The Queen's Gaels women's hockey team secured a dominant 5-1 victory over the Ontario Tech Ridgebacks on Friday night at the Memorial Centre. Queen's improved to 6-14 on the season, picking up their second home win and their second victory in three games.

The Gaels wasted no time establishing control, as forward Sophy Aldred (Life Sciences) opened the scoring just two minutes into the game, tucking in a rebound off a setup by Rebecca Thompson (Environmental Science). Strong puck movement and effective forechecking kept the Ridgebacks on their heels, and Queen's doubled the lead midway through the period when Thompson redirected a shot from Aldred into the net. Goaltender Emma Tennant (Mechanical Engineering) ensured the Gaels took their 2-0 advantage into the intermission with a key save on a Ridgebacks breakaway late in the frame.

Kelsey Dunn (Kinesiology) extended the Gaels' lead early in the second period, capitalizing on a rebound to make it 3-0. Ontario Tech responded with a goal from Julia Jackson, cutting the lead to 3-1. Despite some struggles on the power play, Queen's regained momentum when Alyson Reeves (Commerce) buried a cross-crease pass from Taylor Eastwood (Psychology) and Sophie Hudson (Chemical Engineering), chasing the Ridgebacks' starting goaltender from the game.

The third period saw disciplined play from the Gaels, with the penalty-killing unit nullifying multiple Ridgebacks power plays. Late in the frame, Taya Leonard (Kinesiology) capped off the scoring with an insurance marker, assisted by Sara Di Filippo (Arts & Science). Tennant delivered another stellar performance in net, making 29 saves on 30 shots for her second star of the game.

Queen's outshot Ontario Tech 29-30 and showcased their best even-strength play of the season, with crisp passing and sustained offensive-zone pressure. Special teams, however, remain an area for improvement as the Gaels went 0-for-4 on the power play.

3 Stars of the Game:

1st Star - Sophy Aldred: Scored the opening goal and added two assists, sparking the Gaels' offense.

2nd Star - Emma Tennant: Anchored the defensive effort with 29 saves, including several clutch stops.

3rd Star - Rebecca Thompson: Tallied a goal and an assist, driving play at both ends of the ice.

The Gaels will look to carry this momentum into Saturday's rematch against Ontario Tech in Oshawa. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m., and fans can catch the action live on OUA.tv.