Box Score

Dec. 29, 2012 - 4:00 PM

Martlet Hockey vs Kitchener (PWHL) (@ Laurier Invitational; Away)

LONDON, Ont. – For the second consecutive night Leslie Oles scored twice, including the shorthanded game-winner as top-ranked McGill came-from-behind to merit a 4-3 victory over the Kitchener-Waterloo Rangers at the Laurier Holiday Classic women's hockey tournament, Saturday.

It was the 12^th straight conquest for the Martlets but they had their hands full with the Rangers – a junior team that plays in the Ontario Provincial Women's Hockey League – who had taken a surprising 3-2 lead on Laura Baker's goal at 6:58 of the final stanza but didn't know that the cavalry had been summoned.

Oles, a 5-foot-3 native of Beaconsfield, Que., mounted her trusty steed, charged up ice and tied the score at 9:47, then tallied a shorthanded marker at 16:44 for the winning margin. She also set up a second-period power-play marker by Chelsea Saunders that had given the Martlets a short-lived 2-1 lead.

“Leslie certainly saved us again today,” said a relieved Peter Smith, head coach of the Martlets of his speedy sniper that has racked up a 24-25-49 record in 22 games overall. “She has really stepped up and been a real leader, both in the dressing room and on the ice. It's a bonus for a coach to have someone like that who can not only be vocal in the room but also go out and lead like that on the ice.”

McGill dominated the Rangers, which dressed only 15 players, five below the limit, with a 38-15 barrage in shots. The pesky underdogs kept battling though and were eventually outmatched on special teams, where McGill went 2-for-5 on the power-play and added the shorthanded effort.

“I think our girls underestimated them,” explained Smith. “But it's not easy to be sharp after a one-month break (for exams and holidays) and that's why we play these games at this time of the year… to get the rust out. That said, you've got to give the Rangers credit. That team played us hard, right to the end and their goaltender (Laura Deller) was very sharp.”

Deller was credited with 34 saves and took the loss, while Martlets rookie Taylor Hough made 12 saves and improved her record to 4-3 in nine appearances overall.

Rounding out the scoring for McGill was freshman Gabrielle Davidson on the power-play. Other marksmen for the Rangers were Mary Worndl and Meg Howe (PPG).

McGill, which improved to 17-8 overall and 2-0 over the tourney, can capture the title with a victory over fifth-ranked Laurier (2-0) on Sunday afternoon.

MARTLET MURMURS – Veteran rearguard Brittney Fouracres was back in the lineup as her missing equipment was finally delivered by the airline that misplaced her luggage en route from Calgary.


SOURCE:
Earl Zukerman
McGill Sports Info Office
514-398-7012
earl.zukerman@mcgill.ca