WATERLOO, Ont. - The Laurier Golden Hawks returned to the win column in dominant fashion Thursday night, blanking the Ontario Tech Ridgebacks 5-0 on Pride Night at the Waterloo Rec Memorial Complex. With the regulation victory coupled with a Guelph loss, Laurier has set the stage for a winner-take-all showdown Saturday against the Gryphons, with first place in the OUA on the line. 

"I thought it was a slow start," said Laurier's manager of women's hockey operations and head coach, Kelly Paton. "But getting a few goals in the first and second frames helped build momentum for the third. I think we took advantage of the looks we had today." 

In goal, Kayla Renaud was steady when called upon, stopping all 19 shots to record her tenth career shutout. Paton credited her netminder for settling things down early. 

"I also thought Kayla did a good job of keeping us in the game after we gave up some grade-A chances we shouldn't have. It was a balanced effort tonight within the group." 

Laurier opened the scoring on the power play with just over seven minutes remaining in the first. Abby Glandon stayed with her initial backdoor chance, retrieving her own rebound off the end boards and tapping it into an open net to give the Golden Hawks a 1-0 lead. 

Not long after, rookie Zoey Dupuis doubled the advantage. Taking a centering feed from Emerie Maltby, Dupuis drove hard to the net, waited out the goaltender and tucked the puck far side late in the frame. 

Midway through the second period, Dupuis struck again in nearly identical fashion. This time, she capitalized on a pass from Kara den Hoed, driving the crease and finishing to extend Laurier's lead to three. 

"All week the coaches were talking about getting our stick free in front of the net," Dupuis said. "I worked through that, and that's how the first one went in. Then I think the momentum kept me going, which helped me get the second one." 

Gabby Lehoux added her seventh of the season when a shot from the circle found its way through traffic and into the back of the net, before Kylie Laliberte and Ella Jackson connected on a crisp 2-on-1 rush in the third, capped by a bar-down Laliberte finish to round out the scoring. 

Special teams and structure played a key role in the win. Laurier capitalized once on the power play and killed off three penalties to maintain control. 

"We needed a few kills, obviously, in terms of just being short-handed, and we were able to get those done," said Paton. "With the power play, finding one was good. From there, I think we just continued to challenge them around five-on-five play – the consistency and structure around how we get pucks back, and when we do have it, having urgency to get to the slot." 

The victory also carried added significance as part of Pride Night festivities, with Laurier sporting specialty jerseys.  

"We're happy to participate in special game opportunities," said Paton. "Today was inclusivity, and with our platform, we're in a fortunate spot to celebrate some of those things. We're pleased that the department sees added value in these initiatives." 

Now, all eyes turn to Saturday's regular-season finale – a Highway 7 rivalry match-up with first place at stake and Senior Night celebrations set to honour Laurier's graduating class of 2026. 

"If you had told me at the beginning of September that we'd have a chance to win the division against a similar-style opponent, I would've said absolutely," Paton said. "We've had good competition with them the last few years, often one-goal outcomes. They're going to test our ability to stay resilient. We just have to get up for the game and have good momentum and energy." 

Paton also emphasized the importance of finishing strong, especially given recent games decided in the final moments. 

"Inside the last 10 minutes of the last few games have really determined the outcome. That's something we've addressed and reinforced – focusing on a full 60 minutes. I was happy with the effort today. That's the standard for our program, and it needs to show up all the time." 

With first place and a graduating class to celebrate, Saturday promises to be both emotional and electric. 

"We're excited for senior night, we're excited for it to be a first-place game," Paton said. "We have a large graduating class, so we're excited to give them the space they deserve for everything they've done to help our program grow. It should be a fun night." 

Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 p.m., with tickets available at tickets.laurierathletics.com. The game will also be available live on OUA.tv