Lady Senators advance to semi finals in Provincial Women's Hockey League
Posted Mar 4, 2010 By Jeff Maguire
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Tweet ThisEMC Sports - Back-to-back victories on home ice this past weekend have vaulted Ottawa Senators Women's Hockey Club into the semi finals of the Provincial Women's Hockey League (PWHL).
The Kanata-based club, which is comprised of young (intermediate) players from across Ottawa and eastern Ontario, finished the regular season in fourth place in the 18-team PWHL.
The Ottawa squad compiled an impressive 21-9-4 mark in 34 games and their 46 points left them 10 back of third place Cambridge Fury. Mississauga Chiefs and Toronto Aeros tied atop the loop with 61 points although Mississauga got the nod as first playoff seed because one of the Toronto team's losses came in overtime giving them three defeats. Mississauga lost just twice in 34 games.
The best-of-three quarter final series in the PWHL began on the weekend. Ottawa swept past Etobicoke Dolphins two straight to claim their series, doubling the visitors 4-2 Friday night and wrapping up the short set with a 4-1 decision Saturday afternoon. Friday's game was played at Bell Sensplex in Kanata and Saturday's contest was held in West Carleton.
The quarter finals were continuing Monday and Tuesday, meaning semi final match-ups had not been determined prior to the EMC news deadline.
Sixteen teams met in best-of-three quarter final series with the eight winners advancing to the semi finals. The four survivors will meet in early April with the first seed playing the fourth and second against third.
Those winners will battle for gold (league championship) and silver (runners-up) medals with the losers vying for bronze. All games in the championship round will take place on Saturday, April 10 and Sunday, April 11 at Iceland Arena in Mississauga.
Lady Sens' goalie Erica Howe of Orleans was excellent in the playoff opener against Etobicoke Friday. The teams traded 27 shots apiece but Howe stopped 25 scoring tries to backstop the win for Ottawa.
The first period was scoreless and the visitors netted the only goal of the second stanza.
But in the third the home team turned it up a notch, firing four goals while the Dolphins could manage just one strike.
Monica Leck of Nepean led Ottawa with a pair while Kelsey Gunn of Smiths Falls and Asha Kauffeldt of Cobden had singles.
Leading scorer Jamie Lee Rattray and Amanda Lucky, both from Kanata, had three assists each.
Howe was definitely the difference in Saturday's series finale!
She kicked out 38 shots as the desperate Dolphins dominated the game, out shooting Ottawa 39-23. But Howe was virtually unbeatable, allowing only a late consolation by Nino Mammoliti of Etobicoke which ruined her shutout bid. That goal came with just 2:15 left to play.
Lady Sens' offence was led by Rattray who fired a hat trick including the opener in the first period and two third period tallies which blew the game wide open. Victoria Head of Kanata scored the only goal of the second period for the winners.
Leck had two assists in the contest with Gunn adding her second point of the weekend with a helper on Rattray's second goal of the afternoon.
Former National Hockey League star defenceman Luke Richardson, whose daughter Morgan is a Lady Sens' rookie, joined co-coach Krista Black behind the bench for the weekend contests.
Read the EMC sports pages for details of Ottawa's semi final series. For complete information on the league visit the PWHL website: www.pwhl.pointstreaksites.com
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