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Queen’s rubs salt in the wound with 5-1 drubbing

The Western Mustangs women’s hockey team valiantly tried to shut down the league’s most potent offence. Unfortunately, the floodgates burst open as the Queen’s Gaels scored four goals in 10 minutes to down the Mustangs 5-1.
The Gaels’ forward line of Kelsey Thomson, Becky Conroy and Elizabeth Kench led the way Sunday afternoon, combining for three goals, including the winner. The trio make up the top three scorers in the Ontario University Athletics division.
After Thomson opened the scoring in the first period, Western responded on the power play. Third-year forward Ellie Seedhouse planted herself in front of the net on a 5-on-3 and deflected a shot into the net to tie the game up at one.
Unfortunately, Thomson potted her second just four minutes later, putting the Gaels up for good.
“The difference was [probably] getting a quick goal right back,” Gaels coach Matthew Holmberg, whose team leads the league in goals scored with 46, noted after the game. “If we had let it go longer, the game might have been different.”
Queen’s put the game out of reach with Kench burying a rebound off Thomson’s initial shot on their second power play opportunity of the game.
The victory was sweet revenge for the Gaels after losing the first meeting between these teams in Kingston less than a month ago.
“They beat us on our home rink in a shootout so we kind of had a little fire under our butts to get going because we obviously wanted to get them back,” Thomson said.
Mustangs coach Paul Cook said the letdown in the second was the difference in the game.
“[We have] some fragile egos in [our dressing room],” Cook said. “We got caught probably not playing like we should and it resulted in four goals.”
Seedhouse didn’t think the Mustangs started playing well until it was too late.
“We had a tough first two periods getting into the game,” Seedhouse said. “Queen’s was all over us from the start.”
Despite Seedhouse’s goal, Western’s special teams play cost them. They were a paltry one for seven on the power play and conceded two goals with a player in the box.
“Normally, we’ve been awesome penalty killers,” Cook said. “We weren’t fighting the battles for the puck well enough [on their goals].”
Seedhouse said the power play is also normally strong, especially at controlling the puck.
“We did that again tonight,” she said. “We’ve just got to keep working on it in practice and hopefully bury some more of the chances we get.”
Unfortunately for the Mustangs, despite out-shooting the Gaels 30-29, they were denied by the stellar play of goalie Mel Dodd-Moher. She repeatedly shut the door on forward Katie Dillon when the score was tight early on.
“In the first period, when the game was close, she had some key pad saves,” Holmberg said. “If she hadn’t been there, it could have been a different score after the first.”
After winning three straight to end the month of October, the Mustangs have fallen away from their winning streak, with three losses in four games.
The team looks to rebound next weekend in Waterloo as they take on the last placed Waterloo Warriors before playing the undefeated Laurier Golden Hawks.

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