GUELPH, Ont. – After a strong preseason showing, the Laurier Golden Hawks took a trip down Highway 7, where they fell 2–1 to the Guelph Gryphons in their regular season opener.
Abby Glandon (1) opened the scoring for Laurier on the power play with her first of the season, redirecting a point shot from new blueliner
Kara den Hoed past the Guelph netminder.
The Golden Hawks held their 1–0 lead until midway through the second period, when the Gryphons capitalized on a power play of their own. Reese Coffey found time and space in the slot and ripped a low shot that deflected off a Laurier stick and past
Sarah Howell to tie the game at one.
Guelph added the eventual game-winner early in the third period when Alexie Olivier went end-to-end and roofed one top shelf. Laurier pulled their goalie in the final minutes while on the power play for a 6-on-4 advantage, but came up just short.
"It was an interesting game in terms of momentum," said Laurier manager of women's hockey operations and head coach
Kelly Paton postgame. "I thought our first period was okay, especially getting one on the power play."
"We created lots of slot shots and generated good looks on goal. But then Guelph levelled up in the second period, and we didn't respond very well to a bit of adversity and pressure."
"We also took a few penalties in our own end that helped build momentum for them."
New defender
Kara den Hoed impressed in her Golden Hawks debut, logging key minutes in high-pressure situations.
"She brings a lot of experience, and being a senior player, she knows what she's capable of and understands her skill potential," said Paton. "We're looking to her to lead in moments of chaos and help settle things down."
"We're excited to see the success she's going to bring to our team throughout the year."
Looking ahead, Laurier will aim to bounce back when they face Brock in St. Catherines on Friday night.
"It's about tightening up and looking at some film – reflecting on the process of preseason and recognizing the areas where we were consistent that helped lead to our success," Paton noted. "Ultimately, we don't play enough games to just roll this one over to Friday; we've got to reset and be in a better headspace so that we can compete in our next game."
The Golden Hawks will travel down the QEW on Friday to take on the Badgers, with puck drop scheduled for 6:00 p.m.
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