Box Score
Waterloo Warriors goaltender Stephanie Sluys (Clinton) might not have added to her league-high total of 6 shutouts, but she gave her club a goose egg when they most sorely needed it.
Sluys made 29 stops – including 7 in overtime – and she stopped all three shootout attempts, as the Warriors beat the UOIT Ridgebacks 3-2 on Saturday night in Oshawa.
Carolyn Burke (Mississauga) and Angela McDonald scored in regulation for the Warriors, while Rachel Marriott (Waterloo) added two assists and Marissa Redmond (Ajax) scored the only goal of the shootout. The win moves Waterloo to 10-8-4 on the season, and into sole possession of the OUA's 8th and final playoff spot with two games to go.
Samantha Forchielli had a goal and an assist for the Ridgebacks, who fall to 6-13-2 on the season. Tori Campbell made 35 saves in defeat for the Ridgebacks, who have already been eliminated from postseason contention.
The Ridgebacks were first on the board, when Forchielli beat Sluys to put the hosts up 1-0 just 8 minutes in. But the Warriors came hard in the opening frame, outshooting the Ridgebacks 15-6 in the opening 20 minutes. It finally paid off on a late-period power play, when Burke found twine and evened the score at 1-1 after 20 minutes.
Waterloo continued to come in waves in the second, adding to their shot count and taking their first lead of the night. This time, it was MacDonald who beat Campbell just over 6 minutes into the middle frame to make it 2-1 for the Warriors.
The Ridgebacks became a more desperate club in the third, and they were able to find the equalizer when Laura Marchese scored to make it 2-2. That's the way the game would stay through 60 minutes, so the Warriors went hunting for the valuable second point in overtime.
But the Warriors were perhaps too enthusiastic in their pursuit of the victory, as defenceman Stephanie Digness (Aldergrove) was whistled for boarding with just over two minutes to play in the extra session. But despite being outshot 7-1 in the five-minute overtime, Sluys shut the door and forced the game to a shootout.
Redmond shot first for the Warriors, and gave them a shootout lead they would never relinquish. Sluys shut the door on all three Ridgebacks shooters, giving Waterloo the 3-2 decision.
The Warriors will now turn their attention to the season's biggest game to date, as they take on the 4th-ranked Queen's Gaels on Sunday afternoon in Kingston. Puck drop is scheduled for 2:30 pm.
