Box Score After a four-game winning streak, a 209-minute shutout streak, and two victories over nationally-ranked teams, all that was left for Stephanie Slyus and the Waterloo Warriors to accomplish was to end a decade-long losing skid against their cross-town rivals.
So that's exactly what they did.
Sluys made 28 stops for her fourth shutout in five games, and the Warriors ended a 26-game winless streak against the Laurier with a 2-0 win over the Golden Hawks on Saturday night at the Waterloo Memorial Recreation Complex.
Amy Barnard (Cambridge) and
Rachel Marriott (Waterloo) scored for the Warriors, and
Michelle Tanel (Toronto) added a pair of assists in Waterloo's first victory over the Golden Hawks since December 4, 2004. It was Waterloo's fifth consecutive victory, and it pushes the black and gold over the .500 mark at 6-5-3 heading into the exam and holiday break.
The Golden Hawks, ranked 10
th in the CIS heading into the game, are thethird top-10 team the Warriors have defeated on their current streak. They also earned victories over the Guelph Gryphons on November 13, and the Queen's Gaels on November 23.
The Warriors got on the board in the first frame when Barnard beat Laurier keeper Amanda Smith just past the midway point of the opening frame. The teams traded minor penalties for much of the opening 20 minutes – the period featured five power plays in all – but neither team could cash on their advantages.
The visitors extended their lead early in the second when Marriott scored her team-leading fifth goal, with assists to Barnard and Tanel. If the Hawks weren't sharp before being down two goals, the deficit woke them up in the second period – they outshot the Warriors 12-4 in a penalty-filled middle stanza, but Sluys shut the door at every opportunity.
The Warriors were able to regain their composure in the third, and their defensive effort made life easier for their keeper. Sluys was solid when called upon, but the Hawks couldn't generate much as the Warriors salted away the 2-0 win.
The Warriors will now turn their attention back to the classroom for the fall semester exam break, before returning to action in the new year. Their first game of 2015 will be on Sunday, January 11, when they host the York Lions at the Columbia Icefield Arena. Puck drop is scheduled for 2:30pm.
