Queen’s Golden Gaels will play the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks when the Ontario University Athletics women’s hockey playoffs commence this week.
The Gaels, the No. 5-ranked team in Canada, finished 16-5-3 after they defeated the Windsor Lancers 5-2 Saturday night in the final game of their regular schedule. That left Queen’s tied for third place in the OUA with Toronto, but the Gaels, with a win and an overtime loss to the Varsity Blues, are favoured in that tie-breaker.
Toronto was upset 3-1 by York in its final game Friday night. Meanwhile, in London, the Gaels were losing 4-1 to the No. 1-ranked Western Mustangs in London.
In Windsor Saturday, Shawna Griffin scored twice as Queen’s ended a two-game losing streak. Addi Halladay, Nadia Larocca and Claire McKellar also scored for the Gaels, who led 3-2 going into the third period and outshot the home team 38-37. Halladay also had three assists.
The goal was Halladay's 12th of the season, and the fifth in her last six games. She had a point in five of those six games, and nine points altogether in that time.
Caitlin Lahonen collected the goaltending win.
Halladay opened the scoring in the sixth minute of Friday night’s game in London with Queen’s first shot of the game, but that was all the Gaels would get against Mustangs goaltender Kelly Campbell, who stopped all 24 shots she faced the rest of the way.
Western led just 2-1 from late in the second period until Brittany Clapham scored at 17:01 of the third period. She later added an empty-net goal to complete the victory.
They were Clapham’s first goals since Nov. 8, and just her third and fourth of the season.
Western outshot Queen’s 33-25.
The Gaels won both of their regular-season contests against Laurier, 5-4 in overtime at Waterloo in late November and 3-1 at home a week ago.
