by Rick Rier
A solid
couple weeks of great hockey action with two shut out victories, and then our
first lost in the regular season.
Last Saturday the Kitchener Lady Rangers made a return visit to Walkerton, but Cassidy Becker sent them home without a goal to show for it, earning the shutout! Leah Kittel would score her first of two with just .23 seconds remaining in the first, assists to Joelle Busby and Julie Thomson. She would score her next early in the second on a nice individual effort. Period three would see Thompson put the puck in the net, before Mikayla Whitney would bury one from Melynda McKenzie.
Then on Sunday the girls travelled to Sarnia and it was Erica Parkers turn to shut the door and earn another shutout with a 5-0 victory. A great team effort here as nine of the twelve skaters would see their name on the score sheet! Joelle Busby would start things off in the first with two goals just 21 seconds apart, with assists to Gabby Jex, Rebecca Rier, and Olivia Linklater. Then Elyse Bridgewater from Jasmine Thompson would make it 3-0 after two. The girls didn’t let up in the third as Jex would score one of her own with Mikayla Whitney getting the helper. Then Bridgewater would add her second with Julie Thomson and Natalie Lupo-Flewelling assisting.
Maybe over-confident, maybe thinking about the team party afterwards, or maybe just a quick and tenacious fore checking Guelph Gryphons team, but the first taste of defeat was a 5-0 loss. They certainly had some chances, even appeared one went in the net and came right back out, but was waived off. The coaches tried, making a goalie change mid-way thru, to try and spark the squad. Shortened up the bench, but nothing worked. It was a game where the bounces went the wrong way. However, often times there can be more learnt from a loss, and that was the message after the game.
Early November has a road game, and a home game, before making the trip to Detroit on November 14 for their first tournament action. Good luck ladies!