The Carleton Ravens women’s hockey team lost 5-2 to the Queen’s Golden Gaels Sept. 25, ending their home exhibition tournament with a 1-3 record.
The Golden Gaels dominated the first period, but thanks to Ravens goaltender Tamber Tisdale’s efforts between the pipes and a powerplay goal by defenceman Kelsey Vander Veen, the period ended in a 1-1 tie.
The turning point was a breakaway goal scored by the Golden Gaels in the second period, from which the Gaels never looked back and entered the second intermssion with a 4-1 lead.
The third period saw the teams trade goals with centre Sydnie MacDonald scoring for the Ravens. However, they couldn’t catch up to the Golden Gaels.
It was a tough one, MacDonald said.
We did not have our best game, said Ravens head coach Shelley Coolidge. We did not engage in the battles.
Both Coolidge and MacDonald agreed that the positive aspect of the game was the third period, which saw the Ravens outshoot the Gaels 14-6.
Even though our first and second [periods] weren’t the strongest, we showed in the third that we can pick it up and play with the other team, MacDonald said.We just have to remember to always play that way.
Another strong point was the Ravens penalty kill, which killed off four of five Queen’s power plays, but Coolidge said the team needs to limit their penalties taken.
Penalties definitely change the momentum in the game, Coolidge said.
Coolidge said she’s been impressed throughout the pre-season with the play of some of her returning players, including Sadie Wagner, Kristin MacDonald, and Victoria Gouge.
“The work they put in during the summer definitely shows,” she said.
Goaltending duty was split between Tisdale, who allowed four goals in the first half of the game, and Victoria Powers, who let in one goal. The two netminders combined for 22 saves in the loss.
“When your goaltending is where ours is, you’re in a good place,” Coolidge said.
“Even when the team was falling apart in front of them, our goalies were always there to back us up,” added MacDonald.
The loss to Queen’s wrapped up Carleton’s four-day, six-team exhibition tournament that saw the team beat the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds 7-1 Sept. 22, before losing 4-3 to the University of Toronto Varsity Blues and 5-0 to the Calgary Dinos.
