The Lakeland Rustlers saw shades of themselves in the NAIT Ooks in Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference women’s hockey action last Friday night at Lloydminster.
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Just as Rustlers coach Morgan Mann anticipated before the game, NAIT came to play and posted a 4-3 victory to hand Lakeland its first loss in 16 league games and just its second defeat in 19 ACAC games this season.
“We got caught flat-footed, and they came out sharp and with some energy, and (we) had a tough first period,” Mann said. “They played the way we like to play. It kind of felt like a role reversal there in the first period.
“As you and I were saying before the game, we don’t take them lightly. That’s a team that’s better than their record, and tonight they proved that.”
For their part, the league-leading Rustlers (17-2) returned the favour Saturday night in Edmonton, scoring a 4-1 victory over third-place NAIT (10-10).
“Yes, we were much better in every facet of the game Saturday,” said Mann, whose Rustlers own a 32-4 overall record this season, including a 21-game winning streak.
The Red Deer Queens (14-6) sit second in the ACAC. They dropped a pair of one-goal games to the Medicine Hat Rattlers (7-12) last weekend.
Those rising Rattlers visit Lakeland this weekend for two games in Lloydminster — 7:15 p.m. Friday and 2:30 p.m. Saturday — at the Hub’s Co-op Community Arena.
A January loss to a traditional rival like NAIT isn’t necessarily a bad thing from a coaching perspective, as the Rustlers prepare for the most meaningful part of the season — the stretch drive and the playoffs.
“Well, 100 per cent,” Mann said after Friday’s home defeat. “I mean, that was the message after the game, that we’ve had quite a little run — like, 25 wins in a row — and so, it doesn’t hurt to get punched in the face every now and then and test your mettle and see how you respond. Get back up.
“I didn’t mind our second and third (periods). We had some pushback. To go into the third period down 3-0, and for the game to end 4-3, it was a decent finish. Not to pick up any points is a tough one, but yeah, it’s not a bad time of year to have a game like that where you have a little wake-up call.”
The Rustlers answered that alarm bell Saturday and, en route to victory, fired 40 shots against NAIT goaltender Aurora Van Warmer. Lakeland’s Schay Camphaug stopped 28 of the 29 shots she faced.
Rustlers forward Keyra Buziak scored one goal and assisted on another. Kylie Perry, Asha Petrie and Addison Eurich had the other Lakeland tallies. Hometown rookie Ryann Rekimowich was among multiple Rustlers who each recorded an assist.
Maria Ayre potted the Ooks’ lone goal.
In Friday’s game, NAIT scored an empty-net marker in the final minute, before Lakeland answered to cut the margin of defeat to one goal.
Maddison McCullough, Mignon Helberg, Hanna Paquette and Caitlyn Tong scored for the Ooks, while Ella Howard made 24 saves.
Petrie, Buziak and Claudia Lammers netted the Lakeland goals. Eurich picked up a pair of assists. Camphaug stopped 22 shots.
Lakeland had been carrying three goaltenders during the first half of the season, but that number is now at two. Paige Fischer of Rosetown, Sask., has been sidelined because of hip surgery.
“We miss her,” Mann said. “She’s a good goalie, and that extra competition in practice (is missed), too.”
Between the pipes for the Rustlers are Camphaug, from Salmon Arm, B.C., and Shelbi Thunderblanket of Gallivan, Sask.
“We were carrying four extra (skaters) and the extra goalie, so it’s five extra players, but now down a goalie, we’re carrying four extra,” Mann said of his 25-student complement.
“We have a handful of players that are nurses, so they’re on shift work and sometimes they have to miss a little bit. But we’ve got the extra players for that reason.”
In the hockey Rustlers’ first home action of the second semester, a strong, vocal crowd supported them. The student body was well-represented, as volleyball and soccer players from Lakeland were among those spotted in the crowd.
Hockey took centre stage on the collegiate scene last weekend, a bye week for most of the Lakeland programs. The scenario is much different this weekend. On top of two home games at the Hub for the women’s hockey team, the Lakeland gym will be in full activity mode Friday and Saturday.
BASKETBALL
The men’s and women’s basketball Rustlers meet the Augustana Vikings in a home-and-home series Friday night in Camrose and Saturday night at Lakeland. Game times are 6 p.m. for the women and 8 p.m. for the men.
Locked in a three-way tie with NAIT and Keyano atop the North Division, the Lakeland men are on the cusp of potentially clinching playoff-hosting rights for the ACAC championship tournament.
VOLLEYBALL
It’s an eventful home weekend for the women’s and men’s volleyball Rustlers as they host the Northwestern Wolves of Grande Prairie on Friday and Saturday.
The Lakeland women’s club stages its annual food bank night on Friday, with all donations designated for the Lloydminster branch of the Salvation Army.
The women’s match begins at 6 p.m., with the men scheduled to hit the court half an hour after the women’s play ends.
Saturday’s volleyball doubleheader begins with the women’s match at 1 p.m., followed by the men’s play later in the afternoon.
It’s senior celebration day for the Lakeland women. Three senior players — Avery Bates, Emma Jeffs and Seanna Trumier — will be recognized for their five years with the Rustlers. The ceremony is set for immediately after the women’s action finishes, and before the men take to the court.
CURLING
Out of town, Lakeland’s mixed and women’s curling teams are headed to Lac La Biche for the ACAC championship. The women are 8-4 on the season, while the mixed crew went 4-1 in the recent winter regional bonspiel.
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