Lions shine on home ice against Canada’s top teams

The Lions hockey teams were on fire on the ice this past weekend as they won three of their four games, including two shut-out victories and two upsets for their competitors. The men’s team fell to the Waterloo Warriors on Friday by a score of 4-1 but came back the following evening to upset the McGill Redmen, the top-ranked team in Canada, by a score of 3-2.
Meanwhile, the women’s team earned a 4-0 shutout against the Ryerson Rams on Saturday and followed it up with a 1-0 shutout victory over the UofT Varsity Blues, who are ranked the second best team in the country.
The men’s team stepped out onto the ice with determination in Friday’s game, launching the puck towards the Warriors’ net twice in the first two minutes of the frame only to have it hit the crossbar each time. The Warriors dominated the first two periods of the game, with their goalkeeper Mike Morrison turning away all 23 of the Lions’ shots coming towards the net.
Going into the third, the Warriors had a 3-0 lead, but the Lions finally got on the scoreboard when Trevor Peterson took advantage of his team’s 5-on-3 advantage due to penalties and got the puck past Morrison. The Warriors returned the favour, and the game ended at a score of 4-1 in their favour.
Saturday’s game was even more challenging, as the Lions had to face off with Canada’s top team at home. The Lions themselves are ranked 10th, but smarting from the previous day’s loss, scored two goals in the first period in a span of less than two minutes, giving their team a 2-0 lead. The Redmen fought back, pressuring the Lions’ defense, but in the second period they were only able to get the puck into the net once before the Lions followed it up with their third goal, bringing the score up to 3-1. The Redmen then rallied to score once again, leaving the Lions to defend a one-point lead.
Neither team scored in the third period, though the Redmen pushed relentlessly to even up the score and the Lions valiantly defended their end of the rink to keep them from doing so. In the end, the Redmen ran out of time and the Lions achieved a hard-fought 3-2 victory, ending the Redmen’s nine-game winning streak. This was the Lions’ fifth win at home this season and it updated their record to 8-2-3, making them the top team in the Ontario University Athletics West standings.
The women’s team, meanwhile, was even more dominant over the weekend, defeating both of their local competitors in Toronto and not allowing them any goals at all. On Saturday, the Lions brought down the Rams with two goals in the first period and one each in the second and third. It was a spectacular team effort, as nine players worked together to secure a 4-0 victory. Goalkeeper Megan Lee blocked all 25 shots taken at her to keep the Rams scoreless, and perhaps give a preview of her amazing performance the following day.
Sunday’s game was a tight one, as the women’s team battled with the Varsity Blues through all three periods as well as in double overtime, but the score remained deadlocked at 0-0. The game was finally decided by a shootout, during which Lee successfully made the last of her 41 saves in the game, and the Lions’ Dana Somerville and Kristen Barbara both found the back of the Varsity Blues’ net to give their team a 1-0 victory.
Hassam Munir
Sports and Health Editor