OUA Women's Hockey Roundup (Feb. 5)
February 1, 2018
Brock 0 Guelph 1
GUELPH, Ont. – On a night in which the Gryphons women's hockey team honoured their graduating seniors, it was only fitting that fifth-year standout Kelly Gribbonstook on the role of overtime hero. The Port Elgin, Ontario native scored just :08 seconds into the overtime period to lift the No. 8-ranked Gryphons to a 1-0 home win over the Brock Badgers. Gribbons was one of three graduating players to be recognized during pre-game ceremonies, with All-Canadian defenceman Katherine Bailey and fourth year forward Mackenzie Wong also acknowledged prior to puck drop in what was the Gryphons' final home game of the 2017-18 regular season schedule. Gryphons fourth-year goalie Valerie Lamenta turned away all 21 shots sent her way for the shutout.
"This is a really unique class as it's three captains that are graduating," said Gryphons head coach Rachel Flanagan. "They're such great leaders on and off the ice. It's going to be some tough shoes to fill next year. They've been a really big part of the success of our program."
Finding the back of the net against a stingy Brock defence is something the Gryphons were well aware of heading into Thursday night's game. When the two teams met up in St. Catharines back on November 18, it was the Badgers who came out on top of a 1-0 score line. Kelly Gribbons pre-game 'Senior Night' ceremonyThe Gryphons outshot Brock 38-21 in regulation, with Badgers goalie Jensen Murphy coming up with several big saves, including a flurry of chances over the final eight minutes of the third period. Guelph's best chance to win it in regulation came with just :28 seconds remaining in the 3rd, when a backhand from Ashlee Lawrence appeared to be headed for the back of the net, only to be denied by the glove of Murphy.
In overtime however, the Gryphons would need find the breakthrough with Gribbons gaining possession off the faceoff and blowing by the Brock 'D' before roofing a backhand just under the crossbar to give the Gryphons the 1-0 win. It was the 5th game-winning-goal on the season for Gribbons, who leads the OUA in that category. The
With just four games remaining on the regular season schedule, there is a good chance the Gryphons and Badgers could meet up in the opening round of the OUA playoffs, with the Gryphons (15-5-0) currently sitting in 3rd in the standings, while Brock (11-7-3) sit 7th in the conference. Top spot in the conference is still very much within the grasp of the Gryphons, who sit just one point behind second-place Western and just four points behind first-place Queen's.
Source: gryphons.ca
February 2, 2018
Laurentian 0 Toronto 3
The Varsity Blues women's hockey team scored two goals within two minutes of one another to overpower the Laurentian Voyageurs 3-0 on Friday night (Feb. 2) at Varsity Arena.
Leading 1-0 midway through the third period, the Blues offence exploded as Lauren Straatman found the back of the net off a nice feed from Rebecca Bourgeois and, less than two minutes later, Kassie Roache capped off an amazing individual effort to push the lead to three.
Rookie netminder Madeline Albert stopped all 16 shots to record her fifth shutout of the season. She also picked up her 10th win of the season and helped extend the Blues winning streak to four games.
U of T's record jumps to 11-0-7-2 (W-OTW-L-OTL), while Laurentian drops to 8-1-6-3 on the season.
The Blues speed was on display from puck drop. It forced Voyageurs captain Ellery Veerman to take a tripping penalty at the 13:10 mark. Toronto didn't take long to capitalize on the opportunity. Cristine Chao delivered a rocket from the point that Laurentain's goalie Shanna Dolighan couldn't handle just 13 second into the powerplay to give the Blues the 1-0 lead.
Toronto kept the pressure on throughout the period. Jessica Robichaud and Meagan O'Brien each had a breakaway chance, but weren't able to solve Dolighan. The score remained 1-0 after the opening 20 minutes.
Source: varsityblues.ca
Nipissing 0 Ryerson 2
TORONTO - It was an historic night on several fronts for the Ryerson Rams as the team secured a victory for the first time in program history over the Nipissing Lakers, winning by a final score of 2-0.
Team captain Ailish Forfar (Sharon, Ont.) netted a goal and an assist in the matchup, officially taking over as the second-highest scorer in the OUA. With her two points tonight, Forfar broke the program record for the most points (22) and goals (11) in a single season, both records previously held by Kryshanda Green (Brampton, Ont.) and former Ram Kyla Thurston.
“I wasn’t aware of that record coming into the game,” said Forfar after the game. “It’s a blessing to come out and hear that. I’m pretty honoured. I’ve had some great linemates this year and I couldn’t do it without them. There’s so much more hockey to play so I’m really excited to keep pushing that record.”
Forfar would score the first goal of the game, tapping the puck in after Ryerson’s Brooklyn Gemmill (Cambridge, Ont.) fired a shot off a breakaway opportunity. The goal, scored just 39 seconds into the second period, would be the only goal of the game until Ryerson’s Sarah McGilvray (Stouffville, Ont.) would add an empty netter to increase the Rams’ lead to two. Forfar and Olivia Giardetti (Whitby, Ont.) would add assists on McGilvray’s third period goal.
Rachel Seeley (Ottawa, Ont.), Ryerson’s goaltender, stopped 21 of 21 shots faced on the matchup. Head coach Lisa Haley said she was thrilled with her team’s performance today.
“I liked the way we competed defensively today,” noted Haley. “If you look at Nipissing, they’re one of the highest scoring teams in our league, especially since the break. To be able to pitch a shutout against a team that’s so offensive, that’s something to be proud of.”
Looking ahead, the Rams will take on the Laurentian Voyageurs on Saturday evening at the Mattamy Athletic Centre at 7:15 pm.
“Coming into tomorrow’s game against Laurentian,” continued Forfar, “they’ll be tired - they’ve had a long way to travel. I hope we can just sweep the weekend and get those big three points we need.”
Source: ryersonrams.ca
Laurier 0 Queen’s 3
KINGSTON, Ont. (February 2, 2018) – The No.7 Gaels (13-3-2-3) took a 3-0 win over the Laurier Golden Hawks (2-1-13-3) on Friday night at the Memorial Centre as Queen's picked up their third straight shutout. The Gaels have now not allowed a goal in 181 minutes and 27 seconds of play.
Prior to the game Gaels head coach Matt Holmberg presented a gift to long-time Laurier head coach Rick Osborne who will be retiring at seasons end. Osborne has lead Laurier to nine OUA championships and one CIS title in his 15 years behind the Golden Hawks bench.
GAME FLOW
The Gaels were quick to strike on home ice in what will be their final home stand of the OUA regular season as Michele Knecht (North York, Ont.) got the puck in the slot and beat Laurier starting goaltender Hannah Miller above the blocker at the 1:27 mark of the opening period.
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The two teams traded power play opportunities, but neither side scored the rest of the way in the opening frame. Laurier finished with the upper hand in shots firing eight compared to seven for the Gaels.
In the second period, Queen's was once again able to find the back of the net. This time a nifty pass from Bryce Desa(London, Ont.) found an open Abby Lafreniere (Kirkland Lake, Ont.) who batted the puck through the legs of Miller for her second of the season.
Laurier found themselves in penalty trouble in the second as the Gaels had numerous power plays including a five-on-three for over a minute. The Golden Hawks defence held strong to keep the Gaels lead to just two.
In the third, the penalties continued to pile up but this time it was the Gaels who found themselves in the box. Laurier had a pair of four-minute power play attempts, but the Gaels defence along with strong goaltending from Makenzy Arsenault (Whitby, Ont.) came through to halt any Laurier attack.
With a late power play and just over three minutes left in the game, Laurier head coach Rick Osborne decided to pull Miller for an extra attacker.
A strong effort to clear the puck out of the Gaels zone by Knecht resulted in her firing in an empty net goal from centre ice to seal the win for Queen's 3-0.
Source: gogaelsgo.com
Waterloo 0 UOIT 1
OSHAWA, Ont. – The UOIT women's hockey team shutout the Waterloo Warriors 1-0 on Friday at the Campus Ice Centre in their second last home game of the season.
Although the playoffs are narrowly within reach with the victory, the major positive on the night was this was the first time the Ridgebacks have swept the Warriors in a regular season series in program history. In 2010 they came close, but finished 2-0-1, with their only loss to Waterloo coming in a shootout.
The Warriors outshot the Ridgebacks 28-23, but they were shut down by the Ridgebacks strong defensive play.
Briar Hughes (Thornton, Ont.) stole the show in net, stopping all 28 shots that came her way and recording her third shutout of the year – the fourth of her career. She also got the shutout win when the Ridgebacks last met the Warriors in October, also a 1-0 win.
Both teams had trouble staying out of the penalty box throughout the game, but the Ridgebacks penalty kill unit proved to be stronger keeping the Warriors off the scoreboard.
The same cannot be said for the Warriors as the lone goal for the Ridgebacks came on a power play when Chelsea Ball (Maple, Ont.) banked home a rebound at 3:20 in the second period.
The Ridgebacks only have three games left in their regular season and will play their last home game Saturday afternoon when they take on the Laurier Golden Hawks. Puck drop is set for 3:30 p.m. at Campus Ice Centre.
UOIT sits two spots out of a playoff spot and will need some help, plus some wins to sneak into the eighth spot currently held by Laurentian. They play Laurier twice and Ryerson once to wrap up conference play.
Source: uoitridgebacks.com
February 3, 2018
Nipissing 2 Toronto 3
The Varsity Blues women's hockey team scored two goals less a minute apart to help conquer the Nipissing Lakers 3-2 and extend their winning streak to five games on Saturday afternoon (Feb. 3) at Varsity Arena.
Gabrielle De Serres unleashed an absolute mission midway through the second period to give the Blues their first lead of the game. Jessica Robichaud followed it up just 52 seconds later. She finished off a great individual effort to record her second point (1 goal, 1 assist) on the afternoon.
Madeline Albert denied the OUA's top offence throughout the contest. The freshman made 21 saves to pick up her 12 victory of the season. On top of that, she has only surrendered more than two goals once in her last eight games.
The Blues record leaps to 13-0-7-2 (W-OTW-L-OTL), which is good enough for the fourth spot in the OUA. The Lakers fall to 11-3-5-2 on the season. .
Lakers rookie Maria Dominico got behind the defence for a breakaway opportunity less than four minutes in. The OUA's fourth leading scorer added to her point total, going five hole on Albert to open the scoring.
The Blues started pressing right after the goal. Just past the midway mark of the first period, Julia Szulewska teed one up from the point and it deflected off a Lakers defender along the way, fooling Rochefort to tie it at ones. The score remained 1-1 heading into the first intermission.
The Lakers received a couple of powerplay chances in the second frame. On one of them, Albert was sharp, making three point blank saves in a row to keep the game even. The humanities major stopped 11 shots in the period.
Last night in a victory over Laurentian, Toronto scored two goals within two minutes of one another. They did one better in this contest. Gabrielle De Serres unloaded a rocket from the blue line to regain the advantage at 11:10. Then, Lakers Samantha Strassburger received a body-checking penalty, which put the home team on the powerplay.
Just 52 seconds later, Jessica Robichaud made a gorgeous move around a diving Laker before going between Rochefort's legs for her fourth of the season. U of T kept the 3-1 lead heading into the third period.
Just over two minutes into the third, the Lakers got some assistance to beat Albert. Bronwyn Bolduc's centering pass deflected off of a Blue and found the back of the net to cut the deficit to one.
U of T was able to hold off a couple late attacks from the Lakers the rest of the way.
Source: varsityblues.ca
Laurier 0 UOIT 4
OSHAWA, Ont. - On Saturday afternoon the UOIT women's hockey team faced off against the Laurier Golden Hawks in their last home game of the season. The Ridgebacks dominated the game coming away with the 4-0 win.
It was a game of firsts and lasts for the home team as Ridgebacks rookie Marissa Murphy scored her first OUA goal and captain Mikaeli Cavell played her last home game as a Ridgeback.
Cavell has played for the Ridgebacks for a total of five seasons and pending the Ridgebacks next two away games, she will have played in every game possible in those years.
"It's pretty wild to think that I have been here for five years, it feels like just yesterday I was coming in here at 17. I'm really proud of everything we have done here and it is sad to leave when the program is on the up and coming," said Cavell.
Cavell is set to graduate from the Kinesiology program at UOIT and she is hoping to carry on with her playing career if the opportunity presents itself.
"It has been a pleasure to get to come to the rink every day and play with these girls as we have become a tight knit family. I hope to keep playing hockey as long as I can."
Murphy was the one to open the scoring for the Ridgebacks when she riffled home a pass in front of the net from Nicole Augello, late in the first period.
In the second period the Ridgebacks dominated scoring three goals under the first ten minutes of play. Kassidy Nauboris had an outstanding performance recording a total of three points. Her first goal came on a Ridgebacks power play when she was able to bank home a rebound. She then scored just moments later after battling through two defenders and scoring on a sweet back hand.
The Golden Hawks had trouble staying out of the penalty box and the Ridgebacks were able to capitalize on that for a second time when Chelsea Ball scored the fourth goal, with Nauboris recording her third point with the assist.
Celine Tessier also played at the top of her game for the Ridgebacks, recording her second shutout of the season.
This also marked the first time in UOIT history that the Ridgebacks were able to get back-to-back shutout wins in conference play, after Briar Hughes picked up the 1-0 over Waterloo on Friday.
The last three Ridgeback wins have been shutouts.
Source: uoitridgebacks.com
Guelph 6 Windsor 3
WINDSOR – The Guelph Gryphons women's hockey team is loaded with veteran firepower. But it was one of the younger Gryphons who took the offensive reins at the South Windsor Arena Saturday afternoon. Second-year forward Sydney Davison broke out with four goals, including a first-period hat-trick in a span of 8:57, lifting Guelph to a 6-3 road win over the Windsor Lancers.
Davison, a criminal justice major from Oakville, ON, pumped in three in the first period before adding her fourth at 7:53 of the third, an important marker that extended the Guelph lead to 5-3. Davison redirected a Kristen Jay pass on a two-on-one to beat Windsor goaltender Morgan Farrow, who entered the game in relief of Molly Jenkins to start the second period.
"KJ gave me a really nice pass so all the credit to her," she said of her fourth. Second-year forward Sydney Davison
Davison entered the day with two goals on the season and quickly vaulted into a tie with Claire Merrick for third on the team in that category, behind only Kaitlin Lowy, who leads the OUA with 14, and Kelly Gribbons with 9.
Head coach Rachel Flanagan couldn't recall a player scoring four in a game in her tenure but she felt Davison's performance wasn't that much of a surprise.
"That's the kind of player she is," Flanagan said, noting the forward's offensive potential. "Syd's got such a fast release. But she has also become accountable on defence. She played both ends today. She got our Player of the Game award in the room and it wasn't just because of the goals."
Davison said she surprised herself with the offensive outburst and couldn't remember ever scoring that many in a game.
"It was pretty exciting," she said, mentioning that her parents Sonya and Ron, as well as some aunts and uncles, touched base after watching the game online. Davison added that she still needs to call her sister Taylor, who plays on the York Lions, to rub it in a little.
Karli Shell and Emma Forcey also scored for Guelph (16-5-0), while Aurore Beaulieu made 27 saves to earn the win in net. The win puts the Gryphons back into second place in the OUA with 43 points. Mallory Young and Cyan Roepcke had two assists each.
Windsor got the jump in a crazy opening period when Larissa Borowiec scored on the power play at the 4:11 mark. That appeared to wake Guelph up with Davison providing the spark. She scored the first of her three in the opening period with a deflection past Jenkins, also on a power play, at 7:01. Davison added her second with an excellent shot at 13:35 and just over a minute later, Shell got in on the scoring to make it 3-1. Davison then completed her trick unassisted at 15:55 of the first, using what Flanagan called her "sharp-shooter skills." She found the five-hole on Jenkins for what was the eventual game-winning goal.
"One of our keys for success today was to put pucks to the net , which we did in the first period," said Flanagan.
Despite the 4-1 lead, Guelph wasn't sharp and squandered the big margin as Windsor pressed to get back in the game. Reagan Kaufman beat Bealieu 50 seconds after Davison's third. The Windsor forward then tallied again at 5:29 of the second period to cut the Gryphons' lead to 4-3. But the visitors would regain control thanks to Davison and Forcey, who both scored just over two minutes apart to ice the game.
"Windsor had the advantage heading into the third and I was really happy with our response," said Flanagan. "It was an opportunity for us to fight back."
Source: gryphons.ca
Western 3 York 0
TORONTO, Ont. – A second period goal was all the Mustangs needed to secure a victory over the York Lions, but two more would be added to the scoreboard before the final whistle to give Western a 3-0 win at the Canlan Ice Sports Arena.
The Mustangs overtook Guelph in the standings with the win, securing second place in the OUA. They now sit at 13-2-5-2 and are three points behind Queen's. The Lions remain in 11th place, sitting at 6-0-12-3.
Western's offence was provided by Alyssa Chiarello, Shailyn Waites, and Evra Levesque.
Chiarello netted her sixth of the season, Waites her fourth, and Levesque her 10th. Evra Levesque is now one goal behind team leader April Clark, and tonight marked her second empty-netter.
Both teams went scoreless in the first period, with the Lions only narrowly missing the mark.
Five minutes into the first frame goaltender Carmen Lasis rushed to the bench on a delayed penalty call while play was in York's defensive end. A Western shot deflected off the shin pad of one of the Lions, and flew down the ice into the empty Mustangs net – but was quickly recalled.
Both goalies went on to shut down all shots in the first period, although Western outshot York 10-3.
Eight seconds into the Lions' third penalty of the night, the Mustangs proved their special teams are a force to be reckoned with. Chiarello ended the scoring deadlock 15 minutes into the second frame on a power play, with help from teammates Emma Pearson and Levesque.
In the most penalty-heavy and final period of the night, the Mustangs skillfully killed a five-on-three situation. Western's defence shut out the Lions, even though York's pressure prevented them from changing.
Lion goalie Lauren Dubie was pulled at the end of the third, which resulted in two successive Mustang empty-net goals.
With two minutes left on the clock, Waites chased Evra Levesque's puck down the ice, racing beside a York player, and just managed to tap the puck in. Twenty seconds later, Evra Levesque netted the final goal with help from Waites and Edie Levesque, finishing the game 3-0 for Western.
Source: westernmustangs.ca
Laurentian 1 Ryerson 2
TORONTO - In a bittersweet victory at the Mattamy Athletic Centre, the Ryerson Rams took home yet another crucial three points against the Laurentian Voyageurs, winning by a final score of 2-1 in regulation.
Fanny Vigeant (St-Hyacinthe, Que.) started her first OUA matchup against Laurentian, going on to stop 18 of 19 shots in the win.
“I was really happy with her performance,” noted head coach Lisa Haley after the game. “She got us the three points that we needed, and it’s nice to know that we have some great depth at all of our positions.”
Ryerson’s Lauren Nicholson (Dresden, Ont.) would tally the first goal of the game, breaking the scoreless tie with 21 seconds left in the 2nd period. The Rams’ first goal, coming on their 26th shot of the game, was scored after Nicholson attempted an unsuccessful wrap-around, but would bury the rebound just a few seconds later.
Laurentian would score five minutes into the third period, as Samantha Morell (Lombardy, Ont.) took a feed from the corner, firing a shot point-blank on Vigeant and tying the game at one.
Kryshanda Green (Brampton, Ont.) regained the lead for Ryerson midway through the third period, scoring off a beautiful pass from captain Ailish Forfar (Sharon, Ont.) to put the Rams up 2-1 in the third.
After a centre-ice collision with a Laurentian player, Ailish Forfar would go down with 25 seconds left to play in the game. Forfar was taken off the ice and transported to a nearby hospital for precautionary reasons.
The Rams would finish the game with a 2-1 win and another important three points in the standings. Walking away with six points on the weekend, the Rams will look to continue their streak of dominance with only three games remaining in the regular season. Next up is a single game next week at Windsor on February 10.
Source: ryersonrams.ca
Waterloo 4 Queen’s 1
At the start of the season beating the Queen's Gaels wouldn't have seemed like an upset for the upstart Warriors women's hockey team but with their recent struggles Waterloo definitely went into the Gaels' barn as the underdogs.
Waterloo took advantage of their opportunities, scoring three times on 15 shots, while adding an empty netter to defeat the top team in the OUA, and No. 7 team in the country Queen's, by a score of 4-1.
Waterloo has now beaten two ranked teams in the last six games, doing so in this victory and a win over Brock who was ranked 10th at the time back on Jauary 20.
The Warriors had lost their previous three games scoring just twice but their offence came alive for a huge three points. The Warriors moved up to eighth in the standings with a 11-9-0 record, one point ahead of Laurentian for the final playoff spot. They are three back of Brock who have a game in hand.
Stephanie Sluys (Clinton/) was outstanding between the pipes making 33 of 34 stops in the win. Her bid for a 14th career shutout (regular season) was spoiled in the final five minutes as Emily Gervais netted the lone goal for her Gaels.
Scoring for Waterloo was Jenna Hewitt-Kenda (North Vancouver/), Samantha Burbridge (Brantford/), Tegan Odland(Enchant/), and Alison Hanson (Toronto/) (empty netter). Hewitt-Kenda, Odland and Emma Pye (Oshawa/) all finished with two points in the victory.
Source: athletics.uwaterloo.ca