Women’s hockey: Rams shut out by Nipissing in home finale

By Adriel Smiley

Lakers remain only OUA team Ryerson has never beaten, 8-0 all-time versus Rams
Ryerson shut out for seventh time in 10 games in 2017, eighth all season
Rams outshoot Lakers 25-15 in last two periods

Ryerson’s women’s hockey team dropped their last home game of the season on Saturday night, losing 4-0 to the Nipissing Lakers at the Mattamy Athletic Centre.

The Rams fall to 4-2-12-4 with the loss. Sitting in 11th place in the OUA, Ryerson had already been mathematically eliminated from playoff contention following a shootout loss to Laurentian on Friday night. The second-place Lakers improve to 13-3-3-3 and are now 8-0 all-time against the Rams. Nipissing remains the only OUA team Ryerson has never beaten.

Photo: Matt Ouellet

Lakers goalie Jacqueline Rochefort made 28 saves for her sixth shutout of the season—two of which have now come against the Rams—while Sydney Authier stopped 18 pucks in the losing effort for Ryerson.

After amassing a total of 38 penalty minutes in their last matchup in January, both teams did a better job of staying out of the box but still managed to wrack up 22 penalty minutes on 11 infractions—including offsetting minors for checking to the head in the third period.

The opening frame saw the Rams go down 1-0 after a goal from Lakers forward Hunter Mosher at 8:43. Ryerson finished off the period with a successful penalty kill, trailing by one after being outshot 7-3 in the frame.

Ryerson started off the second period with some excellent opportunities on goal. A tripping penalty by Nipissing forward Samantha Strassburger gave the Rams a powerplay, but it was the Lakers that went up 2-0 midway through the second with Natalie Graham’s first tally of the season.

Lakers forward Brooklyn Irwin netted her fourth goal two-and-a-half minutes into the third period before Nipissing captain Kaley Tienhaara scored a breakaway goal less than five minutes later to balloon the lead to four.

Ryerson outshot the Lakers 25-15 over the final two periods of the game, but couldn’t solve Rochefort.

Before the game, graduating senior players Stephanie Chiste, Danelle Im, Michelle Evagelou, Justine Glover and Blair Malthaner were all honoured for their Ryerson careers.

UP NEXT: The Rams head to Varsity arena to take on Toronto this Thursday, Feb. 16 at 7 p.m. Ryerson’s final game of the season will be Sat. Feb. 18 when the Rams visit Waterloo to face the Warriors at 2:30 p.m.