Shootout loss

The women’s hockey team no longer has a perfect home record. The team fell 4-3 to the Guelph Gryphons in a shootout last Saturday at the Memorial Centre.

Forward Shawna Griffin said it was her team’s most consistent effort so far this season.

“We’ve played a lot of one-period, two-period games,” she said. “But this was one where we had a lot of spark in all three periods.”

The Gaels entered the second period down 1-0, but responded with two quick goals. Winger Brittany McHaffie scored her seventh goal of the season and centre Kristin Smith scored on a breakaway just over a minute later. The Gryphons added another goal to tie the game before heading into the third period.

Both teams added goals in the third, leaving the game tied 3-3 at the end of regulation.

After a scoreless extra period, Gryphons forward Jessica Pinkerton scored the only goal in the shootout.

“Guelph is a good team and [Savage] stood in there,” head coach Matthew Holmberg said. “[But] that was a heck of a move in the shootout.”

The loss bumps the Gaels’ record to 8-3-2, tied for third place in the OUA.

“The girls played well enough to deserve a win,” he said. “You can never be too happy with a loss, but […] there were stretches of that game where we outplayed them.”

With only one win in their last four games, the Gaels will look to head into winter break on a positive note this weekend.

They play the 10th-place University of Ontario Institute of Techology Ridgebacks and fifth-place York Lions this Friday and Saturday at the Memorial Centre. Both games start at 7:30 p.m.