While the Carleton Ravens women’s hockey team put in a pair of credible, hard-working performances on the weekend, their moral victories did not equate to on-ice victories, and the team fell further out of the Réseau du Sport étudiant du Québec playoff picture.
Carleton’s offence was the culprit as the Ravens fell 3-1 at home Feb. 7 against the high-flying Montreal Carabins, and 2-0 Feb. 8 in a pivotal game against the University of Ottawa (U of O) Gee-Gees.
“We need to finish,” Ravens head coach Pierre Alain said. “We need to find ways and figure out how to put the puck in the net.”
The 3-1 loss at the Ice House saw Carleton put in a valiant effort against a strong Carabins team.
Facing a team that had outscored them 29-1 in their four previous meeting, the Ravens hung tough with the best team in Canada, holding Montreal to just 34 shots and three goals.
Had it not been for Audrey Gariépy’s dominating two-goal performance, the Ravens might have pulled off an incredible upset.
The Montreal game was also Do It For Daron day at the arena, and the Ravens wore purple jerseys to raise awareness for the mental health initiative.
A puck toss and bake sale were also held at the arena, and the rink was filled with purple on and off the ice.
Morale was high after the tight game against the top-ranked Carabins, with Ravens captain Sadie Wegner stating her firm belief that the team was headed in the right direction.
“We’ve just got to play as a unit, stay on the same we path we did today, and we’ll be fine [against U of O],” she said.
While Carleton did continue its steady defensive play against the Gee-Gees, the Ravens failed to beat U of O goaltender Maude Lévesque-Ryan, who posted a 37-save shutout.
The loss saw Carleton fall six points behind the Gee-Gees for the final playoff spot, but freshman defenceman Rebecca Dow said their season is far from over.
“It’s going to be difficult [to make the playoffs], but it’s nothing that hasn’t been done before,” she said. “We just have to battle like we did this weekend and believe.”
While difficult, Alain also said the playoffs are not completely out of reach.
“We’re far from done,” Alain said. “We have three games left—Montreal, Concordia, Ottawa U—and we have to win them.”
The Ravens will need U of O to drop points in all of its remaining games just to have a chance at the playoffs.
Carleton (3-14-0) will head to Montreal for their sole game this weekend, where they will meet the McGill Martlets (13-4-0) in a must-win game Feb. 13.
The Ravens have been outscored 24-6 by McGill while losing all four previous meeting this season.
