UOIT earns their fourth straight win – only undefeated team in the OUA

OUA Women's Hockey: UOIT defeated Western 3-1

LONDON, Ont. – UOIT became the only team in OUA women's hockey without a regulation loss this season as they defeated the Western Mustangs by a score of 3-1 on Sunday afternoon.

The Ridgebacks have started the year with a 4-0-0 record, earning four road victories over Toronto, Queen's, Windsor and Western. The Mustangs entered Sunday's game as the only other team without a regulation loss, as they began their season with three straight wins.

"We played great as a unit today," said UOIT head coach Karen Nystrom. "The team worked hard and stayed disciplined. We had a strong defensive effort limiting their scoring opportunities."

UOIT outshot Western 32-19, as the Ridgebacks held the Mustangs to less than seven shots in each period.

The Ridgebacks got off to a great start as they scored two first period goals. Jaclyn Gibson (Cobourg, Ont.) got the Ridgebacks on the board just under ten minutes into the game, with Zoe Battie (Nanaimo, B.C.) and Katie Dillon (Oshawa, Ont.) picking up assists on the play.

Two minutes later, Mikaeli Cavell (Edmonton, Alta.) scored her first career OUA goal, beating Western veteran goaltender Kelly Campbell. Sarah Worthington (Whitby, Ont.) and Rachel Budden (Richmond, B.C.) recorded assists.

After a scoreless second period, Western managed to break the Ridgeback shutout and cut the lead in half as freshman defender Brianna Iazzolino scored her first career goal with just over eight minutes left in the game.

UOIT would manage to regroup and hold on to their one goal lead, as Gibson scored her second of the night into the Mustang empty net with seconds remaining on the clock.

Freshman goaltender Tori Campbell (Lethbridge, Alta.) made 18 saves in her fourth straight victory to start the season, stopping 29 of 32 Western shots on goal.

UOIT's penalty killing unit did a great job of limiting Western's scoring chances as the Mustangs went 0-for-6 with the man-advantage. The Ridgebacks have only allowed two power play goals on 32 opportunities this season.

The Ridgebacks will finally return home where they will put their perfect record on the line on Friday night against the Waterloo Warriors (1-1-1). Puck drop for UOIT's home opener at the Campus Ice Centre is 7:30 p.m.

A QUICK LOOK AT THE RIDGEBACKS
Overall Record: 8-1-0
Conference Record: 4-0-0

Next Game: Fri. Oct. 18 vs. Waterloo (7:30 p.m.)

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