OUA Women's Hockey Roundup (Jan. 29)
January 26, 2018
Laurier 1 Western 3
LONDON, Ont. —An empty net insurance marker from Western's Megan Taylor closed out the matchup with Laurier, elevating the purple and white score to 3-1 at Thompson Arena.
"We've talked about it a lot as a group that our league is very competitive, and, you know, we can't take any opponent for granted," said Mustangs head coach Kelly Paton. "And I think we've seen that, especially in the last, I'd say, last six games where we've faced teams that are beneath us in the standings, and it's something that we want to focus on. Just making sure our game's consistent so that we continue to get our chance to be successful."
The Mustangs now sit at 11-2-5-2, and today's win lifts them into a tie for first place with the Queen's Gales. Laurier remains in last with a 1-1-12-3 record.
Western scored three goals on Hannah Miller, who boasts the OUA's second highest save percentage of .951. Alyssa Chiarello netted the first of the day and her fifth of the season, while Ali Beres' second goal of the season allowed the Mustangs' to retake the lead. Taylor also scored her second of the season with just four seconds remaining on an empty net.
Danielle Wark got her first of the season and Laurier's lone goal.
The Mustangs fired three shots on Golden-Hawk goaltender Miller within the first minute of play. The flurry of shots and quick paced offense resulted in Chiarello netting the first of the game off a pass from Lindsey O'Neill. She flipped the puck up, and it hit off the crossbar, landing just past the goal line two minutes into the game.
"I got the puck down low, and I saw an opening in front of the net," said Chiarello. "So I thought I'd pull it up towards my body and just try and shoot and score."
Laurier tied it up on the first shot of the second frame, with Wark shot the puck through Carmen Lasis' five-hole 20 seconds after the whistle.
There was a shift in puck domination in the second period, and play between the Golden-Hawks and Mustangs was much more even.
Edie Levesque demonstrated Western's tenacious defence when she stopped a near breakaway on the power play by diving and hitting the puck away from Laurier.
"I think with [Laurier's] goal that they got at the beginning of the second period, I think that that kind of shifted our focus a bit," said Chiarello. "We got a little under pressure, I think, because it was a tied game, but we ended up coming back in the third period and got some great goals there."
Nine minutes into the final frame, Western retook the lead. Beres took a rapid-fire shot off of a pass from Amanda Pereira that went straight to the back of the net.
"We talk about entries a lot, in terms of wanting the puck on our stick as much as possible," said Paton. "And [Beres] was actually in a change situation, so she was late coming into the zone, and, you know, we were fortunate that the coverage kind of broke down, and that she was able to get open in the slot area. And then, obviously, she finished with a good shot."
Laurier pulled Miller in the last minute of play, and Western's assistant captain Taylor chased a long shot down the ice to score an empty netter with four seconds left in the game.
"Someone did an icing, and I went after it, and the girl in front of me wasn't really moving at first. I was like, 'Oh I should probably try and get there,'" said Taylor. "I just went as fast as I could and tried to chip it in. It was fun with all the crowd there, so it was a good goal to get at the end to seal the deal."
The game featured Western's impressive special teams, as they killed seven penalties and dominated six power plays, coming out on top with a 3-1 win.
"Our PK's doing really well, and they're really keeping us in the game," said Beres. "They performed well."
The Mustangs are able to rest before their next game, as they have a day off tomorrow.
"We don't see our schedule too often like this, where we play Friday-Sunday," said Paton. "But I think, yeah, a lot of [the players] have plans maybe to just take a little bit of a break, in terms of either going home or just take a step back, and then just shift our focus back to Sunday, you know, we have another tough opponent coming into our building."
Source: westernmustangs.ca
Toronto 3 Brock 2
The University of Toronto Varsity Blues women's hockey team defeated the Brock Badgers 3-2 on Friday night (Jan. 26) in St. Catharines, Ont.
With the win, the Blues improve to 10-0-7-2 (W-OTW-L-OTL) and move into a tie for fifth place with the Badgers (8-3-7-2) with a game in hand.
Rookie forward Louie Bieman opened the scoring with a shorthanded marker 14:08 into the first period. The Guelph, Ont., native received a breakaway pass from Lauren Straatman and pulled a nice deke to the backhand to beat Badgers netminder Jensen Murphy.
The Blues extended their lead to two four minutes later as Meagan O'Brien wired a shot that bounced off of Kassie Roache and into the net. Toronto was up 2-0 after 20 minutes of action.
U of T took a three-goal lead just 1:33 into the second frame. Third-year forward Kiyono Cox notched her first goal of the season, tipping in a Cristine Chao point shot.
The Badgers finally got on the board, scoring back-to-back goals on 5-on-3 advantages 31 seconds apart midway through the second period.
Rookie netminder Madeline Albert stopped every other shot she faced, ending the night with 29 saves in the victory.
Source: varsityblues.ca
January 27, 2018
Queen’s 1 Guelph 0
GUELPH, Ont. (January 27, 2018) - The No.9 Queen's Gaels took down the No.6 Guelph Gryphons to hold onto first place in the OUA with a 1-0 win in Guelph on Saturday afternoon.
GAME FLOW
The Gaels came out of the gate flying in the first few minutes of the game, control possession of the puck and keeping the offensive pace up. Queen's then headed to the power play after an interference call against Guelph's Kristen Jay.
The Gryphon defence picked up their game as the penalty kill unit didn't allow a single Gaels shot. It took Queen's until mid-way through the frame before they were able to land a shot. The Gryphons outshot Queen's 10-8 in the opening frame as the game remained scoreless.
Two of the OUA's best netminders were going head-to-head in this one as the Gaels Stephanie Pascal (Sudbury, Ont.) did battle with the Gryphons Valerie Lamenta.
Just 3:42 into the second period, a harmless shot from the slot sailed wide of Lamenta and off the end boards. Katrina Manoukarakis (Scarborough, Ont.) picked up the puck and quickly fired a hard pass toward the front of the net. The Gaels Clare McKellar (London, Ont.) was right on the doorstep and able to deflect the puck past Lamenta to put Queen's ahead 1-0. The Gaels finished the period with 13 shots compared to just four for Guelph and went into the third with a 1-0 lead.
The third period saw the Gaels Pascal and the Queen's defensive unit keep the Gryphon attack at bay.
Guelph pulled their goaltender with 2:30 left in the game and were able to send multiple chances in on Pascal. Queen's was able to withhold the barrage and hang on for the 1-0 shutout win.
Pascal stopped all 20 shots she faced for the win while Lamenta turned aside 27 of 28.
Source: gogaelsgo.com
UOIT 0 York 2
The York University Lions women's hockey team took on the UOIT Ridgebacks Saturday in the Lions' first of two home games this weekend. This exciting game saw the Lions claim a 2-0 victory over the Ridgebacks.
The first period remained scoreless. Second-year forward Christina Chin scored for the Lions in the second period, giving the Lions a 1-0 lead over the Ridgebacks. Avery Reeves had the assist on this goal. After a stoppage to fix a loose board behind the Lions' net, the Lions added a second goal from Kelsey McHolm, who was assisted by Jenna Gray and Courtney Gardiner.
The Lions were able to foil all of the Ridgebacks' attempts to score and led 2-0 at the end of the second period.
The third was scoreless as well despite many close calls for the Ridgebacks, but Lions' goaltender Eva Hall made 16 saves and earned herself a shutout between the pipes.
The Lions improved to 6-0-10-3 for 21 points and moved ahead of the Ridgebacks by three points. They are now 10th in the OUA standings.
Source: yorkulions.ca
Ryerson 2 Waterloo 1
WATERLOO, Ont. - Two second period goals would give the Ryerson Rams a necessary edge in topping the Waterloo Warriors as the Rams took home a crucial 2-1 win in one of the fastest-paced games the team has seen this season.
Back-and-forth action to open up the game lead to both teams exchanging scoring chances through the first period. The Warriors were battling hard against the Rams in what appeared to be a very physical matchup between these two hungry teams, but a very fast-paced first period left both teams scoreless after twenty minutes of play.
The second period brought each of the game’s three goals, and Ryerson would be the first to strike. Five minutes into the period, Rams captain Ailish Forfar (Sharon, Ont.) would score her team’s first goal of the game. With her goal against Waterloo, Forfar has now scored 10 goals and 10 assists (totaling 20 points) through 19 games this season.
Amy Barnard (Cambridge, Ont.) tallied Waterloo’s only goal of the matchup, pushing the puck through Rachel Seely’s (Ottawa, Ont.) five-hole from up close to tie the game at one. The Rams would hit the power play just a few minutes later, and forward Kayla Karbonik (St. Andrews, Man.) scored her second goal of the year to regain the lead for her team. Karbonik’s goal would be the eventual game-winner for Ryerson.
A relatively quiet third period brought the game to a close, and Ryerson took home a 2-1 regulation victory over the Waterloo Warriors.
The importance of earning three points has already had a tangible outcome in the standings for the Rams, as the team leapfrogged the Toronto Varsity Blues, the Brock Badgers and the Nipissing Lakers to claim the fourth-place position in the OUA with a total of 33 points on the season.
Source: ryersonrams.ca
Laurentian 1 Nipissing 7
Winning five of their last six and earning points in all six games in 2018, the Nipissing Lakers women's hockey team is heating up as they hunt for home ice advantage.
Currently sitting in a tie for third place, the Lakers picked up a big 7-1 victory over the Laurentian Voyageurs Saturday afternoon at Memorial Gardens, thanks to a six-goal third period.
A solid first saw Nipissing hit the scoreboard thanks to a rocket from the blueline from veteran defender Zosia Davis, who continues her impressive season.
Marilyn Fortin drew the lone assist on the game's first goal.
Laurentian scored the only goal of the second period, tying the game up with just over a minute left on the clock, while shorthanded.
With the score even after 40 minutes, the third period belong to Nipissing.
Bronwyn Bolduc scored twice, Madison Solie found the back of the net for her first career OUA goal, Ava Keis potted one, Jetta Derenoski rippled the twine and Davis buried her second of the game all in the final 20 minutes of play.
The result of a dominant third period was six goals and a convincing 7-1 triumph.
Kaley Tienhaara had two assists, Davis added one for her third point of the night, Maria Dominico, Jade Gauthier and Brianna Gaffney all earned helpers.
Danika Ranger picked up the win in net, making 15 saves.
Source: nulakers.ca
Windsor 1 Laurier 4
WATERLOO, Ont. (January 28, 2018) – Rookie defenceman Kaitlyn Saxton had a pair of goals, including the game winner, and added an assist as the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks women’s hockey team defeated the Windsor Lancers 4-1 on Saturday night at the Waterloo Memorial Recreation Complex.
Saxton, a native of Oakville, Ont., broke open a tie game in the second period as she tallied a pair of powerplay goals five minutes apart to help the purple and gold end their season-long six-game losing streak.
Saxton, who had yet to find the scoresheet this season in her first year with Laurier, recorded her first career point just 36 seconds into the contest when she set up Kaitlyn Hatzes of Whitby, Ont., for her first goal of the season.
Carly AuCoin of Cambridge, Ont., rounded out the scoring for the Hawks with her second of the season late in the second period.
Aynsley Harrison of Corunna, Ont., chipped in with a pair of assists to move her into a tie for the team scoring lead as she now has five points on the year.
Laurier netminder Hannah Miller of Georgetown, Ont., continued her outstanding season as she recorded her third win of the year by turning aside 25 of the 26 shots she faced, raising her conference-leading save percentage to 0.952.
The only Lancer to find the back of the net against Miller was Reagan Kaufman of Durham, Ont., on a rebound opportunity midway through the opening frame.
Morgan Farrow of Bedford, N.S., took the loss for Windsor, allowing four goals on 29 shots.
With the victory, Laurier (2-1-12-3) earned a season-series split with the Lancers (2-1-15-2) and moved out of the basement of the OUA standings, leapfrogging Windsor by one point.
Source: laurierathletics.com
January 28, 2018
UOIT 1 Guelph 4
GUELPH – The Guelph Gryphons women's hockey team are experienced enough to know how to rebound when necessary. A day after a rare loss, the Gryphons showed their resilience against a team they often have trouble with. No. 6 Guelph scored three first-period goals in a decisive 4-1 win over the UOIT Ridgebacks at the Gryphon Centre Sunday afternoon.
The Gryphons (14-5-0), who lost 1-0 in a tight matchup with the OUA-leading Queen's Gaels Saturday, showed their hunger early against UOIT.
"It was great to have a response like that, especially our first period," said head coach Rachel Flanagan, who felt her team out-chanced Queen's. "I thought we let our foot off the gas a little bit in the second but we responded well in the third to find a way."
Captain Kaitlin Lowy took sole possession in the OUA goal-scoring race with two markers Sunday. Lowy scored her 13th of the season in the first period and added an empty-netter late to ice the game. Emma Forcey and Claire Merrick also scored for Guelph, while Aurore Beaulieu made 21 saves in between the pipes.
The Gryphons showed no residual effects from Saturday's loss to the Gaels. They took an early hooking minor but after killing off the penalty, got to work in the offensive zone. Lowy scored Guelph's first of three in the opening period, beating UOIT goaltender Celine Tessier on the blocker side at 8:37.
Flanagan knows the offensive contribution from her star forward is important but noted how much else Lowy does for the team.
"She's a natural leader," the coach said of Lowy, who also leads the team in penalty minutes. "She takes her job as captain of our team very seriously."
"We need grit and passion and Kaitlin is leading the way, trying to encourage everyone. Her biggest asset today was that she was able to move pucks and then move into ice to get them back. Sometimes we struggle with players over handling pucks and getting caught but she did a great job."
Forcey parked in front of the crease and found Tessier's five-hole after taking a nice feed from Lawrence, who was behind the UOIT net. Merrick made it 3-0 with a one-timer from in close, for Guelph's third goal in a span of just over nine minutes.
The Ridgebacks looked much better in the second period and had a great chance when they were awarded a 5-on-3. Guelph killed off the penalties but UOIT got on the board minutes later when Grace Donaldson unloaded a high shot from the top of the right circle that got past Beaulieu at the 12:43 mark.
Guelph was missing veterans Kelly Gribbons and Meagan Lee, though the depth of the team showed in a good performance. Flanagan said it was an opportunity for other players to log extra ice time, which will help as the season winds down.
"Some of our younger players had to take on bigger roles today than maybe they're used to," she said. "That's great because we want them to take on more responsibility."
Source: gryphons.ca
Queen’s 4 York 0
TORONTO (January 28, 2018) – The Queen's Gaels (12-3-2-3) women's hockey team earned their second straight shutout victory on Sunday afternoon when they defeated the York Lions (6-0-11-3) 4-0. Stephanie Pascal (Sudbury, Ont.) made 19 saves to record her second shutout in as many days.
GAME FLOW
Queen's got the game started on the right foot when Hailey Wilson(Pickering, Ont.) opened the scoring at 4:20. Alex Maw (Whitby, Ont.) stretched the Gaels lead to 2-0 at 9:42 when she sniped her second goal of the season. Although the shot count tallied 6-6, the Gaels were able to capitalize on their opportunities and head into the second period up 2-0.
The second period saw Gaels leading goal scorer Katrina Manoukarakis (Scarborough, Ont.) score her 13th goal of the campaign on an unassisted effort at 4:04. Pascal would remain strong in the Gaels net and keep the shutout bid going into the third period.
Gaels forward Kaylie Dennis (London, Ont.) finished off the scoring for Queen's at 4:32 with her third of the season. The final shot count for the game would favour the Gaels, 22-19.
Pascal earned the victory in net with 19 saves while Lauren Dubie took the loss in net for the Lions.
Source: gogaelsgo.com
Toronto 4 Waterloo 1
Fourth-year forward Kassie Roache scored two powerplay goals and added two assists to lead the University of Toronto Varsity Blues women's hockey team to a 4-1 victory over the Waterloo Warriors on Sunday afternoon (Jan. 28) at Columbia Ice Field.
With the win, the Blues improve to 10-0-7-2 and move into fifth place in the highly competitive OUA standings. With just four regular season games remaining, only three points separate fifth and eighth place.
After a scoreless first period, Roache opened the scoring 11:07 into the second frame, finishing a nice pass from Kiyono Cox on the powerplay.
The Warriors responded though and evened the score with a powerplay goal of their own 36 seconds later.
The two teams were deadlocked at 1-1 after 40 minutes of action.
Roache netted the eventual game-winner eight minutes into the third period, finishing off a nice cross ice pass from Mathilde De Serres on the man advantage for her team-leading 10th goal of the season.
Second-year defenceman Jana Headrick added some insurance two minutes later, scoring her first career goal as a Varsity Blue with a booming shot from the point.
Fourth-year forward Becki Bowering added an empty-netter with 2:47 remaining.
Rookie netminder Madeline Albert made 18 saves in the win.
Source: varsityblues.ca
Windsor 2 Western 3
HOOK LONDON, Ont.— Rachel Armstrong scored all three Mustang goals to lead Western to a 3-2 win over the Windsor Lancers on Sunday afternoon at Thompson Arena.
"I thought that we did enough to win the game today, which was important," said Mustangs head coach Kelly Paton. "We spoke earlier in the week about how important the points are moving forward, and our power play came through today with two goals for us. Then obviously late in the game we did enough that we were able to get a lead, and we defended it when we needed to."
Western sits at 12-2-5-2 with the win, three points behind OUA leader Queen's. Windsor remains in last at 2-1-16-2.
Armstrong supplied all the offence for the Mustangs on Sunday, including two power play markers, to to give her eight goals this season. Amanda Pereira recorded two assists, and now leads the Mustangs with 11 on the year.
"I was just hoping we'd come out with the win," said Armstrong. "I got some lucky bounces, but it was a good team effort all around."
Meredith Goldhawk and Larissa Borowiec provided the Lancers' offence this afternoon, recording their first and third goals of the season, respectively.
The first period ended in a deadlock, as neither team could secure a scoring opportunity. Western prevented the Lancers from recording a shot for the first nine minutes of play and outshot them eight to four through 20 minutes.
The Mustangs tallied the game's first goal four and a half minutes into the second period. Armstrong put the puck past goalie Molly Jenkins on Western's second shot of the frame, 30 seconds into their first power play of the game.
Goldhawk responded for the Lancers a little less than seven minutes later, getting a low shot past Lasis to even up the score.
With 16 seconds left in both the period and a Windsor penalty, Armstrong netted her second of the game off a cross-crease pass from April Clark.
"It was like a scramble out front, and then I turned around, the puck was right there, and I had a head up," said Clark. "I was going to shoot and [Armstong] was wide open backdoor, so I just laid it over to her and she made a beautiful goal."
The Mustangs' power plays were unstoppable in the period, scoring on both of the Lancers penalties.
"Our special teams played a huge role this whole season overall," said Armstrong. "We got a couple bad penalties there…but our PK unit did a really good job of killing it off, and obviously our power play converted quite a few times."
Windsor tied the game once again early in the third, thanks to a goal from Borowiec just over four minutes into the frame.
With the clock winding down and the Mustangs on a penalty kill, the game seemed to be building to an overtime finish. However, 10 seconds after the Mustangs third penalty kill of the third period, Armstrong scored the game-winning goal and her third of the game with 2:16 left on the clock to secure the 3-2 win for the home side.
"Me and Amanda were on the penalty kill, and she did a good job keeping it in the corner," said Armstrong of her final goal. "I think [the penalty kill] just ended, and I managed to hit it out of the air and got it in the net."
Western only has one game on the schedule next week, a road contest against York on February 3. It's an uncommon scenario for the Mustangs, as they'll then turn around and host the Lions on February 9 at Thompson Arena.
"It's a unique opportunity for us to make adjustments knowing that we're going to see the same team twice in a short period of time, which doesn't happen too often with our schedule," said Paton. "We'll take it game-by-game, but it is an advantage I think, just in making some adjustments. And then going down there, they're on a bigger ice surface too, so we may make some adjustments to our play to hopefully give us an advantage."
Source: westernmustangs.ca