The penalty-killing unit took centre stage on Feb. 9 as the Carleton Ravens women’s hockey team put an end to their four-game losing skid with a 4-2 victory over the Concordia University Stingers at the Ice House.
A spectacular performance by goaltender Tamber Tisdale helped clinch a vital win for the hosts, who remain in fourth place in the RSEQ division.
The win did not come without difficulty for the Ravens, who survived three successive 5-on-3 power plays in a penalty-laden second period.
“Our penalty kill was outstanding,” Ravens head coach Shelley Coolidge said after the game. “But we gave Concordia 10 minutes of 5-on-3 time and that’s not something that we can afford to do as we head into our playoff stretch. We have to be more disciplined in how we compete.”
The game began by honouring suicide victim Daron Richardson. Baked goods and merchandise were sold nearby to raise money for the local youth mental awareness group, Do It For Daron.
After a ceremonial puck drop by Richardson’s former teacher Caroline Legresley, the game was underway, with the Stingers seizing the early initiative.
However, it was Ravens third-year forward Sadie Wegner who grabbed the game’s opening goal, as she latched onto a rebound to record her ninth goal of the season.
Concordia continued to create chances and their impressive start was rewarded just 3:20 later, when centre Marie-Pier Cloutier pounced on a loose puck to level the score.
The goal came as a shock to the Ravens, who had beaten the Stingers in all four of their previous meetings earlier in the season.
Thankfully for the home support, Carleton was able to re-establish their lead as forward Alexandra Yallouz poked the puck past Stingers goaltender Carolanne Lavoie-Pilon to restore the Ravens’ lead.
The home side, however, continued to be the makers of their own undoing, and with just 3:18 left in the period, the Stingers pulled themselves back into the game for the second time.
Having been pegged back twice, the Ravens began the second period with a higher intensity. An early power-play goal by defence Kelsey Vander Veen quickly put the hosts back in front. A second goal by Yallouz followed just two minutes later.
However, a number of consecutive penalties, including a 10-minute infraction levied on Yallouz for a game misconduct, forced Ravens defence Erin Beaver and her teammates to dig deep and kill off three 5-on-3 power plays.
Unfortunately for the visitors, they were unable to take advantage as the Ravens nullified the Stingers’ power play, which finished the game 0 for eight.
Several saves by Tisdale in the third period helped the Ravens maintain their two-goal cushion.
“I thought I was key in killing off the penalties in the second period,” Tisdale said. “But the team played really well in front of me. It made it easier for me to stop the shots.”
“We did a really good job of getting in shot lanes and taking away some of their opportunities,” Coolidge said. “I was really happy with how we competed on the 5 on 3’s.”
A 6-2 defeat to the McGill University Martlets Feb. 10 means the Ravens will face the division-leading Martlets in the playoffs.
The Ravens are scheduled to play their final game of the regular season against their rivals, the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees, on Feb. 16.
