The Waterloo Ravens set the tone early and never looked back, securing a decisive 5-2 victory over the Oakville Hornets in an OWHL U22 Elite matchup. The Ravens came out flying in the first period, peppering Hornets goalie Audrey Cabaday with 13 shots. Their pressure paid off with two quick goals; Alexa Tout opened the scoring just under ten minutes in, followed less than thirty seconds later by Madelyn Davies, who finished a play set up by Olivia Weiss and Summer Ropp. Oakville managed to stem the tide late in the period when Addison Neto found the back of the net, assisted by Maya Hubbard and Ava Giacomodonato, to cut the deficit to 2-1 heading into the intermission.
The second period saw Oakville fight their way back into the game, outshooting the Ravens 11-10. Their persistence was rewarded when Maya Hubbard scored a crucial goal, with assists again going to Ava Giacomodonato and Gianna Vinci, tying the game at 2-2. The period was marked by three minor penalties, two against Waterloo and one against Oakville, but neither power play could break the deadlock. The game remained tied until deep into the third period, when the Ravens' offensive depth took over. Lauren Gustafson broke the tie with what would stand as the game-winning goal, assisted by the dangerous Alexa Tout. The Ravens then put the game out of reach as Margaret Wathke scored an insurance marker, and Alexa Tout capped off a stellar night with an empty-net goal in the final minute to complete her two-goal, one-assist performance.
While Oakville's Audrey Cabaday faced a barrage of 39 shots and made 31 saves to keep her team in contention, the Ravens' offensive firepower proved too much. Waterloo's Danica Averill earned the win in net, though the lack of tracked save data suggests a strong team defensive effort in front of her, limiting high-quality chances despite Oakville's 27 shots. The Ravens' balanced attack, with goals from five different players and key contributions from players like Tout and Wathke, was the difference in a game that was closer on the scoreboard for two periods than the final shot totals indicated.
Mississauga Hurricanes #5875