WATERLOO, Ont: The Golden Hawks fell 6-2 to the visiting Ottawa Gee-Gee's in the first game of their weekend back-to-back on Friday night at the Waterloo Memorial Rec Complex.
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Eager to extend their point streak to six games, the Golden Hawks started the game with energy, drawing a penalty just seconds into the opening frame.
Clara Chisholm quickly took advantage, finding herself alone in the slot and netting her second goal of the season.
Laurier head coach and manager of women's hockey operations
Kelly Paton, praised the power-play unit's continued effectiveness, noting, "Getting off to a 1-0 lead on our first shot of the game was helpful, and our power play is still a strong area for us. The players in that role right now are positioning us for success."
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Unfortunately, this early lead was short-lived. Ottawa's Alyssa Biesenthal took advantage of a neutral zone pick-up, rushing in with speed to position herself in front and tuck the puck far post to even the score.
Just two minutes later, the Gee-Gees took the lead, winning a battle along the boards and quickly cycling the puck to Maelle Laplante, who slipped into the slot and fired a blocker-side shot to make it 2-1.
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Laurier showed resilience in the second period, using their bodies to block shots and disrupt Ottawa's offense. However, a slap shot from Ottawa's Suyeon Eom squeaked through five-hole, extending the Gee-Gees' lead to 3-1.
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The purple and gold capitalized on another power-play opportunity as
Abby Glandon managed to jam the puck over the line during a scramble in front, bringing the score to 3-2.
However, that is the closest Laurier came to closing the gap as Ottawa's Reece Mepham capitalized on their own power-play, snapping Laurier's perfect penalty-kill record and stretching the lead back to two.
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In the final frame, Ottawa secured their victory with two more goals. Maelle Laplante notched her second of the night, and Molly Heighington added another, putting the game out of reach for the Golden Hawks.
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"There's always a silver lining to a tough loss like this; it gives us the opportunity to regroup," said Paton post-game. "We have familiarity going into our next game against Ontario Tech and hope to close out the series with a few points back. We'll be looking for more five-on-five offense and continued improvement in that area."
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This loss marked Laurier's most challenging defensive performance so far this season, but they'll aim to bounce back Saturday night against Ontario Tech on home ice. Puck drop is set for 7 pm.
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