WATERLOO, Ont. – The Windsor Lancers rolled into Waterloo on Friday for two games against the Golden Hawks in less than 48 hours. The left on Saturday having completed the sweep with a 3-2 overtime victory,

Right off the bat, the Hawks showed major improvement in energy and physicality compared to Friday night. The shift in intensity was quite evident, with players heading into board-side battles more confidently and not being afraid to use their bodies to come up with the puck. 

This intensity sparked an immediate flame, with Emily Visser (Caledonia, Ont.) scoring the first goal of the game only 1:07 minutes into the game. It came off a rebound from an initial shot by Arielle MacDonald (New Credit, Ont.). The Hawks held strong, sustaining their one-goal lead until the second period. 

Shortly into the middle frame, the Lancers answered with a goal from Elissa Benjamin (Nanaimo, BC), which was perfectly placed top shelf. The Hawks pushed back but, with only 3:05 left in the second period, Rylee Hogan (Whitby, Ont.) gave Windsor its first lead of the game.

The start of the third period brought with it some exciting end-to-end play. First-year rookies Mackenzie Marshall (Bolton, Ont.) and Elle Spencer (Richmond, Ont.) produced a beautiful play, which resulted in Marshall scoring her first career OUA goal almost halfway through the third period. 

The score remained tied until the end of regulation. The game wasn’t long into overtime before Elissa Benjamin (Nanaimo, BC) scored her second of the game, to win it for Windsor.

Although Laurier was not able to pull off their first home-ice win this season to finish off the year, they proved to be competitive and persistent, keeping the score close and the intensity high. Heading into the new year, the Hawks will be looking to move up in the standings and gain back momentum with some wins early on.

“The girls will get an opportunity to go home and spend some time with their family and friends and hopefully come back recharged with a different outlook for the second half of the season," Laurier head coach Kelly Paton said after the game.

Top Performers

Laurier
Emily Visser – Forward
With her second goal of the season opening the scoring on Saturday, Visser set the tone for the game.

Windsor
Elissa Benjamin – Forward
A driving force for the Lancers, Benjamin scoredWindsor's first goal of the day as well as the game-winner in OT.

Up Next

Laurier will return to the ice on Wednesday, January 12 to face the Guelph Gryphons, who currently hold down the top spot in the OUA West division. In the meantime, head coach Kelly Paton heads off to Lausanne, Switzerland to lead the Canadian women’s national team as an assistant coach at the Winter Universiade.