WOODSTOCK, Ont. - The Golden Hawks traveled to manager of women's hockey operations and head coach Kelly Paton's hometown of Woodstock, Ont. on Friday night for a battle against the Toronto Metropolitan University Bold.

Playing in front of hundreds minor girl hockey players as part of a showcase game supporting thw Woodstock Wildcats minor hockey association and United Way Oxford, the Golden Hawks were looking to wrap up the 2023 portion of this season with a win, and that is exactly what they got.

Right out of the gate, the Golden Hawks were hungry for the lead. Rylee Crego scored halfway through the first period. This would be Crego's first goal of the 2023-2024 season.

Not long after, Jersie Lindley joined Rylee Crego by scoring her first goal of the season as well - and Lindley's first career OUA goal - making it 2-0 after the first.

This would be the first time the Golden Hawks have led the game going into the second period this season.

A late period penalty had the Bold still down a women to start the second period. Just eight seconds into the frame, Chloe Davidson carried the puck over the blue line and took a shot against TMU netminder Shannon Harris, which was rebounded in by Olivia MacMillan.

Later in the period, Yasmina Tomkin had a chance to improve the lead for the Golden Hawks by backhanding the puck towards the Bold's net, however, it went crossbar and out.

The Bold had a chance to join the scoreboard halfway through the second, but were shut down by Laurier goalie Acadia Carlson.

Just moment later, Emerie Maltby fed the puck to Arielle MacDonald which she buried in the back of the net. This marked MacDonald's third game in a row with a goal.

Emily Olson secured an unassisted goal late in the second period, which was the final goal of the game. This was also Olson's first career OUA goal.

Although the third period remained scoreless, it was not without many chances by the Golden Hawks.

The final shot count was Laurier with 38 shots, and TMU with 26. This was Laurier's 9th win and Acadia Carlson's third shutout of the season. The Golden Hawks will head into the new year in second place of the OUA West division and will improve their record to 9-4-0-1.

THREE STARS

1st Star: Rylee Crego – Game-winning goal

2nd Star: Arielle MacDonald – 1 goal, 2 assists

3rd Star: Acadia Carlson – 26-save Shutout

UP NEXT

The Golden Hawks will fly home for Christmas. They'll return to the ice in North Bay to face the Nipissing Lakers for the first time this season on January 5th. Puck drop will take place at 5:00 p.m. at North Bay Memorial Gardens.