Murrell strikes shorthanded, Queens shutout Griffins

Brent Forster - RDC

Thursday evening at the ENMAX Centrium, the Red Deer College Queens hosted the first place MacEwan University Griffins, and after the Queens scored first they locked the game down defensively for a 1-0 shutout victory. 

Tracie Kikuchi got the assignment in goal for the Queens while Sandy Heim started for the Griffins. Entering the contest, both goaltenders held a goals against average under two. Kikuchi sat third in the league with 1.57 goals against, while Heim was one spot behind averaging 1.82.

Both RDC and MacEwan University were responsible defensively for much of the opening period. Kikuchi and Heim were allowed to see the puck and the defence of both squads cleared away any rebounds. While the Griffins had a power play, it was the RDC Queens who capitalized on a rare Griffins' defensive breakdown and struck at 12:24 while shorthanded. Queens' captain, Julia Murrell was sprung from her defensive zone and found herself in alone on Heim. The fifth-year forward from Edmonton made a nice move from left-to-right and tucked the puck low into the right side of the net to give RDC a 1-0 lead. The shorthanded marker was the Early Learning & Child Care diploma student's fourth goal of the season. The Queens outshot the Griffins 8-5 in the first period.

Both goaltenders played well positionally in the second period and couldn't be beaten. The Queens tested Heim 10 times while the Griffins had 7 shots on Kikuchi.

About midway through the third period, Kirsten Baumgardt nearly put the Queens up by a pair. With 9 minutes remaining, the Kinesiology & Sport Studies student from Innisfail quickly released a shot from inside the blueline which rang off the left post and out. Not long after, the Griffins' Carley Jewell skated strongly up the left side and fired a low shot which Kikuchi turned aside with her left pad. Lindsay McAlpine, head coach of the Griffins, called a timeout with 2:01 remaining and pulled Heim for the extra skater. MacEwan University applied pressure late but Kikuchi held the fort. The Griffins outshot the Queens 7-3 in the final period. Kikuchi stopped all 19 shots for the 1-0 shutout. The Queens tested Heim 21 times.

Queens Hockey Head Coach Kelly Coulter appreciated the effort, especially in the defensive zone. "Our puck movement was more crisp in the first period and then it tailed off as the game went on. With a quick team like that we have to move the puck quickly because they take away time and space, but it was a gritty effort tonight to hold off a very good hockey club," said Coulter. "We want to continue to put pressure on the puck all the time. We don't want to collapse and defend for 20 minutes but when we play a good team that can come at you wave after wave, we have to be smart when defending. The ladies did a good job in the third period battling hard to keep them to the outside."

The Queens' penalty killing played a large role in their success on home ice. The RDC Queens hold the best penalty kill (94.2%) in the league and they killed off a critical two-player advantage for the MacEwan University Griffins. "Our penalty killers did a very good job with a strong effort. They are very smart and they are willing to block shots," said Coulter. "They work well together as units and we are very fortunate that our penalty kill has been very good."

The RDC Queens expect that the Griffins will have a strong outing Saturday evening in Edmonton. "We have to be smart with the routes that we are skating. The Griffins move the puck very well and we have to be positioned in the passing lanes," said Coulter. "Anytime that we can put pressure on the opposition, that can create turnovers which is always our game plan. Saturday, we would like to put more shots on net and create more traffic in front of their goaltender."

Tracie Kikuchi made some key saves in the shutout victory and her connection with her defence helped the Queens exit their zone more effectively. "Tracie does a good job preparing for the opposition and she understands their tendencies. She is very smart and tracks pucks well," said Coulter. "Our d-men have been doing a good job picking up pucks that Tracie puts into the corners and that makes it easier for us to clear the zone."

Cassidy Anderson skated well and was named the player-of-the-game for the RDC Queens while Sandy Heim was chosen for the MacEwan University Griffins.

The RDC Queens (10-4-2-0) will compete against the MacEwan University Griffins (12-2-3-0) on Saturday, January 20 at 6:00 p.m. The Queens remain in third spot in the standings with 22 points while the Griffins continue to lead Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) Women's Hockey with 27 points.