By Gabriel Rodrigues
Despite Laurentian’s women’s hockey team losing to UOIT on Saturday, the Voyageurs bounced back and managed to hold off the Queen’s Gaels 2-1 on Sunday to finally obtain their first win of the season.
On Nov. 1, the Voyageurs lost 4-3 in a shootout to the UOIT Ridgebacks, pushing Laurentian’s winless start to the OUA campaign to 0-5-2.
Although the start of the game was back and forth, UOIT pulled through in the midway point of the first with two goals just 19 seconds apart, curtesy of Ridgebacks’ forwards Chelsea Ball and Mikaeli Cavell.
In the second, Laurentian leveled the score at 2-2 when forwards Jessica Staats and Julie Hebert found the back of the Ridgebacks’ net just 13 seconds apart.
Voyageurs’ Emma Leger capitalized on the power play just 24 seconds in the third, however, UOIT’s Nicole LoPresti tied the game at 3-3 midway through the period, sending the contest to overtime.
With nothing solved after the five minute extra frame, a shootout was needed. Laurentian failed to score on all three attempts while the Ridgebacks’ forward Ball scored the only goal of the shootout, handing the Voyageurs their seventh straight loss of the season.
Laurentian’s goaltender, Laura Deller, turned aside 22 of 25 shots thrown her way, while Ridgebacks’ goalie, Tori Campbell, stopped 25 of 28 pucks shot her way in the UOIT win.
Following Laurentian’s loss to UOIT, the Voyageurs played host and defeated the CIS third ranked Queen’s Gaels 2-1 in a shootout on Nov. 2.
Although the first provided a scoreless period, Laurentian’s goalie, Emily Toffoli, made 19 saves to keep the Gaels off the score sheet early.
In the second, Gaels’ defenceman Alisha Sealey capitalized on a scramble in front of Toffoli’s net, giving Queen’s a 1-0 going into the final period.
Despite being down, Laurentian showed some fight and Voyageurs’ Captain Hebert scored to level the game at 1-1 with less than five minutes played in the third, sending the contest to overtime.
In the extra frame, neither team found the back of the net, forcing the game to be solved in the shootout.
Laurentian forward Taylor Philip was the only player to score in the shootout, while Toffoli stopped all three of the Queen’s shooters’, earning the Voyageurs their first win of the season.
Toffoli stopped 40 of 41 shots in the Laurentian win, while Queen’s Stephanie Pascal made 30 of 31 saves in the loss.
After finally winning their first game of the season, Voyageurs’ coach, Stacey Colarossi, said her team deserved their first victory of the year and believes Laurentian’s “moving in the right direction.”
“It’s a beautiful thing,” she said. “We knew it was eventually going to come, but we just needed to keep working. Our girls did great with quick in game adjustments and showed that they are buying in the system. We haven’t got the bounces in the last few weekends but our work ethic has been there. If we keep our pace and take care of details, the wins will come.”
The Voyageurs’ next home game will be on Sunday Nov. 16 when they host the York Lions at 1:50 p.m. at the Gerry McCrory Countryside Sports Complex.
