Box Score
The story would be unbelievable, if not for the fact that Stephanie Sluys (Clinton) has already authored it so many times this season.
The rookie sensation made 26 saves for the shutout, and the Warriors earned their biggest win of the season to date with a 2-0 victory over the fourth-ranked Queen's Gaels on Sunday afternoon in Kingston.
It was Sluys' league-leading 7th shutout of the season, in just her 13th career CIS start. Marissa Redmond (Ajax)'s first-period goal held up as the game winner for Waterloo, and Rachel Marriott (Waterloo) added an empty netter in the dying seconds.
With the win, the Warriors move to 11-8-4 and into 7th place in the OUA standings with only one game still to go. They are just one point up on Ryerson and Nipissing, who are tied for the OUA's final playoff position.
Meanwhile, the Gaels lost for just the second time in 12 home games this season, as their record fell to 15-4-3. Caitlyn Lahonen made 11 stops for the Gaels in the loss.
Redmond opened the scoring just over 14 minutes into the game, getting Waterloo on the board despite being outshot 12-7 in the opening frame. The hosts continued to pepper Sluys in the second period, outshooting the Warriors by a 9-2 margin. But Waterloo's defensive attack stayed stalwart, and Sluys stopped everything that came her way.
The Gaels couldn't mount much of an attack in the third, as Waterloo battened down the hatches. With just under 30 seconds left, Marriott salted away the victory with an empty net marker.
The Warriors will now turn their attention to the season's final game against Laurier, with plenty still to play for. A win, and the Warriors can jump the Golden Hawks and finish 6th in the OUA. But a loss, coupled with some unfortunate results elsewhere, and the Warriors could miss the playoffs entirely.
The second installment of the Battle of Waterloo will go next Saturday at the Columbia Icefield Arena, with puck drop scheduled for 2:30pm.
