UOIT MAKES THEIR OUA DEBUT, WHILE WINDSOR AND GUELPH EARN A PAIR OF WEEKEND VICTORIES

Western 3, UOIT 2 OT- (With files from UOIT Sports Information)
It was an afternoon to remember for the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) women's hockey team and their newest fans, as university hockey officially arrived in Durham Region when the Ridgebacks skated to a 3-2 overtime loss to the Western Mustangs (London), during their historic debut in Ontario University Athletics (OUA) action.

The Ridgebacks hit the ice with energy and momentum, boosted by a packed crowd at the Campus Ice Centre. The first ever regular season Ridgeback goal happened at 5:27 of the first period, as assistant captain Sarah Carter (Newtonville, Ont.) opened the scoring. Unfortunately the lead was short lived, as Western was able to tie the score on the power play with only seconds remaining in the period.

The Mustangs scored the only goal of the second period shorthanded and took the play to the Ridgebacks in the third period as they out shot UOIT 15-7. However, behind the spectacular goaltending of hometown favourite Carleigh Taggart (Oshawa, Ont.), the ladies were able to tie the game with just under ten minutes to play on a nice passing play between Carling Jeyes (Little Britain, Ont.) and Rikki Palmateer (Cobourg, Ont.) sending the hometown crowd into a frenzy and eventually the game into overtime.

In the overtime period, the Ridgebacks got their signals crossed at their own blue line and Western made them pay at the 1:06 mark.

"I was very pleased with our team's effort today; all the girls really understood how special today's game was and what it means to UOIT varsity sports," said head coach Gary Pitcher. "These girls will forever hold a place in our program's history as the first to lace up for the Ridgebacks and they are representing UOIT incredibly well. It was great to see fans in the stands, cheering on these skilled and talented young women. I couldn't be more proud of them."

The women's OUA debut is the result of three years of planning and preparation for UOIT's entry into both men's and women's varsity hockey. The Ridgebacks of UOIT were officially accepted as the 19th member of the OUA in early 2006.

Several top-ranked players made their on-ice debut with the Ridgebacks following a Canada-wide recruitment process. Some of the highly-skilled athletes to watch for throughout the season include defensemen Megan Friel (Pickering, Ont.) and forward Chrissy Tereshyn (Scarborough, Ont.)

"This first game of the women's hockey season represents a new chapter in varsity sports at UOIT," said Ken Babcock, athletic director at UOIT. "With the men's team ready to take to the ice for its first-ever game in October, UOIT students, staff and faculty, and hockey fans in Durham Region can take pride in these hockey teams for many years to come. The OUA is widely considered to be among the highest levels of sports competition available in the province. This is a real opportunity for Durham sports fans to catch some tremendous hockey."

Windsor 1, Queen's 0
The Windsor Lancers women's hockey team traveled to Kingston this past Saturday for their regular season opener against the Queen's Golden Gaels.
Jamie Tessier stole the show with an opening night shutout, while Ashley Kirby's late game heroics capped an undefeated opening weekend.

Saturday's game was a tight affair, with the Lancers notching their first goal of the season early in the opening frame. Jodilyn Brown managed to swipe at a loose puck in the Golden Gaels' crease to give the Lancers a 1-0 lead.

That would be all the help that Lancer netminder Jamie Tessier would need. Even after her teammates amassed 18 minutes in penalties, Tessier was rock solid in net as she turned away all 26 Queen's shots to earn the shutout and the 1-0 victory.