W-HOCKEY ROUNDUP: Laurentian upset No. 3 ranked Queen's in shootout 3-2
Friday, October 31
Toronto 3 @ Ryerson 4
TORONTO - The Ryerson Rams women's hockey team beat the No. 9 nationally ranked Toronto Varsity Blues 4-3 in a nail-biter on Halloween morning at the Mattamy Athletic Centre. This was the second time the Rams won against a CIS top ten ranked team – the first came last season against the Western Mustangs.
The Downtown Showdown saw the arena packed for puck drop at 11 a.m, beginning the second game of the season between the rival teams. Ryerson fell short in their first matchup, losing 2-0.
The Rams (2-4-0) came out strong against the Varsity Blues (4-2-0), taking the lead early in the first. Emma Rutherford's (Kanata, Ont.) shot from the slot beat Toronto goalie Nicole Kesteris to open the scoring. The Rams doubled their lead on the power play, with a shot from the point by defenceman Stephanie Chiste (Nobleton, Ont.) that deflected off Michelle Evagelou (Scarborough, Ont.), who was credited with the goal.
U of T opened the scoring in the second with a goal from defenceman Autumn Garnham, but this didn't stop the Rams who added another two goals in the period. Jessica Hartwick (Brampton, Ont.) struck first on a 5-on-3 power play, blasting a shot that beat Kesteris five-hole. On the ensuing 5-on-4, Emily Marks (Courtice, Ont.) was able to net another to make it 4-1 going into the third.
Ryerson struggled with penalties late in the game leading Varsity Blues forward Kristi Riseley to capitalize with less than five minutes to go, cutting the Rams lead to two. Amanda Ricker, left open at the side of the net, was able to add another power play goal two minutes later.
Ryerson's focus, and a late cross-checking penalty to U of T forward Alie Brind'Amour-McClure, ensured the Rams were able to keep their well-deserved lead.
Ryerson goalie Alex Armstrong (Toronto) was disciplined throughout the game, allowing only two goals on 34 shots.
"I think I played a solid three periods of hockey," she said, "but we wouldn't have been able to get the win without the whole team pitching in, blocking shots and scoring goals."
According to head coach Lisa Haley, the big crowd played an important role in the win.
"We're very proud to play in front of a crowd like that…especially the young females," the coach said. "To have them here [today] and to have them witness our female players excelling at a level like that in sports is fantastic."
"It's always fun playing U of T, especially when we have a good battle like that," said team captain Hartwick. "Going into the third, the other team [had] nothing to lose and we had everything to lose."
The Rams faceoff next against the Waterloo Warriors on November 8 in Waterloo.
Source: Ryerson Rams
UOIT 2 @ Nipissing 0
It was another game of chances and opportunities, but in the end, the Nipissing Lakers women's hockey team was unable to spark their offence.
The Lakers, coming off two tough losses last weekend, were shutout by the UOIT Ridgebacks, despite firing 25 at the net, including 14 in the final period.
While they have had a tonne of chances, the Lakers have only managed two goals in the past three games.
Micaela Stutzki made her first career OUA start, turning in a very solid effort and making 18 saves for Nipissing, but she'll be tagged with the loss.
The first time these two teams met, the Lakers came out with a 4-1 win in Oshawa, but it was the Ridgebacks who had the last laugh on Halloween night in North Bay.
The Ridgebacks opened the scoring in the first period, with what proved to be the winner.
And in the third, they added their second goal – an insurance marker – and relied on top notch goaltending the rest of the way to earn the win.
Even though the Lakers offence has hit a bit of a dry spell, they have been playing a strong game and earning chances, now it's just about finishing those chances off and turning those goals into wins.
The Lakers will have their chance to bounce back tomorrow afternoon as they hit the ice against the top-ranked Queens Gaels, who sit with a 5-0-0 record.
Game time is 3 p.m. at Memorial Gardens.
Source: Nipissing Lakers
Saturday, November 1
Guelph 1 @ York 5
The York University Lions women's hockey team ran rampant with a 5-1 win over the No. 6 nationally-ranked Guelph Gryphons at Canlan Ice Sports on Saturday (Nov. 1).
The Lions were quick to make an impact on the game, scoring the first goal at 2:11 through Dana Somerville (Hockley, Ont.). The goal was assisted by Jenna Gray (London, Ont.) and Kristen Barbara (Mount Hope, Ont.). The team pressured the Gryphons defence, and it paid off with a clinical shot by Somerville for her first of the season.
Lions goaltender Megan Lee (Orillia, Ont.) was solid in her post, making crucial saves from dangerous plays. Soon after the goal, Lee faced a two-on-one attacking play against the Lions. The goalie calmly saved the shot and deflected the puck back into play.
Gryphons forward Christine Grant powered a dangerous shot towards the goal with less than six minutes on the clock. Lee stopped the shot and laid it for a Lions defender to bring forward.
The last five minutes of the first period saw the Lions turning up the pressure on the visitors.
Right before the break, the Lions extended their lead. With 1:56 left to play on the period, Mariah Krancevich (Sault St Marie, Ont.) scored on the power play for her first goal of the season. The Gryphons defenders crowded the area but Krancevich was able to get the shot away for the Lions' second of the game. The goal was assisted by forwards Stephanie Dovaston (Unionville, Ont.) and Raeanna Kelly (Cut Knife, Sask.).
Within six minutes of the second frame, the Lions were able to extend the gap. Miscommunication by the Gryphons defenders led to an interception by Lisa Stathopulos (Toronto), who sent the puck to the middle. Rianna Langford (Collingwood, Ont.) shot in point blank range for the team's third goal and her fourth of the season. Stathopulos and Amy Locke (Toronto, Ont.) assisted the goal.
The Lions continued to press the visitors. At 6:11, the Lions went on a counter-attack. Locke surged forward after a pass from Stathopulos released her. Locke took a swing at the goal while under pressure by her marksman. The puck slid past between the goalie's legs and into the net. Barbara and Stathopulos were credited with the assists.
At 7:50, the Gryphons pulled one back through Kaitlyn Mora. The Lions were caught off-guard with the Gryphons' pace on the attack. Jessica Pinkerton passed to Averi Nooren, who provided for Mora to finish.
The Lions remained in the offensive for the rest of the period. With 5:38 left in the second, Locke recorded her second of the game through a powerful shot from a distance. Lindsay Brook (Ste. Rose, Man.) played a wonderful assist from the right for Locke to finish. Langford and Brook were involved in the lead-up to the goal.
The final period was uneventful for the home team. Both teams attempted to pressure each other, but neither found any danger.
Sarai Whitty (Kingston, Ont.) came close to scoring with 16 seconds left. The goalie caught the puck in midair to deny the goal.
The victory moved the Lions recorded a 4-3-0 this season in the OUA conference standings. The Lions' next opponent is the Brock Badgers on Sunday (Nov. 2) at Canlan Ice Sports beginning at 2pm.
Source: York Lions
Windsor 5 @ Waterloo 3
The Lancer women's hockey team split a pair of road games over the weekend against the Waterloo Warriors and Laurier Golden Hawks.
Windsor defeated the Warriors 5-3 on Saturday before falling to the No. 7 Golden Hawks 4-1 on Sunday night in Waterloo. The Lancers are now 5-1-1 on the season and remain in third place overall in the OUA standings.
On Saturday afternoon, Windsor jumped out to a two goal lead midway through the first period with goals from fifth year forwards Jenny MacKnight and Candice Chevalier. Waterloo added their first marker of the game with thirty-five seconds remaining in the period to cut the Lancer lead in half heading into the second.
In the middle frame, the Warriors tied the game up with the period' s lone goal with a power play marker less than two minutes into the period.
Less than three minutes into the final period, Larissa Borowiec put the Lancers back on top off a pass from Kayla Dodson and Jillian Rops. Waterloo scored again to the tie game once more before Chevalier and Erinn Noseworthy potted two additional goals to secure the win for the Blue & Gold.
Marissa Kozovski made 15 saves in net for the Lancers.
Against Laurier on Sunday, Windsor struggled against the Golden Hawks and suffered their first loss of the season in regulation time.
Laurier scored four straight goals, including two on the power play, through three periods to build a comfortable lead midway through the third period.
The Lancers spoiled the Golden Hawk shut-out with a power play goal from Candace Kourounis with less than three minutes remaining in regulation.
Windsor returns home Friday night when they play host to the York Lions at 7:30pm at South Windsor Arena.
Source: Windsor Lancers
Queens 2 @ Nipissing 3 (SO)
The Nipissing Lakers women's hockey team earned a big win today, defeating the Queens Gaels in a shootout at home.
The Lakers went up early in the game, scoring twice in the first period.
Captain Carly Marchment opened up the scoring just before the midway mark of the first period with a goal. Mariah Fell and Kylie Thomson drew assists on the opening goal of the game.
About six minutes later, Fell picked up her second point of the game, making it 2-0 Nipissing. Brooklyn Kallusky and Alexane Papineau picked the helpers on that goal.
That lead stood up until the early part of the third period when the Gaels scored twice in a minute, four minutes into the period, to tie things up.
The rest of the period and overtime solved nothing as the teams went to a shootout.
Bronwyn Bolduc, Brittany Crago, Sam Strassburger all scored in the shootout and Jackie Rochefort made two saves on five shots and Kayla Carter scored the winner for the Lakers.
The Lakers rebounded from a tough loss Friday afternoon and now sit with a 3-4-1 record.
They're back in action next weekend, hosting their annual Pink The Rink game Saturday night.
Source: Nipissing Lakers
UOIT 4 @ Laurentian 3 (SO)
SUDBURY, Ont. – The UOIT women's hockey team extended their point-streak to four games after a 4-3 shootout victory over the Laurentian Voyageurs.
Chelsea Ball (Maple, Ont.) was the shootout hero, scoring the lone goal to lift the Ridgebacks to their fourth win of the season. Goaltender Tori Campbell (Saskatoon, Sask.) stopped all three Laurentian attempts to go on and earn her second win of the weekend.
Ball would also get scoring started in the first period, as she extended her personal point-streak to three games with a goal at the 10:41 minute mark. Just 19 seconds later, assistant captain Mikaeli Cavell (Edmonton, Alta.) would double the Ridgebacks lead with her second goal of the year.
In the second period, Laurentian stormed back with two quick goals of their own, as Jessica Staats and Julie Hebert scored 13 seconds apart.
Twenty-four seconds in the third period, Emma Leger would give the Voyageurs their first lead of the game with a power play marker. With their backs against the wall, it was UOIT's leading scorer coming to the rescue as Nicole LoPresti (Hamilton, Ont.) tied the game up midway through the frame. Cavell and Teresa Horner (Hamilton, Ont.) recorded their second points of the night with assists on the goal.
After a scoreless overtime period, UOIT managed to level their shootout record to 1-1 with Bell's game winning goal.
The referees let the two teams battle it out, with each side having one power play. Laurentian outshot UOIT 28-25, despite not getting a shot on goal in the overtime period.
UOIT opened up their seven-game road trip with a pair of wins, as they defeated Nipissing 2-0 on Friday in North Bay. The Ridgebacks are 4-2-1 and sit in fourth place in the conference standings. Laurentian is still winless sitting in last place with a 0-5-2 record.
The Ridgebacks will play Brock (Friday) and Guelph (Sunday) on the road next weekend.
Source: UOIT Ridgebacks
Western 3 @ Laurier 2
WATERLOO, Ont. (November 1, 2014) - The No. 7 Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks women's hockey team suffered their second loss of the season on Saturday as they fell 3-2 to the Western Mustangs at the Waterloo Recreation Complex.
Despite peppering Mustangs netminder Kelly Campbell of St. Thomas, Ont., with 50 shots, including 38 over the final two periods, the Hawks could not come up with the win as they fall to 4-2-0 on the season.
As for Western, they remain undefeated in regulation and sit at 5-0-1 for the year.
Meeting for the second time in three weeks, it was the Hawks who got off to a quick start after earning a 2-1 shootout win in London in their first meeting of the season. Dolle Meigs of Owen Sound, Ont., found the back of the net on the powerplay for her second goal of the year to stake the purple and gold to a 1-0 lead.
However, the Mustangs would respond before the period was out with a powerplay marker of their own. Brittany Clapham of Tottenham, Ont., broke through for Western with 31 seconds left in the opening frame to tie the game at one through 20 minutes of play.
Although Laurier outshot Western 19-13 in the second, it was the Mustangs who owned the period, scoring twice. First, Amanda Moore of London, Ont., gave Western the lead before Cassidy Gosling of London, Ont., scored on the powerplay, the Mustangs third unanswered goal, to give the visitors a 3-1 lead after two.
Laurier continued their offensive pressure in the third and were rewarded seven minutes in when Tammy Freiburger of Wingham, Ont., scored her first of the year to pull the Hawks to within one. The purple and gold would get no closer though as they saw their two-game winning streak come to an end.
Campbell was the story of the night as she made 48 saves to pick up the win. Hawks netminder Amanda Smith of Burlington, Ont., suffered her second loss of the year, making 31 saves.
The Hawks will have a chance to rebound on Sunday night when they host the Windsor Lancers (5-0-1) at the Waterloo Recreation Complex. Puck drop is set for 7:30 p.m.
Source: Laurier Golden Hawks
Sunday, November 2
Western 3 @ Waterloo 0
WATERLOO, Ont. – The Western Mustangs women's hockey team extended their winning streak to five games on Sunday afternoon with a 3-0 win over the Waterloo Warriors at CIF Arena.
The shutout win gives the Mustangs a 6-0-1 record in the OUA standings, while the Warriors now hold a 1-3-3 record on the season so far.
Both teams got off to a slow start in the opening period and despite efforts from both sides to get onto the scoreboard first, neither team was to capitalize on scoring opportunities, sending the match scoreless into the first intermission.
The second frame told a different story however, as Mustangs Kendra Broad opened the scoring just over a minute into the frame. The goal gives Broad a share of the team goal scoring lead alongside Cassidy Gosling as both players have recorded four goals on the season so far.
Later in the period the purple and white put up another point on the scoreboard as Stacey Scott netted a goal to further the Mustangs advantage to 2-0 heading into the second break.
In the final period the Warriors managed to out-shoot the Mustangs, firing off nine shots on Western's goaltender, Kelly Campbell. Despite having more opportunities on net, the Warriors were unable to get the puck between the Mustangs posts.
While Campbell and the Mustangs defence were able to shut down the Warriors, Emma Pearson added an insurance marker with just over six minutes left to secure a 3-0 win for Western.
The victory is the Mustangs second win over Waterloo this season, with the purple and white taking a 4-3 overtime win to open the season on October 11.
The Mustangs will be back in action on Saturday, November 8 when they face-off against the York Lions on home ice at Thompson Arena. Puck drop is set for 4 p.m.
Source: Western Mustangs
Queen's 1 @ Laurentian 2 (SO)
SUDBURY, Ont. (November 2, 2014) - The Queen's women's hockey team suffered their second consecutive shootout loss, falling 2-1 against the Laurentian Voyageurs on Sunday afternoon. They now have a seven game point streak and have yet to suffer a regulation loss.
The Gaels opened the scoring in the middle frame as Alisha Sealey (Elora, Ont.) beat Voyageurs goaltender Emily Toffoli to put Queen's ahead 1-0. Chelsey Verbeek (Beiseker, Alta.) and Nadia Larocca (Mississauga, Ont.) were credited with the assists on Sealey's second of the season.
Laurentian's Julie Hebert knotted the score in the third period, snapping Queen's goaltender Stephanie Pascal's (Sudbury, Ont.) shutout streak at eight periods. The game remained tied through regulation and overtime as the Gaels entered their second shootout of the weekend.
Laurentian earned the victory after Taylor Philip buried the lone goal of the shootout in the second round.
Pascal collected 30 saves in her first loss of the season, while Toffoli earned an impressive 40-save victory. Final shots for the game totalled 41-31 in favour of Queen's.
The No.3 Gaels (5-0-2) are scheduled to return to action Saturday afternoon when they travel to Guelph, Ontario to battle the No.6 Guelph Gryphons (3-1-1).
Source: Queen's Gaels
Brock 1 @ York 3
The York University Lions women's hockey team topped the Brock Badgers 3-1 at Canlan Ice Sports on Sunday (Nov. 2) for their third straight victory.
Fresh off a two-goal, three-point performance on Saturday against Guelph, Amy Locke (Toronto) was again impressive with another two goals in this contest, bringing her to five on the season.
Both teams fought for chances in the first period, but neither was able to take the lead.
The Lions looked more menacing in the early stages of the game. Four minutes in, Stephanie Dovaston (Unionville, Ont.) had a shot saved by the Brock goaltender Stephanie Loukes. Dovaston had another clear shot five minutes later but it failed to outsmart Loukes.
Rianna Langford (Collingwood, Ont.) lost her marker and took an open opportunity from a distance in the 12th minute. The goalie was able to deflect it away.
Brock started to pressure the home team in the last five minutes before the intermission. Veteran defender Megan Finlay (Hamilton, Ont.) made a crucial block in front of the goal. The Badgers went on a counter attack with Finlay the sole defender left to beat. Finlay waited for the attacker to make a move for the shot before the defender predicted the hit and deflected it away.
The Lions were much more organized in the second period. Only 23 seconds in, Locke gave York the lead. She was at the end of the play initiated by Lisa Stathopulos (Toronto) and Jenna Gray (London, Ont.) in the attacking half.
Less than one minute later, the Lions had a chance to extend their lead. A penalty shot was awarded to the home team, but Stathopulos was unable to beat Loukes and the score remained 1-0.
At 12:15, the Lions successfully clinched their lead with another goal. Lindsay Brook (Ste. Rose, Man.) laid the puck for Stathopulos to shoot. The goalie went down to stop the shot, but only able to deflect it back into play. Langford skated in past the goalie and slid the puck to the open net.
The Badgers had their share of menacing moments in the period during their attack. Megan Lee (Orillia, Ont.) kept her position well to make the crucial saves.
A last minute penalty at the end of the second period carried on a power play to the final frame. The Lions capitalized the opportunity and scored their third of the game after 38 seconds of the restart. Kristen Barbara (Mount Hope, Ont.) provided Brook, whose shot was deflected. The puck fell to Locke, who fired it home for her second of the match and her fourth of the weekend.
The Lions dominated on the final period with the plays mostly occurring in the Badgers' defensive half.
Brock pulled a goal back through rookie forward Christina Ieradi with 2:10 left on the clock. Laura Neu swiftly carried the puck to the attack and laid it off for Ieradi to finish.
Despite conceding the last minute goal, Lee put on an impressive display, saving 20 shots while her counterpart, Loukes, saved 27.
The Lions capped off their weekend with an overall record of 5-3-0 in the OUA standings. They will be facing the Windsor Lancers on the road on Friday (Nov. 7) at 7:30pm in their next contest.
Source: York Lions
Windsor 1 @ Laurier 4
WATERLOO, Ont. (November 2, 2014) - The No. 7 Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks women's hockey team handed the Windsor Lancers their first regulation loss of the season on Sunday night as they cruised to a 4-1 victory at the Waterloo Recreation Complex.
Special teams played a big role in the Hawks (5-2-0) success in their second and final meeting with the Lancers (5-1-1). Laurier finished the game 2-for-4 on the powerplay while limiting the Lancers to just one goal on nine opportunities while shorthanded.
Tammy Freiburger of Wingham, Ont., and Jessica Prevette of Mississauga, Ont., were responsible for the Hawks two powerplay markers that staked them to a 2-0 lead.
From there, captain Laura Brooker of Fergus, Ont., took over, scoring a pair of goals to seal the win. She also added an assist on the night to finish with three points.
Candace Kourounis of Markham, Ont., tallied the Lancers lone goal of the game to break up the shutout bid of Hawks netminder Amanda Smith of Burlington, Ont.
Smith would wind up finishing the game with an impressive 26 saves, including 21 over the final two periods. She now has three wins on the season and improves her goals against average to 1.59 and her save percentage to .941.
Marissa Kozovski of Pickering, Ont., took the loss for Windsor allowing three goals on 15 shots in two periods of action. She was replaced by backup Ingrid Sandven of Bergen, Norway, in the third period and she allowed a goal on the only shot she faced.
The victory helped the Hawks avenge a 2-1 loss to the Lancers down in Windsor back on October 11.
Laurier will look to make it back-to-back wins when they return to the ice in one week against the Ryerson Rams. Puck drop is set for 7:30 p.m. at the Waterloo Recreation Complex.
Source: Laurier Golden Hawks