It was a disappointing weekend for the women’s hockey team as they scrambled to a 3-3 tie against the last-place University of Ontario Institute of Technology Ridgebacks on Saturday night.
The Gaels began the game slowly but quickly found their stride as they peppered the Ridgebacks’ net, outshooting the opposition by a count of 14-2 in the first 20 minutes. Forward Kelsey Thomson scored to give the Gaels a 1-0 lead into the first intermission.
An undisciplined Queens’s team showed up in the middle period, however, as they took seven minor penalties and allowed the Ridgebacks to regain some momentum. Oshawa was able to push two pucks past Gaels’ starting goaltender Melissa John in the second. But the Gaels responded and were able to close out the period tied 2-2.
UOIT scored early on in the third period to jump ahead to a 3-2 lead, but as the clock ticked past the midway mark of the final frame Gaels forward Andrea LeBlanc fired the puck past Ridgeback goaltender Carleigh Taggart to tie the game.
Both teams played defensively sound hockey down the stretch, forcing the game into overtime. Oshawa took an undisciplined penalty in the overtime period to put the game on the line. But Queen’s wasn’t able to capitalize on the opportunity and the game finished tied.
The Gaels directed 37 shots at Taggart, who kept her team in the game and put in an excellent performance between the pipes. Forward Tory Boeckh, who scored Queen’s second goal and her second of the year, said her team carried the play but ran into penalty trouble.
“We worked really hard and got lots of shots on net,” Boeckh said. “I think we were taking too many penalties, though.” The result wasn’t what the Gaels were looking for against a much weaker Ridgeback squad, which has only mustered one win so far this season—their first in the league. Head coach Rob Lalonde said his team didn’t put in a good effort.
“I wasn’t very happy with the game. We didn’t play well and we were undisciplined,” he said.
The Gaels are coming off of three consecutive ties and are looking for improvements to their anemic power play, which hasn’t scored in three games.
“We need to stay out of the box and convert on our power plays,” Lalonde said.
The Gaels hold the fifth spot in the OUA, two points behind the fourth-place University of Windsor.
The Golden Gaels will play host to the first-place Laurier Golden Hawks this Friday night in Napanee, and will then host the Waterloo Warriors on Saturday night at the Memorial Center. The games begin at 7:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. respectively.
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