The Windsor Lancers women's hockey team took care of business on Saturday night with a 4-0 win over the York Lions at Canlan Ice Sports in Toronto. The Lancers managed to bounce back from a shutout loss the night before to earning a shutout win 24 hours later in the same city to split their final weekend of play for 2022.
 
STATS
Kristen Swiatoschik led the way for the blue and gold making 22 saves in the flawless victory.  Windsor's goal scorers were Rylee Hogan (who picked up her first of the season), Maggi DeWolf-Russ, Jaden Cherry, and Maggie Peterson who also had a pair of assists in the victory leading the charge offensively for the Lancers by rounding out the final game of first half of the season with a solid three-point performance. 
 
GAME FLOW
In the first period, the Lancers held puck possession well throughout skating up and down the ice in control of the neutral zone.  Hogan was able to open the scoring at 9:34 after her teammates Jessica Gribbon and Aubrey Lefler set her up on a good look to beat the York netminder Juliana Thomson and go up 1-0 on the Lions. The Lancer lead stayed intact throughout the better half of the period, but it was not until DeWolf-Russ netted her fifth goal of the season in the waning minutes of the first from Jessica Legault and Peterson at 16:14 to increase the lead on the Lions to 2-0 heading into the first intermission. 
 
The second period saw no goals scored in either teams net as both Swiatoschik and her York goalie counterpart Thompson turned aside all shots that their respective ways. The Lancers did have a pair of powerplay opportunities but failed to extend their lead in the second period to remain up 2-0 after forty minutes of play.
 
In the third, as if the 'cherry on top' was needed to secure an insurance goal in this contest and more importantly a bounce back road victory to split the Lancers weekend in Toronto, it came off the stick of none other than Cherry who scored her eighth goal on the campaign off a pass from Peterson to put the Lancers up 3-0 at 10:32. One more goal came from Peterson into the empty Lions net at 19:12 after York pulled their goaltender for the extra attacker and she was able to add to her impressive three-point night total on the scoresheet with her sixth goal of the season as an unassisted marker.  Peterson's goal would seal the deal and the Lancers would go on to run down the clock and Swiatoschik picked up her third shutout of the season.
 
UP NEXT
The Lancers now head into the holidays with a promising record of 9-4-1 to date and currently sit in second place of the OUA West standings heading into the winter break which will see play halt until after the holidays and resume in the new year. 
 
The next time fans will see the ladies in action will be on January 6, 2023 at home when they host the Brock Badgers. The Windsor Lancers would like to wish all of our student-athletes the best of luck on wrapping up their fall final exams and wish all fans a happy, safe, and healthy holiday season!