In a revenge game of the ages, NAIT’s women’s hockey team returned to home ice to play last year’s playoff rivals, the Red Deer Polytechnic (RDP) Queens.
The NAIT Ooks fought hard and adapted to Red Deer’s every move, but a third period comeback was not enough to beat out the Queens, and NAIT lost 5-3.
Both teams showed how much they wanted a win Friday night. The NAIT Ooks were intelligent and aggressive defensively, bringing physicality along the boards. However, an early trip from NAIT saw the Red Deer on the power play, and with the puck deflecting off a body in front of the net, the Queens quickly put it in the back of the net. Penalties went back and forth, but the period ended 1-0 for Red Deer.
Red Deer dominated the second period, with both sides trading spots in the penalty box. RDP reinforced their lead by two in one minute, with a speedy one timer from the high slot to make it a 3-0 lead.
But late into the second period, RDP’s Hannah Lundquist shot it past NAIT’s goalie’s head near the post to make it 4-1.
Little did fans know, this game was far from over.
Red Deer could only stop and stare at the pumped up NAIT Ooks in the third. The fans could hear the thumping electronic music during the third intermission from the NAIT locker room, and the Ooks carried that energy into the third period.
An entirely different team, NAIT started carrying the puck instead of the chip and chase they did in the first period, throwing heavy hits along the boards.
The Queens struggled to keep the hungry Ooks at bay, committing consecutive penalties to give NAIT a five versus three power play. And with shots from Greir Slabaida and Maria Ayre 40 seconds later, NAIT’s power play brought it back to a nail biting one goal difference.
However, a late goal from Red Deer sealed the game, capping off a wonderful game from both sides to end 5-3.
NAIT Ooks’ goalie Aurora Van Wormer, dubbed “Worm/Wormy,” was outstanding. Her ability to cover the entire crease kept the Queens at bay, and Red Deer needed jaw dropping shots just to get past her. Van Wormer and Slabaida capped off a wonderful team display.
Head Coach Brendan Jensen praised fifth year Madison Teague’s ability to “quarterback the power play.” Along with Hanna Paquette and Ayre’s aggressive play, the Ooks were very close to a comeback.
Jensen recognized it was not the finish the team wanted Friday night, but found the silver lining in the younger players getting experience against a team that made it to the finals. He’s excited to see what the team can do in what he called a development year.
Now that the team has played a full game, and with the renewed energy they brought after each goal, the Ooks are shooting for the final four.
