The Waterloo Warriors faced the Bishop’s Gaiters in the final of the U Sports Women’s Hockey Championship on Sunday, March 23. The Golden Path Trophy sat as the ultimate objective as the teams faced off in a sold out Woolwich Memorial Centre.
The Gaiters arrived at the final after taking the RSEQ title vs Concordia, defeating UBC in dramatic fashion in the quarter finals, and seeing off the University of Toronto in the semi finals. Waterloo’s path had them lose to Toronto in the OUA finals, having already qualified for the tournament as the host school, then defeating top seeded Alberta in the quarter finals and the defending champions Concordia in the semi finals.
The first period was finely balanced, with the Warriors pressing hard and at times hemming the Gaiters into their own zone. The Gaiters were able to create chances when they did get possession of the puck and outshot the Warriors 7-3 in the first period. Kara Mark once again made the difference in net for the Warriors.
Waterloo kept up the pressure in the second period, setting a physical tone and causing several scrambles in front of the net, but the puck would not find its way into the Gaiters net. A quick rush up the ice in the 12th minute led to the period’s only goal as the Gaiters Captain Gabrielle Santerre put the Warriors behind for the first time in the tournament. The Warriors took a penalty for body checking with 30 seconds left to end the second period.
The start of the third period saw the Warriors take a second penalty, though the Gaiters were unable to take advantage of just over a minute of 5-on-3 hockey. Mark continued to keep the Warriors in the game as they pressed for the equalizer and was once again called on to make a crucial save 3 minutes into the game.
The Warriors’s pressure led to a power play with 5 minutes remaining in the game. They moved the puck around well and forced a couple of saves from the Gaiters player of the game, goalkeeper Ericka Gagnon. As the penalty ended the Gaiters captain, Santerre, was able to release Gabrielle Rousseau from the box. Rousseau promptly found the top left corner to beat Mark and put the Gaiters up by a pair of goals.
The Warriors pulled their keeper with just over two minutes and looked to find a way past Gagnon, but the Gaiters were able to find the open net as Maude Pépin put the game beyond the Warriors reach at 18:20.
The Warriors player of the game was Mark, having made 25 saves. The tournament MVP was the Gaiters captain Santerre. Waterloo had two players named to the tournament all-star team, Lyndsey Acheson and Kassidy McCarthy.
Waterloo’s season might have ended with a defeat, but their well deserved silver medal is the first U Sports medal for the women’s hockey program and another step forwards from their defeat in the bronze medal game a year ago.
After the game Warriors head coach Shaun Reaga said, “A lot of firsts for our program, first McCaw Cup last year, first national appearance, this is our first national final. The group was saying after the game how going into games, we just expect to win. We’re proud of where our program is at and where it’s going to be in the future.”
