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Jason Scourse

Season Preview 2019: Gaels women's hockey opens season Friday night at Memorial Centre

| By: Daniel Samuel (Sports Information and Digital Content Intern)
2018-19 regular season record: 14-9-1-0
2018-19 regular season standings: 5th in OUA
2018-19 playoff record: 1-2
2018-19 playoff finish: Lost in the OUA playoff  first round 
Home Arena: Memorial Centre
Recent Success: 2017 OUA Silver Medalists, 2017 U SPORTS Participants 
Full Schedule: Women's Hockey Schedule

The Gaels women's hockey team open their 2019-20 season against the University of Toronto Varsity Blues on Friday night at 7:30pm at the Memorial Centre. 

Queen's will look to build on a strong 2018-19 season that saw the 14-9-1-0 Gaels earn a playoff berth as a fifth seed. The Gaels were eliminated in their first-round matchup by the Ryerson Rams in an extremely tight three-game series that featured two overtime games. After winning game one at home, the Rams edged the Gaels in double-overtime in game two and won the series with another overtime victory in game three to eliminate Queen's at the Memorial Centre. 

This season will be a transitional year for head coach Matt Holmberg as five key veteran players graduated this past offseason. 

Katrina Manoukarakis played a key role for the Gaels leading the team in goals with 11 and earned OUA MVP honours in 2017. Fellow forwards Caroline DeBruin and Addi Halladay, who scored eight and seven goals respectively also departed Queen's after following their fifth season in 2018-19. 

Fourth-year forward Hailey Wilson is poised to lead the Gaels offence this season. Wilson scored seven goals and added five assists for 12 points, the third-highest total on the team last season. Wilson also showcased her goal-scoring prowess in key moments scoring two game-winning goals. Taylor Hicks will also play a key role as a playmaker following her nine assist season in 2018-19 and veteran Kaylie Dennis will be looked upon as a leader having participated in two U SPORTS championships in her four-year career.

Experienced defenceman Nicole Posesorski and Devon Greenough will be relied upon to anchor the Gaels blueline. Last season, the Gaels were third in the conference allowing only 43 goals and posted a goals-against-average of 1.80. 

Mackenzy Arsenault will look to continue to build on an excellent 2018-19 season between the pipes, in particular, following the departure of goaltender Stephanie Pascal. Pascal had a 7-4 record in 2018-19 and previously won Goaltender of the Year honours in 2017-18.  Last season, Arsenault had a breakout season posting an 8-5 record and had the second-lowest GAA (1.39) in the OUA.  


Head Coach Matt Holmberg returns for his 11th season behind the bench for the Queen's Gaels. Holmberg earned OUA Coach of the Year honours in 2017 as the Gaels posted a 15-4-3 record good enough for third place in the OUA. 

Matt Holmberg 
"I can't recall a year in the OUA that promises as much parity in the league as this one. There will be very strong teams that do not make the playoffs, and those that are fortunate to earn a playoff spot each have a legitimate shot at a championship. As such, we recognize that nothing short of our best will suffice. We are tackling this season with an "all in" mentality and readying ourselves for a battle each and every game. With a strong core of players returning, coupled with the addition of some energetic rookies, we expect to be among those teams challenging for the Cup at season's end."

- Number of seasons as head coach with team (including 2019): 11
- Career regular-season record with team: 163-2-27
- Career overall record with team (reg. season and playoffs only)  189-88-27

Honours 
OUA Coach of the Year: 2017-18
OUA Champions: 2010-11, 2012-13

Key Returnees:
Kaylie Dennis
Devon Greenough
Mackenzy Arsenault 
Nicole Posesorski 
Hailey Wilson
Quinn Johnston

Key Losses:
Katarina Manoukarakis 
Caroline DeBruin
Addi Halladay
 
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