By Mikayla Guarasci
The Rams women’s hockey team closed out the regular season at the Mattamy Athletic Centre (MAC) on Saturday afternoon with a 2-1 win over the Ontario Tech Ridgebacks.
The two teams were set for a rematch game following a 1-0 win for the Ridgebacks on Friday in Oshawa, Ont.
The Rams pre-game ceremony included a celebration of the team’s graduating seniors. Savannah Bouzide, Lauren Nicholson, Avery Horlock, Jamie Watson, Julie Patricio, Keelin Farren, Natalie Thompson and Rachel Seeley were all honoured on the ice for their contributions to the program.
“Everyone puts in their all to create this special night for the seniors and that keeps us really connected,” said Patricio. She also shared that the seniors all got together before the game prior to the festivities.
“It’s a tradition that we do, the seniors will walk in late as everyone else kind of gets the room decorated, gets the rink decorated [and] makes it feel really special for us,” she added.
Through the first 20 minutes, the Rams outshot the Ridgebacks 15-7, but neither team could break the zeros.
Just 50 seconds into the second period, Ontario Tech scored a goal which was quickly called back due to the Ridgebacks having too many players on the ice.
The rest of the second period was a battle of the special teams. The Rams spent significant time on the penalty kill, but still managed to bring their shot total to 27 and limit the Ridgebacks to just six shots.
Rams head coach Lisa Haley said her team’s penalty killers “gave [the team] a lot of momentum today.” She added that the penalty kill “helped build our energy and know that it was a bit of a power kill situation instead of a penalty kill for us.”
With just 1:48 to go in the middle frame, Bouzide was able to get a stick on Patricio’s shot from the point and put the puck past Ridgeback’s goalie Brooke Vial. The Rams took the 1-0 lead into the final 20 minutes.
The Rams continued to rack up penalties in the third period and could only hold Ontario Tech off for so long. Ontario Tech forward Lauren Beaulieu scored a powerplay marker, 6:10 into the third period to tie the game up at 1-1.
At 11:05 in the third, the Rams retook the lead. Rams veteran Erika Crouse scored her second of the season with help from Brooklyn Gemmill and Patricio.
Between the pipes, Seeley made all the saves for the rest of the way and the Rams closed out the regular season with a 2-1 win over Ontario Tech. The Rams managed to produce 37 shots while Ontario Tech had just 23.
This win locks the Rams into third place in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) East Division, with a playoff matchup with the Nipissing Lakers on the horizon.
Patricio who recorded two assists noted that the team “always play well when we’re at Nipissing” and is “super fired up to head to North Bay” for their next game.
“This is probably the most excited we’ve been to know that we’re going to go to Nipissing for a road game,” said Haley. “It’s a building that we usually play well in.”
UP NEXT: The Rams will head out on the road this upcoming week for a quarter-final matchup. Puck-drop to be announced.
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