Photo Credit: Freeze Frame Photos
Over the January 30th and 31st weekend, the Sault College Cougars women’s hockey team made the trip to the midwestern United States to face the University of Illinois Fighting Illini in Champaign, Illinois for a two-game set in ACHA women’s hockey action, delivering an offensive showcase in the series opener.
The Cougars wasted no time asserting control in the first period. Just 2:16 into the game, Tara Knight opened the scoring with her sixth goal of the season, finishing a play set up by Annika Babineau and Zoe Weaver. Knight struck again at 8:32, burying her seventh of the campaign off a feed from Katelynn Jacques to make it 2–0.
Sault College continued to pour it on midway through the frame with a shorthanded goal at 11:33 as Katelynn Jacques notched her 20th of the season, assisted by Emma Lee and Materia Land. The Cougars closed out a dominant first period at 15:10 when Materia Land added her 17th goal of the year, set up once again by Jacques, giving Sault College a commanding 4–0 lead after twenty minutes.
The offensive momentum carried into the second period. Ophelia Lucas-Engberg made it 5–0 at 8:02 with her second of the season on an unassisted effort. Just over four minutes later on the power play, Aaliyah Fantazir buried her sixth of the year at 12:21, assisted by Abygail McDonald. The Cougars capped the middle frame at 13:53 when Emma Lee scored her ninth of the season, finishing a pass from Materia Land to extend the lead to 7–0.
Sault College showed no signs of slowing down in the third period. Taryn Sullivan struck at 6:41 for her 14th goal of the season, with Payton Stos picking up the assist. Only ten seconds later, Danika West added her 16th of the campaign off a setup from Zoe Weaver, making it 9–0.
The Fighting Illini broke the shutout at 8:14 when Jasmine Dickmann scored her sixth of the season on an unassisted effort. The Cougars quickly responded at 14:05 as Maddy Fick found the back of the net for her fourth of the season, assisted by Weaver. Illinois added a second goal at 14:14 through Alexa Milz, but Sault College closed the scoring late when Zoe Weaver recorded her fifth of the season at 17:38, finishing a pass from Tara Knight to seal the 11–2 victory.
Between the pipes, Denali Forsyth was solid for the Cougars, stopping 13 of 15 shots, while Illinois goaltender Elizabeth McLane faced heavy pressure, making 52 saves on 63 shots.
Game two of the weekend in Champaign took place Saturday evening, January 31st, with the Cougars and Fighting Illini returning to the ice for a 4:30 p.m. matinee, as Sault College looked to carry their dominant momentum into the series finale.
The Sault College Cougars women’s hockey team continued their dominant stretch of play with a pair of emphatic victories, closing out the weekend with back-to-back wins by scores of 11–2 and 11–0, showcasing their offensive depth and defensive strength in ACHA action.
In the series finale, the Cougars wasted no time setting the tone in the first period. Katelynn Jacques opened the scoring at 10:53 with her 21st goal of the season, finishing a setup from Lily Wallsmith. Just under three minutes later, Taryn Sullivan made it 2–0 at 13:25, netting her 15th of the season with assists from Tara Knight and Matea Glavota. Sullivan struck again at 15:43 for her 16th of the year on an unassisted effort before completing a first-period hat trick at 18:36 with her 17th goal of the season, assisted by Abygail McDonald, giving Sault College a commanding 4–0 lead after twenty minutes.
The Cougars carried the momentum into the second period as Jacques added her 22nd goal of the season just 1:01 in, assisted by Matea Glavota. Emma Lee continued the scoring surge at 4:41, recording her 10th of the campaign off feeds from Jacques and Zoe Weaver. Sault College capped the period on the power play at 15:40 when Jacques buried her 23rd of the season and second of the game, with Aaliyah Fantazir picking up the assist to make it 7–0.
The onslaught continued in the third period. At 9:42, Aaliyah Fantazir notched her seventh goal of the season, assisted by Reece Laidlaw and Gracie Dale. Another power-play marker followed at 12:36 as Tara Knight scored her eighth of the season off a feed from Abygail McDonald. Annika Babineau added her second goal of the year at 13:25, finishing a play set up by Lily Wallsmith to push the lead to 10–0. With just one second remaining in regulation, Fantazir closed out the scoring with her eighth of the season and second of the game on a power-play tally at 19:59, sealing the 11–0 shutout victory.
Between the pipes, Ruby Jones was flawless for the Cougars, stopping all 20 shots she faced to earn the shutout. On the opposite end, Fighting Illini goaltender Sasha Dikun was under constant pressure, making 85 saves on 96 shots in a busy performance.
The dominant performance followed an 11–2 win earlier in the series, giving Sault College a weekend sweep and continued momentum as the season progressed.
The Cougars now turn their attention as they head to Columbus, Ohio to face the Ohio State University Bucks over the February 7th and 8th weekend, looking to carry their high-powered offense into another key matchup.
