Feb 20, 2015
Ontario, Quebec to meet for gold in women's hockey at Canada Winter Games
Ontario is back in familiar territory at the Canada Winter Games. It will play for gold for the seventh time in Canada Games history, repeating a pattern the team has followed ever since women's hockey was introduced at the multisport event in 1991.
TSN.ca Staff
PRINCE GEORGE, B.C. -- Ontario is back in familiar territory at the Canada Winter Games. It will play for gold for the seventh time in Canada Games history, repeating a pattern the team has followed ever since women's hockey was introduced at the multisport event in 1991.
Backed by the goaltending of Julia Vandyk, who survived a late push and turned aside 31 shots, Ontario beat Alberta 5-2 in the late semifinal Thursday.
Rhyen McGill had a hat trick while Kaitlyn Tse and Josiane Pozzebon each counted singles for Ontario.
Tse gave Ontario a 2-0 lead with a long slapshot that got past a screened Jolene Debruyn guarding the Alberta net.
McGill opened the scoring 1:02 into the game and scored two in the third period, including an empty-netter.
Outshot 14-4 in the first period, Alberta narrowed the gap to 9-8 in the second and tested Vandyk several times during a five-minute stretch of the third when Ontario took three consecutive penalties.
Alexandra Poznikoff finally broke up Vandyk's shutout bid 17:57 into the third. Channia Alexander also scored for Alberta.
In the other semifinal, Valerie Audet found a loose puck in a pileup of bodies in the crease and jammed it into the open net 1:41 into overtime to lift Quebec to a 4-3 victory over Saskatchewan.
Saskatchewan forward Amber Rennie forced overtime, deflecting Kayla Kirwan's shot from the point past Quebec goalie Maude Trevisan with 2:15 left in regulation time.
Quebec outshot Saskatchewan 43-15 but goalie Jessica Vance held her team in the game with 39 saves.
Marika Labrecque, Lidia Fillion and Gabrielle David also scored for Quebec. Leah Bohlken and Jaycee Gebhard were the other Saskatchewan goal scorers.
Ontario will play Quebec for gold while Saskatchewan will face Alberta for bronze. Both games go Friday.