The Queens handed their first loss of the season by the Ooks in Edmonton

Edmonton, November 4 - The Red Deer Polytechnic Queens were put to the test tonight against the NAIT Ooks in Edmonton in Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference hockey action. With both teams coming into the game with a 2-0 record, it was going to be a battle of the undefeated team's which one of the teams would end up with their first loss of the season.

It was a quick start for the home Ooks with a goal just inside three minutes of the first period from Sierra Meroniuk (Personal Fitness Trainer), assisted by Charlieze Sallis. The Queens could not exit their own zone after some tough forechecking from NAIT which led to the puck being turned over and Sallis would feed Meroniuk to put the home team up 1-0.

After more pressure by the Ooks, they would go up 2-0 with a goal Jessica Engelbrecht (Bachelor of Business Administration) who had help from Taylor Premak (Biological Sciences) and Cass Lyttle. Red Deer turned it over behind their own net where the Ooks would wrap it around and jam away at the puck in the blue paint for their second goal of the game.

Four minutes later, the pressure continued from the home team and would ultimately give themselves a 3-0 lead. In this sequence, Queens goaltender Taya Disotell-Dunsmore was put to the test on a couple occasions. But she gave off a rebound and the Queens could not clear the puck which is where Cheyenna Harden found the free puck and shut it into an open net. Michaella Kibblewhite and Halle Graham were awarded the assists on this goal.

After this goal, Head Coach Kelly Coulter called a timeout to give his team a breather and calm them down.

The period would end with the Ooks leading the Queens 3-0. However, the Queens outshot NAIT 14-6 in the period.

The second period ended with no goals and the Queens continuing to outshoot the Ooks 26-14. The Ooks were handed out four minutes in penalties with the Queens disciplined and only taking one penalty.

Down by three with twenty minutes left to go, the Queens jumped off to a quick start in the third period with a goal from forward Avery Lajeunnesse (Bachelor of Education Elementary). The Red Deer women were pressuring the Ooks hard in their own zone which led to Jailyn Bablitz winning the puck and sliding it over to Lajeunnesse, who would wrist it top shelf.

The Ooks would add a shorthanded goal from Bre Martin (Bachelor of Technology) to finish off this game with an assist from Lyttle enroute to a 4-1 victory over the Queens. 

The players of the game were awarded to Avery Lajeunnesse of the Queens and Ooks goaltender Kaitlyn Slator (Open Studies). Lajeunnesse scored the lone goal for Red Deer and Slator played an outstanding game in goal, saving 33 out of 34 shots on net.

They will play again tomorrow night at 7 pm inside the Gary W. Harris Canada Games Centre in Red Deer.