A glimmer of hope remains in the Carleton Ravens women's hockey team's playoff chase. The Ravens split their home weekend with a Friday night win over Brock, before dropping a late decision against Western on Saturday.
The Ravens' weekend got off to a bumpy start as the team appeared disconnected in the first against Brock. After settling down at the intermission, Carleton came out firing in the second. Ashlyn Carter scored her second of the year early in the period to open a wild frame. After Randyll Strongman tied it at one for the Badgers, Carleton went to work. Olwen Jones would renew the lead less than ninety seconds after Strongman's goal before Anya Misner and Hayden Serniuk scored back-to-back midway through the frame to make it 4-1.
With Jones and Misner striking on the power play, the Ravens were able to enter the third period up 4-2. The power-play goals were critical for the Ravens, who at times have struggled to build momentum on the man advantage. Striking twice, Carleton doubled their season power-play goal total to four.
Payton Miller would add a fifth for the Ravens in the third as Kaitlyn Langille made five saves in the third as Carleton locked down a 5-2 win, their first against Brock in the program's OUA era.
On Saturday, the Ravens welcomed the Western Mustangs to town, but once again struggled to find connection in their play early. After a disjointed first forty minutes, Carleton and Western found themselves in a scoreless deadlock with just 30 total shots on net recorded.
Carleton carried most of the play in the third until Western got its best opportunity of the evening with a breakaway late in the third. Unable to score, but flying in on goal, the Mustangs forward collided with Langille, causing a lengthy injury delay. With Langille staying in the game, Western came out of the break with a set draw in mind and executed it to perfection with Haylie Kirkpatrick beating Langille shortside hide on a walkout from behind the net.
Sadie Mulligan punished the Ravens for a turnover at the blueline late in the third, hitting the empty net to wrap up a 2-0 Mustangs win.
"We were inconsistent in the first two periods, and you can't win hockey games in this league only playing twenty minutes," shared Ravens head coach Stacey Colarossi after the game. Among both Colarossi and team captain Avery Krawchuk, consistency will be a key area of focus for the Ravens going forward.
"We had a few ups and downs," said Krawchuk after the game. "[Our energy] came in ebbs and flows. That's one thing we can improve on, just be more consistent with our play on the ice, as well as our energy on the bench and in the room."
The Ravens don't have much time or room left in their schedule to be searching for that consistency. With four games to play, the Ravens need to run the table if they hope to tie Nipissing in 5th in the OUA East.
Carleton is back in action at home on Friday and Saturday when they host TMU and Ontario Tech this weekend. Saturday's Senior Game matchup against the Ridgebacks has a special 5:00 PM start time.
