WINDSOR, Ont. - The Laurier Golden Hawks secured their third straight win on Saturday afternoon with a 2-1 regulation victory over the Windsor Lancers at the Capri Pizzeria Recreation Centre. 

The six crucial points they collected over the weekend have helped them jump into third place in the competitive OUA West division. 

The Golden Hawks got off to a strong start, opening the scoring at 5:24 of the first period. Ella Jackson made an impressive solo effort, collecting the puck off the boards in the neutral zone, deking past the lone defender and wasting no time going top shelf. 

W??: GOAL ?? Ella Jackson dekes her way to the front of the net and goes top shelf to give Laurier the early lead ?? 1-0 WLU.#SoarAbove | #WLUvsWIN pic.twitter.com/ejcOeeOIL6

— Laurier Golden Hawks (@WLUAthletics) January 25, 2025

Windsor responded later in the frame when sustained offensive zone pressure allowed Emily Eikelboom to weave her way into the slot, creating a scoring chance. 

Though her shot was stopped, Makayla Mailhot waited in the crease to bury the loose rebound and tie the game at one. 

Laurier faced difficulty breaking out of their zone in the latter half of the first and had to kill off a penalty but was able to weather the pressure to keep the game tied heading into the second frame. 

The second period was a defensive battle, with neither team able to establish consistent offensive zone pressure. Both squads built strong defensive walls, resulting in a back-and-forth period dominated by neutral zone play. 

The purple and gold started to ramp up the pressure with a flurry of quality scoring chances in the final minutes, including a key save by Windsor's goalkeeper Cadence Petitclerc on a 3-on-1 break. However, the score remained deadlocked at one after two. 

The Golden Hawks regained the lead midway through the final period when Brianna Bowman's fluttering shot from the blue line found its way past the goaltender.

W??: GOAL ?? Brianna Bowman's shot from the blueline finds its way in the back of the net to regain the lead ?? 2-1 WLU. #SoarAbove | #WLUvsWIN pic.twitter.com/SrVB30NpeR

— Laurier Golden Hawks (@WLUAthletics) January 25, 2025

With the lead back in their hands, the team dug deep, locking in defensively to try and secure the win. 

For the second night in a row, Laurier displayed immense patience and composure in the final minutes, with strong defensive blocks and crucial faceoff wins helping them secure the 2-1 victory in regulation. 

"Overall, obviously, we're pleased with the two wins. Six points - that's big for us. It changes the look in the standings - it was a huge game," said Laurier's manager of women's hockey operations and head coach Kelly Paton. 

"We got some big blocks again late in the game like last night. We also got good faceoff wins, which helped," Paton explained. "There were good things that were happening with our five-on-five game today. We know the (OUA) West division is tight, where the top and bottom games can look very similar sometimes, and every point is valuable for us."

The Golden Hawks (13-6-0-1), having won 13 games for the first time since the 2015/16 season, will aim to build on their strong weekend when they take on the Brock Badgers (7-10-3-0) on Friday night in St. Catharines. 

Catch the action live on OUA.tv at 6 pm or follow live updates on X at @WLUAthletics.