WATERLOO, Ont. - The Golden Hawks extended their winning streak to four games with a commanding 5-0 victory over the Brock Badgers on Friday night. Goaltender Sarah Howell was stellar once again, earning her fourth shutout of the season in just her sixth start.
"I'm just having so much fun," Howell said after the win. "Our team is just so supportive that it doesn't even seem like a choice not to show up and give your best. We want to win, and it's so fun to be competitive and just have a good time with the girls."
Laurier struck early, opening the scoring five minutes in. After Ella Jackson deked her way to the front of the net, her sharp-angle chance was turned aside by Megan Thiessen, but the rebound landed right on the stick of Kylie Laliberte, who buried it to make it 1-0.
The Golden Hawks doubled their lead in the final minutes of the first period. Clara Chisholm picked up a loose puck off the end boards and snapped a short side shot, sending Laurier into the intermission up by two.
Just before the midway mark of the second, Abby Glandon added to the momentum, tapping in a back-door finish off a Chisholm chance from the slot.
Moments later, another milestone followed. After a strong play at the blue line by Jersie Lindley to keep the puck in on the power play, Marra Klassen picked up the loose puck in the slot and fired it glove side for her first OUA goal, pushing the lead to 4-0 heading into the break.
"It's been a good wave the past couple of weeks with the first years starting to figure out how they can get offense in this league," said Laurier's manager of women's hockey operations and head coach Kelly Paton. "We talked a few weeks ago about the defense elevating what they can do in terms of scoring, and they've met that challenge really well."
Brock turned to Kennedy Lonson to start the third, but Laurier added one more late. Another milestone came from the blue line, as Kara den Hoed found the back of the net for her first goal in the purple and gold.
Despite a late penalty, the Golden Hawks remained steady, backed by key saves from Howell to seal the shutout win.
"Overall, obviously positive with our power play helping again and getting five goals helped too," Paton said. "Sarah made big saves when she had to, so offence and good goaltending are a good recipe for a good outcome. But it's still a conversation for us about which details we need to lean into. I thought we fell short in a few areas … but obviously, three points is a big one for us."
Looking ahead, Laurier wraps up the first half of the season tomorrow in Woodstock as part of the annual charity Partnership Game, this year against the Western Mustangs.
"We just really want to get those three points," Howell said. "We want to make this weekend a six-point weekend. If we can close out the first half with championship habits, we can roll into January feeling good."
Paton echoed the importance of carrying momentum into the break.
"It's always a fun one for us to travel to Woodstock, especially with it being my hometown," she said. "But still, we want to take care of the game. We know the importance of three points at this point in the season."
Puck drop is scheduled for 6:45 p.m.
