The York University Lions women's hockey team suffered a 4-2 defeat to the reigning OUA finalist Nipissing Lakers in their Saturday afternoon contest at Canlan Ice Sports.
 
The game began with a flurry of activity as four goals were scored in the first nine minutes of play.
 
The Lions got on the board first just 2:56 into the game when Steffei Samuel found the back of the net, with assists to Cynthia St-Cyr and Ellen Donaldson. Eight seconds later the game was tied as Nipissing's Jetta Derenoski scored to make it 1-1.
 
The fast pace continued and the Lions wasted little time taking the lead again, this time on a goal by team scoring leader Taylor Davison with assists to Sarah Power and Erin Locke. However, the lead was again short-lived as Maria Dominico tallied at 9:03 to again level the score.
 
The game settled after that, and the two teams carried their 2-2 draw into the first intermission.
 
The Lakers did all they could in the second period to take the lead, outshooting the Lions 17-5 in the frame. But York goaltender Lauren Dubie was up to the task, turning away every shot she faced to keep it 2-2 after two.
 
The Lakers again came out flying in the third period and again peppered the York net with shots, putting 17 on Dubie compared to just three at the other end of the rink. This time, however, they pushed two past Dubie to secure the win. Sam Strassburger scored the eventual winner at 4:17, and Stacey Henshaw added an insurance marker at 14:29 to round out the scoring.
 
Dubie finished with 40 saves on the 44 shots she faced, while Nipissing netminder Danika Ranger needed only 14 saves to earn the win.
 
The Lions dropped to 3-0-8-1 with the loss and will look to get back into the win column on Sunday when they face the Laurentian Voyageurs, another team with 10 points in the standings. Puck drop is set for 2pm at Canlan Ice Sports.