November 26, 2012
W-HOCKEY ROUNDUP: Four points seperate first place from fourth
November 23 - Toronto @ Queen's
Kristin Smith (Toronto, Ont.) had two goals and an assist leading the Queen's Gaels to a 4-0 win over the Toronto Varsity Blues in women's OUA hockey action Friday night at the Kingston Memorial Centre.
The Gaels dominated offensively outshooting the Varsity Blues 12-6 in the first period, however neither team was able to put a goal on the board. Shawna Griffin (Calgary, Alta.) opened the scoring for the Gaels with a goal at the 12:02 mark of the second period; Smith and Alisha Sealey (Elora, Ont.) had assists. Just 22 seconds later, Smith added a goal for the Gaels increasing their lead to 2-0 with assists from Chantal Morais (Guelph, Ont.) and Katie Duncan (Waterloo, Ont.). Smith scored her second goal of the game at 16:09 with assists from Duncan and Chelsey Verbeek (Beiseker, Alta.).
The Gaels carried their 3-0 lead into the third period where the play was mostly balanced for the duration of the period. Brittany McHaffie (Guelph, Ont.) scored an empty net goal for the Gaels with an assist from Morgan McHaffie (Guelph, Ont.) to bring the game to its final score of 4-0.
Mel Dodd-Moher (Ottawa, Ont.) had 18 saves for the Gaels and Toronto's Nicole Kesteris (Aurora, Ont.) stopped 31 shots. The Gaels were 0-6 on the powerplay and the Varsity Blues were 0-3. Queen's is now 12-1-1 and Toronto moves to 8-5-1.
Source: Queen's Sports Info
November 24 - Western @ Waterloo
The Waterloo women's hockey team gave the fourth place Western Mustangs all they could handle but fell short by a score of 3-2 on Saturday afternoon at the CIF. Waterloo fired 37 shots on Western keeper Olivia Ross (Huntsville) but she was able to stave off the attack and preserve the victory for her side.
With the win the Mustangs improved to 10-3-1 while the Warriors remain in ninth with a 3-8-2 record.
The game got off to a thrilling start as the Mustangs opened the scoring one minute into the game as Kryshandra Green (Caledon) fired one on net that eluded Warrior netminder, Rebecca Bouwhuis (Orillia).
The Warriors wasted little time responding as Katie Dods (Kemptville) evened the game with her third of the season on the power play. Dods found the loose puck after a Sarah Endicott (Toronto) shot hit Sarah Wolfe (Waterloo) in the shin pads and she made no mistake putting it into the wide open net past a sprawling Ross.
One minute later the Warriors took their first lead of the game as Lindsey O'Neill (Richmond Hill) notched her first career goal, putting it top shelf over the glove of Ross. Carolyn Burke (Mississauga) picked up the lone assist on the O'Neill marker.
Before the first would expire, Western would bring the game back to even as London native Stacey Scott slipped one past Bouwhuis.
The second period saw both teams with several quality chances before the Mustangs regained the lead late on a goal by Katelyn Gosling (London) to give her squad a 3-2 lead heading into the third.
The Warriors turned up their intensity and offensive pressure in the third but the 'Stangs defence and Ross would stand their ground to hold on for the 3-2 victory.
Ross earned the victory on 35 saves while Bouwhuis was given the loss allowing three goals on 28 shots.
Source: Waterloo Sports Info
Windsor @ Laurier
Brittany Crago of Stoufville, Ont., scored in the ninth round of the shootout as the No. 6 Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks (12-1-1) edged out the Windsor Lancers (9-4-2) 3-2 on Saturday night at the Waterloo Recreation Complex.
Crago, who had also scored in regulation, avoided Windsor netminder Karlyle Robinson's (St. Catharines, Ont.) poke check and scored into the open side to send the Hawks to their sixth consecutive victory.
"I saw a lot of her shots and how she was handling the puck," said Crago on her shootout winner. "She was doing really well, really confident with going for the poke check so I feel like I kind of had to slow it down, get her to move and react to her move."
In what was a very entertaining game, the Lancers got off to a flying start as they scored less than two minutes in on a goal by Bree Polci of London, Ont. Windsor would continue to control the play in the opening 20 minutes and took a 1-0 lead into the dressing room, outshooting the Hawks 11-8.
The Hawks would slowly chip away against the Lancers in the second period and were finally able to tie the game up with less than 30 seconds left. Working their second powerplay of the game, some great passing by Haley Baxter of Waterloo, Ont., and Fiona Lester of Peterborough, Ont., set up Crago who one-timed the puck past Robinson to even the game heading to the third.
The tie was short-lived though as a defensive breakdown by Laurier led to Alyssa Baldin of Mississauga, Ont., scoring the go-ahead goal just 53 seconds into the period. However, the purple and gold answered right back when Laura Brooker of Fergus, Ont., scored her eighth goal of the season just two minutes later to tie the game at two.
Neither team found the winning goal in the rest of the third period or overtime so the two teams headed to a shootout. Both teams would score in the second and fourth rounds before Robinson and Laurier goalie Kayla Brown of Lively, Ont., shutdown the rest of the shooters until the ninth round. After Brown turned away Krysten Bortolotti of Belle River, Ont., Crago would play the hero giving Laurier their 12th win of the season.
"I was definitely nervous," said Brown of her first OUA shootout. "In the CIS, there is a lot of really good shooters and then when we weren't scoring and they were scoring, it got me worried but it turned out for the best in the end."
Brown finished the game with 30 saves to pick up her fourth win of the year. As for Robinson, she was charged with her second overtime loss after stopping 26 of 28 shots.
Source: Laurier Sports Info
Brock @ York
The York University Lions women's hockey team was defeated by the Brock Badgers by a final score of 2-1 at Canlan Ice Sports on Saturday afternoon (Nov. 24).
The Badgers, whose record was 1-12-1 going into the contest, recorded just their second win of the season to move out of last place in the OUA standings. The Lions dropped to 4-8-1 and are currently eighth.
The Lions got off to a shaky start in the first but after killing an early penalty, they settled into a comfortable rhythm. Neither team was able to establish much consistent offence, but Lions' goaltender Megan Lee (Orillia, Ont.) was able to deny the Badgers' best chance of the period on a speedy breakaway by Katie Howlett (Burlington, Ont.).
The Lions established a successful offensive pattern late in the period on the power play that saw them stack up scoring opportunities, culminating in a high slot wrist shot by defender Kristen Barbara (Mount Hope, Ont.) that couldn't beat Badgers' goalie Emily Kelly (Port Elgin, Ont.).
The back-and-forth period concluded in a 0-0 draw.
York's defensive struggles continued into the second period and the Lions spent the first half of the period unable to escape their defensive zone. Lee's saves added up as she stopped shot after shot, but the Badgers finally scored at 8:30 of the period. A centering pass into a scramble in front of the net resulted in a weird deflection that bounced over Lee's butterfly. Brock's Leigh Vanderveen (Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont.) was credited with the goal, and Jessica Fickel (Fort Erie, Ont.) and Sarah Dolden (Brampton, Ont.) got the assists.
The Badgers extended their lead later in the period on the power play, on a similar play. Jaclyn Conacher (Burlington, Ont.) fired a centering pass from behind the net that banked in off a Lions defender at 13:45 of the period. No assist was given on the play. The Badgers carried their 2-0 lead into the final period.
York managed to make a game of it in the third, as Kristie Wilson (Hamilton, Ont.) finally put the Lions on the board at 6:43 of the period on a 5-on-3 power play. Barbara and fellow defender Rebecca Bond (Espanola, Ont.) earned assists with cross-ice passes before Bond put it on Wilson's stick low in the slot. Wilson made no mistake and fired a quick wrist shot to the top shelf, just under the bar.
The Lions picked up momentum with the goal but despite their increased offensive pressure, weren't able to close the gap and finished the game with the loss.
Lee stopped 18 of the 20 shots she faced, while Kelly stopped 14 of 15.
Special teams proved critical in the game as York was successful on just 1-of-5 power play chances, while its penalty kill unit was called into action eight times over the course of the game, often on undisciplined penalties, and surrendered the eventual game-winning goal.
Source: York Sports Info
Ryerson @ Queen's
An offensively strong game for the Queen's Gaels led the women's hockey team to a 3-0 win over the Ryerson Rams at the Kingston Memorial Centre Saturday night.
Morgan McHaffie (Guelph, Ont.) opened the scoring for the Gaels at 10:27 with a goal from the left side of the net; Brittany McHaffie (Guelph, Ont) and Mary Coughlin (Amherstberg, Ont.) had assists. The Rams outshot the Gaels 8-7 in the first period.
The Gaels carried their 1-0 lead into the second period and took control of the game offensively. M. McHaffie scored a powerplay goal for the Gaels at the 10:35 mark of the second period with assists from B. McHaffie and Katie Duncan (Waterloo, Ont.). The Gaels continued to dominate offensively outshooting the Rams 17-4 in the second period.
Taryn Pilon (Peterborough, Ont.) opened the scoring for the Gaels in the third period with a goal at the 5:39 mark; B. McHaffie and Coughlin had assists.
Karissa Savage (Calgary, Alta.) had 17 saves for the Gaels and Brianna Trembley (Whitby, Ont.) stopped 27 shots for the Rams. Queen's is now 13-1-1 in the regular season and stand at the top of the OUA standings. Ryerson is now 2-11.
The Gaels return to action Saturday, December 1, as they travel to Windsor to take on the Warriors. Faceoff is set for 4:10 p.m.
Source: Queen's Sports Info
November 25 - Windsor @ Waterloo
Rebecca Bouwhuis (Orillia) stopped 36 of 37 shots and Nicole Ballantyne (Toronto) and Sarah Wolfe (Waterloo) scored for the Warriors as they topped the Windsor Lancers 2-1 at home on Sunday afternoon.
The win put a halt to a three game losing streak and propelled Waterloo into a playoff spot with 10 points (4-9-2) on the season. With the loss Windsor remain in fifth place with a 9-5-2 record.
The first two periods was all Windsor as they controlled the neutral zone and continually put the pressure on the Warriors, but Bouwhuis and her defence were able to weather the storm.
The best chance for the home side came off the stick of Kelly MacLean (St. George) midway through the second period as she sped away on a partial breakaway but was turned aside by Lancer goalie Karlyle Robinson (St. Catharines) to keep the game locked at 0's.
The Warriors found the games opening goal early in the third on a beautifully set up power play goal. The forward line of Maclean, Marissa Redmond (Ajax) and Nicole Ballantyne (Toronto) worked a perfect tic-tac-toe that was capped off by Ballantyne into the gaping net.
Windsor continued their strong pressure but again the Warriors staved off the attack and held a 1-0 lead late into the game. Windsor would force three straight offensive zone face-offs but it would be Sarah Wolfe (Waterloo) who would ice the game with an empty netter with 38 seconds remaining in the contest.
Candice Chevalier (Essex) added a late goal for the Lancers to spoil Bouwhuis' shoutout bid but it would be too little too late as the Warriors would skate away with the 2-1 win.
Bouwhuis was the star of the game making several highlight reel saves in the second period while Robinson allowed one goal on 15 shots.
The Warriors close out 2012 next weekend with a pair of games against Laurier on Thursday and York on Sunday at home.
Source: Waterloo Sports Info
Ryerson @ Toronto
The Varsity Blues women’s hockey team returned home with a bang, routing the Ryerson Rams 6-0 on Sunday, November 25 in their first game at Varsity Arena in almost a month.
With the win the Blues improve to 9-5-1 and now sit only one point back of the fifth-place Windsor Lancers in the OUA standings.
Team captain, and leading point-getter, Kelly O’Hanlon had four points in the win, giving her 19 on the season. The Markham Ont. native came into tonight’s action ranked ninth in OUA scoring. Second-year winger Sonja Weidenfelder (Toronto), and Ragan Danford (Madoc, Ont.) picked up three points each, and rookie centre Taylor Day grabbed a goal to continue her impressive rookie campaign. The Ilderton, Ont. native leads the team in assists with seven, and is second on the team with 11 points.
Aurora native Nicole Kesteris was solid when called upon in goal, but only faced 18 shots in earning her second shutout of the season.
Toronto jumped on the Rams early, scoring twice in the first three minutes of play. Amanda Ricker (Ottawa) got the game’s first goal, one-timing a pass from Jacqueline Sheffel over Ram’s goaltender Brianna Tremblay. Weidenfelder then notched her first of the game just over a minute later when she took a centering feed from O’Hanlon and squeaked a shot through Tremblay. She struck again on a powerplay in the latter stages of the first, finishing off a pretty passing play from Ricker and O’Hanlon to put the Blues up 3-0 heading into the second.
Day scored the only goal of the middle frame. After setting up sophomore Courtney Tougas (Thunder Bay, Ont.) for a chance in front, she skated to the net and whacked in the rebound for the Blues second powerplay marker.
U of T would put the Rams away in the third with goals from O’Hanlon and Danford, who were named the game’s first and third stars, respectively.
Rookie goaltender Brianna Tremblay made 18 saves in taking the loss for Ryerson.
The Blues return to action this Saturday, December 1 when they host the University of Guelph Gryphons at Varsity Arena. Game time is 4 p.m.
Source: Toronto Sports Info
Guelph @ York
The York University Lions women's hockey team dropped a 5-1 decision to the No. 9 nationally-ranked Guelph Gryphons on Sunday afternoon (Nov. 25) at Canlan Ice Sports.
York lost its season opener to Guelph by the same 5-1 score on Oct. 6, the only previous meeting between the two teams this season. They will meet once more this year, on Jan. 17 in Guelph.
The Gryphons, who improved to 11-3-2 with the win, have been led in scoring by a pair of rookies in Amanda Parkins (Kitchener, Ont.) and Christine Grant (Mississauga, Ont.). The two of them combined for seven points on Sunday afternoon. Parkins had one goal, the game winner, and three assists, while Grant netted a pair and added an assist.
York forward Andrea Joyce (Oakville, Ont.) got the game off to an exciting start, deking Gryphon goalie Brooke Siddall (Windsor, Ont.) only to fire a clean shot right off the post. Her effort was soon rewarded, however, as she picked up the game's first goal just 38 seconds into the first period, creating a turnover and sinking an easy wrist shot into an open net while Siddall was in the corner, chasing down her loose stick. There was no assist on the goal.
The Lions benefited from the momentum created by the goal, and thoroughly outplayed the Gryphons throughout the first period. The Lions' two power play opportunities featured incredible offensive zone control that created repeated scoring opportunities, all to be denied by Siddall. On the penalty kill, the Lions were nearly as dominant, spending their time mostly in the offensive zone and creating scoring opportunities.
Despite the dominant play, the Lions held just a 1-0 lead at the period's end.
The Gryphons answered early and hard to open the second, springing Parkins on a breakaway early in the frame, only to have Lions' goalie Megan Lee (Orillia, Ont.) shut down the OUA leading scorer. It was the first of three incredible breakaway saves Lee would make in the middle frame.
But the Lions couldn't hold the Gryphons off forever, and Guelph equalized the score with a power play goal from Britney Crawford (Guelph, Ont.), who finished a scramble in front of the net by beating Lee high over the blocker at 3:20 of the period. Parkins assisted on the goal, as did Jessica Pinkerton (Oshawa, Ont.)
Despite a promising power play performance from the Lions, they surrendered a short-handed goal when Parkins speedily intercepted a defensive zone pass, which left her bearing down on a surprised Lee. Parkins fired top corner on the glove side, beating Lee clear over the blocker at 14:39 of the period.
Guelph kept rolling, adding another power play goal on a deep-zone passing play that saw Grant finish a tap-in one-timer in front of the net at 17:19. Pinkerton and Parkins both assisted on the play, which earned the Gryphons a 3-1 lead heading into the final frame.
Penalty trouble continued to plague the Lions in the final period as Grant scored on the power play again early in the third. She finished a confusing play down low by beating Lee low to the glove side on a backhand shot. Pinkerton and Parkins both assisted again on the goal that came less than two minutes into the final period.
Guelph added a final goal at 8:33 of the frame, coming on the rush off the stick of Averi Nooren (Aylmer, Ont.), whose hard wrist shot beat Lee through the five-hole. Grant assisted on the goal, earning her third point of the game.
Despite the discouraging score, Lee played largely well in the game, making 28 saves on 33 shots. Siddall stopped 22 of the 23 shots she faced.
The Lions' special teams effort helped contribute to the loss, as they went 0-for-5 on the power play and surrendered three power play goals out of the eight times their penalty kill was called into action.
The Lions' record drops to 4-9-1 at the end of their home weekend. Their next game is a home-ice matchup against the Laurier Golden Hawks on Saturday (Dec. 1) at 2pm at Canlan Ice Sports.
Source: York Sports Info
Western @ Laurier
Defenceman Tara Cation of Caledon, Ont., scored the game-winning goal in overtime as the No. 10 Western Mustangs (11-3-1) came from behind to defeat the No. 6 Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks (12-1-2) 2-1 on Sunday night.
With the overtime loss, the Hawks fail to keep pace with the No. 5 Queen's Gaels as they now trail their OUA rivals by one point in the conference standings.
After a scoreless opening period, Laurier stepped up their game in the second as they looked to avenge an opening game loss to the Mustangs. Laura Brooker of Fergus, Ont., got the Hawks on the board midway through the period when she beat Western netminder Kelly Campbell of St. Thomas, Ont., for her ninth goal of the season. Laurier would outshoot the Mustangs 12-4 in the frame but only took a 1-0 lead into the final 20 minutes.
The ice tilted in Western's way in the third period as the Mustangs peppered Laurier goalie Erika Thunder of Buffalo Point, Man., with 18 shots. Late in the period, defenceman Michelle Saunders of Oakville, Ont., would find the tying goal as she beat Thunder for her first of the season.
For the second straight night, the Hawks were forced to play overtime but unlike on Saturday they could not pick up the win as Cation scored with just 28 seconds left in the five minute extra session to give Western their 11th win of the year.
Thunder, who was the busier of the two goalies, made 30 saves for the Hawks while Campbell stopped 25 shots for Western.
Brittany Crago of Stoufville, Ont., also had another strong game for Laurier as she posted an assist on Brooker's goal to extend her point streak to six games. The assist also ties her career-high for points in a season with 17.
The Hawks will close out their nine-game home stand next Thursday when they host the Waterloo Warriors at the Waterloo Recreation Complex. Puck drop is set for 7:30 p.m.
Source: Laurier Sports Info
Kristin Smith (Toronto, Ont.) had two goals and an assist leading the Queen's Gaels to a 4-0 win over the Toronto Varsity Blues in women's OUA hockey action Friday night at the Kingston Memorial Centre.
The Gaels dominated offensively outshooting the Varsity Blues 12-6 in the first period, however neither team was able to put a goal on the board. Shawna Griffin (Calgary, Alta.) opened the scoring for the Gaels with a goal at the 12:02 mark of the second period; Smith and Alisha Sealey (Elora, Ont.) had assists. Just 22 seconds later, Smith added a goal for the Gaels increasing their lead to 2-0 with assists from Chantal Morais (Guelph, Ont.) and Katie Duncan (Waterloo, Ont.). Smith scored her second goal of the game at 16:09 with assists from Duncan and Chelsey Verbeek (Beiseker, Alta.).
The Gaels carried their 3-0 lead into the third period where the play was mostly balanced for the duration of the period. Brittany McHaffie (Guelph, Ont.) scored an empty net goal for the Gaels with an assist from Morgan McHaffie (Guelph, Ont.) to bring the game to its final score of 4-0.
Mel Dodd-Moher (Ottawa, Ont.) had 18 saves for the Gaels and Toronto's Nicole Kesteris (Aurora, Ont.) stopped 31 shots. The Gaels were 0-6 on the powerplay and the Varsity Blues were 0-3. Queen's is now 12-1-1 and Toronto moves to 8-5-1.
Source: Queen's Sports Info
November 24 - Western @ Waterloo
The Waterloo women's hockey team gave the fourth place Western Mustangs all they could handle but fell short by a score of 3-2 on Saturday afternoon at the CIF. Waterloo fired 37 shots on Western keeper Olivia Ross (Huntsville) but she was able to stave off the attack and preserve the victory for her side.
With the win the Mustangs improved to 10-3-1 while the Warriors remain in ninth with a 3-8-2 record.
The game got off to a thrilling start as the Mustangs opened the scoring one minute into the game as Kryshandra Green (Caledon) fired one on net that eluded Warrior netminder, Rebecca Bouwhuis (Orillia).
The Warriors wasted little time responding as Katie Dods (Kemptville) evened the game with her third of the season on the power play. Dods found the loose puck after a Sarah Endicott (Toronto) shot hit Sarah Wolfe (Waterloo) in the shin pads and she made no mistake putting it into the wide open net past a sprawling Ross.
One minute later the Warriors took their first lead of the game as Lindsey O'Neill (Richmond Hill) notched her first career goal, putting it top shelf over the glove of Ross. Carolyn Burke (Mississauga) picked up the lone assist on the O'Neill marker.
Before the first would expire, Western would bring the game back to even as London native Stacey Scott slipped one past Bouwhuis.
The second period saw both teams with several quality chances before the Mustangs regained the lead late on a goal by Katelyn Gosling (London) to give her squad a 3-2 lead heading into the third.
The Warriors turned up their intensity and offensive pressure in the third but the 'Stangs defence and Ross would stand their ground to hold on for the 3-2 victory.
Ross earned the victory on 35 saves while Bouwhuis was given the loss allowing three goals on 28 shots.
Source: Waterloo Sports Info
Windsor @ Laurier
Brittany Crago of Stoufville, Ont., scored in the ninth round of the shootout as the No. 6 Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks (12-1-1) edged out the Windsor Lancers (9-4-2) 3-2 on Saturday night at the Waterloo Recreation Complex.
Crago, who had also scored in regulation, avoided Windsor netminder Karlyle Robinson's (St. Catharines, Ont.) poke check and scored into the open side to send the Hawks to their sixth consecutive victory.
"I saw a lot of her shots and how she was handling the puck," said Crago on her shootout winner. "She was doing really well, really confident with going for the poke check so I feel like I kind of had to slow it down, get her to move and react to her move."
In what was a very entertaining game, the Lancers got off to a flying start as they scored less than two minutes in on a goal by Bree Polci of London, Ont. Windsor would continue to control the play in the opening 20 minutes and took a 1-0 lead into the dressing room, outshooting the Hawks 11-8.
The Hawks would slowly chip away against the Lancers in the second period and were finally able to tie the game up with less than 30 seconds left. Working their second powerplay of the game, some great passing by Haley Baxter of Waterloo, Ont., and Fiona Lester of Peterborough, Ont., set up Crago who one-timed the puck past Robinson to even the game heading to the third.
The tie was short-lived though as a defensive breakdown by Laurier led to Alyssa Baldin of Mississauga, Ont., scoring the go-ahead goal just 53 seconds into the period. However, the purple and gold answered right back when Laura Brooker of Fergus, Ont., scored her eighth goal of the season just two minutes later to tie the game at two.
Neither team found the winning goal in the rest of the third period or overtime so the two teams headed to a shootout. Both teams would score in the second and fourth rounds before Robinson and Laurier goalie Kayla Brown of Lively, Ont., shutdown the rest of the shooters until the ninth round. After Brown turned away Krysten Bortolotti of Belle River, Ont., Crago would play the hero giving Laurier their 12th win of the season.
"I was definitely nervous," said Brown of her first OUA shootout. "In the CIS, there is a lot of really good shooters and then when we weren't scoring and they were scoring, it got me worried but it turned out for the best in the end."
Brown finished the game with 30 saves to pick up her fourth win of the year. As for Robinson, she was charged with her second overtime loss after stopping 26 of 28 shots.
Source: Laurier Sports Info
Brock @ York
The York University Lions women's hockey team was defeated by the Brock Badgers by a final score of 2-1 at Canlan Ice Sports on Saturday afternoon (Nov. 24).
The Badgers, whose record was 1-12-1 going into the contest, recorded just their second win of the season to move out of last place in the OUA standings. The Lions dropped to 4-8-1 and are currently eighth.
The Lions got off to a shaky start in the first but after killing an early penalty, they settled into a comfortable rhythm. Neither team was able to establish much consistent offence, but Lions' goaltender Megan Lee (Orillia, Ont.) was able to deny the Badgers' best chance of the period on a speedy breakaway by Katie Howlett (Burlington, Ont.).
The Lions established a successful offensive pattern late in the period on the power play that saw them stack up scoring opportunities, culminating in a high slot wrist shot by defender Kristen Barbara (Mount Hope, Ont.) that couldn't beat Badgers' goalie Emily Kelly (Port Elgin, Ont.).
The back-and-forth period concluded in a 0-0 draw.
York's defensive struggles continued into the second period and the Lions spent the first half of the period unable to escape their defensive zone. Lee's saves added up as she stopped shot after shot, but the Badgers finally scored at 8:30 of the period. A centering pass into a scramble in front of the net resulted in a weird deflection that bounced over Lee's butterfly. Brock's Leigh Vanderveen (Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont.) was credited with the goal, and Jessica Fickel (Fort Erie, Ont.) and Sarah Dolden (Brampton, Ont.) got the assists.
The Badgers extended their lead later in the period on the power play, on a similar play. Jaclyn Conacher (Burlington, Ont.) fired a centering pass from behind the net that banked in off a Lions defender at 13:45 of the period. No assist was given on the play. The Badgers carried their 2-0 lead into the final period.
York managed to make a game of it in the third, as Kristie Wilson (Hamilton, Ont.) finally put the Lions on the board at 6:43 of the period on a 5-on-3 power play. Barbara and fellow defender Rebecca Bond (Espanola, Ont.) earned assists with cross-ice passes before Bond put it on Wilson's stick low in the slot. Wilson made no mistake and fired a quick wrist shot to the top shelf, just under the bar.
The Lions picked up momentum with the goal but despite their increased offensive pressure, weren't able to close the gap and finished the game with the loss.
Lee stopped 18 of the 20 shots she faced, while Kelly stopped 14 of 15.
Special teams proved critical in the game as York was successful on just 1-of-5 power play chances, while its penalty kill unit was called into action eight times over the course of the game, often on undisciplined penalties, and surrendered the eventual game-winning goal.
Source: York Sports Info
Ryerson @ Queen's
An offensively strong game for the Queen's Gaels led the women's hockey team to a 3-0 win over the Ryerson Rams at the Kingston Memorial Centre Saturday night.
Morgan McHaffie (Guelph, Ont.) opened the scoring for the Gaels at 10:27 with a goal from the left side of the net; Brittany McHaffie (Guelph, Ont) and Mary Coughlin (Amherstberg, Ont.) had assists. The Rams outshot the Gaels 8-7 in the first period.
The Gaels carried their 1-0 lead into the second period and took control of the game offensively. M. McHaffie scored a powerplay goal for the Gaels at the 10:35 mark of the second period with assists from B. McHaffie and Katie Duncan (Waterloo, Ont.). The Gaels continued to dominate offensively outshooting the Rams 17-4 in the second period.
Taryn Pilon (Peterborough, Ont.) opened the scoring for the Gaels in the third period with a goal at the 5:39 mark; B. McHaffie and Coughlin had assists.
Karissa Savage (Calgary, Alta.) had 17 saves for the Gaels and Brianna Trembley (Whitby, Ont.) stopped 27 shots for the Rams. Queen's is now 13-1-1 in the regular season and stand at the top of the OUA standings. Ryerson is now 2-11.
The Gaels return to action Saturday, December 1, as they travel to Windsor to take on the Warriors. Faceoff is set for 4:10 p.m.
Source: Queen's Sports Info
November 25 - Windsor @ Waterloo
Rebecca Bouwhuis (Orillia) stopped 36 of 37 shots and Nicole Ballantyne (Toronto) and Sarah Wolfe (Waterloo) scored for the Warriors as they topped the Windsor Lancers 2-1 at home on Sunday afternoon.
The win put a halt to a three game losing streak and propelled Waterloo into a playoff spot with 10 points (4-9-2) on the season. With the loss Windsor remain in fifth place with a 9-5-2 record.
The first two periods was all Windsor as they controlled the neutral zone and continually put the pressure on the Warriors, but Bouwhuis and her defence were able to weather the storm.
The best chance for the home side came off the stick of Kelly MacLean (St. George) midway through the second period as she sped away on a partial breakaway but was turned aside by Lancer goalie Karlyle Robinson (St. Catharines) to keep the game locked at 0's.
The Warriors found the games opening goal early in the third on a beautifully set up power play goal. The forward line of Maclean, Marissa Redmond (Ajax) and Nicole Ballantyne (Toronto) worked a perfect tic-tac-toe that was capped off by Ballantyne into the gaping net.
Windsor continued their strong pressure but again the Warriors staved off the attack and held a 1-0 lead late into the game. Windsor would force three straight offensive zone face-offs but it would be Sarah Wolfe (Waterloo) who would ice the game with an empty netter with 38 seconds remaining in the contest.
Candice Chevalier (Essex) added a late goal for the Lancers to spoil Bouwhuis' shoutout bid but it would be too little too late as the Warriors would skate away with the 2-1 win.
Bouwhuis was the star of the game making several highlight reel saves in the second period while Robinson allowed one goal on 15 shots.
The Warriors close out 2012 next weekend with a pair of games against Laurier on Thursday and York on Sunday at home.
Source: Waterloo Sports Info
Ryerson @ Toronto
The Varsity Blues women’s hockey team returned home with a bang, routing the Ryerson Rams 6-0 on Sunday, November 25 in their first game at Varsity Arena in almost a month.
With the win the Blues improve to 9-5-1 and now sit only one point back of the fifth-place Windsor Lancers in the OUA standings.
Team captain, and leading point-getter, Kelly O’Hanlon had four points in the win, giving her 19 on the season. The Markham Ont. native came into tonight’s action ranked ninth in OUA scoring. Second-year winger Sonja Weidenfelder (Toronto), and Ragan Danford (Madoc, Ont.) picked up three points each, and rookie centre Taylor Day grabbed a goal to continue her impressive rookie campaign. The Ilderton, Ont. native leads the team in assists with seven, and is second on the team with 11 points.
Aurora native Nicole Kesteris was solid when called upon in goal, but only faced 18 shots in earning her second shutout of the season.
Toronto jumped on the Rams early, scoring twice in the first three minutes of play. Amanda Ricker (Ottawa) got the game’s first goal, one-timing a pass from Jacqueline Sheffel over Ram’s goaltender Brianna Tremblay. Weidenfelder then notched her first of the game just over a minute later when she took a centering feed from O’Hanlon and squeaked a shot through Tremblay. She struck again on a powerplay in the latter stages of the first, finishing off a pretty passing play from Ricker and O’Hanlon to put the Blues up 3-0 heading into the second.
Day scored the only goal of the middle frame. After setting up sophomore Courtney Tougas (Thunder Bay, Ont.) for a chance in front, she skated to the net and whacked in the rebound for the Blues second powerplay marker.
U of T would put the Rams away in the third with goals from O’Hanlon and Danford, who were named the game’s first and third stars, respectively.
Rookie goaltender Brianna Tremblay made 18 saves in taking the loss for Ryerson.
The Blues return to action this Saturday, December 1 when they host the University of Guelph Gryphons at Varsity Arena. Game time is 4 p.m.
Source: Toronto Sports Info
Guelph @ York
The York University Lions women's hockey team dropped a 5-1 decision to the No. 9 nationally-ranked Guelph Gryphons on Sunday afternoon (Nov. 25) at Canlan Ice Sports.
York lost its season opener to Guelph by the same 5-1 score on Oct. 6, the only previous meeting between the two teams this season. They will meet once more this year, on Jan. 17 in Guelph.
The Gryphons, who improved to 11-3-2 with the win, have been led in scoring by a pair of rookies in Amanda Parkins (Kitchener, Ont.) and Christine Grant (Mississauga, Ont.). The two of them combined for seven points on Sunday afternoon. Parkins had one goal, the game winner, and three assists, while Grant netted a pair and added an assist.
York forward Andrea Joyce (Oakville, Ont.) got the game off to an exciting start, deking Gryphon goalie Brooke Siddall (Windsor, Ont.) only to fire a clean shot right off the post. Her effort was soon rewarded, however, as she picked up the game's first goal just 38 seconds into the first period, creating a turnover and sinking an easy wrist shot into an open net while Siddall was in the corner, chasing down her loose stick. There was no assist on the goal.
The Lions benefited from the momentum created by the goal, and thoroughly outplayed the Gryphons throughout the first period. The Lions' two power play opportunities featured incredible offensive zone control that created repeated scoring opportunities, all to be denied by Siddall. On the penalty kill, the Lions were nearly as dominant, spending their time mostly in the offensive zone and creating scoring opportunities.
Despite the dominant play, the Lions held just a 1-0 lead at the period's end.
The Gryphons answered early and hard to open the second, springing Parkins on a breakaway early in the frame, only to have Lions' goalie Megan Lee (Orillia, Ont.) shut down the OUA leading scorer. It was the first of three incredible breakaway saves Lee would make in the middle frame.
But the Lions couldn't hold the Gryphons off forever, and Guelph equalized the score with a power play goal from Britney Crawford (Guelph, Ont.), who finished a scramble in front of the net by beating Lee high over the blocker at 3:20 of the period. Parkins assisted on the goal, as did Jessica Pinkerton (Oshawa, Ont.)
Despite a promising power play performance from the Lions, they surrendered a short-handed goal when Parkins speedily intercepted a defensive zone pass, which left her bearing down on a surprised Lee. Parkins fired top corner on the glove side, beating Lee clear over the blocker at 14:39 of the period.
Guelph kept rolling, adding another power play goal on a deep-zone passing play that saw Grant finish a tap-in one-timer in front of the net at 17:19. Pinkerton and Parkins both assisted on the play, which earned the Gryphons a 3-1 lead heading into the final frame.
Penalty trouble continued to plague the Lions in the final period as Grant scored on the power play again early in the third. She finished a confusing play down low by beating Lee low to the glove side on a backhand shot. Pinkerton and Parkins both assisted again on the goal that came less than two minutes into the final period.
Guelph added a final goal at 8:33 of the frame, coming on the rush off the stick of Averi Nooren (Aylmer, Ont.), whose hard wrist shot beat Lee through the five-hole. Grant assisted on the goal, earning her third point of the game.
Despite the discouraging score, Lee played largely well in the game, making 28 saves on 33 shots. Siddall stopped 22 of the 23 shots she faced.
The Lions' special teams effort helped contribute to the loss, as they went 0-for-5 on the power play and surrendered three power play goals out of the eight times their penalty kill was called into action.
The Lions' record drops to 4-9-1 at the end of their home weekend. Their next game is a home-ice matchup against the Laurier Golden Hawks on Saturday (Dec. 1) at 2pm at Canlan Ice Sports.
Source: York Sports Info
Western @ Laurier
Defenceman Tara Cation of Caledon, Ont., scored the game-winning goal in overtime as the No. 10 Western Mustangs (11-3-1) came from behind to defeat the No. 6 Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks (12-1-2) 2-1 on Sunday night.
With the overtime loss, the Hawks fail to keep pace with the No. 5 Queen's Gaels as they now trail their OUA rivals by one point in the conference standings.
After a scoreless opening period, Laurier stepped up their game in the second as they looked to avenge an opening game loss to the Mustangs. Laura Brooker of Fergus, Ont., got the Hawks on the board midway through the period when she beat Western netminder Kelly Campbell of St. Thomas, Ont., for her ninth goal of the season. Laurier would outshoot the Mustangs 12-4 in the frame but only took a 1-0 lead into the final 20 minutes.
The ice tilted in Western's way in the third period as the Mustangs peppered Laurier goalie Erika Thunder of Buffalo Point, Man., with 18 shots. Late in the period, defenceman Michelle Saunders of Oakville, Ont., would find the tying goal as she beat Thunder for her first of the season.
For the second straight night, the Hawks were forced to play overtime but unlike on Saturday they could not pick up the win as Cation scored with just 28 seconds left in the five minute extra session to give Western their 11th win of the year.
Thunder, who was the busier of the two goalies, made 30 saves for the Hawks while Campbell stopped 25 shots for Western.
Brittany Crago of Stoufville, Ont., also had another strong game for Laurier as she posted an assist on Brooker's goal to extend her point streak to six games. The assist also ties her career-high for points in a season with 17.
The Hawks will close out their nine-game home stand next Thursday when they host the Waterloo Warriors at the Waterloo Recreation Complex. Puck drop is set for 7:30 p.m.
Source: Laurier Sports Info
