WATERLOO, Ont. - The Laurier Golden Hawks and Queen's Gaels faced off on Friday night to start their home-and-home match-up, with Laurier securing a win in the first leg 4-2 at the Waterloo Memorial Rec Complex.
Coming off their first loss of the season last Saturday, the purple and gold wanted nothing more but to get themselves back in the win column - and their momentum from the jump proved just that.
Laurier's offence started quickly when
Emerie Maltby scored at 5:51 of the opening frame after a slick 2-on-1 feed from
Kylie Laliberte.
Less than two minutes later,
Emily Olson found
Claire Robinson in the slot to bank home the Golden Hawks' second goal of the game.
Queen's responded when Mikayla Cranney scored off a rebound midway through the first period, cutting the lead in half.
Laurier maintained their first-period momentum through most of the second frame with multiple great setups in the offensive zone.
However, the tide shifted with a massive save from Queens' goalie Emma Tennant. This energy carried over to their offence when Alyson Reeves scored on a wrap-around pass in the crease, knotting the game at two heading into the third.
Despite the adversity, Laurier forward
Jersie Lindley described how there was a lot of positivity in the dressing room.
"We came in the room and reset as a team," Lindley said. "There was a lot of talking going on and figuring out what we needed to do to get the win."
That focus paid off as Lindley scored just 41 seconds into the third period after she was able to tap one in from a scramble in front of the net.
The Golden Hawks added an insurance marker at 13:54 when
Elle Spencer ripped one home from the high slot.
Both goaltenders were notably solid between the pipes, but
Kayla Renaud came out on top, stopping 22 shots, while Laurier's offensive pressure resulted in 42 shots on goal.
A bundle of penalties in the third tested Laurier's special teams unit but, ultimately, it did not sway the final score.
"I thought our power-play, even though we didn't score, looked good. We got quality zone time and chances, but we still need to tighten up on those opportunities and be able to capitalize in those moments," said Laurier's manager of women's hockey operations and head coach
Kelly Paton.
The Golden Hawks (2-1) will complete the home-and-home series in Kingston next Friday, October 25 at 7:30 pm.
Catch all the action from the Memorial Centre live on OUA.tv and follow @WLUAthletics on X for updates.
