The York University Lions women's hockey team played the most important 60 minutes of its season (so far) in the penultimate game of the regular season on Friday afternoon against the Brock Badgers in St. Catharines.
With plenty of youngsters in attendance for the Valentine's Day matinee, the Lions sought to secure an OUA West play-in berth with a win. They could also clinch with an overtime loss, as the best Brock could do is tie the Lions at 32 points. York has already locked down the tiebreaker over Brock (regulation and overtime wins).
The first great look of the game came on a Brock power play. Off the ensuing faceoff, Brock's Madelyn Walsh took a cross-ice pass, walked in and wired one off the crossbar. Moments later, Brock took a penalty of its own, bringing about some four-on-four play. Right as the penalty to Brock ended, Allison Stevenson came out of the box and joined a 2-on-1 after a turnover at the Brock blueline and took a feed from Cammie Matteau- and beat Emma Wedgewood to make it 1-0 Brock.
Despite outshooting the Badgers 10-5 in the opening period, the Lions couldn't put one past Megan Theissen and trailed by a goal after one.
The Lions continued to pepper the young Brock netminder to the tune of a 12-5 shot advantage in the middle frame. However, Theissen was equal to the task once again. The hosts doubled their lead late in the period when Randyll Strongman lugged the puck through centre, went wide and throw it in front right to Sydney Hood, who snuck one just passed Wedgewood to make it 2-0 Brock with 1:01 left.
The Lions thought they answered right back when just 37 seconds later, a Mikayla Totten pass from the point was knocked out of the air by Alexa Giantsopoulos down to the feet of Julianna Duma, who chipped it past Theissen. However, the officials waved off the goal immediately and after discussion, the call of no goal for goalie interference stood, keeping Brock up a pair after two.
The Lions got one that counted just two minutes into the third when Lexy Anonech gloved down a puck to herself and fired it by Theissen on the short side to make. It 2-1 Badgers. However, Brock restored its two-goal lead just 1:34 later when Avery Diljee was the beneficiary of a lively bounce off the back boards and fired a huge carom past the unsuspecting Wedgewood to extend the lead to 3-1.
However, York refused to go away, and, after several chances to trim it back to a one-goal deficit, Giantsopoulos did just that just as York's sixth power play of the day expired. She cut through the slot to the near wing, went around back of the net and beat Theissen to the post, tucking it home to give her time some life with 6:07 to go.
The Lions had several more chances, particularly in the final with the extra attacker. Perhaps their best came in the final 10 seconds when Ava Ricker-Singh was alone in front, but her backhand was thwarted by Theissen. The Badgers tied the rebound up in the corner, draining the final seconds and securing a 3-2 win.
With this, York now leads a Brock loss of any kind on Saturday or a win of any kind over the Guelph Gryphons to secure the a berth in the OUA West play-in game.
LOOKING AHEAD:
That game between the Lions and Gryphons takes place Saturday night on senior night from Canlan Ice Sports. Puck drop is slated for 7:00 pm.
