WATERLOO, Ont. - Friday night not only marked game one of the weekend-long, home-and-home Battle of Waterloo, it also was Senior Night at the Waterloo Memorial Recreation Complex.

Laurier honoured our five graduating senior Golden Hawks, Grace Sumi, Chloe Davidson, Sophia Lombardo, Christina McCulloch, and Jaiden Duncan.


 

The last time the Warriors and the Golden Hawks were matched up was only a couple weeks ago in an intense battle, with the Warriors taking the 3-2 win in overtime.

The Waterloo Warriors already have confirmed their playoff spot; however, it was the Golden Hawks who were still fighting for the third spot in the OUA West Division coming into this game. They were looking for one point during this matchup to secure their playoff spot, and instead of just making it to overtime and earning their one point, the Golden Hawks secured the two-point win in a shootout.

The first period was a back-and-forth battle between both teams, as they both had many chances to open the scoring, including a chance when Emerie Maltby passed the puck in front of the net to Emily Olson. However, the Waterloo defence were able to keep the puck off her stick.

Warriors forward Carly Orth had a chance shortly after, almost burying her own rebound, but the puck was steered away by Laurier netminder Acadia Carlson.

The Golden Hawks were able to set up a beautiful tic-tac-toe opportunity from Olivia MacMillan to Hayley Szymanowski to Ella Jackson, who buried the goal in the back of the Warriors' net, making it 1-0. This would be Jackson's fifth goal of the season.

After the halfway mark of the first period, the Warriors seemed to pick up the pace and began dominating in possession. Although they were unable to tie the game, their pressure continued into the second frame.

During the second period, a Waterloo player sent a bouncing put towards Carlson, but even through a lot of traffic in front of the net, she was able to save it. Brooklyn Cole, another Waterloo forward, had a breakaway towards Carlson, however, she was able to get her stick out and deflected the puck over the net.

Down at the other end of the ice, McCulloch was passed the puck, which she backhanded to the net, but Waterloo goaltender Mikayla Schnarr kick saved it and eventually, after a few rebound attempts, was able to cover the puck. Shortly after, Schnarr would need to be visited on the ice by Waterloo's medical staff, however she remained in the game.

Late in the second period, Brianna Bowman would take an interference penalty, giving the Warriors the power play. With the Warriors already dominating the play, this penalty kill was not coming at a good time for the Golden Hawks.

Waterloo's Sarah Irwin would take a tripping penalty shortly after, making it 4-on-4 for a minute, before the Golden Hawks would have the woman-advantage. Laurier had some good passing plays that gave them some great opportunities for a goal on the powerplay but couldn't make anything of it and they would end the second period up by one goal.

Heading into the third period, the Warriors made a goalie change, putting in Kara Mark.

Seven minutes into the third, Emily Olson would take a hooking penalty, testing Laurier's penalty kill once again. Carlson and her fellow Golden Hawks were forced to make some big saves and block some important shots in order to keep their lead, including a big blocked shot by Bowman.

Just after the Golden Hawks got back to even strength, Carly Orth stick-handled her way through Laurier's defenders and was able to find the back of Carlson's net, making it 1-1. This would mark Orth's seventh goal of the season.

The Warriors then took a head contact penalty right off the draw at center, giving the Golden Hawks the power play. The Golden Hawks had some great chances, including a pass from Bowman to Elle Spencer, however, her shot ended up being shut down by Kara Mark.

With just over six minutes remaining, Waterloo would take a cross checking penalty, pausing the game and allowing the Golden Hawks to call a time out. Again, on this power play, the Golden Hawks had some amazing chances, including a shot from Rylee Crego but an amazing glove save by Mark would keep the game tied.

The Warriors had a good chance against Laurier's netminder, however, her stick save deflected the puck up to the glass and when it was about to fall behind Carlson, she was able to glove save it.

As this game would need extra time to determine a winner, three-on-three overtime began.

MacMillan excelled during overtime. Not only blocking a shot in Laurier's zone, but then taking the puck up the ice and forcing the Warriors to take a tripping penalty. The Golden Hawks had some great chances during the power play, forcing Mark to make some huge saves in extra time.

With just under two minutes remaining in overtime, a race towards Carlson's net would have a Warrior and Ella Jackson tied up, leading the refs to call an arguable penalty against Jackson. However, nothing would come from the last few minutes in over time, forcing this game to a shootout.

The first four shooters for Laurier were noticeably the four dressed seniors who were honoured this evening, Sophia Lombardo, Christina McCulloch, Chloe Davidson and Claire Robinson. However, it was the fifth Golden Hawk shooter, Arielle MacDonald, who tucked away the game-winning-goal in her signature form.

When asked about this decision to have her seniors shoot first, Coach Kelly Paton explained, "In practice, they are more of the consistent ones in shootout opportunities, so we thought we'd give them an opportunity to lead there, and obviously Arielle finally got that patented pull move that she likes to do and that was a big goal for us. We are excited for them and getting them opportunities where they can contribute".

This was a huge win for the Golden Hawks, as they not only confirmed their playoff spot, they also officially won the departmental Battle of Waterloo.

Coach Kelly Paton reflected on the game, "I think we've played good hockey for a while, and it's just nice to get rewarded and come away with some points today that secure that playoff opportunity"

"Acadia came up big with some good, timely save for us. And obviously the shooters she saw, those players in particular, are leading our league right now, so really, really strong performance from her. And a few girls on our bench logged big minutes tonight, so just a good collective effort. Hopefully that rolls into tomorrow, and then into next week as well.

"I'm really just happy, and I think the staff would echo the same sentiments, that we are just really excited for the girls to have the opportunity to move forward this season and it is something that our program hasn't done in a while".
 

THREE STARS

1st Star: Arielle MacDonald, Laurier Golden Hawks – Shootout Winner

2nd Star: Acadia Carlson, Laurier Golden Hawks – 35 Saves

3rd Star: Ella Jackson, Laurier Golden Hawks – 1 G

UP NEXT

The Golden Hawks complete their Battle of Waterloo Saturday at the Dan Snyder Arena in Elmira. Puck drop is scheduled for 4 p.m. 

It won't be the last time these two teams see each other, as they're set to face off in the first round of the playoffs. Game 1 is set for Wednesday, February 21 at Columbia Ice Fields. The Golden Hawks will host game 2 at RIM Park on Saturday, February 24 at 4:30 p.m., with a potential game three set for Sunday, February 25 back at Waterloo.

Follow @WLUAthletics on X for live updates and find all the action live on OUA.tv.