WATERLOO, Ont. - The Golden Hawks capped off their weekend with a nail-biting 1–0 win over the visiting TMU Bold, completing a perfect six-for-six point weekend. The victory extends their win streak to three games and marks an impressive 143 minutes of shutout hockey.
From the opening faceoff, Laurier came out flying and never took their foot off the gas. They dominated offensive-zone possession in the first period, more than tripling TMU's shot total and forcing goaltender Sydney Pyburn to make several key saves. Both netminders were sharp, keeping the game scoreless through the opening frame.
Just minutes into the second period, a strong defensive play set up the game's only goal. Captain Hayley Szymanowski poked the puck free in the defensive zone and fed Jersie Lindley, who broke in on a partial breakaway and finished with a slick move to give Laurier the lead.
"It was pretty exciting," said Lindley. "It took a lot of effort to get it out of our zone, and it took everyone on the ice to get it forward to me."
Laurier continued to push the pace, outshooting TMU 39–15 by the final buzzer.
"Yeah, I mean, we definitely raised our shot production in the last two games, and we're just gonna keep bringing this forward," added Lindley.
"We're all working really good together and the chemistry's there."
The third period was filled with penalties, giving both teams a chance to test their special teams, but neither could convert.
"Yeah, the special teams have been a good spot for us and the last two games we've had some really good looks," said Laurier's manager of women's hockey operations and head coach Kelly Paton.
"We haven't always been lucky in finishing on our power play opportunities, but our penalty kill has been great at limiting chances for our opponents."
With just over two minutes remaining, TMU called a timeout and pulled their goaltender for the extra attacker, but Laurier held firm defensively to secure their second consecutive shutout win.
Goaltender Sarah Howell turned aside all 15 shots she faced to record her fifth career shutout and first of the season.
"It was a funny feeling because I know the shot clock was imbalanced, but I feel like my eyes saw the game being a lot tighter than what was shown," Paton said.
"With only one goal for, TMU was only one shot out of it the whole time. There were intense moments late in the game with the penalty and the extra attacker, but we did enough to get the win today, so we're happy for that."
Howell echoed that sentiment when reflecting on the final minutes: "Yeah, I was definitely feeling a little scatterbrained, but those tight moments at the end are super fun – pressure is fun and it's a privilege. That's something we've talked about: we want to be competitive and put ourselves in these situations to win."
The Golden Hawks now turn their attention to a familiar foe in their hometown rivals, the Waterloo Warriors, in the first Battle of Waterloo matchup of the season.
"That's a big one," said Paton. "Everyone gets up and ready for those games, knowing what's rooted in the Battle of Waterloo. It's a nice, friendly competition that tends to get pretty amped up emotionally, so yeah, we're excited to get that test early on."
Both Howell and Lindley are equally eager for the rivalry matchup and ready to flip the script on their season-ending series just a few months ago.
"I'm excited to play them again," said Howell. "This is our year – what's done is done, and it's about taking a step forward. We're ready for it."
"Really excited for the upcoming game against them," added Lindley. "It's always a good game and it's gonna be a lot of fun."
The puck drops Friday at 7:00 p.m. at the Columbia Icefield Arena.
