Wilfrid Laurier’s women’s hockey team swept their way to the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) semifinals Saturday afternoon with a 3-2 victory over the Waterloo Warriors.
The Hawks took the series 2-0 and move on to the next round.
Laurier found the board first, ten minutes into the game as Tammy Freiburger beat Rebecca Bouwhuis to put the Hawks up 1-0. With under four minutes to play in the first period, Laura Brooker scored a powerplay goal to put the Hawks ahead by two heading into the second.
However the Warriors would not sit back, as in the second period Melissa Redmond would score Waterloo’s first goal against Laurier in over 328 minutes. The Warriors split the Hawks’ lead.
Laurier rookie Robyn Degagne would score her first career playoff goal to put the Hawks back ahead by two in the third. With two and a half minutes left in the game, Waterloo had one final attempt at another offensive pressure. Kelly MacLean beat Erika Thunder to pull within one, but Waterloo would be unable to tie it up in the final minutes.
Laurier now awaits the winner of the Queen’s/Windsor series, which is currently tied at one, to find out their next opponent.
If Windsor wins, the teams will meet for the second consecutive year in semifinal action. If Queen’s wins, then the Hawks will meet with the Western Mustangs.
