Rams close out season with loss to No. 5 Gaels

TORONTO — Despite holding the No. 5 Queen’s Gaels to a tie game for the majority of Saturday afternoon, the Ryerson Rams couldn’t hold on, falling 4-2.

In their final regular season game of 2013-14, the Rams started the scoring 29 seconds into the game with Nella Brodett (Edmonton, Alta.) putting home her fifth goal of the season.

The goal was extra special for Brodett, as she was playing in her final CIS game.

“That was a surreal moment,” Brodett said. “I ended up being in their end, a loose puck, and I just banged away. I remember going to the bench, just a big smile on my face, like, what is life right now, is this an ESPN special or something?”

Interim head coach Pierre Alain was proud of his captain after the game.

“I’m very happy she scored the first goal,” Alain said. “I told her on the bench, that’s destiny, Nella. So every time there’s a senior going away, our eyes are crying but yea, I think she worked hard, she’s helped this program, she wrote history for this program.”

Queen’s would answer back with two straight with goals by Shawna Griffin and Alisha Sealey to make it 2-1.

Before the end of the period, Victoria Arci (Woodbridge, Ont.) would slide one in between the pads of Queen’s goaltender Mel Dodd-Moher and the two teams were tied at two at the first intermission.

The tie-break would be ended just four minutes into the third period with Clare McKellar putting one past Rams starting goaltender Emma Crawley (Herring Cove, N.S.). Queen’s would add an empty-netter to finish off the scoring.

Crawley made 37 saves in her 16th game of the season. Dodd-Moher turned away 11 shots in the win.

Despite Brodett finishing up her five years of eligibility, she says it was a terrific life experience to come to Ryerson.

“Honestly, I have no words for it,” Brodett said. “Being a Ram and finishing off my career this way has been bitter sweet and I’ve had the honour of leading this team for the last two years and I couldn’t have asked for a better bunch of girls and a better staff and a better facility.”

It was also the final game behind the bench for interim head coach, Pierre Alain. Alain, who was filling in for head coach Lisa Haley while she was coaching the Canadian women’s national team at the Olympics, will return back to his home province of Québec in March.

“I told them (team) after the game, it has been one of the best lifetime experiences I’ve been involved with,” Alain said. “Simply, I wanted to be here, I chose to be here, I told Lisa (Haley) and Steph White last year that I’m going to help this team and this program grow up and move forward. And I think this program has moved forward.”

Ryerson finishes the 2013-14 regular season with a record of 5-17-1, a program-high in wins.