REDS Blanked In Quarter-Final

(ELMIRA, ON) The UNB REDS dropped a 2-0 decision to the University of Toronto Varsity Blues Friday night in the quarter-finals at the U SPORTS Women's Hockey Championship, in Elmira, Ontario.

The No. 2 seeded Varsity Blues scored late in the second period and mid-way through the third, holding off a feisty No. 7 ranked REDS.

"I really liked our first five minutes," said REDS' head coach Sarah Hilworth. "But we took a couple of penalties and that kind of slowed us down and they woke up. They're a good team and they just got the job done."

While the teams played a scoreless first period, the Blues outshot the REDS 13-4.

Shots were hard to come by for UNB in the second and third periods as well, held to just five in the second and four more in the third.

"Losing a big game like that, there's a lot of tears, frustrations, especially when we can't pop them in the net," said REDS' goalie Cassie McCallum who made 37 saves on 39 shots and was named UNB's player of the game. "I think it's got to be us rallying for tomorrow and coming back and giving our seniors and those leaving another chance to play that extra game at the end of the weekend."

"She played unreal tonight," said first-year REDS defender Lilly Bell of McCallum. "She kept us in it, gave us all the chances we possibly could've had."

Bell is one of three REDS who call the Kitchener-Waterloo region home. Several more come from other parts of Ontario so the REDS had a good-sized cheering section in Elmira.

"There was definitely a lot of nerves coming into this game and into this tournament, being so close to home and having so many people here," added Bell.

The REDS now drop into the consolation bracket and will face the No. 6 seeded UBC Thunderbirds on Saturday in a game scheduled to begin at 2:00pm Atlantic.

"Tomorrow, we've got to bear down and bury some pucks," said McCallum. "We have a few seniors leaving this year, so I think in our minds it's doing it for them and putting it all out for them."

"It's hard not competing for a national championship anymore," said Coach Hilworth. "I think for players on our team, those who don't get to play again as a RED, they have the last two days to make it memorable."

This was the third consecutive year the REDS and Varsity Blues met at the national championship tournament.

Last year, in Saskatoon, U of T scored a 2-1 win in the quarter-finals. In 2023, in Montreal, the Varsity Blues beat UNB 4-1 in the consolation semi-final.

RECAP BY: Andy Campbell/UNB Athletics

PHOTOS BY: Waterloo Warriors Athletics/for U SPORTS