FERGUS, Ont. - The #4-ranked Golden Hawks continued their hot streak on Saturday evening, earning their seventh straight win with a 3-0 victory over the York Lions at the Centre Wellington Sportsplex in Fergus. With the win, Laurier remains alone atop the OUA standings with 38 points. 

Between the pipes, Kayla Renaud turned aside all six shots she faced to earn her eighth career shutout. 

"It's exciting, and some of the privileges of being in the U SPORTS Top 10 space is the expectation to win," said Laurier's manager of women's hockey operations and head coach, Kelly Paton.  

"I don't think we look back on today and feel like we played a perfect game, but obviously did enough to suppress their offence/attack and find some goals ourselves." 

After opening the second half of the season the night prior with a dominant 5-1 victory, Laurier faced a quick turnaround for their second charity game of the season. The fatigue showed early, as it took just under five minutes for the Golden Hawks to register their first shot on goal. 

As Laurier began to find their rhythm, Elle Spencer collected the puck off the boards and found an open Sydney Brooks drifting into space just above the left circle. Brooks snapped a blocker-side shot that beat the goaltender just under the crossbar, opening the scoring and marking her first career OUA goal. 

WHKY??: GOAL ?? Sydney Brooks opens the scoring early ??

8:11 1st Period | 1-0 WLU#SoarAbove | #WLUvsYRK pic.twitter.com/zC0VgCKqgQ

— Laurier Golden Hawks (@WLUAthletics) January 10, 2026

Despite a heavily penalized contest on both sides, Brooks' tally would stand as the lone goal until the final minutes of the third period. 

Playing on the smaller surface at the Centre Wellington Sportsplex posed its own challenges, something Paton acknowledged postgame. 

"We talked about that before the game started," she said. "There are pros and cons of having a home facility with an Olympic sheet, and you get comfortable with time and space. These games are always a challenge for us just to get a few reps in early with what it feels like to not have the extra five feet of space around you." 

With just under three minutes remaining, York pulled their goaltender for the extra attacker. Laurier defended well, keeping the Lions to the perimeter until a point shot made its way through traffic. Captain Hayley Szymanowski came up with a massive block, keeping the puck at her feet before sending it ahead to a streaking Emerie Maltby, who walked in alone and buried the empty-net goal. 

With only a couple of minutes left on the clock and York's goaltender back in the crease, Laurier struck once more. Spencer stripped the puck from a York defender to keep it in the offensive zone, allowing Clara Chisholm – who recorded her fifth point in two games – to collect it and fire a backhand that trickled through the five-hole and stopped just short of the goal line. Abby Glandon was right there to tap it home for her fourth of the season, sealing the victory for the purple and gold. 

WHKY??: GOAL ?? We're not done yet! Abby Glandon taps home the loose puck ??

18:24 3rd Period | 3-0 WLU#SoarAbove | #WLUvsYRK pic.twitter.com/1SvK8PdIOB

— Laurier Golden Hawks (@WLUAthletics) January 11, 2026

As Laurier continues to separate itself at the top of the standings, Paton emphasized both the progress and the work still ahead. 

"I think it's building momentum with us in that conversation," she said. "The league has a lot of parity, and we know no game's going to be easy for us, but we've certainly demonstratedthat we can be leaders in that part of the game. I'm proud of the group and proud of the progress, but we still have some challenges ahead of us and more hockey to play." 

The Golden Hawks now embark on a four-game road trip, beginning next Friday against TMU. Puck drop is scheduled for 6:15 p.m.