It’s must-win hockey from here on in for the Lakeland Rustlers.
After losing just two games during the regular season, the Rustlers dropped back-to-back contests to the Red Deer Queens as the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference women’s championship series opened last weekend.
Read more: Rustlers on track for back-to-back ACAC titles
Red Deer won both games 2-1 in overtime —Saturday at home and Friday in Lloydminster.
The rest of the best-of-five final goes this weekend, with games scheduled for 7:15 p.m. Friday in Lloyd, 7 p.m. Saturday in Red Deer and 7 p.m. Sunday in Lloyd.
The Rustlers’ home games are played at the Co-op Community Arena, part of the Hub complex. The Queens’ home rink is the Gary W. Harris Canada Games Centre.
Red Deer, runner-up to pennant-winning Lakeland in the regular season, took the 2-0 series lead on Mia McGregor’s goal 11:26 into overtime Saturday. McGregor also assisted on the Camryn Ward power-play goal that opened the scoring six minutes into the second period. The Rustlers’ Keyra Buziak, the ACAC scoring champion, replied just 14 seconds later and the score remained 1-1 until deep into overtime.
Tora Ward stopped 33 shots in Red Deer’s net. Schay Camphaug blocked 24 for Lakeland.
The Queens outshot the Rustlers 3-0 in overtime. Each team picked up five minor penalties overall.
Friday’s game ended when Camryn Ward tallied at 4:41 of OT. She and McGregor each recorded a goal and an assist. McGregor’s marker early in the second period was the series-opening goal. Calla Kampen answered for Lakeland about 10 minutes later.
It was another 33-save performance for Tora Ward as Lakeland outshot Red Deer 34-11. Camphaug tended the Rustlers’ net.
The Queens were nailed for four of the game’s six minor penalties, all of which were called before the third period.
Lakeland — last year’s playoff champion — went 23-2 in the 2025-26 regular season. The Rustlers swept the fourth-place Medicine Hat Rattlers (10-15) with two decisive wins in their best-of-three quarter-final.
Red Deer, 17-8 in the regular season, defeated the third-seeded NAIT Ooks (14-11) in consecutive one-goal games to take that series.
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