W-HOCKEY ROUNDUP: Varsity Blues upset No. 6 Western
Octtober 18 – York @ Laurier
Candice Styles of Orangeville, Ont., scored the only goal of the shootout as the No. 8 Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks women's hockey team (4-1-0) snuck past the York Lions (1-3-1) 3-2 on Thursday night.
The Hawks picked up the win despite allowing the Lions to claw their way back into the contest with two goals late in the third period.
After a scoreless opening 20 minutes, Laurier got on the board thanks to a great goal from Caitlin Muirhead of Waterloo, Ont. The fifth year forward cut off the wing and roofed the puck over the shoulder of York goaltender Megan Lee of Orillia, Ont., to put the Hawks in front 1-0.
The score would remain 1-0 until midway through the third period when defenceman Haley Baxter of Waterloo, Ont., buried her second goal of season to give Laurier a 2-0 lead.
However, just three minutes later, Victoria Benacquista of Keswick, Ont., cut the Lions deficit in half with her first tally of the year.
Late in regulation, with York pressing for the equalizer, it was captain Chloe Milano of Maple, Ont., who played the hero, sneaking one past Laurier goalie Erika Thunder of Buffalo Point, Man., with 38 seconds left on the clock to tie the game at two.
Neither team could end the game in overtime so Laurier went to their first shootout of the season. After the first three shooters missed, Styles beat Lee to put the Hawks in front. Thunder then shut the door on Kristen Barbara of Mount Hope, Ont., to give Laurier their fourth straight win.
Thunder played well in net for the Hawks as she made 32 saves to earn her fourth win of the season. Lee starred for the Lions in this one, keeping them in the game throughout the contest, finishing with 49 saves.
Source: Laurier Sports Info
October 19 – Laurier @ UOIT
The Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks women's hockey team (5-1-0) won their fifth straight game on Friday night as they shutout the UOIT Ridgebacks (2-3-0) by a score of 4-0.
Goaltender Erika Thunder of Buffalo Point, Man., was a difference maker for the Hawks in this game, earning her second shutout and fifth win of the season as she stopped 24 shots.
Laurier got off to a quick start in this game as they opened up a 3-0 lead before the contest was 10 minutes old. Jessie Hurrell of Palgrave, Ont., opened the scoring with an unassisted tally, her third of the year, before Laura Brooker of Fergus, Ont., made it 2-0 with a powerplay marker.
Devon Skeats would round out the first period scoring just three minutes later with her fourth goal of the season.
In the second period, the Hawks didn't let up as Brooker continue her hot start to the season, scoring her fifth goal four minutes into the period. That goal would turn out to be the last of the offence in the contest as the Hawks shutdown the Ridgebacks the rest of the way.
With the victory, Laurier moves into first place in the conference for the first time this season, a single point ahead of the Queen's Gaels who defeated the Brock Badgers 5-2 on Friday.
Source: Laurier Sports Info
Western @ Toronto
Callie Bazak’s overtime goal lifted the Varsity Blues women’s hockey team to a 3-2 victory over the visiting Western Mustangs on Friday, October 19 at Varsity Arena.
With the win, the Blues improve to 3-1-1 this season, and move into a tie with Western and Windsor for fourth place in the OUA.
Sophomore goaltender Krista Funke (Regina, Sask.) was solid in her third start of the season, making 30 saves to pick up her second win. U of T got goals from Bazak (Peterborough, Ont.), Sonja Weidenfelder (Toronto), and Jacqueline Scheffel (Waubaushene, Ont.) who added an assist en route to being named the game’s third star.
The Blues came out buzzing in the first frame, opening the scoring seven minutes into the period. Rookie forward Taylor Day (Ilderton, Ont.) jumped on a loose puck behind the net and whipped it out front where it was banged home by Scheffel. But a parade to the penalty box would ultimately cost Toronto. The Blues killed off 4-of-5 powerplays in the first, but Western finally broke through at 9:05, when Jessica Ross scored on a rebound.
The game continued to open up in the second period, with both teams trading odd-man rushes. After Funke made an impressive shoulder save on a breakaway chance by Stacey Scott, and Western netminder Kelly Campbell stopped Taylor Day on a partial break, Jessica Ross managed to put the Mustangs up 2-1, converting on a 2-on-1 rush.
The Blues regained their momentum in the third period however, outshooting the Mustangs 19-9. Then, just 1:53 into the period, with Western’s Ally Galloway in the box, Weidenfelder deflected a point shot from Brittany Kirby (Vancouver) past Campbell to tie the game at two.
Both teams had chances to go ahead in the latter half of the third. Western forward Casey Rosen made an impressive toe drag move but was denied by Funke, and Day raced into the Mustangs zone and fired a shot through the defenders legs, but couldn’t beat Campbell.
Regulation time would end with the game still tied 2-2, and set the stage for Bazak’s overtime heroics. After Funke stood tall on a couple of goal line stands to keep the Blues alive, Bazak took a pass from Scheffel and raced up the ice. The veteran forward beat Western’s defence with two inside-out moves and flung the puck into the top corner to give the Blues the win.
Western’s Jessica Ross had two goals, and was named the game’s second star.
Source: Toronto Sports Info
Brock @ Queen’s
The Queen's Gaels moved to 4-0-1 in the regular season as they defeated the Brock Badgers 5-2 in OUA women's hockey Friday night at the Memorial Centre.
The first period had a quick start with a Gaels goal by Shawna Griffin (Calgary, Alta.) assisted by Courtenay Jacklin (Regina, Sask.) and Taryn Pilon (Peterborough, Ont.) at 1:56. Queen's was able to score again at 5:10 with a short-handed goal by Mary Coughlin (Amherstburg, Ont.) putting the Gaels up 2-0. The Gaels defense was quite efficient allowing the Badgers to only put up 5 shots in the first period. Queen's outshot Brock 20-5 in the first period.
The Badgers began the second period with a power play goal scored by Jessica Fickel (Fort Erie, Ont.) and assisted by Brianne Veale (Sault Ste Marie, Ont.) and Hailey Webb (Orillia, Ont.). Chantal Morais (Guelph, Ont.) added another goal for the Gaels at 6:07 allowing the Gaels to reclaim their two-goal advantage. The remainder of the period was scoreless.
Brock's Sara Brady (Thunder Bay, Ont.) pulled Brock to within one with as she scored on a rebound after hitting the post at 4:45. The Gaels fought back to score a power play goal by Jacklin at 8:08 bringing the score to 4-2. In a fast-paced finish, the Gaels were able to add a fifth and final goal at 17:09 scored by Morgan McHaffie (Guelph, Ont.) and assisted by Brittany McHaffie (Guelph, Ont.) and Danielle Girard (Sarnia, Ont.).
Mel Dodd-Moher (Ottawa, Ont.) had 15 saves for the Gaels while Emily Kelly (Port Elgin, Ont.) stopped 50 shots and Camille Carrier played the last 2:10 of the game, and stopped one shot for the Badgers.
Queen's is now 4-0-1 in the regular season (9-0-2 overall), while Brock falls to 0-5.
Source: Queen’s Sports Info
October 20 – Windsor @ Toronto
Team captain Kelly O’Hanlon scored three goals and added one assist, while goaltender Nicole Kesteris made 20 saves and was credited with her first career goal, as the Varsity Blues women’s hockey team skated to a 5-4 victory over the Windsor Lancers on Saturday, October 20 at Varsity Arena.
The win improves the Blues record to 4-1-1 this season, and moves them into third place in the OUA.
O’Hanlon (Markham, Ont.) led the Blues with three goals and an assist to give her seven points in six games. Toronto native Sonja Weidenfelder, and rookie forward Kristi Riseley (Pickering, Ont.) each had two points in the win.
Kesteris (Aurora, Ont.) came into the game second in the OUA with a 0.958 save percentage, but made her mark elsewhere on the score sheet, getting credit for the first-ever goal by a Blues netminder.
Windsor jumped out to an early lead in the first on goals from Alyssa Baldin and Bree Polci. The Blues responded quickly on the powerplay, as O’Hanlon corralled a rebound in front of the net and floated it over a helpless Karlyle Robinson. Weidenfelder would tie the game on a shorthanded goal with 5:50 remaining in the period. After taking a pass from O’Hanlon, the sophomore forward roofed a backhand over Robinson to even the score at two-a-piece.
Then, with the score 3-3 in the second, Windsor pulled their goalie on a delayed penalty call, setting the stage for Kesteris’ goal. The Blues goaltender was credited with the goal after she made a pad save on a Windsor forward in the slot. The Windsor player then fired a pass back to the point, where it missed its’ intended target and travelled the length of the ice into the Lancers net.
O’Hanlon completed her hat trick five minutes into the final frame to give the Blues a two goal lead. The Blues captain took a pass from Riseley behind the net, brought it out front and jammed it past Robinson for what would hold up as the eventual game-winner.
Ally Strickland connected for Windsor on a powerplay in the latter half of the third, but Kesteris and the Blues held on for a 5-4 victory.
Source: Toronto Sports Info
Guelph @ Queen’s
A pair of goals by Katie Duncan (Kitchener, Ont.) and Mary Coughlin (Amherstberg, Ont.) led the No. 7-ranked Queen's Gaels to a 5-4 win over the No. 6-ranked Guelph Gryphons in OUA women's hockey action at the Memorial Centre Saturday night.
The Gryphons got on the board quickly as Jessica Pinkerton (Oshawa, Ont.) scored a goal at 1:56 assisted by Amanda Parkins (Kitchener, Ont.). The play continued at a fast pace as the Gaels and Gryphons went head to head on the ice. The Gaels were able to get a goal on the board at 18:54 with a goal by Duncan and assisted by Kristin Smith (Toronto, Ont.) putting the score at 1-1 to end the action-packed period.
The Gryphons regained the lead with a power play goal scored at 5:22 by Emily Corbett (Toronto, Ont.). The Gaels fired back quickly with their own power play goal scored by Coughlin and assisted by Alisha Sealey (Elora, Ont.) and Taryn Pilon (Peterborough, Ont.) bringing the score to 2-2. The Gaels took the lead for the first time in the game off a slap shot from Morgan McHaffie (Guelph, Ont.) that was tapped in by Coughlin for the power play goal at 16:51, her second goal of the night. Duncan scored another power play goal for the Gaels off a slap shot from behind the red line, assisted by Pilon and Courtenay Jacklin (Regina, Sask.). Queen's continued the offensive play as Chantal Morais (Guelph, Ont.) added another goal just 47-seconds later at 18:50. The Gaels' three goals in under two minutes left them with a 5-2 lead at the end of the second period.
Guelph started the third period with a power play goal at 1:01 by Brittney Crawford (Guelph, Ont.). The play continued at a fast pace and the Gryphons added a goal at 17:06 scored by Corbett cutting the Gaels lead to just one at 5-4. The Gryphons pulled their goalie in the late stages, but the Gaels' defence denied Guelph a quality scoring chance.
Karissa Savage (Calgary, Alta.) had 31 saves for the Gaels and Brooke Siddall (Windsor, Ont.) stopped 21 shots for the Gryphons.
The Gaels move to 5-0-1 in the regular season, putting them atop the OUA standings, while the Gryphons fall to 4-2.
Source: Queen’s Sports Info
Waterloo @ UOIT
The UOIT Ridgebacks women’s hockey team earned a point on Saturday night as they dropped a 3-2 shootout decision to the Waterloo Warriors on Whitby Girls Hockey Association Appreciation Night.
UOIT had a 2-1 lead with 10 minutes to remaining in the third period, after Nicole LoPresti scored her second goal of the year setup by Sarah Worthington and Jill Morillo.
Three minutes later, Waterloo would tie the game up as Marissa Redmond scored a highlight reel goal streaking up the left wing, making a move around the Ridgebacks defender and putting one past starting goalie Cassie Charette.
After a scoreless overtime period, the Ridgebacks and Warriors headed into a shootout. Redmond proved to be the Ridgebacks Achilles heel as she managed to beat Charette for the lone goal of the shootout, while Rebecca Bouwhuis stopped all three Ridgeback shooters.
Bouwhuis made 35 saves in the win as UOIT outshot Waterloo 37-20. Charette made 18 saves in the losing effort.
Saturday’s win was Waterloo’s first of the season as they improve to 1-2-2. UOIT is 2-3-1 on the year and have dropped three straight games.
Source: UOIT Sports Info
October 21 – Waterloo @ York
Lisa Stathopulos scored two goals to lead the York University Lions women's team to a 5-2 victory over the visiting Waterloo Warriors on Sunday afternoon (Oct. 21) at Canlan Ice Sports.
The third-year forward from Toronto scored the game's third goal, which stood up as the winner, and added another late in the third period for her fourth goal of the season, matching the total she put up last year.
Despite early offensive pressure by the Lions, it was the Warriors who put themselves on the board first. Thanks to some very tricky stick dekes, Nicole Ballantyne (Toronto) was able to break free from the Lions' defence and beat York goalie Megan Lee (Orillia, Ont.) through the five-hole at just 1:33 of the first period. Kelly Toms (Ennismore, Ont.) and Lia Tennant (Kitchener, Ont.) were credited with assists on the play.
The Lions clamped down defensively after that, and found their offensive rhythm. They continued their zone control strategy, playing keep-away with the Warrior defence.
They were finally able to tie the game off of an offensive zone faceoff, as Victoria Benacquista (Keswick, Ont.) won the faceoff, drawing it back to defender Megan Finlay (Hamilton, Ont.), whose point shot blast set up the rebound goal for Kim Ramcharan (Brampton, Ont.) at 4:22 of the period.
The Lions continued to keep the Warriors stuck mostly in their own zone, frustrating the opposition and forcing turnovers.
A critical interception by Lisa Stathopulos (Toronto) punished Waterloo for its careless rush passing, as she was able to break clear of the last defender for a breakaway that saw her beat Warrior goalie Rebecca Bouwhuis (Orillia, Ont.) to give the Lions the lead at 8:20 of the first period.
Kristen Barbara (Mount Hope, Ont.) managed to increase the Lions' lead with a power play goal, blasting a slap shot from the point that was too heavy for Bouwhuis to stop, as it trickled through her pads and over the goal line at 12:02 of the period. Kiri Langford (Collingwood, Ont.) and Dallas Boyd (Hamilton, Ont.) assisted on the goal.
The Lions held the 3-1 lead at the end of the first.
The Warriors brought themselves to within one less than five minutes into the second frame, with Katie Dods (Kemptville, Ont.) beating a heavily screened Lee on the glove side with a surprise wrist shot from the faceoff dot. Kelly MacLean (St. George, Ont.) received the first assist, and the second went to Tennant, who was credited with her second point of the night.
The tone of the game changed with the second Warrior goal, as both teams focused on physically grinding the other down. Special teams became a critical factor, as York's penalty kill unit was called into action three times in the second frame.
Lee's continually strong play, as well as that of penalty killers Barbara, Stathopulos, and team captain Chloe Milano (Maple, Ont.) allowed the Lions to maintain a 3-2 lead at the end of the second period.
York special teams continued to make the Warriors pay, scoring another power play goal at 5:54 of the final frame. Erin Cameron (Ajax, Ont.) found a rebound on the doorstep and fired it into the empty net, courtesy of assists from Benacquista and Barbara, both earning their second points of the night.
The Lions' lead was again extended on another heroic effort from Stathopulos, who scored a shorthanded goal after an extended and physical race with a Warrior defender. Stathopulos was able to beat the defender to the puck, break free with it and cram the puck through the pads of Bouwhuis to score her second unassisted goal of the night at 14:26 of the last period.
Lee made just 16 saves in the outing, thanks to the strong play of the York defence. Her counterpart, Bouwhuis, made 23 saves on the 28 shots she faced, including a thrilling low glove save in the first that stunned the Lions' power play and brought the entire crowd to a standing cheer.
The win improves the Lions record to 2-3-1 for the season, and they will jump ahead of Waterloo in the OUA standings with the points earned in the victory.
Source: York Sports Info
Windsor @ Ryerson
The Ryerson Rams dropped a 4-2 decision to the Windsor Lancers on Sunday afternoon at Mattamy Home Ice. Ryerson overcame a first period deficit to take a lead early in the second but were unable to contain a strong Windsor forecheck to hang on for a victory.
The Windsor Lancers (4-2-0) were playing the second of back-to-back games this weekend, but it was Ryerson (2-3-0) who looked tired coming out of the gate. The Rams had a full week off between games, and head coach Lisa Haley was surprised with the start.
"We had a long week getting ready for one game on a Sunday. You would think we'd be chomping at the bit to get out there and it was a bit of a surprise because it was something we talked about in our pre-game, having a good start."
Early on the Rams defencemen had trouble executing their breakout passes to the forwards and Ryerson was unable to retain possession of the puck for any period of time. Before the Rams registered a shot, Windsor's Bree Polci (London, Ont.) put the Lancers on the board.
After some good cycle work by the Lancers, Polci walked out from the corner and roofed the puck over Ryerson netminder Brianna Tremblay (Whitby, Ont.) to give Windsor a 1-0 lead at the 6:31 mark.
Haley gave Windsor credit for their attacking play which forced several of the Rams' turnovers.
"Windsor forechecks really well and have good structure which makes it difficult to find somebody that's open. That was certainly their strength today and we'll have to watch some video to be more successful next time."
Despite the slow start, the Rams were quick out of the gate in the second period. Emily Rose Galliani Pecchia (Toronto) had a solid shift working the puck behind the net. She was able to get Windsor goaltender Karlyle Robinson (St. Catharines, Ont.) moving the wrong way and Melissa Wronzberg (Thornhill, Ont.) picked up a loose puck and tucked home a wrap-around to even the score at 1-1 just 46 seconds into the second frame.
Ryerson kept their feet moving throughout the first part of the second period and Monique Cornett (Potsdam, NY) burst down ice for a partial breakaway before being hauled down on her way to the net. The Rams were awarded a penalty shot and Cornett found a hole on Robinson's blocker side to give Ryerson a 2-1 lead at the 6:41 mark. The goal was the first of Cornett's OUA career.
After the game, Cornett gave full credit to her coach for a way of attacking the penalty shot.
"It was totally Lisa's (Haley) idea. In warm up we noticed the goalie was weak on her blocker side. Lisa told me to take it towards our bench and then shoot low blocker side and I happened to hit it there."
After grabbing a 2-1 lead Ryerson did a good job of collapsing down in front of Tremblay. The Lancers were looking to cash in on the jam play but could not get past the defence.
With just under six minutes remaining in the frame, Windsor's Alyssa Baldin (Windsor, Ont.) blew past a defender caught flat-footed at centre ice and roofed the puck over Tremblay's shoulder to tie the game at twos.
Tremblay made a strong save with four minutes remaining to keep things tied at 2-2 but two minutes later was beaten by a streaking Ally Strickland (Chatham, Ont.). Strickland chipped the puck past the defender at her own blue line and beat everyone down ice. She tucked it home for the short-handed and game-winning goal at 18:08 of the second period.
Neither team would find the back of the net in the third until Candice Chevalier (Essex, Ont.) added an empty netter with 18 seconds left to make it a 4-2 final.
Source: Ryerson Sports Info
