Weekend results for the women’s hockey team left coaches and players wondering if their collective glass was half-empty or half-full. The team played the Brock University Badgers on Friday and Saturday night, with each game ending in a 2-2 tie. In both games, the Gaels held the lead in the third period but allowed late equalizers to split the points with Brock.
With Brock’s record at 4-11-4 heading into the weekend, head coach Rob Lalonde said the series against the ninth-placed Badgers presented an opportunity for fourth-placed Queen’s to solidify its playoff position.
The Gaels, however, failed to capitalize.
“I’d have to say we’re a little bit disappointed,” he said. “Not to take anything away from Brock, but they’re a team that’s below us in the standings and we were hoping to get four points, not two.”
Playing in Napanee Friday night, the Gaels took a first-period lead on a goal by Tory Boeckh before Brock tied the game in the second. Queen’s forward Becky Conroy restored the advantage in the third period, but a Brock power-play goal with less than four minutes to play knotted the game at 2-2.
It was an almost identical story the following night in Kingston. Victoria Kaufmann scored to get Queen’s off to another good start. After Brock tied the game in the second frame, a Kelsey Thomson goal put the Gaels back in front.
Brock again levelled the game late, scoring on Queen’s netminder Katie Boyd with only 2:35 remaining in the third.
Lalonde said the team was unable to secure victories in the two games for several reasons, including defensive-zone face-offs, which led to both Brock goals on Saturday.
“We have never been scored on all season right off a face-off. I think there was a mental letdown or a miscommunication there,” he said. “That’s something we’ll have to address in practice this week.”
He added that the team’s power play and discipline need to improve in the future. Queen’s was unable to score during its 10 total power plays, although many didn’t last the entire two minutes because the Gaels took penalties.
“We have to expect to get power-play goals. We should be able to generate something but we just couldn’t,” he said. “We need to play a bit more disciplined. We took some unnecessary penalties in both games.”
Despite a sense of a missed opportunity, Lalonde said there were also positive elements to be taken from the weekend.
“We’re still undefeated in the second half of the season,” he said. “I think we carried the majority of the play against Brock.”
Brock outshot Queen’s by a combined 72-59 over both games, but Boyd made 68 saves for the Gaels. Lalonde said Boyd, last week’s OUA athlete of the week, was an important player for Queen’s again.
“Katie played very well again this weekend,” he said. “A couple of the goals were those kind of seeing-eye goals that just managed to get through somehow. They weren’t her fault at all.” Rookie defender Michelle Hunt said the weekend was a mixed bag for the Gaels.
“Whenever the other team scores in the last few minutes, it feels like a defeat, even though it’s still a tie,” she said. “Although it ended in two ties, I think the team played well. Brock had a good goalie and it was a matter of us not capitalizing on our chances.”
Thomson said the team’s lack of discipline contributed to Brock’s late comebacks.
“It was a really chippy game and we had a lot of stupid penalties,” she said. “Brock is a very physical and almost dirty team and we let ourselves drop to that level.”
The Gaels’ next game takes place Saturday on the road, when they’ll face the University of Ontario Institute of Technology Ridgebacks.
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