AROUND OUA: Mustangs can't complete comeback in upset loss to Badgers
LONDON, Ont. – Western lost an energetic contest to the Brock Badgers 2-1 at Thompson Arena on Sunday afternoon.
SCOREBOARD
Mustangs can't complete comeback in upset loss to Badgers
LONDON, Ont. – Western lost an energetic contest to the Brock Badgers 2-1 at Thompson Arena on Sunday afternoon.
After falling behind by two goals, the Mustangs mounted a determined effort to tie to the game in the third period but were unable to find the tying goal.
"We are having some trouble finding a way to score goals," said Mustangs head coach David Barrett after the loss. "To have success we need to play together and trust in each other to do the right thing so that we collectively win."
Forward Brittany Clapham scored the Mustangs lone marker in the third period. The goal was assisted by Katelyn Gosling and April Clark. Mustang goaltender Kelly Campbell made 25 saves on 27 shots in the game.
The Badgers came out flying in the first period. They had great success dissecting the Mustangs breakout and were able to turn that pressure into extended offensive zone-time. Campbell, however, stopped all seven shots she faced in the period and the score remained 0-0 after one.
The Mustangs had a better start to the second period. They seemed more confident in all three zones and were rewarded by drawing a couple of offensive zone penalties. The Mustangs, however, were not able to capitalize on either of their man advantage situations.
The Badgers opened the scoring just over 16 minutes into the second frame. A loose puck off a faceoff in the Mustangs zone allowed Brock defensemen Brittney Cabral to jump up and seize control. Cabral fired the puck on net towards teammate Jazz Kennedy who was able to find it in traffic in front of a sprawling Campbell and snap it home to give the Badgers the lead.
The Badgers took their 1-0 lead to the third period.
The Mustangs carried a power play over from the second period and were looking to capitalize and tie the game. Unfortunately, a turnover in their own zone to start the period allowed the Badgers to score a shorthanded goal to double their lead.
Undeterred, the Mustangs ramped up the in the final period looking to mount the comeback.
Just past the halfway point of the period, the Mustangs effort paid off. A nice zone entry off the rush allowed Clark to chip a pass back to Gosling at the point. Gosling fired a shot on net and Clapham, who was driving hard to net, picked up the shot and tipped it in mid air to beat Brock goaltender Murphy Jensen. The goal marked Clapham's seventh tally of the season.
Despite nine third period shots, the comeback fell short and the Mustangs lost by a score of 2-1.
"We will continue to stress what we have been," said Barrett. "We played a lot better structurally this weekend but again, not a lot of goal scoring. We will have to work on that aspect of the game."
Clapham echoed her coach's sentiment when asked about how the Mustangs can improve going forward.
"I think we played well we just didn't get the bounces," said the fourth year forward after the game. "We need to shoot a little bit more to get some more scoring opportunities."
The Mustang's return to action on Friday against the York Lions at Thompson Arena.
Source: Western Mustangs
Ridgebacks earn come from behind victory in Sudbury
SUDBURY, Ont. – Giving up is not in the UOIT women's hockey team's vocabulary and they proved that on Sunday afternoon.
Out of the playoff chase and trailing Laurentian 3-1 less than a minute into the second period, Justin Caruana's team could have easily packed it in with a long bus ride home ahead of them. Instead, the Ridgebacks stormed back with three unanswered goals to pick up the 4-3 win, their sixth of the season.
Defender Teresa Horner (Hamilton, Ont.) capped off the Ridgeback comeback scoring on the power play midway through the second period.
Tailor Campbell (Palmerston, Ont.) scored the Ridgebacks lone goal in the first period while Kassidy Nauboris (Brampton, Ont.) and Mariah Wilson (Cobourg, Ont.) each scored in the second.
Making her first start since January 24th, Tori Campbell (Saskatoon, Sask.) made 44 saves in the victory, including stopping all 16 shots she faced in the third period. UOIT made the most of their opportunities firing just 19 shots on goal.
With the loss, Laurentian's playoff celebration was put on hold as Windsor, Brock and York all remain within striking distance of the Voyageurs for eighth place.
The win puts an end to UOIT's six-game losing streak, as they sweep the season series with Laurentian. The Ridgebacks are 6-0-0 against Laurentian in program history.
UOIT has two more home games remaining in their regular season beginning with a Sunday matinee next week against the Ryerson Rams. The Rams have struggled this season as they sit in the basement of the OUA standings with a 3-16-1 record.
Source: UOIT Ridgebacks
Lions score clutch comeback with over Warriors
On Sunday afternoon (Feb. 7), the York University women's hockey team triumphed with a 3-2 victory over the Waterloo Warriors at Canlan Ice Arena.
After being down a goal late in the third period, Chelsea Tucker (Alliston, Ont.) and Stephanie Dovaston (Unionville, Ont.) were able to score two clutch goals just 24 seconds apart to complete a big comeback and secure the Lions a victory.
The Lions now have a 4-4-9-3 record on the year and sit just under the Warriors at tenth position in OUA Standings.
Although the Warriors had the majority of chances in front of net in the first period with 12 shots as opposed to the Lions' eight, the Lions were the first to pounce and score the first goal of the game.
Early at 1:58, Cynthia St-Cyr (New Liskeard, Ont.) and Jessa McAuliffe (Odessa, Ont.) teamed up to assist Justine Treadwell (Huntsville, Ont) to put the Lions up 1-0 heading into the first intermission.
The second period remained goalless but the Lions controlled most of the play, finishing the period with 12 shots on goal over the Warriors' six.
In the third period the Warriors scored twice to grab a 2-1 lead over the Lions with goals scored from Dana Fairbam at 5:09 and Amy Barndard at 15:03. Stephanie Digness was given the assist for Fairbam's goal and Marissa Redmond assisted Barnard's.
However despite the Warrior's one-goal advantage, the Lions were determined to walk away with the win and were able to slip two goals past Warriors goaltender Rebecca Bouwhuis to eek out the 3-2 win just before the final buzzer.
At 18:15 Tucker was able to find the equalizer with the help of Erin Locke (Toronto) and Tegan Duncan (Oakville, Ont.). Then seconds later at 18:39 Dovaston capitalized in front of net after Jenna Gray (London, Ont.) was able to find her in a scoring position.
Overall Bouwhuis stopped 27 shots while Lions goaltender Megan Lee (Orillia, Ont.) saved 22 of the 24 shots sent her way.
In the next week the Lions will gear up to take on the fifth-placed Western Mustangs (11-1-8-1) in London Ont. Action gets underway at 7pm on Friday, Feb. 12.
Source: York Lions
Gryphons win 5-2 over Windsor in 3rd annual "Fight For Kevin" game
GUELPH, ON -- The Guelph Gryphons women's hockey team has been rumbling through the OUA regular season schedule, yet Sunday afternoon's matchup with the visiting Windsor Lancers meant much more than points on the line. Guelph did extend its win streak to eight games with a decisive 5-2 victory over the Lancers at Gryphon Centre Arena. But the lime green tape used by both teams signified the true importance of an event billed as the 3rd annual "Fight For Kevin" game. The game was played to remember Kevin Siddall, the younger brother of former Gryphon goalie Brooke Siddall, who tragically lost his battle with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma on Feb. 4, 2014 at the age of 14.
"I'm far removed from the team now," said an emotional Siddall, who was on hand to drop the puck for the ceremonial face off between captains. "They don't even know me. I played with about five or six of the girls in that room. I thought this game would be a one-off.
"It's amazing. And it's touching, especially given the timing for my family."
Siddall said her brother was both smart and athletic, a kid wise beyond his years in a family filled with sports junkies. And while he was passionate about playing hockey and baseball, Kevin was a huge fan of Gryphon hockey. So he would have loved what happened early Sunday, though there may have been some nail biting in the third period.
The Gryphons methodically built a 3-0 lead but the Windsor offence, held in check all game, came alive midway through the final period. Taylor Conte wristed a shot past Stephanie Nehring at 7:13 to get the Lancers on the board and less than two minutes later, Hillary Hettwer scored on a deflection to cut the Guelph lead to one.
But the Lancers rally was quickly snuffed out as Brittany St. James put Guelph back in control minutes later. Windsor turned the puck over and St. James beat Windsor's Ingrid Sandven high on the blocker side at 13:07. Averi Nooren added a power-play goal in the final minute to wrap up a strong performance.
"We talked about Brooke's legacy, the way she played and how her family had dealt with things," said coach Rachel Flanagan. "We owed it to her to play hard every shift. We had a great start because of that and we played with emotion."
Kelly Gribbons, Christine Grant and Leigh Shilton also scored for Guelph (15-2-3-1), while Jessica Pinkerton and Katherine Bailey each chipped in two assists. Stephanie Nehring faced just 12 shots but came up with some key stops after Windsor got back into the game.
"Steph responded and beared down," Flanagan said of the stretch after Windsor scored twice, noting that a few defensive breakdowns left the goaltender in a vulnerable position.
The Gryphons rode that emotional wave and came out flying, taking a 1-0 lead at the 7:59 mark of the first period when Gribbons wired a slap shot high over Sandven's blocker, the third-year forward's 8th of the season and 20th point.
Guelph stretched the lead to 2-0 late in the first when Grant (two points) grabbed a rebound, patiently waited until Sandven went down and beat the Windsor goalie high. It was a dominant opening 20 minutes for the Gryphons, who out shot the Lancers 11-2. And not much changed in the second period. Shilton made it 3-0 when she battled in the left circle and beat Sandven with a quick shot through traffic at the 10:59 mark.
Guelph has been stingy defensively of late. They entered the day on a seven-game win streak in which they had shutout opponents four times during that stretch and allowed just six total goals. Windsor (7-11-1-2) featured a line with the top three scorers in the OUA in Krystin Lawrence (29 points), Erinn Noseworthy (27 points) and Shawna Lesperance (27 points, including a league-high 17 goals) and while the trio was shut down, Flanagan knew the Lancers would take their chances when they came.
"It was good to face some adversity," the coach said. "We have to remember that we can't just walk in and win games. It takes effort."
NOTES:
- Funds raised at Sunday's game go to Childcan, a charity that supports children and families impacted by childhood cancer
- Nooren (13-8-21) leads all Gryphons in goals and points. Gribbons is second on the team with 20 points
- Pinkerton's assists were her 10th and 11th of the season and her 19 points trails only Gribbons and Nooren
- Guelph out shot Windsor 30-12
Source: Guelph Gryphons
