The Nov. 22–23 hockey games were all but close in score, but went in completely differnt directions for the men and the women’s team.
The men’s hockey team faced off against Waterloo and Laurier on Nov. 22–23, while the women’s hockey team was paired against McGill on Nov. 23. The men saw similar success in their two games as they have in their previous six as they won both games 4–2. The women’s team, on the other hand, found themselves overwhelmed by McGill’s offence after a solid first period, losing their game 5–1.
Men’s hockey best Warriors and Golden Hawks
In their game against the Warriors, the Gees broke two goals out early and ended the first period 2–0. For the rest of the game, the Gees managed to keep the Warriors down by responding with a goal every time the Warriors scored one of their own. The points were less than a minute apart.
“It’s important to be resilient,” said head coach Réal Paiement (translated from French). “We’re in a bubble right now where nothing seems to phase us. They score a goal, we score one shortly thereafter, which makes it hard for the other team to gain momentum.”
The Warriors’ frustration was visible in the third period, during which they received one major and two minor misconduct calls. The Gees managed to keep their cool and avoid unnecessary fisticuffs.
The Gees continued their hot streak in their second game against Laurier, who just came off a win against the 9–4, fifth–ranked team in the country, McGill. The Gees landed two pucks in Laurier’s net during the first period, the first on a power play. The second period wasn’t very different, although Laurier’s Matt Provost denied U of O’s bid for a shutout win with a goal.
“I feel good about these wins,” said Paiement. “(Waterloo) has the top scorer from last year, and two big guys that are hard to handle down low. We also played a solid game against Laurier.”
Women’s hockey iced by undefeated Marlets
The women’s Gee-Gees pulled out a strong performance at the beginning of their game but fell through in the second period, allowing McGill to net three goals. McGill is currently the top-seeded team in the country and undefeated in regular season play with a 9–0 record.
“They’re not the top-ranked team in the country for no reason,” said head coach Yanick Evola (translated from French). “They didn’t need many opportunities to start scoring goals, and when they got them, they scored from restrained angles.”
Evola said that although the Gee-Gees are a young team, they managed to stay on par with the Marlets in terms of intensity throughout the game, which is something he’s proud of.
Fourth-year goaltender Cassie Seguin was dealt a gruelling barrage of shots in the second period.
“It wasn’t my best game. We looked good as a team and had our moments,” she said. “Hopefully we can use this game as a building block. I know I will personally.”
