The Nipissing Lakers women’s hockey team begins the 2019 OUA Playoffs tonight on the road, as they face the Toronto Varsity Blues.
The Lakers women finished sixth in the OUA, with Toronto wrapping up the season in third place.
The difference between the two teams, however, was just six points, which translates into two wins, so there’s not much separating two strong programs.
The last time these two teams met was 2016-17 in the second round as the Lakers swept the Blues to advance to the McCaw Cup finals.
The Lakers finished the season with a 14-7-3 record, good for 40 points. They scored 55 goals and allowed 45 throughout the year.
Toronto was 15-6-3, earning 46 points while tallying 66 goals and surrendering 47.
While they didn’t have a prolific scorer this season, the Lakers showed great balance throughout the season.
Leading the way in was Jetta Derenoski who had 10 goals and 19 points, but after her, four players had at least five goals and in total 14 different players found the back of the net.
Six players hit double-digits in points, with Derenoski leading the way, followed by captain and fifth year veteran Kaley Tienhaara, who had 18 points.
Zosia Davis and Katelyn Heppner play big minutes and lead the blueline both offensively and defensively.
Danika Ranger was very strong in net, finishing with 10 wins, a .928 save percentage and 1.68 goals against average.
On the opposite side, the Blues were led by Kassie Roache, who had 14 goals.
Lauren Straatman led the team in assists and points with 15 helpers and 23 points in total.
In net, Erica Fryer played the bulk up the games, finishing with 11 wins, a .925 save percentage and a 1.49 goals against average.
Toronto claimed both meetings this season, defeating Nipissing 3-0 in North Bay in October and edging the Lakers 2-1 in overtime in Toronto in January.
Despite the three spots in the standings, the two teams are very evenly matched and should produce a classic playoff series.
Game 1 goes tonight in Toronto.
Series Schedule
Game 1 - Wednesday, 7pm at Varsity Arena
Game 2 - Friday, 7:30pm at Memorial Gardens
Game 3 - Sunday, 4pm at Varsity Arena (If Necessary)
