Another dominant defensive performance led the Gaels to their third straight victory last Friday night.
Queen’s topped the visiting Waterloo Warriors 4-0, marking their second shut-out against the Warriors this season. The Gaels have now played half their season and sit atop the OUA standings with 23 points.
“I’m extremely proud of the way the girls have prepared for each game and I’m happy with the team unity,” head coach Matt Holmberg said.
The Gaels’ defence continues to shut down opposing teams, having allowed a league-low 18 goals in 13 games. Goaltenders Karissa Savage and Mel Dodd-Moher have combined for five shutouts, with both sitting in the OUA’s top three in goals against average.
Defence wasn’t the only thing the Gaels had going for them last Friday. Centre Shawna Griffin took advantage of a 5-on-3 power play to open the scoring and winger Taryn Pilon made it 2-0 later in the first.
“Waterloo plays a tight … defensive system, so it’s hard to get some shots through,” Holmberg said. “We were just patient and made sure we capitalized on our chances.”
The OUA-leading power play came through again late in the second period when right winger Brittany McHaffie scored with 57 seconds remaining. Her sister Morgan scored the final goal of the game just over three minutes into the third period.
“We knew Waterloo would give us a tough game but I think we matched them,” Morgan McHaffie said. “[We] put a couple of goals in and our goaltending was stellar once again.”
McHaffie’s third period goal was her 20th point of the season. Last year’s OUA leading scorer, she once again finds herself on top of the scoring charts.
“I would attribute [the scoring lead] a lot to my teammates and my coaches helping me personally become a better player,” McHaffie said. “It’s more of a team statistic to me.”
Tags
first place, Gaels, women's hockey
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