Trojans edge Queens at ENMAX Centrium

In the RDC Queens' last regular season home game, they faced the SAIT Trojans at the ENMAX Centrium Thursday evening. The game was significant for a couple of reasons. It was the final regular season home game for several graduating Queens' players and the 2 teams could meet in the 1st round of the playoffs. Jen West started in goal for the Queens while Elisha Oswald guarded the cage for the Trojans. SAIT opened the game with 2 goals in the 1st period and added another goal in the 2nd. The RDC Queens tried to rally but the SAIT Trojans picked up a 3-2 road victory. 

The Trojans hit the ice with some jump and at 2:42, Taylor Beck capitalized shorthanded on a turnover to give the Trojans a 1-0 lead. Shealee Dolan put SAIT up 2-0 with 7:06 remaining in the opening period. 

In the 1st period, the SAIT Trojans had a 12-6 shot advantage.

With 11:55 left in the 2nd period, Julia Murrell scored shorthanded to bring the Queens within a goal. Murrell was in alone on Oswald, pulled the puck to her forehand and beat the Trojans' goaltender low on the glove side. Kirsten Baumgardt picked up the assist. With 7:09 remaining in the middle frame, Shealee Dolan scored her 2nd goal of the game to give the Trojans a 3-1 lead. With about 2 minutes remaining in the period, Jade Petrie came close to pulling the Queens within a goal. Petrie's shot beat Oswald on the blocker side but rang off the post. 

The Queens tested Oswald 5 times while the Trojans directed 16 shots at West. Jen West made some key saves to keep the Queens close.

In an attempt to spark the team, Tracie Kikuchi took over in RDC's net for the final period. The Queens had the puck in the Trojans' zone for much of the 3rd period. With 7:31 remaining, Jade Petrie scored to pull the Queens within a goal. Petrie got the intial shot away with a defender on her and as she was falling, picked up her own rebound and found the back of the net. Time expired and the Trojans picked up a 3-2 win.

SAIT had a 10-8 shot advantage in the 3rd period but Kikuchi turned aside all 10 shots.

Julia Murrell was chosen as the Queens player-of-the-game.

Queens Head Coach Kelly Coulter wasn't happy with the start to the 1st period and overall effort.

"We made a lot of turnovers in the defensive zone and didn't get our speed up in the neutral zone. Unfortunately, tonight it seemed like we had a lot of passengers on the bus and not a lot of people willing to lead and drive," said Coulter. "We have a target painted on our backs by being the defending champions. Teams get pumped up to come and play us. It's a competitive league."

The Red Deer College Queens remain in 1st place in ACAC Women's Hockey with 31 points. MacEwan University and NAIT share 2nd spot with 28 points.

In Calgary, the RDC Queens face the SAIT Trojans Saturday at 7:00 p.m. in a rematch.

Graduating players

Prior to the opening face-off, Red Deer College, family, friends and the hockey community recognized the graduating RDC Queens Hockey team members (Ashley Graf, Rikki Smith, Jessica Anderson and Suze Vanderlinde) for their hard work and dedication on and off the ice. Former RDC Queens all-star blueliner, Casey Nicholson, presented the graduating players with a jersey. 

The Al Ferchuk Queens Hockey Leadership Awards Scholarship was also presented before the game. This scholarship is presented annually to a student-athlete who has demonstrated excellent leadership qualities throughout the community, team and/or school involvement.

This year's recipient, Tracie Kikuchi, demonstrates commitment to the women's hockey community by working as a referee and consistently devoting time to this endeavor, even with a busy student-athlete's schedule. She is an excellent student who works extremely hard to maintain a very high GPA.