(17/01/25) - Kingston, ON., The Queen's Gaels Women's Hockey team break a three game losing streak in exciting back-and-forth game against the Brock Badgers Friday evening on Badger ice. The Gaels were victorious 4-3 in OT with only four seconds of play time remaining. The battle between the two teams resulted in a total of 42 goals saved by Gaels no. 1 Emma Tennant (Mechanical Engineering), who stood on her head to defend the Gaels from a relentless Badgers team. With this win, the Gaels update their season record to 5-12, and sixth in the OUA East.  

The Gaels were quick to mark-up the scoreboard with a goal by no. 16 Taya Leonard (Kinesiology), assisted by no. 26 Mikayla Cranney (Arts and Sciences), only 49 seconds after the starting puck-drop. The Gaels focus for this game were two items: strong defensive confidence and to take advantage of Badgers mistakes when connecting the puck. The Gaels proved to be a tough defensive unit throughout the game, which paired nicely with a goal per period. The Badgers found chances at Tennant through two power-plays in the first period, although they were no match for Tennants quick eye for the puck. The first period ended with the Gaels leading 1-0, while the Badgers lead shots-on-goal 12-8. 

The Gaels presented smart and calculated plays in the first 20 minutes of game-play, although could not produce during five-on-three power-play action after roughing and too-many-men calls on the Badgers. The Badgers built some momentum after numerous attempts at the Gaels net, scoring two goals in five minutes. The first on a breakaway and the second on a gentle tap to put the puck behind Tennant, and catch their first lead of 2-1 late into the second period. Just after the halfway mark of the second period, Tennant had already saved 22 shots as the Badgers were relentless dominating the Gaels zone.

With less than five minutes left in the period, no. 18 Sophie Hudson (Chemical Engineering), assisted by Leonard, scored on the Badgers to tie 2-2, grabbing the puck and slapping it into the back of the net. The Gaels saw their lead taken away from them but fought back hard to maintain their position in the game. The Badgers shot a total of 17 shots on goal during the second, bringing the tally to 29-16 with 20 more minutes for Tennant to defend.

The score remained tied 2-2 through the first ten minutes of the third period, as both teams looked for offensive strategies their opponent could not match. The Gaels created a few chances for themselves, though were unable to make puck-to-net contact. The frustration continued until no. 23 Megan Hirschfeld (Health Sciences) assisted no. 28 Sienna Bullen (Arts and Sciences) in scoring on the Badgers net. Bullen's goal re-lit a fire in the Gaels as they caught up to the Badgers in shots-on-net 33-32, while Tennant continued her extremely impressive role in the game. 

The Badgers found some momentum in the final minutes of the third period, racking up five more shots on Tennant before one goes in with 26.7 seconds left in the game, bringing the score to 3-3 with 38-33 shots on goal for the Badgers. 

Over-time play saw amazing defensive plays by Tennant standing her ground in front of her net while the Gaels applied pressure in the Badgers zone. With 4.1 seconds of over-time play left, no. 10 Alyson Reeves (Commerce), assisted by no. 15 Melissa Parton (Arts and Sciences) scored on the Badgers net to end the excitement and bring home a win for the Gaels. 

Catch the Queen's Gaels Women's Hockey team in action next Saturday, January 18th at 7:30 PM against the Guelph Gryphons on OUA.TV.