The Waterloo Warriors women's hockey team opened 2024 with a visit to the second-ranked team in the country, hundreds of kilometers of travel, and a grueling stretch of two games in less than 24 hours. But thanks to some huge performances throughout the lineup, the Warriors rang in the new year with a pair of massive road wins.
On Saturday, veteran netminder Mikayla Schnarr (Waterloo,ON/) made 39 saves as the Warriors snapped Nipissing's 13-game winning streak with a 2-1 triumph in North Bay. And on Sunday, the road-weary Warriors traveled to Toronto and got two goals apiece from Leah Herrfort (Palmerston,ON/) and Carly Orth (Bolton,ON/), en route to a 5-2 win over the TMU Bold.
The red-hot Warriors have now won five straight games dating back to the late stages of 2023, as they stretched their record to 10-5-1 on the season. The pair of road wins also moved Waterloo ahead of Laurier for second place in the OUA's west division.
Waterloo 2, Nipissing 1
The Warriors didn't have the luxury of easing back into action after the exam and holiday break, as they traversed to North Bay to renew their rivalry with the Nipissing Lakers. Nipissing had ended Waterloo's season in the OUA semi-finals a season ago, and came into the new year without a loss since October 21. But the visitors were undeterred, and Schnarr's heroics helped the Warriors secure a huge 2-1 victory.
Herrfort opened the scoring just past the four-minute mark of the first period, as she broke down the right-wing side and roofed a wrister past Nipissing keeper Chantel Sandquist to give Waterloo an early 1-0 lead. Nipissing pushed back later in the opening period, and rang a pair of shots off the post. But, the hosts were unable to force a puck past Schnarr or the goalframe, as the score remained 1-0 after 20 minutes.
The Warriors maintained their advantage through a scoreless second period, with Schnarr turning away all 16 shots she faced in the middle frame. Waterloo rewarded the heroic play of their netminder early in the third, when Teagan Gray (Burlington,ON/) converted on a centering feed from Kassidy McCarthy (Bowmanville,ON/) to make it 2-0. Gray's first career OUA goal initially gave the Warriors some breathing room, but it turned into the difference in the game after Tessa Kosac drew the Lakers back to within one midway through the third. Nipissing's high-powered offense kept the pressure on, but the play of Schnarr and the Warriors' ability to get into shooting lanes helped the visitors hang on for a 2-1 victory.
Waterloo 5, TMU 2
Just 19 hours after the final buzzer in North Bay, the Warriors found themselves over 350 kilometers away at the Mattamy Athletic Centre in downtown Toronto, facing the TMU Bold. But if there were any concerns that Waterloo would be weighed down by bus legs, they were erased just 30 seconds after puck drop: in the game's first shift, Orth took a gorgeous no-look feed from Paige Rynne (Ancaster,ON/) and buried it from the slot to give Waterloo a 1-0 lead. Before the period was out, Herrfort doubled the advantage with a wired wrsiter to the top corner, but TMU's Emily Baxter answered back on the powerplay to cut the Warriors lead to 2-1 after the opening frame.
The Bold equalized with the second period's only goal, as Brooke Michaud slapped home a loose puck in a goalmouth scramble in front of Waterloo goalie Kara Mark (New Hamburg,ON/) to make the score 2-2 after forty minutes. But just as it looked like the long travel weekend would start to wear on the Warriors, they came out firing on all cylinders in the third period.
Orth put the Warriors back on top for good early in the final stanza, taking a pass from a patient Rynne and converting on a 2-on-1 for her second goal of the game. Then, the reigning OUA MVP went to work again, as Herrfort danced out from the corner, deeked three Bold defenders, and roofed a backhand, giving Waterloo a 4-2 lead on a goal-of-the-year candidate. Then, on a late power play, Keiara Raitt (Ancaster,ON/) cashed in front of Bold keeper Lauren Griffin to round out the scoring.
Tatum James (Stratford, ON/) and Elizabeth Lenardon (Kelowna,BC/) contributed two assists apiece, while Orth added a helper for a three-point afternoon. Mark turned aside 23 shots to earn the victory.
The Warriors will now return home for the first time in 2024, as they host the defending McCaw Cup Champion Toronto Varsity Blues on Friday, January 12. The black and gold will be wearing special commemorative jerseys as part of their Mental Health Awareness Game, and the game-worn uniforms will be available through a silent auction online and during the game. Puck drop on Friday night at the Columbia Icefield Arena is slated for 7pm.
