LONDON, Ont. - The Golden Hawks held off the Western Mustangs in a tightly contested game on Friday night, securing a 1-0 victory to sweep the season series.
The team was ready to face the Mustangs for the second part of their home-and-home series and wanted to stay in the win column.Â
The first period saw the Golden Hawks come out with energy, generating consistent offensive zone pressure and a relentless forecheck that gave them early momentum.Â
Their hard work paid off midway through the frame when
Sydney Brooks showcased her skill with an end-to-end rush. Brooks set up a perfect tip-in pass for
Clara Chisholm, who capitalized in the slot to give Laurier the 1-0 lead.
In the second period, the Mustangs pushed hard to even the score, creating several quality scoring opportunities. However, Laurier's defence held firm; blocking shots and forcing Western to take low-percentage attempts from the perimeter.Â
Both teams' penalty kill units were effective, ensuring the score remained 1-0 heading into the final frame.
The final period tested the Golden Hawks' patience and composure as the Mustangs increased their offensive pressure in search of the equalizer. In the final minutes, Laurier kept the puck out of their zone, delaying Western's opportunity to pull their goaltender.
With 1:35 left, the Mustangs gained possession and pulled their goaltender for an extra attacker. The Golden Hawks managed to ice the puck a few times, but a critical faceoff win by the Mustangs allowed them to set up in Laurier's zone.
In the dying seconds, captain
Hayley Szymanowski and
Kylie Laliberte came up with clutch shot blocks, preserving the lead and helping rookie goaltender
Sarah Howell secure her second career OUA shutout.
"Honestly, I thought we were so close to getting our structure to be what we want. We're doing well within our structure and our systems, we're just missing a few connecting pieces," said Laurier assistant coach
Nik Knezic. "At the end of the day though, our student-athletes did such a good job and can hang our hat on how we fought and competed in that space today."
Looking ahead, the Golden Hawks (12-6-0-1) will face the Windsor Lancers (11-5-3-1) on Saturday afternoon, a team that sits just ahead of the purple and gold in third place in the OUA West with a one-point advantage.
"Our team is amped up for (Saturday). We've been chasing them for a while in the standings and we want to get a shot at them," Knezic added. "We just have to keep doing what we've been doing, stay within our structure and fight hard defensively. It's going to be an entertaining game. It should be a playoff atmosphere for sure."Â
Catch the action live on OUA.tv beginning at 4 pm or follow live updates on X at @WLUAthletics.
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