WATERLOO, Ont. – Thirty-one saves from Stephanie Sluys helped lead the Waterloo Warriors to a 2-0 win over the Western Mustangs in game three of the OUA Quarterfinals on Sunday afternoon at the CIF Arena.
The victory gives the Warriors a 2-1 series win, and sends them to the OUA semi-finals for the first time in program history. Waterloo's semi-final opponents will be determined following the results of the two other playoff games later Sunday evening.
The first period was as tightly contested as in the two previous games with no clear edge being held by either team. Freshman goalkeeper
Shelby Ryan got the start for the Mustangs after delivering an excellent performance in Western's game two overtime victory, and stood tall again in the opening frame.
Both Sluys and Ryan battled for positioning in their crease on several occasions during the two penalty kills they both faced, but they kept their opponent's offence at bay. It didn't take quite as long for the first goal of the game to be scored as it took in game two, with the first goal on Sunday coming in the final minute of the opening period.
Marissa Redmond, game one's overtime hero for the Warriors, fired a wrist shot on a partial break to send her team into the first intermission with a 1-0 lead. This marked the first time either team had a lead heading into an intermission.
The Warriors made use of the momentum they were carrying into the second period, quickly building on their lead with a goal by Michelle Tanel 1:49 into the frame. The goal, the Warriors' second goal in less than three minutes of game time, gave them the largest lead either team has had in the series. From there, Waterloo controlled possession and outshot the Mustangs 14-9 while also killing off three penalties in the period.
Western appeared to narrow the lead to one goal with less than a minute remaining in the second, but the goal was waived off. The period ended in tense fashion with a Waterloo roughing penalty after a battle in front of the net, a loose net following another scrum in front of the net, and 17 seconds of five-on-three for Western, but the horn sounded with the score still at 2-0.
The Mustangs put a lot of pressure on Waterloo in the offensive zone in the third, generating far more chances than their opponents in an effort to extend their season. Sluys and the Warrior defence did not break, however, punctuating their solid performance with a successful six-on-four penalty kill.
After needing to kill a penalty of their own, Ryan was once again pulled for the extra skater but the Warriors hung on for the 2-0 victory.
