The York University Lions women's hockey team suffered a 2-0 loss against the No. 7 nationally-ranked Laurier Golden Hawks on Saturday (Oct. 25) at Canlan Ice Sports.
Despite the loss, Lions goaltender
Megan Lee (Orillia, Ont.) played an impressive game, making 30 saves out of 32 attempts. Her counterpart, Amanda Smith, made 26 saves for the shutout. It was because of the strong displays of goalkeeping from the two that the first period ended without a goal.
At 5:04, Laurier almost scored from a defensive mistake by the Lions. Lee saved the shot and dropped it back into play.
Laurier received another clear scoring opportunity with 12 minutes to go. The Lions' defenders crowded the area, but it was Lee who deflected the shot.
The Lions went on the counterattack within the same minute.
Jenna Gray (London, Ont.) powered a shot on target, which Smith saved.
With 2:36 remaining, the Lions had Smith scrambling for the puck, but the attackers failed to find an opening as she safely caught the puck in her gloves.
Lee continued her sparkling form in the second period as the Lions goalie saved a one-on-one attempt after two minutes of play.
Less than three minutes later, Laurier caught the Lions by surprise as an interception led to a counterattack. The Lions were unable to transition in time, resulting in the opponents scoring through Laura Brooker at 4:36. Danelle Im and Megan Howe were involved in the lead-up to the goal.
Kristen Barbara (Mount Hope, Ont.) took a shot on the goal almost immediately after the restart but Smith was there to catch the puck. The Lions picked up their pace as they looked for an equalizer.
From the left flank,
Sarai Whitty (Kingston, Ont.) made a hopeful shot that went barely an inch from the goal, and soon after Lions defender
Jessa McAuliffe (Odessa, Ont.) took a chance from distance that bounced off a defender and went wide.
The final 10 minutes of the second period were mostly played on the Lions' attacking half. Veteran forward
Lisa Stathopulos (Toronto) successfully passed her marker to shoot on goal, forcing the goalie to only deflect the shot. Defenders were able to drive it to safety as the whistle blew for the final break.
Laurier immediately extended their lead under one minute into the third period when a pass from Jessie Hurrell found Tammy Freiburger, who laid it past a defender for Dollee Meigs to tap in.
The Golden Hawks remained persistent in the attack, testing the Lions' defence a number of times. However, the Lions kept the marking tight until the end of the period.
The loss marked the Lions' current record of 2-3-0 as they stand in mid-table with four points in the OUA conference standings. Their next game is against the Waterloo Warriors on Sunday (Oct. 26) in Canlan Ice Sports beginning at 2pm.
