OUA Women's Hockey Roundup (Feb. 26)
Round 1
Nipissing vs Ryerson
Game 1: Ryerson 4 Nipissing 2
NORTH BAY, Ont. - Heading into game one against the Nipissing Lakers, the Ryerson Rams had never won a playoff game in program history, nor had they beaten Nipissing on the road.
That all changed on Wednesday afternoon.
The Ryerson Rams would top the Nipissing Lakers by a final score of 4-2 on the road, taking a 1-0 series lead in the first round of the McCaw Cup playoffs.
Captain Ailish Forfar (Sharon, Ont.) returned to the ice today after being sidelined by an injury near the end of the regular season. Forfar would tally one goal and one assist on the matchup.
An exciting first period served as a reminder to the heightened pace of playoff hockey. Opening the scoring for Ryerson, forward Lauren Nicholson (Dresden, Ont.) would wire a shot over top of Nipissing goaltender Jackie Rochefort (Ajax, Ont.) to give the Rams a 1-0 lead.
Rachel Seeley (Ottawa, Ont.) put up a stellar performance in the period, closing the door on all ten of the Lakers' shots. The Rams headed to the dressing room with a 1-0 lead over Nipissing after 20 minutes of play.
Madison Solie (Sedley, Sask.) opened up the scoring for the Lakers, tying the game at one just five minutes into the second period. Two minutes later, Taylor McManus (Huntsville, Ont.) would chip the puck past Seeley to give the Lakers a 2-1 lead.
Nicholson scored her second of the game eight minutes into the second, wiring another shot overtop of Rochefort to tie the game at two.
With only a minute remaining in the period, Forfar took a high shot from the top of the faceoff circle and Kryshanda Green (Brampton, Ont.) would inadvertently tip in the puck to put the Rams up 3-2 late in the second period.
The third period was relatively uneventful until the final minutes of the game when Nipissing's Sam Strassburger (Schreiber, Ont.) would take a boarding penalty with 2:45 left to play. On the power play, Alex Rodriguez (Toronto, Ont.) was called for interference and the teams would play four-on-four hockey for 1:31. The Lakers pulled their goaltender and, seconds later, Forfar would send the puck down the ice to tally an empty-net goal for her team.
The Rams would take the victory in this game by a final score of 4-2. Ryerson, now leading the series 1-0, will face the Lakers in game two of the playoffs on Friday at 7:15 pm at the Mattamy Athletic Centre with the chance to advance to the OUA semifinals.
Source: ryersonrams.ca
Game 2: Nipissing 3 Ryerson 0
TORONTO, Ont. - It's now down to a best-of-one series to advance to Round 2 of the OUA McCaw Cup Playoffs.
Rookie netminder Danika Ranger made 21 saves to lead the Nipissing Lakers women's hockey team to a 3-0 win over the Ryerson Rams in Game 2 of their best-of-three opening round playoff series.
Hunter Mosher scored the eventual game-winner at 18:12 of the opening period to give the Lakers a 1-0 lead.
It stayed that way until Sam Strassburger added an insurance marker shorthanded at 4:46 of the third period. Kaley Tienhaara iced the victory with a goal at 16:13 of the final frame.
Strassburger had a two point night, helping Nipissing force Game 3.
It was a huge win for the Lakers, who were facing elimination after the underdog Rams were able to pull off a 4-2 upset on Wednesday afternoon at Memorial Gardens in game 1 of the series.
A third and deciding game will take place at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday night at Memorial Gardens.
Source: nulakers.ca
Game 3: Ryerson 0 Nipissing 3
NORTH BAY, Ont. - That's how you cap off a comeback.
The Nipissing Lakers women's hockey team advanced to the second round of the OUA McCaw Cup Playoffs with their second straight 3-0 shutout victory over the Ryerson Rams Sunday night at Memorial Gardens.
The Lakers won the series 2-1, winning back-to-back games after dropping Game 1 at home Wednesday afternoon.
Nipissing got off to a great start, getting on the scoreboard just 3:12 into the first period.
Maria Dominico finished off a pretty passing play, tucking the puck into the corner of the net after starting the give-and-go with linemate Jade Gauthier, who threaded the pass through the Rams defenders.
Nipissing went up 2-0 after a great shift and tonnes of pressure.
Kaley Tienhaara was on the doorstep and slid the puck into the net to double the Lakers lead after almost two minutes of time in offensive zone.
Sam Strassburger and Bronwyn Bolduc picked up assists.
After a scoreless second period, the Lakers capped off the victory with a power play goal in the third period.
Strassburger, who now has back-to-back two point games, redirected a Jetta Derenoski pass into the net to make it 3-0.
That was more than enough for rookie goalie Danika Ranger, who now has two straight shutouts.
She finished with 18 saves, as Nipissing outshot Ryerson 22-18 overall.
The Lakers will now face the Queens Gaels in Round 2.
Game 1 goes Wednesday night in North Bay, with Games 2 and 3, if necessary, set for the weekend in Kingston.
Source: nulakers.ca
Western vs Toronto
Game 1: Toronto 2 Western 3
LONDON, Ont. – It took 92 minutes and 25 seconds to decide a winner, but a goal from Shailyn Waites in double overtime gave the Western Mustangs a 3-2 win over the Toronto Varsity Blues in their first-of-three playoff matchup on Wednesday night at Thompson Arena.
The Mustangs now hold a one-game advantage in the best-of three playoff series, with game two scheduled for Friday in Toronto.
"We knew Toronto was going to be a tough series," said head coach Kelly Paton about the team's mentality heading into the series opening match. "Regular season we split 1-1, and they were one goal games each time. They're a game that's very similar to us in terms of how they play – so we were expecting exactly what we got today; a back and forth game."
Catherine O'Connor and Alyssa Chiarello scored the first two goals for Western, while Toronto's goals were scored by Breanna Bernsten and Jessica Robichaud.
The first frame saw stellar defensive play from the Varsity Blues, who were constantly deflecting shots from the purple and white. However, Madeline Albert was solid when a puck did squeak through as she fended off four shots throughout the period.
Carmen Lasis saw more action in the purple and white end, making 11 saves in the opening 20 minutes.
Western's offensive output tripled in the next frame, leading to the first goal of the evening.
A Mustang penalty late in the second period – the first for either team – briefly gave a flash of hope to fans of the Varsity Blues that the scoring stalemate would come to end, but it was Western who would be first on the board.
O'Connor sent the puck top shelf over the shoulder of Albert after the faceoff. The goal came less than ten seconds after Toronto gained the man advantage, giving the Mustangs their fourth shorthanded goal since the 2017-18 season began in October.
"There was really good execution off the faceoff on the PK," said O'Connor. "I got it back to B and she made a nice pass over to Evra. She took her time skating up, made a beautiful board pass to me, and I just skated it down and took a shot."
Chiarello scored the Mustangs second marker midway through the third, beating Albert with nearly the same shot to send the puck over her shoulder.
The final six minutes of the frame saw a sudden offensive burst from the Varsity Blues, who would find the back of the net twice to send the game into overtime. Both goals were scored with heavy traffic in front of the net, with Berndsen capitalizing on the rebound from a previously blocked shot.
"Our defensive zone was strong, especially in periods four and five, but it was an area that in the last ten minutes of the third period really let us down," noted Paton about Toronto's late offensive burst.
More than 34 minutes of play would pass before another goal was scored, as the game moved into double overtime. Both goalies were perfect in the first overtime, each facing seven shots.
Despite the Varsity Blues outshooting the Mustangs 9-2 in the final twelve minutes of the game, Western was the first to score thanks to a quick shot from Waites.
"I got a great pass from Renae down at the wall and I just took a breath to turn the corner, and Shai was wide open in front of the net," said Chiarello about the goal. "I passed it off to her, and she made a great finish."
"We're tired, but it's definitely rewarding to get the win out of it," said O'Connor about the double OT win. "We'd keep going if it meant we would get the win – it was really nice."
Source: westernmustangs.ca
Game 2: Western 4 Toronto 2
TORONTO, Ont. – The Mustangs are moving on to the OUA Semifinals after a 4-2 win over the Toronto Varsity Blues on Friday night gave Western a 2-0 sweep in their OUA Quarter-final series.
With the win the Mustangs will now await the results of the rest of the OUA's first round matchups to see who they will meet in next week's semifinal series.
Alyssa Chiarello topped the scoresheet for the Mustangs on Friday, netting two goals – including the game winner – while also assisting on a third. Amanda Pereira and Evra Levesque provided Western's other two markers in the win, scoring the first and fourth goals of the game, respectively.
Kassie Roache and Gabrielle De Serres scored for the Varsity Blues, with both coming on the power play.
Carmen Lasis stopped 23 of the 25 shots she faced to pick up the win in net for the Mustangs, while the Varsity Blues started Valencia Yordanov made 12 saves before giving way to Madeline Albert who stopped all 10 shots sent her way.
The Varsity Blues opened the scoring early, with Roache scoring on the power play just under two minutes into the opening period to put the home side in front 1-0.
A power play late in the frame gave the Mustangs the chance to tie things up and they made no mistake, as Pereira buried a shot from the faceoff circle to set the scoreboard to 1-1 heading into the second period.
The Mustangs struck again early in the second, with Chiarello scoring her second goal of the playoffs a little under five minutes in to put Western in front.
She wasn't done there, picking up her own rebound and using a few attempts from in close to send it past Yordanov and extend Western's lead to 3-1 around the nine minute mark of the second.
Western kept up its rapid scoring pace as Evra Levesque tallied her first goal of the post-season, converting assists from Edie Levesque and Chiarello on the power play to give the Mustangs a three-goal lead. The Varsity Blues switched goaltenders following the Mustangs fourth goal, with Albert coming on in relief of Yordanov.
Special teams continued to play a role on the scoresheet, however this time it was the Varsity Blues capitalizing on the power play with Gabrielle De Serres sending a shot from the point past Lasis to cut Western's lead to 4-2 after 40 minutes.
That would prove to be the final goal of the game, with the Mustangs skating away with a 4-2 win to take the series in two straight games.
Source: westernmustangs.ca
Waterloo vs Queen’s
Game 1 Queen’s 2 Waterloo 0
WATERLOO, Ont. - The No.8 Queen's Gaels were able to go into Waterloo and take a 2-0 victory in the opening game of their OUA playoff best-of-three series.
The Gaels will now look to close things out at home on Friday night in Kingston. Should the game need a third game, it will also be in Kingston on Saturday night.
The Gaels were able to control the pace of play early as they entered enemy territory against a Waterloo team that Queen's had not beaten all season.
Queen's took the first good chance on a partial break down the right-wing, but Waterloo goalie Stephanie Sluys was able to steer it aside. Queen's had the lone power play of the period but were still not able to beat Sluys firing eight shots in the period compared to just four from the Warriors.
In the second the Gaels were finally able to break through on the scoresheet. At the 2:18 mark of the second it was rookie Bridgid Goris (Thorndale, Ont.) who opened the scoring. Abby Lafreniere (Kirkland Lake, Ont.) and Robin Ketcheson (Toronto) picked up the assists on the Gaels opening goal.
With the early goal, the Gaels continued to put the pressure on Waterloo. Queen's finished the period with 16 shots in the frame. At the 18:19 mark one of the 16 found the back of the net. Emily Gervais (Kamloops, B.C.) picked up her first of the playoffs with the duo of Lafreniere and Ketcheson also assisting on the goal.
After 40 minutes Queen's controlled the game up 2-0. In the third period, the Warriors began to apply more pressure. Queen's netminder Stephanie Pascal (Sudbury, Ont.) was able to steer aside all 11 Warrior shots in the period, and Queen's skated away with the victory 2-0.
Pascal finished with 22 saves for the shutout victory.
Source: gogaelsgo.com
Game 2: Waterloo 2 Queen’s 0
KINGSTON, Ont. - Stephanie Sluys (Clinton/) has enjoyed one of the most memorable careers in the history of the Waterloo Warriors women's hockey program. And apparently, she's not ready to see it end just yet.
The fourth-year goaltender posted a 23-save shutout, and Samantha Burbridge (Brantford/) scored the eventual game-winner on a first-period shorthanded breakaway, as the Warriors avoided elimination with a massive 2-0 road playoff victory over the Queen's Gaels on Friday night in Kingston.
The victory evens the best-of-three OUA quarterfinal series at one win apiece, setting up a winner-take-all game three on Saturday night.
Emma Pye (Oshawa/) also scored for the Warriors to give the visitors some breathing room in the third period, matching the 2-0 final in favor of the Gaels in game 1 of the series on Wednesday. After posting a road shutout in the series opener, Queen's goaltender Stephanie Pascal was outduelled by Sluys; the Gaels keeper made 20 saves in defeat.
The nationally-ranked Gaels carried the play early on in the first, earning a pair of power plays midway through the opening period. But on the second minor, Burbridge broke in alone and beat Pascal through the five-hole for a shorthanded marker.
The Warriors weathered the Gaels' storm throughout the second, as Waterloo's defensive play began to wear down the hosts. With the game still 1-0 in the third, the Warriors really battened down the hatches – they allowed inly four shots in the final 20 minutes. Then, just past the 12-minute mark, Pye converted on a Warriors power play to give her team some insurance.
The veteran presence of Sluys and the defensive play throughout the lineup solidified the victory for Waterloo, keeping their season alive.
The Warriors will now turn their attention to the decisive game three, where the victors will advance to the OUA semifinals. While the seeding suggests a Waterloo victory would be a monumental upset – Queen's is seeded first in the OUA, and the Warriors are eighth – the visitors will carry confidence into the do-or-die matchup: After Friday night's victory, Waterloo has three wins in four games against Queen's this season.
Source: athletics.uwaterloo.ca
Game 3: Waterloo 0 Queen’s 4
KINGSTON, Ont. (February 24, 2018) – The No. 8 Queen's Gaels avenged their Friday night loss to the Waterloo Warriors with a dominating 4-0 triumph on Saturday night at the Memorial Centre to close out their OUA quarter-final playoff series. The Gaels dominated from start to finish, outshooting the Warriors 38-19 on the way to their series-clinching victory.
Stephanie Pascal (Sudbury, Ont.) turned aside all 19 shots she faced for her second shutout of the series. Queen's now advances to the OUA semifinals, which begin later this week. The Gaels will face the winner of the Ryerson and Nipissing series. They will decide a series winner tomorrow night in North Bay.
GAME FLOW
Queen's came out in the first period with a purpose as they controlled play in the early parts of the game with strong cycling in the offensive zone. They were rewarded for their hard work with a power play just over three minutes into the game. Amber Sealey (Elora, Ont.) had the Gaels best chance of the power play when her point shot beat Warriors goalie Stephanie Sluys but hit the post.
Addi Halladay (North Augusta, Ont.) had the best scoring chance of the period when she to dragged past a Warriors defender to give herself a breakaway before being stopped by the blocker of Sluys. Clare McKellar (London, Ont.) also had a breakaway chance but was turned aside by Sluys as well.
Despite the great opportunities and outshooting the Warriors 13-8 in the period, the two teams would enter the second period tied 0-0.
Halladay was once again a focal point of the Gaels offence in the second period, as she opened the scoring for the Gaels at 3:13 with her first of the playoffs. She jumped on a loose puck on the Gaels blueline and outskated a Warriors defender for a partial breakaway before blasting a snapshot behind Sluys for the game's first goal.
The Warriors appeared to answer back near the midway point of the period when the puck ended up in the Gaels net. The goal was waved off however after the net was dislodged, and the Gaels would hold onto their 1-0 advantage heading into the third and final frame.
Katrina Manoukarakis (Scarborough, Ont.) extended the Gaels lead to 2-0 early in the third period as she was able to beat Sluys with a wrist shot to the top part of the net after a mad scramble in front of the Warriors net. Halladay and Sealey drew the assists on the goal.
The Gaels were unable to keep the momentum going though, as they followed up their goal with a penalty. Pascal stood tall in net for Queen's on the penalty kill, making two crucial saves to preserve the lead.
After the Warriors power play, the Gaels got back to their offensive ways and controlled play. The Warriors tried one last effort with Sluys pulled from the net, but Queen's was able to add two late empty netters to seal the victory. Michele Knecht (North York, Ont.) and Brooklyn Bastarache (Courtice, Ont.) both scored their first goals of the playoffs into the empty cage.
Pascal earned her second shutout of the playoffs for the Gaels while Sluys took the loss in net for the Warriors, WHmaking 34 saves.
Source: gogaelsgo.com
Guelph vs Brock
Game 1: Brock 1 Guelph 2
GUELPH, Ont. – There isn't much that surprises the Guelph Gryphons women's hockey team. The two-time defending McCaw Cup winners have been in every situation imaginable. So they were more than ready for the postseason to begin. Guelph played with the look of a championship contender in a thorough 2-1 win over the Brock Badgers in the first game of the OUA Quarter-final best-of-three series Wednesday night at the Gryphon Centre Arena.
This is the time to shine and the Gryphons did just that for most of the night, outshooting the Badgers 32-14 and controlling the play.
"We've been saying that this is a hockey player's Christmas this time of year," said captain Kaitlin Lowy, who scored the opening goal. "It's a grind to get through 24 games and seed ourselves well for the playoffs – and now, the fun stuff begins. We just get to play with our hearts. All the work is behind us, we're prepared. We play because of these moments."
Defenceman Katie Mikkelsen had Guelph's other goal, which proved to be the game-winner.
"It's playoff hockey so one-goal games are what you have to expect," said head coach Rachel Flanagan. "When a team pushes, you have to be able to survive and get back to your game. I think we did that pretty well tonight."
Guelph started strong and took a 1-0 lead at 18:35 of the first period when veteran forward Kelly Gribbons found her linemate Lowy, who buried a shot past Jensen Murphy. Lowy was tied atop the OUA with 15 goals during the regular season.
Brock answered just 35 seconds later on a goal that came with some controversy. Kat Whiteye got credit for a tip that Flanagan thought may have been a high stick.
It didn't matter as Guelph took full advantage of a Brock penalty for delay of game early in the second period. Mikkelsen got control of the puck on the ensuing power play, and unloaded a blast from the point that Jensen couldn't handle just 2:27 in.
Despite the disparity in shots and puck possession, Brock did have an opportunity for a late equalizer. With Jensen pulled for an extra attacker, the Badgers forced Lamenta to make a sprawling stop in the final minute. There was a late faceoff in the Gryphons' zone but Gribbons coolly won it and Guelph ran out the rest of the clock to preserve the all-important first win of the postseason.
"We're pretty experienced," Flanagan said of the poise in the faceoff circle late, while also noting that she and the staff propose potential scenarios so the players are never shocked by something on the ice. "Everyone on this team has been in high-pressure situations so I felt good about where we're at. It's a playoff game and you have to be ready for anything."
Game two of the series is set for Saturday afternoon in St. Catharines. The puck drops at 2:15 pm.
Lowy is expecting another battle.
"We've had a tough series with Brock all year and the playoffs are deep," the captain said. "One through 8 is really strong so we know every game is going to be a bloodbath. That's what we expected tonight, that's what we got but our work ethic propelled us."
Source: gryphons.ca
Game 2: Guelph 3 Brock 2
ST. CATHARINES, Ont. – Playoff victories are hard to come by in OUA women's hockey. Picking up victories away from home, even tougher. But on Saturday afternoon in St. Catharines, the Guelph Gryphons picked up a much-deserved 3-2 road win over the Brock Badgers at the Seymour-Hannah Centre. With the win, the Gryphons sweep their best-of-three OUA Quarter-final series, beating the Badgers 2-games-to-none. Game 2 of the series on Saturday saw the Gryphons twice battle back to tie the game after trailing 1-0 and 2-1. Third-year forward Karli Shell scored the game-winner five minutes into the final period with a highlight reel goal to help the Gryphons clinch a spot in the conference semi-finals. The two-time defending McCaw Cup champion Gryphons will now face the No. 3-seeded Western Mustangs in the next round.
With just over five minutes remaining in regulation and with the game tied 2-2, Karli Shell showed off some great patience, cutting across the face of goal and outwaiting Brock goalie Jensen Murphy before depositing the game-winner into the top corner. While Shell's statistics during the regular season were modest (4 G, 7 A in 24 games), her head coach was not the least bit surprised to see the third-year forward steal the spotlight on the big stage, "Karli always seems to elevate her level play in big games," said Gryphons head coach Rachel Flanagan. "She is a really skilled player who has stepped up for us in the past on some big occasions. She did so again today."
It was part of a two-point night for Karli Shell, who also assisted on Guelph's first goal of the day. After Brock opened the scoring in the 1st period, the Gryphons were quick to answer with a goal of their own just :49 seconds later as Shell picked up an assist on a power play goal from Miranda Lantz to tie the game at 1-1.
That Gryphon power play would turn out to be one of the main talking points of Saturday's game, with Guelph converting on two of their three opportunities with the man advantage. Fifth year standout Kelly Gribbons scored the other power play goal on the day for the Gryphs, with her tally coming late in the 2nd period to tie the game at 2-2. Gribbons' goal was set up by captain Kaitlin Lowy, who maintained possession of the puck in the Badger zone for an extended period of time before setting up shop behind the Brock net and finding Gribbons for the tying goal. "We had some really good movement today on the power play," said Gribbons. "We got them running around a bit and were able to open up some seams."
The Gribbons' goal culminated a dominant stretch of play by the Gryphons, who were in control for the majority of the 2nd period, outshooting Brock 15-4 in the frame. It was a stark contrast from the opening period, where the Badgers were the ones applying the pressure. "We struggled early on," said Flanagan. "You could tell Brock was really playing for their playoff lives. But we responded really well. After the 2nd period, there was a pretty good feeling in the room that we would be able to find a way to win it."
Former U SPORTS Player of the Year, Valerie Lamenta, was solid in net for the Gryphons, making 20 saves on the day, including several big saves in the opening period.
Source: gryphons.ca