The Blues women’s hockey team earned its first win against visiting York Lions this season with a hard-fought 4-2 victory on Sunday.
After being shut out by the Lions the day before, the Blues were determined to redeem themselves, and it showed as soon as the puck dropped. Five minutes into the opening frame, Annie DelGuidice scored her 10th goal of the season on a beautiful feed from Amy Cornell.
The Blues extended their lead midway through the period. After great team forechecking, the puck bounded around in the crease and landed on the stick of Brenley Jorgensen, who wrested home the loose puck for her 12th goal and team-leading 25th point of the season. Captain Karolina Urban and forward Lindsay Hill recorded the assist.
The pace continued to pick up in the later half of the period. The Lions had a two-on-one chance, and Blues’ DelGuidice had a breakaway with one minute left. But both attempts were thwarted by the respective goaltenders.
With under a minute to go, the Lions would respond with a goal on the power play. After the Blues failed to clear the zone, Lions defenceman Karen Wiltshire sent a long diagonal pass to Autumn Mills, who found a wide open Kristie Wilson in front of the net for a tip-in under the glove of netminder Kendyl Valenta. The first period ended with the Blues up 2-1.
About five minutes into the second period, captain Karolina Urban wheeled her way through centre and fired a shot on goal. The rebound came right to Lindsay Hill, who went around the net, came out the other side and wristed the puck in the net to restore the Blues’ two-goal lead.
Around the 10-minute mark, the Blues ran into penalty trouble, taking two minors a minute apart, giving the Lions a five-on-three advantage. The penalty kill unit, however, weathered the storm thanks to some great work between the pipes. Valenta made five stops during the time, including an incredible save just as the second penalty expired. The Brampton native would make another fine glove save late in the period, preserving the Blues’ 3-1 lead.
In the final frame, the Lions almost scored on a quirky play. After a harmless looking shot outside the blue line towards the Blues’ net, goaltender Valenta attempted to clear the puck with her stick. However, she missed the puck, which trickled behind her, and just off the base of the post.
Blues forward Kelly O’Hanlon skates away with the puck in Sunday’s 4-2 win over York.
York would cut into the lead once again just over six minutes into the period. A turnover in the neutral zone resulted in a partial two-on-one for the Lions. The team’s scoring leader Mandy Cole skated down the right wing and snapped a shot over the shoulder of Valenta for her 15th goal of year.
A scary moment happened with just under 12 minutes gone in the third. After a collision along the boards, York defenceman Danielle Beach went down hard and lay motionless for a few seconds. The training staff hurried to the scene, and fortunately, Beach got up and skated to the bench with help from teammates.
The Lions continued to blitz the Blues’ net. With close to three minutes remaining, York pulled its goalie. But the Blues stood their ground and eliminated any opportunity, and Jorgensen added an empty-net tally to seal the deal.
With the win, the Blues remain fifth in the OUA standings. The team will face Windsor and Western on the road, before coming home for an exhibition game against the Chinese national team.
