CIS women's hockey Saturday roundup: Daoust dazzles, Bettez bewilders as Martlets crush Carabins

OTTAWA - Entering Saturday afternoon’s matchup against Carleton, the uOttawa Women’s hockey team were the only team in the RSEQ division to not have surrendered a loss to the rivalled Ravens, and they would escape the afternoon with that feat still intact.
 
The Gee-Gees did not get the start they were hoping for, allowing an early goal to Ravens forward Kelsey VanderVeen just three minutes after puck drop.
 
The Gee-Gees were quick to respond though, answering the Ravens' goal with constant pressure and power play opportunities that gave the home team all the momentum they needed. Finally, at the 11:27 mark, Gee-Gees forward Jessica Bouchard (Montreal, Que.) buried a short range shot that pulled the Garnet and Grey even with the Ravens.
 
The Gee-Gees returned to the attack immediately in the second period with great puck movement deep in the offensive zone. Despite the amount of chances they created though, the Gee-Gees could not find the back of the net and failed to capitalize on all scoring chances.
 
That is until a rare four-on-four situation late in the second period saw the Gee-Gees take advantage of the open ice and break the dead lock between the two teams. Carley Porcellato (Guelph, Ont.) flew down the right wing on a two-on-one and used the open lane to fire a seemingly effortless low wrist shot past the Ravens goaltender.
 
The game pace slowed down a little bit in the third period. This time the Ravens took their turn applying the offensive pressure. However, the numerous defensive zone turnovers by the Gee-Gees allowed starting goaltender Tia Marley (Kingston, N.S.) to flash some brilliance, denying the Ravens of any chance at mounting a comeback.
 
Building off the momentum that Marley had established for her team, the Gee-Gees were able to increase their lead to two with an absolute canon of a shot from defenseman Valerie Watson (St-Hyacinthe, Qué.), which is all the Gee-Gees would need to finish the Ravens off on the afternoon.
 
“The fact that it’s the Ravens and they’re just across town gives us that extra fire and extra motivation to get the job done,” forward Fannie Desforges (Fournier, Ont.) explained after the game. “We definitely seem way more pumped and driven to beat them, so hopefully we can start doing the same thing for different opponents.”
 
Gee-Gees head coach Yanick Evola touched on his team’s strong performance after the game, crediting the women with displaying one of their best efforts yet.
 
 “I don’t think we were beatable tonight,” explained Evola. “We were hungry, we wanted the puck, we played our systems well, we remained disciplined, and everyone did their job. This is the way the team needs to play for 60 minutes every night.”
 
Next up for the women in Garnet and Grey is another important home game against the Concordia Stingers on Saturday, January 21, at 2:00 p.m. at the uOttawa Minto Sports Complex.

Source: Ottawa Sports Info

GUELPH, Ont. - The Gryphon women’s hockey team soared to a 5-2 victory over the Western Mustangs this afternoon (Jan. 14) in front of a packed house at the Gryphon Centre.
 
 The win lifts the Gryphons to 13-3-1 while the loss drops the Mustangs to 7-11-0.
 
 Kaitlyn Mora (Guelph, ON) and Jenna Lanzarotta (Mississauga, ON) each netted two goals, while Emily Corbett (Toronto) chipped in for one. Stephanie Nehring (Oshawa, ON) played a solid game for Guelph, stopping 16 of 18 shots.
 
 Mora opened the scoring for Guelph at 6:58 into the first period with help from Kim Wong (Mississauga, ON) and Tam Bell (Guelph, ON). Western replied, tying the score 1-1 at 11:06 with a goal from Katelyn Gosling (London, ON), assisted by Marianne Filson (Denfield, ON) and Tara Cation (Caledon, ON).

Guelph’s offence and defence was operating on all cylinders going into the second period.  Corbett wired a centering pass from Hilary Walsh (Nepean, ON) and Adrianna Prosdocimo (Brampton, ON) past Western netminder, Olivia Ross (Huntsville, ON) to secure the lead at 3:36.
 
 Lanzarotta scored her first of the night on a power play with help from linemates, Jessica Pinkerton (Oshawa, ON) and Michelle Sabourin (Pickering, ON) at 19:14. Guelph finished the second period strong with a 3-1 lead over the Mustangs.
 
 The Mustangs entered the third period looking to make a comeback and caught a break when Ally Galloway (Kitchener, ON) scored at 13:54 to come within one of the lead.
 
 With six minutes left, the Gryphons were feeling the pressure and called a time out to regroup. Mora came through and scored an insurance goal at 17:34, assisted by Bell and Erin Small (Pickering, ON). In an act of desperation, Western pulled their goalie to take a one-man advantage over the Gryphons on the ice, which backfired when Lanzarotta scored her second goal of the evening on an empty net.
 
 The Gryphons secured the 5-2 decision over the visiting Mustangs to maintain their second place rank in the OUA standings.
 
 The Gryphons will host the Windsor Lancers Sunday January, 15 at 2:00 p.m. The girls will look to continue their winning streak and close in on the Golden Hawks for the number one spot atop the OUA standings.

Source: Guelph Sports Info

TORONTO - The Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks broke open a close game with four third period goals en route to a 7-2 win over the Ryerson Rams women's hockey team on Saturday afternoon at George Bell Arena.

The Rams put forth an outstanding effort against the CIS No. 2 ranked Golden Hawks through the first 40 minutes of the contest. Back-up goaltender Dana Carson, in just her third start of the season, made some brilliant and acrobatic saves, stopping 32 of 34 shots as the Rams trailed 2-1 at the end of the second. 

Newcomer Paulena Jakarsezian and captain Kyla Thurston, with her team-leading ninth of the season, scored for Ryerson.

The Rams will host GTA rivals York on Saturday and Toronto on Sunday.

Source; Ryerson Sports Info

TORONTO - Chloe Milano scored the game winner in overtime to give the York University Lions women's hockey team a 2-1 victory over the Queen's Gaels at Canlan Ice Sports on Saturday afternoon (Jan. 14).
 
Milano (Maple, Ont.), a fourth-year forward and the team captain, notched the winner 2:10 into the extra frame to give the Lions an important two points in the standings. The win gave the Lions sole possession of fifth place in the OUA standings with 19 points and moved them to within one point of the fourth-place Windsor Lancers.
 
The overtime winner completed a comeback for the Lions after they fell behind by a goal in the first period. Less than six minutes into the game, Gaels defender Danielle Girard (Sarnia, Ont.) scored her first goal of the season when she tapped the puck into the net after a scramble in front of Lions goaltender Megan Lee (Orillia, Ont.).
 
The score would remain 1-0 for the Gaels throughout the rest of the first period.
 
The Lions quickly tied the game in the second, just 1:01 in, on a goal by Andrea Joyce (Mississauga, Ont.), her sixth of the year. Milano assisted on the play, as did Stephanie Dovaston (Unionville, Ont.).
 
Lee, a rookie netminder making her fifth start of the year, was stellar while preserving the tie. She finished with 28 saves in the game, including several in the second and third periods as the Gaels fought hard for the equalizer. At the other end of the ice, Karissa Savage (Calgary) played the first half of the game and was switched off for Mel Dodd-Moher (Stittsville, Ont.) with 8:39 left in the second period. Savage made 12 saves and Dodd-Moher 14 while each allowing one goal.
 
The Gaels continue to hold down third place in the OUA standings with a 10-5-3 record.
 
The Lions will return to home ice again on Sunday afternoon (Jan. 15) for a game against the UOIT Ridgebacks (7-10-0). Puck drop is set for 2pm at Canlan Ice Sports.
 
NOTE: Saturday's game was also York's 4th annual Roar for a Cure game, which raises money for the Canadian Cancer Society in honour of former captain and current assistant coach Jessica Turi, who won her own battle with cancer at the age of 18. The Lions raised nearly $1,500 thanks to a silent auction, fan donations and ticket sales.

Source: York Sports Info

MONTREAL - Freshman Mélodie Daoust of Valleyfield, Que., netted a hat-trick and linemate Ann-Sophie Bettez of Sept-Iles, Que., scored four points as the No.1-ranked McGill women's hockey team muffled the Montreal Carabins 5-0 at McConnell Arena, Saturday.
 
It was the 12th straight victory, including exhibition play, for the defending national champs, who lead the Quebec conference with a 12-1 record, seven points ahead of second-place Montreal, which dropped to 8-4-1.
 
Charline Labonté of Boisbriand, Que., needed only 12 saves to post her CIS-leading fifth shutout in 11 starts, improving to 10-1 with a 1.20 goals-against average and a .935 save percentage. The three-time Canadian Olympian has posted five whitewashes in her last six games, including non-conference play. She also extended her CIS career record shutout mark to 42 and improved her CIS lifetime record to 75-2.
 
McGill dominated play from the drop of the puck, posting a 39-12 advantage in shots, including a 12-2 margin in the opening period. The Martlets went 2-for-6 on the power-play and snuffed out all five shorthanded situations.
 
Bettez, who has tallied 12 points over her last three league games, opened the scoring with the eventual game-winner, on a power-play with just one second remaining in the first stanza. When the dust settled, she registered two goals and a pair of helpers. She leads the RSEQ conference scoring race with 26 points, including 11 goals, in just 13 contests.
 
Daoust, who scored three and set up another, is second in the scoring race with an 8-14-22 record in 11 games. Katia Clement-Heydra, the third member of McGill's high-scoring trio, collected three assists.
 
McGill's next game will be an exhibition on Jan. 14 at 7 p.m. against the Montreal Stars, a pro women's team in the Canadian Women's Hockey League. It will be the first of two meetings, both at McConnell Arena, against the Stars, which feature a star-studded lineup of Olympians and former university players.  Montreal leads the six-team league with a 12-2 record. Among the McGill grads in the Stars lineup are defencemen Catherine Ward, Carly Hill and Rebecca Martindale, along with forwards Vanessa Davidson and Alyssa Cecere.

Source: McGill Sports Info

ST. CATHARINES, Ont. – The Brock University women's hockey team (8-9-1 OUA) dropped a 6-2 decision to the Windsor Lancers Saturday afternoon at the Seymour-Hannah Centre.
 
Windsor opened the scoring just two minutes into the opening period as Kayla Dodson setup Ally Strickland for her third of the season.
 
At 6:23 of the first, the Lancers would go to work on the powerplay, as Candace Rapchak beat Brock freshman goaltender Chantal Bicket (Oshawa, Ont.) to make it 2-0. Dodson and Courtney Spoors added the assists.
 
Windsor would take a 3-0 lead at the 11:10 mark of the first as Spoors and Lindsay Hoogstraten setup Candace Kourounis for her fourth of the campaign.
 
The Lancers would take a three-goal lead into the dressing after 20 minutes, ending Bicket's day. Freshman Emily Kelly (Port Elgin, Ont.) would replace Bicket at the start of the second period.
 
The Badgers cut the lead to two, just 2:19 into the second period as Amber Wilson (Brantford, Ont.) and Jessica Fickel (Fort Erie, Ont.) setup Megan Keane (Pefferlaw, Ont.) for her seventh of the campaign.
 
Windsor would regain their three-goal lead at 17:04 as Kiely Barnett and Caitlin Connell setup Candice Chevalier, who buried it past Kelly for her second of the season.
 
Two minutes into the third period, Keane would be the Badgers lone highlight as she registered her second goal of the day and eighth of the season. Fickel and Leigh Vandeerveen (NOTL, Ont.) added the assists.
 
The Lancers would close out the scoring with goals from Bree Polci at 8:42 and Rapchak at 12:02 on the powerplay.
 
In goal, Windsor starter Karlyle Robinson recorded 30 saves in the victory. Bicket suffered the loss allowing three goals on 10 shots.  Kelly collected 11 saves in a no-decision.
 
The Badgers next action is Thursday, January 19th at 3:00 pm when they take on the UOIT Ridgebacks in the OUA Outdoor Classic being held at Ivor Wynne Stadium in Hamilton.

Source: Brock Sports Info

TORONTO - Fifth-year forward Amanda Fawns scored 57 seconds into overtime to lift the Varsity Blues women’s hockey team to a 2-1 victory over the Waterloo Warriors on Saturday January 14 at Varsity Arena.
 
The win improves the Blues record to 9-7-1 this season, and moves them into a tie with the York Lions for fifth place in the OUA.  The victory also marks Toronto’s second come-from-behind victory over the Warriors, the first coming last Friday, January 6 in a 4-3 win for the Blues.
 
"We worked really hard tonight but couldn't put the puck in the net," said Varsity Blues head coach Vicky Sunohara. "[The coaching staff] told them to keep throwing the puck at net and it would go in.  We did and it was great to get another come back win."
 
Second-year Varsity Blues goaltender Nicole Kesteris was solid throughout the game, shutting the door on all four of Waterloo’s powerplay opportunities, including three consecutive advantages in the first period.
 
The Warriors were unable to solve Kesteris until midway through the second period, when Kelly MacLean found herself all alone in front of the net and slammed home a centering pass from Waterloo captain Caitlin Brydges.
 
The Blues pressed hard for the equalizer in the final period and were finally rewarded when team captain Karolina Urban of Kamloops, B.C., won a battle for the puck in front of the net before muscling it past Warrior’s goaltender Martina Michaud to tie the game with just 3:33 left in regulation time.
 
Both Jorgensen and Jacqueline Scheffel (Waubaushene, Ont.) picked up assists on the goal.
 
Kesteris shone again in the final minutes, stopping a wrap-around attempt at 1:41, and making a save on a point-blank opportunity with 52 seconds remaining to help send the game to overtime.
 
The Blues would only need 57 seconds of extra time before Fawns tipped home a point shot from rookie defenceman April Looije (Mississauga, Ont.) to give Toronto the win.
 
The loss drops Waterloo to 7-8-3, putting them in eighth place in the OUA.
 
The Blues next game is tomorrow (Jan. 15) at home against the No. 2 Laurier Golden Hawks. Puck drop is scheduled for 2 p.m.

Source: Toronto Sports Info

Sackville, NB - The Mount Allison Mounties Women's Hockey team is going to have to wait just a little longer to sit in third place alone. An epic battle for third place in the AUS standings with the UPEI Panthers came out with the Panthers on top 3-2 in overtime.

The Mounties got things started early, with PEI native Emily Van Diepen scoring her third goal of the season one minute into the game with captain Lauren Oickle getting the lone assist. Before the period was over, UPEI had tied the score up at 1-1.

No scoring occurred in the second, and after the Mounties killed off a 5-on-3 disadvantage to start the third period, Courtney King put the Mounties ahead again, deflecting a Kristen Cooze shot in past the Panther netminder. Ashlyn Somers also drew an assist on the powerplay goal.

Not long after, PEI had a powerplay of their own which they capitalized on. Ferran Brown scored her second of the game to tie the game at 2-2.

4:34 into the extra time, Jamielynn Donaldson somehow poked the puck home after a scramble in front of the Mounties' net, giving the Panthers the win.

Throughout the game, both goaltenders made some spectacular saves, with MtA's Jenelle Hulan making 33 saves total, and PEI's Kristy Dobson making 33 saves, including a diving stick save in the dying seconds of regulation.

UPEI (8-6-0, 16 pts) advances into sole possession of third place behind StFX (1st) and U de Moncton (2nd), but the Mounties (6-5-3, 15pts) are still only one point behind thanks to the single point earned in the overtime loss.

The Panthers travel to STU on Sunday to take on the Tommies, while the Mounties have an eight-day break, returning to action on Sunday the 22nd at last-place Saint Mary's.

Source: Mount Allison Sports Info

REGINA - Paige Wheeler scored twice and added an assist as the University of Regina's women's hockey team completed a Canada West weekend sweep over the UBC Thunderbirds with a convincing 5-1 win on Saturday night at The Co-operators Centre.
 
After Gina Campbell opened the scoring with a goal less than four minutes into the game, Wheeler gave the Cougars a two-goal cushion with a power-play marker exactly five minutes later. Wheeler scored again for the Cougars six minutes into the second, giving the fourth-year forward her first multiple-goal game of the season.
 
Nadine Burgess scored her first CIS goal later on in the second period, but that would prove to be the only goal surrendered by Regina first-year goaltender Jennifer Schmidt. Rianne Wight restored the three-goal cushion for the Cougars with a goal just 72 seconds after Burgess scored, and the U of R put the game away with a Hillary Lerat power play goal in the late stages of the third period.
 
Schmidt ended up stopping 23 of 24 shots to secure the win for the Cougars, who improve their Canada West record to 6-11-1 with the victory. Campbell and Rianne Wight also notched a pair of assists each as both players joined Wheeler with three-point nights.
 
UBC falls to 1-13-2 with the loss, as the Thunderbirds have now lost 14 consecutive conference games.
 
The Cougars were 2-for-8 on the power play and peppered UBC goalie Samantha Langford with 48 shots during the victory. The Thunderbirds were held scoreless in their five opportunities with the man advantage.
 
Regina will have a weekend off before returning to the Canada West schedule at home against Calgary on Jan. 27 and Jan. 28, while UBC is back in action next weekend at home against the Dinos.

Source: Regina Sports Info

LETHBRIDGE – Calgary Dinos completed the weekend sweep of the home-and-home series with the Lethbridge Pronghorns, winning 5-3 in regulation.
 
 Hayley Wickenheiser, Tanya Morgan, Calaine Inglis, Erika Mitschke and Stephanie Zvonkovic tallied goals for the Dinos while Ashley Beattie, Jenna-Marie Durnin, and Chelsea Minor replied for the Pronghorns.
 
 ‘Horns net-minder Crystal Patterson turned aside 26 shots while Dinos’ Amanda Tapp made 17 saves on the night.
  
An early power play opportunity provided Lethbridge with the game’s first goal. Ballendine’s wrister from the slot was deflected wide but Captain Ashley Beattie quickly corralled the loose rebound, beating Dinos’ Amanda Tapp high blocker side for her first of the season.
 
 Calgary bounced back less than two minutes later as Wickenheiser circled behind the net and found captain Tanya Morgan in front who would find the back of the net.
 
 Capitalizing on a power play of their own, Dinos’ Inglis, taking a clean pass from Wickenheiser, notched another for the visiting team as Calgary took their first lead of the game.
 
 Keeping things consistent, Lethbridge answered back in less than sixty seconds, as Chelsea Minor’s shot from the circle managed to sneak through a crowd and in, tying the game back up 2-2.
 
 The ‘Horns pressed on and quickly recovered the lead as Durnin’s hard shot from the top of the circle slid through the legs of an unsuspecting Tapp, making it 3-2.
 
 As a wild opening frame drew to a close, Mitschke would add another for the Dinos, tying things right back up as both teams retired to the locker room after an action-packed opening twenty minutes.
 
 A sharp angle shot by Wickenheiser managed to find an opening as Calgary re-established a one goal lead midway through the second, which proved to be the only scoring in the second frame.
 
 After a largely uneventful second period, shots favored the Dinos 20-14.
 
 Calgary would add another one at 15:17 in the third frame as first-year Zvonkovic blasted a rocket from just inside the blue line that streaked through traffic and into the back of the net.
 
 With this win, Calgary improves to 12-4-0, moving into a second place tie with the Alberta Pandas in Canada West, while Lethbridge now sits fourth at 10-7-1.
 
 The Pronghorns host the University of Alberta Pandas next weekend for a two-game weekend series, January 20th and 21st at Nicholas Sheran Arena. The Dinos head to Vancouver where they face off against the UBC Thunderbirds at the Doug Mitchell Winter Sports Centre.

Source: Lethbridge Sports Info