Sportsgate HOCKEY: December 20, 2018: Fuelled by an offence that produced goals in record numbers, the Kingston Jr. Ice Wolves dashed to three road victories in as many days and propelled themselves into first place in the Provincial Women's Hockey League — with some room to breathe.
The Ice Wolves — with a 5-1 triumph over the Bluewater Jr. Hawks on Sunday, a 6-2 win over the Southwest Jr. Wildcats on Saturday in which Rebecca Thompson tied a team record with three goals, and a 6-5 overtime victory over the London Jr. Devilettes on Friday in which Madie Stockfish matched a team record with five points — lead the 20-team loop with a 17-1-4-1 record for 39 points, three more than the Etobicoke Jr. Dolphins and Nepean Jr. Wildcats. Kingston, which holds a game in hand on Etobicoke and five in hand on Nepean, is five points up on the Waterloo K-W Rangers and Ottawa Lady Sens. Waterloo, with 22 games played, is the only team in the upper echelon to have played fewer games than Kingston. And the Ice Wolves are just one point shy of matching their franchise single-season record for points of 40, set two seasons ago. The 12 goals scored over the first two games broke a franchise record for most goals in consecutive games, set earlier this season when the Ice Wolves followed a 7-1 win over the Barrie Jr. Sharks on Oct. 14 with a 4-2 win over the Durham West Jr. Lightning five days later. By scoring 17 goals in three games, the Ice Wolves tied the mark also set earlier this year when they tacked a 6-3 win over the Mississauga Jr. Chiefs on to their then two-game record total. Tatum White scored twice and Alexa Hoskin collected three points (1G, 2A) to pace the Ice Wolves on Sunday. Darcie Lappan and Melanie Young scored the other Kingston goals as the Ice Wolves went ahead 3-0 in the first period and then wrapped up the scoring with goals 1:29 apart later in the second.
On Saturday, Thompson's first career PWHL hat trick topped Ice Wolves scorers and she, Mae Batherson (1G, 3A) and Lappan (1G, 3A) each collected four points to spark the offence. Scout Watkins-Southward netted Kingston's other goal. Thompson's three-goal performance tied her with Alysha Burriss and Hoskin for the franchise single-game record of three. Burriss and Hoskin have two hat tricks apiece. Gorski gained the goaltending victory, making 18 stops as Kingston outshot Southwest 42-20. Things were much closer on Friday night as London scored twice in the final 2:18 of the third period to erase a 5-3 deficit and send the game into overtime. However, Melissa Jefferies, just 53 seconds into extra play, gave Kingston the victory, with an assist going to Stockfish for her fifth point of the game. Stockfish accumulated two goals and three assists, matching Lappan's output of Oct. 13, 2017, for a franchise-best single-game high. Lappan, White and Escano also scored for Kingston, which trailed 2-1 after one period and led 4-2 entering the third.