MONTREAL – Sophomore
Avery Horlock of Pickering, Ont., scored at 2:08 of double overtime for Ryerson, sinking the McGill University women's hockey team 3-2 in preseason play at McConnell Arena, Saturday.
It was McGill's first preseason loss, halting a five-game win streak.
The Rams -- who collected their first victory in seven tries this season -- are now 1-1 lifetime against McGill. In their only previous encounter, the Martlets won 3-2 at the Theresa Humes Invitational Tournament, on Dec. 30, 2017.
Jade Downie-Landry put McGill ahead twice, to no avail. The veteran sniper scored 53 seconds after the opening whistle and nother another -- a neat backhand shot off a rebound -- at 3:51, to restore the lead after
Erika Crouse had tied it for Ryerson. Downie-Landry has a team-leading 10 points and five goals in six contests.
Madison Lalonde tied it again for Ryerson at 1:27 of the second period. The game then went scoreless for the next 60 minutes before Horlock's 3-on-3 sudden death goal in a wild five-minute stanza.
"I didn't think we were great the first two periods to be honest. We were pretty good in the third period though," said McGill head coach
Peter Smith. "If we played a full 60 minutes the way we played the third, we would have been fine. But we gave up too many turnovers."
It was McGill's first game in two weeks, following the postponement of the first-ever planned meeting against Bishop's, due to the historic crowds that swelled the streets surround McConnell Arena during a march on climate change in Montreal on Sept. 27.
McGill outshot the visitors 39-36, but the Rams had a 9-3 edge in the two overtime periods, which involved a sudden-death, five-minute session with four skaters aside, followed by a five-minute 3-on-3 period.
Martlets' netminder
Tricia Deguire made 33 saves in a losing cause, while
Fanny Vigeant of St. Hyacinthe, Que., stopped 37 pucks for the victory.
The Rams went 1-for-2 on the power-play while McGill went 0-for-4.
The Martlets (4-1), play again in less than 24 hours as they host Queen's (0-5) on Sunday (Oct. 6) at 1:15 p.m. in McConnell Arena. Ryerson (1-6) completes its Montreal tour on Sunday against the Carabins at CEPSUM Arena.
