Women’s hockey team suffers loss to Carabins
ALTHOUGH THEY SUFFERED a loss that Saturday night, the women’s hockey team was proud of their perfor- mance against the top ranked Montreal Carabins (5-1-1, RSEQ) on Nov. 12. The Gee-Gees (2-6, RSEQ) took the ice with fierce confidence, but the squad couldn’t shake off Montreal’s second-period lead, resulting in a 3-2 loss.
Despite the score, head coach Yanick Evola thought the Gees performed well. “We played our best game of the season,” said Evola. “A consistent effort from the first to last minute of the game.”
The first period of the game saw the Garnet and Grey play aggressively— they were so competitive in their play they were stuck in the penalty box for most of the 20 minutes. The squad was still able to prevent any goals from the Carabins.
“Hockey is a tough game,” said Evola. “We are trying to use our [bodies] as much as we can in game situations, but we need to remain disciplined.”
The Gees began their second period strong with a quick goal into the back of the net by first-year forward Elarie Leclair. The Carabins were quick to re- bound with a goal on a power play three minutes later. By the end of the period, Montreal scored two more points, giv- ing them a two-point lead and bringing the score to 3-1.
The Garnet and Grey refused to back down. U of O third-year forward Domi- nique Lefebvre slapped the puck in the net from the left faceoff dot with an as- sisting pass from first-year forward Car- ling Chown. Although Ottawa managed to outshoot Montreal 28-21, they were unable to make that tying shot, result- ing in a 3-2 loss.
First-year goaltender Caitlin Fowler explained the team didn’t view this game as a loss, because they had finally played to their full potential.
“I think anyone who has seen us play would agree that we have been fairly in- consistent in terms of playing a full 60 minutes,” she said.
“This past weekend during our home game versus Montreal, we achieved what the team and our coaches have been looking for since day one: 60 min- utes of solid effort where we were win- ning every battle, playing with intensity, and making sure we did the little things right.”
Evola knows if the team continues to play like they did against Montreal, they shouldn’t have any problem increasing their rank in the standings.
“Do the same thing we did last week, work hard, and work smart. We need to be patient, because if we play like that every game we are going to win some.”
The Gee-Gees will travel to Carleton University to compete against the Ravens (2- 3-2) on Nov. 19 at 7 p.m., and then host the McGill University Martlets (6-1) on Nov. 20 at 2 p.m.
—Katherine DeClerq
