The Queen’s women’s hockey team will make its sixth straight appearance in the OUA Final Four in
London this weekend. The women play the University of Toronto in a semifinal game on Saturday, with
the winner to face either Laurier or Guelph in the final on Sunday.
Head coach Harold Parsons expects a close match-up.
“We had some success against Toronto in the regular season, but it’s always been a one-goal game against them,” he said. “I think we’ll come out flyingand I think we’re going to get the win,” Gaels forward Michelle Clark-Crumpton added. Clark- Crumpton was the team’s regular season scoring leader notching 23 points.
During the regular season, the Gaels were close to finishing in the top two spots in the league, which
would have given them a bye into the semifinals. But a rash of injuries late in the season meant they had to play the sixth-seeded Waterloo Warriors in the quarter-final last Sunday.
The Gaels came out flying and played a disciplined game to defeat the Warriors 3-1, in the final OUA
hockey game to be played at Jock Harty Arena. “We didn’t want this to be our last game,” Parsons said after the game. “The players were anxious to play and wanted to be a part of something special.”
Discipline proved to be the deciding factor of the Waterloo game. “We didn’t play the best game we possibly could have, but the biggest thing was that we were disciplined,” Parsons said. “If our power play hadn’t executed for us today, we would have been in a difficult situation.”
The Gaels failed to convert on an early 5-on-3 power play, but OUA Rookie of the Year Liz Kench
opened the scoring for Queen’s three minutes later with a perfect shot over the glove of Warriors
goaltender Alexis Huber. OUA first-team all-star Sarah Bryson replied for Waterloo 52 seconds later, capitalizing on a scramble in front of Queen’s goaltender Katie Boyd. Boyd, who had limited work
and made 22 saves for the win, said the team remained undeterred. “I don’t think that goal really shook up the team, because we scored the first goal,” she said.
“Scoring the first goal gives everyone more confidence to play better throughout the game, because we’ve had a lot of games where we’ve had to come from behind.”
The game-winning goal was scored on the power play by a Becky Conroy deflection with 21 seconds
left in the first period. The Gaels then concentrated on playing disciplined hockey as the Waterloo
parade to the penalty box continued throughout the game. Victoria Kauffman potted an insurance marker by putting in a loose puck at 6:37 of the third period.
The Gaels’ play frustrated Waterloo’s Bryson so much that she took a 10-minute misconduct penalty with 12 minutes to go in the third period.
“We certainly respect her as a player, but I think we finally got to her and frustrated her a little bit,”
Parsons said. With regards to his team playing the final interuniversity game in the third incarnation of Jock Harty, Queen’s home rink since 1970, Parsons was happy with the result. “It feels good that the last game here is a win.”
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