The Carleton Ravens women’s hockey is still searching for their first home win of the season after a 3-1 loss to the Laurier Golden Hawks on Saturday night at the Ice House.
Despite a spirited effort and a steady push through all three periods — with rookie Jenna Beaton netting her first career OUA goal — but the Ravens couldn’t take down Lauier’s goaltender Sarah Howell, who stopped a staggering 19 of 20 shots.
The loss dropped Carleton to 1-6 on the season and 0-5 at home.
The Golden Hawks opened scoring at just over four minutes into the first period when forward Olivia MacMillan capitalized on a scrum in front of the Ravens’ net, getting past goaltender Kaitlyn Langille to give Laurier an early lead.
Laurier doubled their advantage eight minutes later when Emerie Maltby’s puck found the back of the net, putting the visiting team up 2-0.
Carleton responded late in the first with a well-executed rush after maintaining pressure in the offensive zone. With the help of forward Jayden Olafson, Beaton buried the puck.
“I’m pretty excited,” Beaton said in a post-game interview.
“I just kind of drove the net, and Jayden put it off the far pad, and I just tapped it in.”
The goal couldn’t have come at a better time for the Ravens, narrowing the gap to 2-1 and energizing a team that’s fought to generate offence this season.
“I felt like it was a pretty fast-paced game tonight, and we gave them a good push,” Beaton added.
“We came close last night in overtime, so that loss gave us an extra push today.”
In the second period, both teams traded chances but ultimately couldn’t capitalize.
Langille, who finished with 21 saves on 23 shots, was sharp throughout the night, keeping Carleton in the game with several key stops.
Head coach Stacey Colarossi said she was pleased with her team’s ability to respond after Friday’s overtime loss.
“We knew Laurier would be a quicker team today,” Colarossi said.
“I think we’re a better team when we play fast, and tonight fit more into our style of play.”
Colarossi emphasized that her team’s composure, even when they were down, was a sign of progress.
“They kept fighting and were still encouraging one another. I was proud to see that.”
In the third period, the Ravens turned up the heat, maintaining long stretches in Laurier’s zone and applying relentless offensive pressure. They peppered the Golden Hawks’ net with shots, generating scrambles in front and forcing Howell to make several tough saves.
Despite the surge, none found their way across the goal line.
“I felt like we were bringing the energy in all three periods,” assistant captain Hayden Serniuk said.
“We battled for all 60 and kept going until the very last minute.”
With the Ravens pushing to tie the game, Langille was pulled for an extra attacker for the final minute. However, Laurier’s Kylie Laliberte sealed the win with an empty net goal with 44 seconds left, assisted by Ella Jackson.
“It’s always hard to lose a game, but I felt they clawed back right to the end,” Colarossi said. “We’re growing in how we handle those moments.”
The Ravens will have a week to regroup before starting a challenging road trip against Windsor on Friday and Western on Saturday. The team will face Laurier again on Nov. 14 in Waterloo.
“Next time, we’ll have more time and space on their Olympic-sized rink,” Colarossi said.
“They have slower defence in transition, so we’ll look to get pucks behind them, use our speed, and get pucks deep.”
“We’re excited,” Serniuk added. “We haven’t played those teams yet, so we’re fired up and ready to win some games and hopefully bring back six points.”
Featured image by Mark Lafleur/the Charlatan
