puck in the Lakers end.
From there, Rochefort would make 25 straight saves to keep the opposition at just one goal.
Late in the first period, Brittney Cosmo would tie the game up, jamming home a rebound while her team was shorthanded.
Alexane Papineau picked up the only assist on the goal.
The game stayed tied the rest of the way despite the Voyageurs holding a 27-14 shot advantage at the end of the overtime.
In the shootout, Erin Weber, in her final OUA game, scored the Lakers’ lone goal, while the Voyageurs’ Amanda Pereira and Samantha Morell scored to give them the victory.
The Lakers close out the season with a 5-17-2 record.
Source: Nipissing Sports Info
Queen’s 4 @ Ryerson 2
TORONTO — Despite holding the No. 5 Queen’s Gaels to a tie game for the majority of Saturday afternoon, the Ryerson Rams couldn’t hold on, falling 4-2.
In their final regular season game of 2013-14, the Rams started the scoring 29 seconds into the game with Nella Brodett (Edmonton, Alta.) putting home her fifth goal of the season.
The goal was extra special for Brodett, as she was playing in her final CIS game.
“That was a surreal moment,” Brodett said. “I ended up being in their end, a loose puck, and I just banged away. I remember going to the bench, just a big smile on my face, like, what is life right now, is this an ESPN special or something?”
Interim head coach Pierre Alain was proud of his captain after the game.
“I’m very happy she scored the first goal,” Alain said. “I told her on the bench, that’s destiny, Nella. So every time there’s a senior going away, our eyes are crying but yea, I think she worked hard, she’s helped this program, she wrote history for this program.”
Queen’s would answer back with two straight with goals by Shawna Griffin and Alisha Sealey to make it 2-1.
Before the end of the period, Victoria Arci (Woodbridge, Ont.) would slide one in between the pads of Queen’s goaltender Mel Dodd-Moher and the two teams were tied at two at the first intermission.
The tie-break would be ended just four minutes into the third period with Clare McKellar putting one past Rams starting goaltender Emma Crawley (Herring Cove, N.S.). Queen’s would add an empty-netter to finish off the scoring.
Crawley made 37 saves in her 16th game of the season. Dodd-Moher turned away 11 shots in the win.
The Voyageurs scored just 27 seconds into the game and on their first shot of the game on a loose puck in the Lakers end.
From there, Rochefort would make 25 straight saves to keep the opposition at just one goal.
Late in the first period, Brittney Cosmo would tie the game up, jamming home a rebound while her team was shorthanded.
Alexane Papineau picked up the only assist on the goal.
The game stayed tied the rest of the way despite the Voyageurs holding a 27-14 shot advantage at the end of the overtime.
In the shootout, Erin Weber, in her final OUA game, scored the Lakers’ lone goal, while the Voyageurs’ Amanda Pereira and Samantha Morell scored to give them the victory.
The Lakers close out the season with a 5-17-2 record.
Source: Nipissing Sports Info
Queen’s 4 @ Ryerson 2
TORONTO — Despite holding the No. 5 Queen’s Gaels to a tie game for the majority of Saturday afternoon, the Ryerson Rams couldn’t hold on, falling 4-2.
In their final regular season game of 2013-14, the Rams started the scoring 29 seconds into the game with Nella Brodett (Edmonton, Alta.) putting home her fifth goal of the season.
The goal was extra special for Brodett, as she was playing in her final CIS game.
“That was a surreal moment,” Brodett said. “I ended up being in their end, a loose puck, and I just banged away. I remember going to the bench, just a big smile on my face, like, what is life right now, is this an ESPN special or something?”
Interim head coach Pierre Alain was proud of his captain after the game.
“I’m very happy she scored the first goal,” Alain said. “I told her on the bench, that’s destiny, Nella. So every time there’s a senior going away, our eyes are crying but yea, I think she worked hard, she’s helped this program, she wrote history for this program.”
Queen’s would answer back with two straight with goals by Shawna Griffin and Alisha Sealey to make it 2-1.
Before the end of the period, Victoria Arci (Woodbridge, Ont.) would slide one in between the pads of Queen’s goaltender Mel Dodd-Moher and the two teams were tied at two at the first intermission.
The tie-break would be ended just four minutes into the third period with Clare McKellar putting one past Rams starting goaltender Emma Crawley (Herring Cove, N.S.). Queen’s would add an empty-netter to finish off the scoring.
Crawley made 37 saves in her 16th game of the season. Dodd-Moher turned away 11 shots in the win.
Despite Brodett finishing up her five years of eligibility, she says it was a terrific life experience to come to Ryerson.
“Honestly, I have no words for it,” Brodett said. “Being a Ram and finishing off my career this way has been bitter sweet and I’ve had the honour of leading this team for the last two years and I couldn’t have asked for a better bunch of girls and a better staff and a better facility.”
It was also the final game behind the bench for interim head coach, Pierre Alain. Alain, who was filling in for head coach Lisa Haley while she was coaching the Canadian women’s national team at the Olympics, will return back to his home province of Québec in March.
“I told them (team) after the game, it has been one of the best lifetime experiences I’ve been involved with,” Alain said. “Simply, I wanted to be here, I chose to be here, I told Lisa (Haley) and Steph White last year that I’m going to help this team and this program grow up and move forward. And I think this program has moved forward.”
Ryerson finishes the 2013-14 regular season with a record of 5-17-1, a program-high in wins.
Source: Ryerson Sports Info
Brock 3 @ UOIT 1
OSHAWA, Ont. – Despite outshooting Brock 43-17, the UOIT women’s hockey team was unable to pick up a win on Saturday as they fell 3-1 to the Badgers.
The loss puts UOIT (13-9-1) in a tie for sixth place with the Western Mustangs (13-9-1) heading into the final day of the regular season. UOIT will look to break the tie in their regular season finale as they host the No. 3 ranked Guelph Gryphons (20-3-0) on Sunday afternoon at 3:30 p.m. Guelph will also have a lot to play for as they sit only a single point ahead of Laurier for the top-spot in the OUA.
Brock goaltender Jenna Sosnoski stole the show on Saturday afternoon making 42 saves for her ninth win of the season. After Brock was eliminated from playoff contention on Friday night, the freshman goaltender showed no signs giving up on the season as she one of her best performances, which included stopping 22 Ridgeback shots in the third period.
Jill Morillo (Whitby, Ont.) was the only Ridgeback able to beat Sosnoski as she banked a puck of a Brock defender in the first period to record her 14th goal of the season. Melissa Berney (Bowmanville, Ont.) and Victoria MacKenzie (Toronto, Ont.) recorded assists on Morillo’s 64th career goal.
Just after the first penalty of a UOIT 5-on-3 power play had expired in the third period, Brock was able to capitalize off a Ridgeback turnover as they quickly turned the puck up ice on an odd-man rush. Jessica Fickel was able to beat the UOIT defender on the wing and feed Leigh Vanderveen in front of the net who was able to beat Tori Campbell (Lethbridge, Alta.) for the second time in the game.
Both teams struggled on the power play in the game combining to go 0-for-9 while UOIT allowed the game-winning goal shorthanded.
Saturday’s loss put an end to the Ridgebacks’ four-game winning streak.
Source: UOIT Sports Info
Laurier 2 @ Western 1
LONDON, Ont. – The Mustangs battled hard Saturday afternoon against the Golden Hawks but could not overcome a second period goal, falling to Laurier by a score of 2-1 at Thompson Arena. The Western women scored early in the first period to open the scoring but could not find an answer for Laurier's rookie netminder Amanda Smith, who stopped 27 shots to help lead her team to victory.
The game was the second last of the regular season for the Mustangs and a potential preview of a first round playoff matchup. Â When asked what he would do differently if the teams were to meet again, Head Coach Chris Higgins' answer was very simple: Nothing.
"I actually thought we played a good game," Higgins said. "I thought we owned the third and the first was kind of even.  It was one of those games where the bounces went their way […] sometimes you don't get the results you want but we had 30 shots on their net and we had some chances [but] we just didn't score. We only gave up 2 goals and against this team that's not bad."
Laurier is the highest scoring team in the OUA and also owns one of the leagues best penalty kill units, which blanked the Mustangs on both of their chances.
"I thought we had a lot of really good chances on the power play," Higgins said post-game. "We executed it, we had some good chances, but again the goalie stoned us.  She kept the puck [and] didn't give us any rebounds […] we have to give her credit too she played a great game."
Western netminder Kelly Campbell, who was the only OUA goalie to record a shutout against Laurier when the teams met previously this season, also played a fantastic game. Â Stopping 29 shots may be just another routine performance for the All-Canadian but her effort never goes unnoticed by Coach Higgins.
"[Campbell was] Fabulous," he said. "She kept us in it. Â We were really struggling in the second but she kept us in it. She always does."
There was an obvious level of intensity to start the game on both sides. Â The Golden Hawks were poised to set the pace early, showing off their speed, but Western did well to keep up. Â The two teams exchanged high pressure scoring chances, which forced both goalies to be good early.
Everything appeared to be very sharp with both clubs clicking well until Laurier got caught on a change that allowed Western to strike first. Â Michelle Saunders stretched a pass up the far side of the ice to spring Jessica Sorensen into the zone. Â Sorensen made no mistake, trotting in on Golden Hawk rookie netminder Amanda Smith and wiring a slap shot top corner to open the scoring.
It was a good start for the Mustangs, who have allowed the first goal in each of their last three contests, although the lead was short lived. Â A couple of minutes later, with Tara Cation in the box on a tripping call, Laurier captain Laura Brooker sent a hard dump-in shot straight on net from the neutral zone. The puck dipped and bounced on the ice right in front of the cage and fooled Campbell as the Golden Hawks tied the game with a power play goal.
The unorthodox goal did not seem to rattle Campbell, as she remained sharp for the duration of the period. Â With just less than five minutes left in the frame Saunders went down hard while defending in her own zone. Â After the play was blown dead, she headed off to the dressing room early but did return to play in the second period.
The Golden Hawks came out flying to start the second period as they again used their speed and puck movement to control the puck, keeping the Mustangs hemmed into their own zone early. Â It did not take long for the purple and gold to snap the tie with Tammy Freiburger potting a rebound only three minutes into the period to put the Golden Hawks ahead by one.
The Laurier offence was brimming with intensity, controlling the play and directing several shots at Campbell, eventually outshooting Western 13-5 in the period. The Mustangs had only a few chances to even the score but the Laurier defence was able to stymie all of their chances, forcing Western to play to the outside where opportunities were few and far between.
In the third period the purple and white fought back, determined to win battles for the puck and play in the Golden Hawks zone. Â The style of play grew increasingly more physical and the Mustangs got to start playing their game.
The Western defence continued their impressive play but Brittany Clapham and Sydney Kidd really stood out for the Mustangs. Â Clapham was a force on the ice as she seemed to be out for almost all of Western's chances, while Kidd's creativity with the puck helped Western control the play.
However, despite the surge, the score remained 2-1, causing Western to call their timeout and pull their goalie for the extra attacker with two minutes remaining. Â The frantic final minutes saw the Mustangs apply constant pressure, firing multiple shots on net. Ultimately though, even though they outshot Laurier 14-8 in the frame, they were ultimately unable to solve Amanda Smith, falling in regulation.
With the loss Western holds onto seventh place in the OUA, tied with the UOIT Ridgebacks with both teams set to play their final game of the regular season tomorrow afternoon. Â Western has the potentially to move into sixth place with a win over Waterloo tomorrow but first round play off matchups are still far from being decided.
Source: Western Sports Info
Waterloo 0 @ Windsor 3
WINDSOR, Ont.- Erinn Noseworthy potted two goals, and the Windsor Lancers women's hockey team ended their regular season with a 3-0 victory over the visiting Waterloo Warriors on Hats on for Healthcare Day at South Windsor Arena on Saturday afternoon.
The win solidifies a superb second half for the Lancers (14-8-2) that saw the women go 7-1-1, allowing them to clinch fifth-place in the conference standings. Windsor will take on the Queen's Gaels in the first round of the OUA playoffs beginning Thursday night in Windsor at 7:30pm.
After honouring their senior athletes in a pre-game ceremony, the Lancers were charged up from the opening face-off, scoring on a quick odd-man rush just 45 seconds into regulation. Noseworthy scored her first marker after taking a lead pass from Jenny MacKnight down the left wing, finding the top left corner to put the home side up 1-0.
The contest seemed to slow down from there, however, as Waterloo's Rebecca Bouwhuis turned aside 13 first-period Windsor shots to keep the Warriors close. Windsor would not find the goal once again until late in the middle frame, as Noseworthy grabbed her OUA-leading 16th goal on the season with MacKnight and Bree Polci adding the assists.
Defender Natalie Barrette tallied her second of the year to provide an insurance marker in the third period, and Marissa Kozovski made 16 saves to record her second shutout of the season. Waterloo was 0-for-5 with the power-play while Windsor was 0-for-6. The Lancers fired 42 shots on Bouwhuis.
MacKnight's two points on Saturday gives her a total of 40 (15 goals, 25 assists) on the year. The Regina, Sask. native clinched the OUA scoring title becoming the first Lancer in women's hockey history to do so. She also finished second in the nation in scoring and 4th in the CIS in game-winning goals. Her linemate Polci finished third in the league with 32 points (12 goals, 20 assists), while Noseworthy led the OUA in goals scored with 16.
Source: Windsor Sports Info
Guelph 3 @ York 0
The York University Lions women's hockey team was shut out by a score of 3-0 by the No. 3 nationally-ranked Guelph Gryphons in their regular-season finale on Saturday night (Feb. 8) at Canlan Ice Sports.
Guelph netminder Stephanie Nehring (Oshawa, Ont.) picked up her eighth shutout of the season as she continues to lead the OUA in goals against average (1.11) and save percentage (.946). On Saturday night she turned away all 32 shots she faced.
Her York counterpart, Megan Lee (Orillia, Ont.) made 36 saves on 39 shots at the other end of the rink.
The two squads played a fast opening period with few whistles, as neither team was called for a penalty in the frame and the two goalies stood tall in their nets. The Gryphons finally broke the deadlock at 16:57 of the first on a goal by Cara Sayles (Welland, Ont.), her third of the season.
The game progressed in similar fashion in the second period as the Lions were handed just one penalty and both goalies continued to play well. Neither team found the back of the net, and the Gryphons continued to lead 1-0 heading into the third.
Guelph finally got its insurance marker at 11:24 when Kaitlyn Mora (Guelph, Ont.) scored her seventh of the season to give the Gryphons a 2-0 lead. Christine Grant (Mississauga, Ont.) added a late marker to round out the scoring.
The Gryphons extended their winning streak to 11 games with the win, and they continue to hold down first place in the OUA standings with a sparkling 20-3-0 mark on the season. The loss dropped the Lions to 6-16-2, and they will finish in 11th place.
The Lions are now finished for the season after missing out on the playoffs. The top eight teams in the OUA will begin post-season action on Wednesday (Feb. 12).
Source: York Sports Info
Sunday, February 9
Queen’s 1 @ Toronto 2
Alie Brind'Amour-McClure's two third-period goals sparked the University of Toronto Varsity Blues women's hockey team to a 2-1 come-from-behind win over the visiting Queen's Gaels on Sunday, February 9 at Varsity Arena.
With the win, the Blues leapfrog Queen's to clinch third place in the OUA standings. Toronto has home ice advantage, and will play the sixth-seeded Western Mustangs in next week's best-of-three OUA quarter-final series.
Waterdown, Ont., native Alie Brind'Amour-McClure scored twice in the span of 2:37 in the third period to lead the Blues to victory. The goals were the second-year forward's sixth and seventh of the season.
Veteran goaltender Nicole Kesteris was stellar, turning away 32 shots en route to her 13th win of the season. The Aurora, Ont., native has been exceptional all season long, coming into today's action ranked fourth in the CIS with a sparkling .946 save percentage.
The Gaels came out strong in a pivotal final game of the regular season, outshooting the Blues 25-17 in the first two periods. Kesteris was up to the task however, surrendering only one goal, a point shot from Alisha Sealey at the tail-end of a powerplay that found its way through a screen to put Queen's up 1-0 in the first.
The Blues had several chances to draw even on back-to-back powerplays in the second period, including a couple of jam plays at the net orchestrated by sophomore forward Taylor Day (Ilderton, Ont.), but were unable to solve Gaels goaltender Mel Dodd-Moher.
It was not until midway through the final period that the Blues were able to capitalize on the man advantage. Brind'Amour-McClure stationed herself in front of the net, and was able to get her stick on a point shot from Stacey Oue (Scarborough, Ont.), deflecting the puck past Dodd-Moher to tie the game at one apiece.
The goal immediately went to the Blues legs, and the team buzzed around the offensive zone until, two minutes later, Brind'Amour-McClure grabbed a loose puck along the boards, waited for Dodd-Moher to drop her shoulder, and lifted the puck over the goaltender to put the Blues up 2-1.
With third place in their sights, the Blues battened down the hatches for the latter half of the period, and were able to hang on for the win.
Dodd-Moher finished the game with 28 saves for the Gaels.
The Blues recognized their graduating players Stacey Oue, Brittany Kirby, Ragan Danford, Marlie McLaughlin, and Kelly O'Hanlon in a ceremony prior to puck drop.
Source: Toronto Sports Info
Guelph 4 @ UOIT 2
OSHAWA, Ont. – After playing arguably the best 40 minutes of their season in the first two periods on Sunday, the UOIT women’s hockey team allowed three goal less than two minutes apart in the third frame as the No. 3 ranked Guelph Gryphons earned a 4-2 comeback victory.
With two losses to close out their regular season, the Ridgebacks (13-10-1) fall to seventh place and will match up against the No. 4 ranked Laurier Golden Hawks (18-3-3) in the OUA quarter finals. Game one will take place on Wednesday night in Waterloo with game two scheduled for Saturday, February 15 at the Campus Ice Centre with a 7:30 p.m. start time.
Prior to the game, UOIT honoured their graduating seniors that included Katie Dillon (Oshawa, Ont.), Sarah Worthington (Whitby, Ont.), Violette Long (Oshawa, Ont.), Jaclyn Gibson (Cobourg, Ont.) and Jill Morillo (Whitby, Ont.).
The Ridgebacks seemed to feed off the emotion of playing in their final regular season home game as they outshot Guelph 22-14 over the opening forty minutes. Their hard work would eventually pay off as Melissa Berney (Bowmanville, Ont.) scored from the point midway through the second period to put UOIT ahead 1-0. Worthington and Victoria MacKenzie (Toronto, Ont.) picked up assists on Berney’s fourth goal of the year.
Three minutes into the third period, Kimberley Wong would start the Gryphon rally as she netted her first goal of the year. Marcie Landman and Averi Nooren would follow that up with back-to-back goals 16 seconds apart to put Guelph ahead 3-1.
UOIT would show a lot of fight to get back into the game as Dillon scored three minutes after the Guelph onslaught to cut into the lead to one, but Nooren would eventually score an empty net marker to double-up the Ridgebacks.
CIS Academic All-Canadian Cassie Charette got the start in net for UOIT and made 17 saves in the losing effort. Oshawa native Stephanie Nehring was in goal for Guelph and she stopped 25 Ridgeback shots for her league leading 19th win of the year.
The Ridgebacks set program highs in 2013-14 for the most wins (13) and points (27) in a season, breaking the mark set last season.
Gibson and Morillo, who assisted on Dillon’s goal, finish in the top 15 of league scoring with 25 and 22 points respectively while Berney ends up sixth in OUA defensive scoring. With 14 goals on the year, Morillo finishes her career with 64, the fifth highest total in the history of OUA women’s hockey.
UOIT will be looking to win their first-ever playoff series in program history next week against the Golden Hawks. Last year, UOIT was eliminated in double-overtime of the quarter finals against the Gryphons.
Source: UOIT Sports Info
Waterloo 0 @ Western 4
LONDON, Ont. – It was all Mustangs in a 4-0 win over the Waterloo Warriors on Sunday afternoon at Thompson Arena, with four of five senior skaters registering points and senior netminder Olivia Ross collecting the shutout.
Today not only marked the final game of the regular season on the calendar for the Mustangs but also a more emotional marker: Seniors Day. Â Before the game began the six senior players on the Western Mustangs were honoured with a ceremony at centre ice.
Team captian Carly Rolph, Tara Cation, Sydney Kidd, Ally Galloway, Michelle Saunders, and goalie Ross all received flowers, a game jersey, and a book of memorabilia from their coaching staff to commemorate their career achievements and hard work while playing for the Mustangs.
The milestone marker was an emotional one that appeared to help the seniors elevate their game as four of the five senior skaters collected points while Ross stood strong between the pipes for the shutout. Â The game also marked Ross' return to the lineup, as the veteran netminder has battled injury for most of the season. Her efforts did not go unnoticed by her teammates.
Fellow senior Ally Galloway spoke to Ross' performance following the match: "She's been suffering this whole year pretty much but when we need her she's in the net. Shutout for her, which is amazing, hopefully she can play in the playoffs too."
Galloway, who assisted on Western's third goal, will actually be returning for a fifth year but was intent on sharing the moment with her 'sisters'.
"I could have done it next year," she said after the game. "But I wanted to be on the ice with them [and] graduate [with them] because I've been with them for all four years. It's an honour to be with them but glad I'm coming back next year too."
The six seniors were joined by their parents on the ice but were happy to share the spotlight and success with the rest of their team and their coach. Â Head coach Chris Higgins acknowledged their performance after the game, saying, "I thought they played extremely well, a great way to end their regular season of their varsity career."
Higgins also alluded to how great it was to have Ross back from injury but that the team still has more players to get healthy.  Team scoring leader Stacey Scott (7G—10A—17Pts) remained out of the lineup for the fourth consecutive game with a lower body injury, and she was also joined today by defencemen and power play specialist Brianna Iazzolino.
"That's our problem, right," Higgins said of the injuries after the game. "Today we missed Brianna –she didn't feel quite well– and she's the key to our power play so the power play wasn't as effective as it could be. Brianna will be back on Wednesday but Stacey's still a week or two away but we do miss her."
Despite missing key offensive players the Mustangs still managed to put up four goals on Waterloo including one on the power play. In a way, the Senior ceremony also seemed to add some motivation for all of the Mustangs to play well, because once the puck dropped to start the game the Western women flashed their ownership papers and took control of the puck.
The purple and white looked sharp to start the game as they cycled the puck down low, testing out the Warrior defence. Â It only took the Mustangs three minutes to find the twine and get on the board first as Brittany Clapham opened the scoring with help from Kidd and Rolph.
Kidd controlled the puck along the sideboards and skated the puck towards the goal line before firing a centering to pass to her line mate Rolph, who got a stick on the puck and directed it on net. Â Clapham came in behind the scrum in front of the cage and picked up the rebound, showing off her skills as she made a nice move to curl and drag the puck to the far side to beat Waterloo goaltender Rebecca Bouwhuis.
The majority of the remaining frame was played between the blue lines with both teams stifling the others attempts to transition into the offensive zone. Â Waterloo battled back, firing seven shots on net, forcing Ross to play well early. Â Her best save of the period came on a shorthanded breakaway as she stoned the Waterloo Warrior with a pad save as she tried to deke past her. Ross' stop ensured the Mustangs headed to the dressing room with their one goal lead firmly intact.
The Warriors came out flying to start the second, controlling the puck and the tempo of play for what seemed to be the entire first half of the period. Â Nonetheless, the Western defence stood tall in front of their netminder and battled through the pressure. Â Waterloo appeared poised to tie the game but hitting the post would be the closest they would come in the period.
Half way through the second frame the tides began to turn back in Western's favour when Jessica Sorensen, who scored the Mustangs lone goal yesterday against Laurier, stormed into the offensive zone off the rush and put one on the board. Â She used the Warrior defender as a screen and fired a shot that found its way through Bouwhuis to put her purple and white ahead by two.
Just over five minutes later after the two teams exchanged power play chances it would be the Mustangs to strike next. Â While controlling the puck in the offensive zone, Tara Cation set up Ally Galloway for a shot that she fired off of the goal post. Â The puck rolled across the crease behind the Warrior netminder right onto the stick of Cassidy Goslingwho was stationed at the backdoor. Gosling made no mistake, hacking in the rebound to increase the Western lead to three.
The goal put the Mustangs squarely in the drivers seat, allowing them to continue applying their offensive pressure as they went on to outshoot the Warriors 12-7 in the period.
The third period was much of the same for the Mustangs. Â They continued to cycle and control the puck while stifling the Waterloo offence. Despite being outshot 10-6 in the period, the Mustangs got back to playing their game, enforcing a physical style of play that was too much for Waterloo to overcome.
The Warriors could not seem to find an answer for Ross either, leading to some frustration that landed two Waterloo players in the box in the final minute of play. The two-man advantage was a nice gift to end the match as it only took senior Sydney Kidd five seconds to find the back of the net. The power play goal was icing on the cake for the seniors as the Mustangs skated to a dominating 4-0 victory in their final game of the regular season.
The two points that came with today's win are enough to push the Mustangs into a sixth place finish in the OUA standings, solidifying a first round playoff matchup against the Toronto Varsity Blues for the third year in a row. Â Western emerged victorious from the last two playoff series, however they have yet to beat the Blues so far this season. Â That being said, the 2-1 and 4-1 losses to Toronto do not seem to have the purple and white worried one bit.
"They've played us well the two times we played them but I'm not worried." Coach Higgins said postgame. "We will compete and it will be a very good game. The game is in three days [so] we're not going to do anything different."
"We're just going to play our game, they're going to play their game, and its going to come down to goaltending and special teams – and we like our goaltending, we like our special teams and they like theirs so its going to be a one goal game either way."
As the lower seed, the Mustangs will be on the road in Toronto for the first game of best-of-three first round playoff matchup this Wednesday, February 12.
Source: Western Sports Info
“Honestly, I have no words for it,” Brodett said. “Being a Ram and finishing off my career this way has been bitter sweet and I’ve had the honour of leading this team for the last two years and I couldn’t have asked for a better bunch of girls and a better staff and a better facility.”
It was also the final game behind the bench for interim head coach, Pierre Alain. Alain, who was filling in for head coach Lisa Haley while she was coaching the Canadian women’s national team at the Olympics, will return back to his home province of Québec in March.
“I told them (team) after the game, it has been one of the best lifetime experiences I’ve been involved with,” Alain said. “Simply, I wanted to be here, I chose to be here, I told Lisa (Haley) and Steph White last year that I’m going to help this team and this program grow up and move forward. And I think this program has moved forward.”
Ryerson finishes the 2013-14 regular season with a record of 5-17-1, a program-high in wins.
Source: Ryerson Sports Info
Brock 3 @ UOIT 1
OSHAWA, Ont. – Despite outshooting Brock 43-17, the UOIT women’s hockey team was unable to pick up a win on Saturday as they fell 3-1 to the Badgers.
The loss puts UOIT (13-9-1) in a tie for sixth place with the Western Mustangs (13-9-1) heading into the final day of the regular season. UOIT will look to break the tie in their regular season finale as they host the No. 3 ranked Guelph Gryphons (20-3-0) on Sunday afternoon at 3:30 p.m. Guelph will also have a lot to play for as they sit only a single point ahead of Laurier for the top-spot in the OUA.
Brock goaltender Jenna Sosnoski stole the show on Saturday afternoon making 42 saves for her ninth win of the season. After Brock was eliminated from playoff contention on Friday night, the freshman goaltender showed no signs giving up on the season as she one of her best performances, which included stopping 22 Ridgeback shots in the third period.
Jill Morillo (Whitby, Ont.) was the only Ridgeback able to beat Sosnoski as she banked a puck of a Brock defender in the first period to record her 14th goal of the season. Melissa Berney (Bowmanville, Ont.) and Victoria MacKenzie (Toronto, Ont.) recorded assists on Morillo’s 64th career goal.
Just after the first penalty of a UOIT 5-on-3 power play had expired in the third period, Brock was able to capitalize off a Ridgeback turnover as they quickly turned the puck up ice on an odd-man rush. Jessica Fickel was able to beat the UOIT defender on the wing and feed Leigh Vanderveen in front of the net who was able to beat Tori Campbell (Lethbridge, Alta.) for the second time in the game.
Both teams struggled on the power play in the game combining to go 0-for-9 while UOIT allowed the game-winning goal shorthanded.
Saturday’s loss put an end to the Ridgebacks’ four-game winning streak.
Source: UOIT Sports Info
Laurier 2 @ Western 1
LONDON, Ont. – The Mustangs battled hard Saturday afternoon against the Golden Hawks but could not overcome a second period goal, falling to Laurier by a score of 2-1 at Thompson Arena. The Western women scored early in the first period to open the scoring but could not find an answer for Laurier's rookie netminder Amanda Smith, who stopped 27 shots to help lead her team to victory.
The game was the second last of the regular season for the Mustangs and a potential preview of a first round playoff matchup. Â When asked what he would do differently if the teams were to meet again, Head Coach Chris Higgins' answer was very simple: Nothing.
"I actually thought we played a good game," Higgins said. "I thought we owned the third and the first was kind of even.  It was one of those games where the bounces went their way […] sometimes you don't get the results you want but we had 30 shots on their net and we had some chances [but] we just didn't score. We only gave up 2 goals and against this team that's not bad."
Laurier is the highest scoring team in the OUA and also owns one of the leagues best penalty kill units, which blanked the Mustangs on both of their chances.
"I thought we had a lot of really good chances on the power play," Higgins said post-game. "We executed it, we had some good chances, but again the goalie stoned us.  She kept the puck [and] didn't give us any rebounds […] we have to give her credit too she played a great game."
Western netminder Kelly Campbell, who was the only OUA goalie to record a shutout against Laurier when the teams met previously this season, also played a fantastic game. Â Stopping 29 shots may be just another routine performance for the All-Canadian but her effort never goes unnoticed by Coach Higgins.
"[Campbell was] Fabulous," he said. "She kept us in it. Â We were really struggling in the second but she kept us in it. She always does."
There was an obvious level of intensity to start the game on both sides. Â The Golden Hawks were poised to set the pace early, showing off their speed, but Western did well to keep up. Â The two teams exchanged high pressure scoring chances, which forced both goalies to be good early.
Everything appeared to be very sharp with both clubs clicking well until Laurier got caught on a change that allowed Western to strike first. Â Michelle Saunders stretched a pass up the far side of the ice to spring Jessica Sorensen into the zone. Â Sorensen made no mistake, trotting in on Golden Hawk rookie netminder Amanda Smith and wiring a slap shot top corner to open the scoring.
It was a good start for the Mustangs, who have allowed the first goal in each of their last three contests, although the lead was short lived. Â A couple of minutes later, with Tara Cation in the box on a tripping call, Laurier captain Laura Brooker sent a hard dump-in shot straight on net from the neutral zone. The puck dipped and bounced on the ice right in front of the cage and fooled Campbell as the Golden Hawks tied the game with a power play goal.
The unorthodox goal did not seem to rattle Campbell, as she remained sharp for the duration of the period. Â With just less than five minutes left in the frame Saunders went down hard while defending in her own zone. Â After the play was blown dead, she headed off to the dressing room early but did return to play in the second period.
The Golden Hawks came out flying to start the second period as they again used their speed and puck movement to control the puck, keeping the Mustangs hemmed into their own zone early. Â It did not take long for the purple and gold to snap the tie with Tammy Freiburger potting a rebound only three minutes into the period to put the Golden Hawks ahead by one.
The Laurier offence was brimming with intensity, controlling the play and directing several shots at Campbell, eventually outshooting Western 13-5 in the period. The Mustangs had only a few chances to even the score but the Laurier defence was able to stymie all of their chances, forcing Western to play to the outside where opportunities were few and far between.
In the third period the purple and white fought back, determined to win battles for the puck and play in the Golden Hawks zone. Â The style of play grew increasingly more physical and the Mustangs got to start playing their game.
The Western defence continued their impressive play but Brittany Clapham and Sydney Kidd really stood out for the Mustangs. Â Clapham was a force on the ice as she seemed to be out for almost all of Western's chances, while Kidd's creativity with the puck helped Western control the play.
However, despite the surge, the score remained 2-1, causing Western to call their timeout and pull their goalie for the extra attacker with two minutes remaining. Â The frantic final minutes saw the Mustangs apply constant pressure, firing multiple shots on net. Ultimately though, even though they outshot Laurier 14-8 in the frame, they were ultimately unable to solve Amanda Smith, falling in regulation.
With the loss Western holds onto seventh place in the OUA, tied with the UOIT Ridgebacks with both teams set to play their final game of the regular season tomorrow afternoon. Â Western has the potentially to move into sixth place with a win over Waterloo tomorrow but first round play off matchups are still far from being decided.
Source: Western Sports Info
Waterloo 0 @ Windsor 3
WINDSOR, Ont.- Erinn Noseworthy potted two goals, and the Windsor Lancers women's hockey team ended their regular season with a 3-0 victory over the visiting Waterloo Warriors on Hats on for Healthcare Day at South Windsor Arena on Saturday afternoon.
The win solidifies a superb second half for the Lancers (14-8-2) that saw the women go 7-1-1, allowing them to clinch fifth-place in the conference standings. Windsor will take on the Queen's Gaels in the first round of the OUA playoffs beginning Thursday night in Windsor at 7:30pm.
After honouring their senior athletes in a pre-game ceremony, the Lancers were charged up from the opening face-off, scoring on a quick odd-man rush just 45 seconds into regulation. Noseworthy scored her first marker after taking a lead pass from Jenny MacKnight down the left wing, finding the top left corner to put the home side up 1-0.
The contest seemed to slow down from there, however, as Waterloo's Rebecca Bouwhuis turned aside 13 first-period Windsor shots to keep the Warriors close. Windsor would not find the goal once again until late in the middle frame, as Noseworthy grabbed her OUA-leading 16th goal on the season with MacKnight and Bree Polci adding the assists.
Defender Natalie Barrette tallied her second of the year to provide an insurance marker in the third period, and Marissa Kozovski made 16 saves to record her second shutout of the season. Waterloo was 0-for-5 with the power-play while Windsor was 0-for-6. The Lancers fired 42 shots on Bouwhuis.
MacKnight's two points on Saturday gives her a total of 40 (15 goals, 25 assists) on the year. The Regina, Sask. native clinched the OUA scoring title becoming the first Lancer in women's hockey history to do so. She also finished second in the nation in scoring and 4th in the CIS in game-winning goals. Her linemate Polci finished third in the league with 32 points (12 goals, 20 assists), while Noseworthy led the OUA in goals scored with 16.
Source: Windsor Sports Info
Guelph 3 @ York 0
The York University Lions women's hockey team was shut out by a score of 3-0 by the No. 3 nationally-ranked Guelph Gryphons in their regular-season finale on Saturday night (Feb. 8) at Canlan Ice Sports.
Guelph netminder Stephanie Nehring (Oshawa, Ont.) picked up her eighth shutout of the season as she continues to lead the OUA in goals against average (1.11) and save percentage (.946). On Saturday night she turned away all 32 shots she faced.
Her York counterpart, Megan Lee (Orillia, Ont.) made 36 saves on 39 shots at the other end of the rink.
The two squads played a fast opening period with few whistles, as neither team was called for a penalty in the frame and the two goalies stood tall in their nets. The Gryphons finally broke the deadlock at 16:57 of the first on a goal by Cara Sayles (Welland, Ont.), her third of the season.
The game progressed in similar fashion in the second period as the Lions were handed just one penalty and both goalies continued to play well. Neither team found the back of the net, and the Gryphons continued to lead 1-0 heading into the third.
Guelph finally got its insurance marker at 11:24 when Kaitlyn Mora (Guelph, Ont.) scored her seventh of the season to give the Gryphons a 2-0 lead. Christine Grant (Mississauga, Ont.) added a late marker to round out the scoring.
The Gryphons extended their winning streak to 11 games with the win, and they continue to hold down first place in the OUA standings with a sparkling 20-3-0 mark on the season. The loss dropped the Lions to 6-16-2, and they will finish in 11th place.
The Lions are now finished for the season after missing out on the playoffs. The top eight teams in the OUA will begin post-season action on Wednesday (Feb. 12).
Source: York Sports Info
Sunday, February 9
Queen’s 1 @ Toronto 2
Alie Brind'Amour-McClure's two third-period goals sparked the University of Toronto Varsity Blues women's hockey team to a 2-1 come-from-behind win over the visiting Queen's Gaels on Sunday, February 9 at Varsity Arena.
With the win, the Blues leapfrog Queen's to clinch third place in the OUA standings. Toronto has home ice advantage, and will play the sixth-seeded Western Mustangs in next week's best-of-three OUA quarter-final series.
Waterdown, Ont., native Alie Brind'Amour-McClure scored twice in the span of 2:37 in the third period to lead the Blues to victory. The goals were the second-year forward's sixth and seventh of the season.
Veteran goaltender Nicole Kesteris was stellar, turning away 32 shots en route to her 13th win of the season. The Aurora, Ont., native has been exceptional all season long, coming into today's action ranked fourth in the CIS with a sparkling .946 save percentage.
The Gaels came out strong in a pivotal final game of the regular season, outshooting the Blues 25-17 in the first two periods. Kesteris was up to the task however, surrendering only one goal, a point shot from Alisha Sealey at the tail-end of a powerplay that found its way through a screen to put Queen's up 1-0 in the first.
The Blues had several chances to draw even on back-to-back powerplays in the second period, including a couple of jam plays at the net orchestrated by sophomore forward Taylor Day (Ilderton, Ont.), but were unable to solve Gaels goaltender Mel Dodd-Moher.
It was not until midway through the final period that the Blues were able to capitalize on the man advantage. Brind'Amour-McClure stationed herself in front of the net, and was able to get her stick on a point shot from Stacey Oue (Scarborough, Ont.), deflecting the puck past Dodd-Moher to tie the game at one apiece.
The goal immediately went to the Blues legs, and the team buzzed around the offensive zone until, two minutes later, Brind'Amour-McClure grabbed a loose puck along the boards, waited for Dodd-Moher to drop her shoulder, and lifted the puck over the goaltender to put the Blues up 2-1.
With third place in their sights, the Blues battened down the hatches for the latter half of the period, and were able to hang on for the win.
Dodd-Moher finished the game with 28 saves for the Gaels.
The Blues recognized their graduating players Stacey Oue, Brittany Kirby, Ragan Danford, Marlie McLaughlin, and Kelly O'Hanlon in a ceremony prior to puck drop.
Source: Toronto Sports Info
Guelph 4 @ UOIT 2
OSHAWA, Ont. – After playing arguably the best 40 minutes of their season in the first two periods on Sunday, the UOIT women’s hockey team allowed three goal less than two minutes apart in the third frame as the No. 3 ranked Guelph Gryphons earned a 4-2 comeback victory.
With two losses to close out their regular season, the Ridgebacks (13-10-1) fall to seventh place and will match up against the No. 4 ranked Laurier Golden Hawks (18-3-3) in the OUA quarter finals. Game one will take place on Wednesday night in Waterloo with game two scheduled for Saturday, February 15 at the Campus Ice Centre with a 7:30 p.m. start time.
Prior to the game, UOIT honoured their graduating seniors that included Katie Dillon (Oshawa, Ont.), Sarah Worthington (Whitby, Ont.), Violette Long (Oshawa, Ont.), Jaclyn Gibson (Cobourg, Ont.) and Jill Morillo (Whitby, Ont.).
The Ridgebacks seemed to feed off the emotion of playing in their final regular season home game as they outshot Guelph 22-14 over the opening forty minutes. Their hard work would eventually pay off as Melissa Berney (Bowmanville, Ont.) scored from the point midway through the second period to put UOIT ahead 1-0. Worthington and Victoria MacKenzie (Toronto, Ont.) picked up assists on Berney’s fourth goal of the year.
Three minutes into the third period, Kimberley Wong would start the Gryphon rally as she netted her first goal of the year. Marcie Landman and Averi Nooren would follow that up with back-to-back goals 16 seconds apart to put Guelph ahead 3-1.
UOIT would show a lot of fight to get back into the game as Dillon scored three minutes after the Guelph onslaught to cut into the lead to one, but Nooren would eventually score an empty net marker to double-up the Ridgebacks.
CIS Academic All-Canadian Cassie Charette got the start in net for UOIT and made 17 saves in the losing effort. Oshawa native Stephanie Nehring was in goal for Guelph and she stopped 25 Ridgeback shots for her league leading 19th win of the year.
The Ridgebacks set program highs in 2013-14 for the most wins (13) and points (27) in a season, breaking the mark set last season.
Gibson and Morillo, who assisted on Dillon’s goal, finish in the top 15 of league scoring with 25 and 22 points respectively while Berney ends up sixth in OUA defensive scoring. With 14 goals on the year, Morillo finishes her career with 64, the fifth highest total in the history of OUA women’s hockey.
UOIT will be looking to win their first-ever playoff series in program history next week against the Golden Hawks. Last year, UOIT was eliminated in double-overtime of the quarter finals against the Gryphons.
Source: UOIT Sports Info
Waterloo 0 @ Western 4
LONDON, Ont. – It was all Mustangs in a 4-0 win over the Waterloo Warriors on Sunday afternoon at Thompson Arena, with four of five senior skaters registering points and senior netminder Olivia Ross collecting the shutout.
Today not only marked the final game of the regular season on the calendar for the Mustangs but also a more emotional marker: Seniors Day. Â Before the game began the six senior players on the Western Mustangs were honoured with a ceremony at centre ice.
Team captian Carly Rolph, Tara Cation, Sydney Kidd, Ally Galloway, Michelle Saunders, and goalie Ross all received flowers, a game jersey, and a book of memorabilia from their coaching staff to commemorate their career achievements and hard work while playing for the Mustangs.
The milestone marker was an emotional one that appeared to help the seniors elevate their game as four of the five senior skaters collected points while Ross stood strong between the pipes for the shutout. Â The game also marked Ross' return to the lineup, as the veteran netminder has battled injury for most of the season. Her efforts did not go unnoticed by her teammates.
Fellow senior Ally Galloway spoke to Ross' performance following the match: "She's been suffering this whole year pretty much but when we need her she's in the net. Shutout for her, which is amazing, hopefully she can play in the playoffs too."
Galloway, who assisted on Western's third goal, will actually be returning for a fifth year but was intent on sharing the moment with her 'sisters'.
"I could have done it next year," she said after the game. "But I wanted to be on the ice with them [and] graduate [with them] because I've been with them for all four years. It's an honour to be with them but glad I'm coming back next year too."
The six seniors were joined by their parents on the ice but were happy to share the spotlight and success with the rest of their team and their coach. Â Head coach Chris Higgins acknowledged their performance after the game, saying, "I thought they played extremely well, a great way to end their regular season of their varsity career."
Higgins also alluded to how great it was to have Ross back from injury but that the team still has more players to get healthy.  Team scoring leader Stacey Scott (7G—10A—17Pts) remained out of the lineup for the fourth consecutive game with a lower body injury, and she was also joined today by defencemen and power play specialist Brianna Iazzolino.
"That's our problem, right," Higgins said of the injuries after the game. "Today we missed Brianna –she didn't feel quite well– and she's the key to our power play so the power play wasn't as effective as it could be. Brianna will be back on Wednesday but Stacey's still a week or two away but we do miss her."
Despite missing key offensive players the Mustangs still managed to put up four goals on Waterloo including one on the power play. In a way, the Senior ceremony also seemed to add some motivation for all of the Mustangs to play well, because once the puck dropped to start the game the Western women flashed their ownership papers and took control of the puck.
The purple and white looked sharp to start the game as they cycled the puck down low, testing out the Warrior defence. Â It only took the Mustangs three minutes to find the twine and get on the board first as Brittany Clapham opened the scoring with help from Kidd and Rolph.
Kidd controlled the puck along the sideboards and skated the puck towards the goal line before firing a centering to pass to her line mate Rolph, who got a stick on the puck and directed it on net. Â Clapham came in behind the scrum in front of the cage and picked up the rebound, showing off her skills as she made a nice move to curl and drag the puck to the far side to beat Waterloo goaltender Rebecca Bouwhuis.
The majority of the remaining frame was played between the blue lines with both teams stifling the others attempts to transition into the offensive zone. Â Waterloo battled back, firing seven shots on net, forcing Ross to play well early. Â Her best save of the period came on a shorthanded breakaway as she stoned the Waterloo Warrior with a pad save as she tried to deke past her. Ross' stop ensured the Mustangs headed to the dressing room with their one goal lead firmly intact.
The Warriors came out flying to start the second, controlling the puck and the tempo of play for what seemed to be the entire first half of the period. Â Nonetheless, the Western defence stood tall in front of their netminder and battled through the pressure. Â Waterloo appeared poised to tie the game but hitting the post would be the closest they would come in the period.
Half way through the second frame the tides began to turn back in Western's favour when Jessica Sorensen, who scored the Mustangs lone goal yesterday against Laurier, stormed into the offensive zone off the rush and put one on the board. Â She used the Warrior defender as a screen and fired a shot that found its way through Bouwhuis to put her purple and white ahead by two.
Just over five minutes later after the two teams exchanged power play chances it would be the Mustangs to strike next. Â While controlling the puck in the offensive zone, Tara Cation set up Ally Galloway for a shot that she fired off of the goal post. Â The puck rolled across the crease behind the Warrior netminder right onto the stick of Cassidy Goslingwho was stationed at the backdoor. Gosling made no mistake, hacking in the rebound to increase the Western lead to three.
The goal put the Mustangs squarely in the drivers seat, allowing them to continue applying their offensive pressure as they went on to outshoot the Warriors 12-7 in the period.
The third period was much of the same for the Mustangs. Â They continued to cycle and control the puck while stifling the Waterloo offence. Despite being outshot 10-6 in the period, the Mustangs got back to playing their game, enforcing a physical style of play that was too much for Waterloo to overcome.
The Warriors could not seem to find an answer for Ross either, leading to some frustration that landed two Waterloo players in the box in the final minute of play. The two-man advantage was a nice gift to end the match as it only took senior Sydney Kidd five seconds to find the back of the net. The power play goal was icing on the cake for the seniors as the Mustangs skated to a dominating 4-0 victory in their final game of the regular season.
The two points that came with today's win are enough to push the Mustangs into a sixth place finish in the OUA standings, solidifying a first round playoff matchup against the Toronto Varsity Blues for the third year in a row. Â Western emerged victorious from the last two playoff series, however they have yet to beat the Blues so far this season. Â That being said, the 2-1 and 4-1 losses to Toronto do not seem to have the purple and white worried one bit.
"They've played us well the two times we played them but I'm not worried." Coach Higgins said postgame. "We will compete and it will be a very good game. The game is in three days [so] we're not going to do anything different."
"We're just going to play our game, they're going to play their game, and its going to come down to goaltending and special teams – and we like our goaltending, we like our special teams and they like theirs so its going to be a one goal game either way."
As the lower seed, the Mustangs will be on the road in Toronto for the first game of best-of-three first round playoff matchup this Wednesday, February 12.
Source: Western Sports Info
