AROUND OUA: Lions edge Ridgebacks in 10th round of shootout
The York University Lions women's hockey team won its second consecutive home game in a shootout, this time needing 10 rounds to defeat the UOIT Ridgebacks 2-1 on Friday night (Nov. 27) at Canlan Ice Sports.
SCOREBOARD
Lions edge Ridgebacks in 10th round of shootout
The York University Lions women's hockey team won its second consecutive home game in a shootout, this time needing 10 rounds to defeat the UOIT Ridgebacks 2-1 on Friday night (Nov. 27) at Canlan Ice Sports.
Defender and Jenna Gray (London, Ont.) was the final Lion to partake in the shootout and she did not disappoint, corralling the puck at centre ice and, with a head of speed through the neutral zone, went backhand-forehand and waited out UOIT goaltender Tori Campbell until there was gaping hole near the post before proceeding to slide the puck into the open cage.
The first and second periods of the game were controlled for the most part by the Ridgebacks on Friday night, as they were firing from all angels on Lions goaltender and OUA and CIS female athlete of the week Megan Lee (Orillia, Ont.).
After going down by a goal early in the first period, the Lions began to move the puck effectively and produce quality scoring chances. They tied the game with 22 seconds remaining in the first period from a wraparound chance that had the puck sitting in the crease for a good two seconds before Kristen Barbara (Mount Hope, Ont.) poked the puck across the goal line to level the score at 1-1.
The third period was played with an emphasis on mistake-free hockey as both teams had a limited offensive attack which sent the contest into overtime. In the extra frames, both the 4-on-4 and 3-on-3, the Lions nor the Ridgebacks could end it and the skills competition was then necessary.
Dana Somerville (Hockley, Ont.) opened the scoring in the shootout as she beat Campbell low to give the Lions the advantage.
After the Ridgebacks beat Lee blocker side and multiple Lions couldn't find the back of the net, it was Tegan Duncan (Oakville, Ont.) who managed to break the tie in the shootout as she patiently dangled Campbell for the goal. The Ridgebacks came storming back, however, as Nicole LoPresti launched a shot from the hash marks that trickled by Lee to once again tie the shootout, before Gray stepped up and heroically ended the game to give the Lions their fifth win of the season.
Lee was phenomenal once again for the Lions between the pipes as she turned aside 27 shots in regulation to go with her impressive performance in overtime and the shootout.
The Lions are back on the ice on Sunday (Nov. 29) when they travel to Waterloo, Ont., to take on the Laurier Golden Hawks for their last game of 2015. The Lions record after Friday night's win is 3-2-5-1, and they will look to extend their winning streak against the Golden Hawks who are 5-0-4-1 on the season.
Source: York Lions
Blues can't hold off Lakers in 3-2 OT loss
The University of Toronto Varsity Blues women's hockey team dropped a 3-2 overtime decision to the visiting Nipissing Lakers on Friday night (Nov. 27) at Varsity Arena.
Special teams would play a major role in the game. After a scoreless first period, second-year forward Kassandra Roache ended the deadlock 5:28 into the second with an incredible individual effort. The Corunna, Ont., native skated in off the blue line and deked around a Nipissing defender, before beating Lakers goaltender Jacqueline Rochefort top shelf to give the Blues the 1-0 lead after two periods.
Early in the third period, veteran forward Taylor Day put the Blues up by two on the powerplay, backhanding a perfectly placed shot off of Rochefort from behind the net that ricochet in.
The 2-0 lead was short-lived however, as Lakers captain Carly Marchment got her team on the board just over one minute later. Then, with five minutes remaining in regulation, Nipissing forward Kaley Tienhaara scored a powerplay marker to tie things up at 2-2 and send the game to overtime.
Second-year forward Taylor Murphy proved to be the game's hero, as she came streaking down the ice on a 2-on-1 and elected to shoot, beating Blues netminder Valencia Yordanov for the game winner.
Yordanov posted 24 saves in the loss.
The game marked U of T's fourth annual Holiday Toy Toss. Fans who brought a plush toy tossed it onto the ice during the first intermission. All donations benefit the University of Toronto Students' Union food bank, supporting all students and families in need on the St. George Campus.
The Varsity Blues are right back at it tomorrow night (Nov. 28) welcoming the Laurentian Voyageurs to Varsity Arena. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
Source: Toronto Varsity Blues
Mustangs shut out by Gaels
LONDON, Ont. – Two-second period goals by Queen's were too much for the Western Mustangs women's hockey team to overcome as they were defeated by the Gaels 2-0 on Friday night.
The loss moves the Mustangs into third place in the OUA, with the Gaels taking sole possession of second and sit one point back of the league leading Guelph Gryphons.
Forward Courtenay Jacklin provided all the offence for the visitors, scoring at 13:37 and then again at 19:09 of the second period. Goaltender Caitlyn Lahonen made 23 saves for the shutout to lead Queen's to its ninth win on the season. Kelly Campbell stopped 39 shots for the Mustangs in the loss.
The Gaels win avenged a 4-1 loss suffered at the hands of the Mustangs just six days earlier in Kingston. In securing the 2-0 victory Queen's played a near perfect road game as the Gaels were furious in their effort to keep the puck by forechecking, blocking shots, and intercepting passes in the neutral zone. Western head coach David Barrett believed his group was beaten in terms of effort.
"I thought we got completely out worked today," he said "Full value to Queens for their effort but we were completely outworked."
Defenceman Emma Pearson agreed with her coach's sentiment.
"I thought we could have had a better effort," said the third-year defender. "I think we can go and build on that for next game and learn from out mistakes".
The first period started as a back and forth affair. Both teams settled into their defence, but Queen's seemed to gain the edge in puck possession in the second half. Campbell made 12 saves in the first frame and kept the score tied at one.
In the second period, the Gaels pushed the pace of play. They cut off a lot of the Western breakout passes and hemmed them in for large portions of the period. Western was able to turn a pair of Gael defensive pinches into two on ones, but neither could be converted.
The Gaels opened the scoring with 13:37 gone in the frame. An offensive blue line turnover turned into a rush by Jacklin. Jacklin took the puck wide, stick handled to her forehand, and snapped a shot past Campbell.
The Gaels extended their lead on the power play six minutes later. Campbell kicked out an Alisha Sealey point shot, but Jacklin was Johnny on the spot to pop home a backhander and her second of the game. Queen's would take that 2-0 lead into the third period.
The Mustangs had an extended power play in the final frame but were unable to capitalize. Lahonen stopped eight Western shots in the period and sealed the victory for the Mustangs.
Barrett was unimpressed by the quickness his team show throughout the game, mentioning that they had been much faster in their previous victory against the Gaels.
"We rely on our speed," said Barrett, "When we're not skating or moving the puck quickly we are average."
Barrett will be looking to his team's response against the CIS No. 1 Guelph Gryphons as they visit Thompson Arena on Saturday night.
"I think it will be a great test for our team and the leadership on our team to see what they're going to do"
Puck drop for Saturday's game is schedule for 7 p.m. and all the action can be watched live on OUA.tv
Source: Western Mustangs
Rodriguez scores in loss, Rams fall to Voyageurs
TORONTO - Ask Alex Rodriguez. Her first OUA goal as a Ryerson Ram was a long time coming. Following last season's freshman campaign where she picked up three assists but didn't find the back of the net, Rodriguez (Toronto, Ont.) tapped in a rebound off a Stephanie Chiste (Nobleton, Ont.) point shot at 9:06 of the second period against the Laurentian Voyageurs Friday night. The powerplay goal cut the Voyageurs advantage to 2-1 and ended Ryerson's scoring drought at 149 minutes and 37 seconds.
"I don't know if you saw my vertical but it was a PB (personal best) for me," she said with an enormous smile after the game. "It was really exciting. It wasn't the most beautiful goal but it doesn't matter. They don't see that on the game sheet."
Unfortunately for Ryerson, that would be as close as they'd get. Led by the strong play of their goaltender Laura Deller between the pipes, Laurentian held on for the 2-1 victory on Mattamy Home Ice.
The loss, coupled with a 5-1 victory by the Windsor Lancers against Brock Friday night, drops the Rams (1-0-8-1) to last place in the OUA standings. Meanwhile, the Voyageurs improve their record to 4-2-4-2 and vault over the Laurier Golden Hawks into seventh.
Deller finished with 23 saves to pick up the win in net while Julie Hebert's two first period goals proved to be the difference for Laurentian. With her fifth and sixth tallies of the season, the fifth year defenseman now sits first in OUA defenseman scoring and tied for fourth overall.
At the other end of the ice, Ryerson's goaltender Ally Sarna (Whitby, Ont.) surrendered two goals on the Voyageurs' first four shots. She stopped the next 20 that came her way though to give the Rams a chance to come back.
"She definitely rebounded and made some big saves," said Rams assistant coach Margaret Jennings about Sarna's performance. "I think that translated into some offensive chances for us and us playing with a little more confidence."
Before the game, Rodriguez was added to Ryerson's top line with Melissa Wronzberg (Thornhill, Ont.) and Emma Rutherford (Kanata, Ont.). The trio created a number of great opportunities and were rewarded for their efforts with Rodriguez's goal.
"They're obviously really talented," Rodriguez said about her linemates. "They have incredible shots, and hands, and speed. Yeah, I'm pretty honoured."
Trouble scoring continued to plague the Rams this season and in this contest. In their first ten games, they only have ten goals.
"I don't know man," said Rodriguez when asked why goals have been so hard to come by. "I'm looking for that answer too. We're kind of just in a slump right now… We're spending lots of practice time just on shooting so I'll keep you updated."
Ryerson will try to get back into the win column Saturday night when they lace up against the Nipissing Lakers on Mattamy Home Ice. The Lakers (5-1-3-3) defeated the Rams both times the two teams met last season and are coming off a 3-2 double overtime win against the No. 5 Toronto Varsity Blues Friday night.
"Nipissing has kind of been on our list to get all year," said Rodriguez. "I don't think anyone is taking (them) lightly. Everyone is coming in hard and we definitely need a win right now."
Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. If you can't make it to the game, be sure to catch all of the action on OUA.tv or follow @ryersonrams on Twitter for updates.
Source: Ryerson Rams
Lancers sweep weekend home series
The Windsor Lancers women's hockey team swept a pair of home games against the Brock Badgers and Queen's Gaels over the weekend at South Windsor Arena.
The Lancers got their weekend started with a 5-1 win over Brock Badgers on Friday night and followed that up with a 1-0 shut-out victory over the Queen's Gaels on Saturday afternoon.
Against Brock, the Lancers came out hard controlling the play of the game early on. It paid off early in the first on a power play when captain Erinn Noseworthy knocked in a rebound at 5:32 of the period.
The lead was very short lived as Brock's Christina Ieradi scored one back at 11:39 on a shot from the point that found its way through past the Lancer goaltender Ingrid Sandven.
Windsor came out just as strong in the second as they did in the first scoring two goals in the first five minutes to extend the lead to 3-1. The first goal was at 4:38 scored by Krystin Lawrence, while the second goal was scored on a breakaway just twenty-one second later at 4:59 by Shawna Lesperance.
The third was a lot of the same as the Lancers again struck with Lawrence's second of the game on the power play it make it a three goal lead. Jill Rops added an empty netter late in the period.
Sandven earned the win in net stopping 20 shots, while Jensen Murphy had 34 saves in the loss.
On Saturday, the Lancers got on the board first on a goal by Shawna Lesperance at 4:13 of the opening frame. The remainder of the period was strong as both of the teams played a hard, fast paced style.
The second period held both teams scoreless, but intense play went both ways throughout the period. The game came right down to wire, but Sandven came up huge in net to secure the shut-out and earn her second win of the weekend.
Sandven made 26 saves in the win, while Caitlyn Lohwnen made 27 saves for Queen's in the loss.
Windsor will now break for the holidays, and return to action on Saturday January 9th when they host the UOIT Ridgebacks at 4:00pm at South Windsor Arena.
Source: Windsor Lancers
