Rustlers Women’s Hockey Weekend Recap - March 2, 2026
Women's hockey sweep their way back to the Finals
The Cenovus Energy Hub will feature the ACAC Finals over the next two weekends.
Women's hockey dominated their semifinal series against the Medicine Hat Rattlers 6-1 and 8-1 on Friday and Saturday to advance to the gold medal matchup for the third straight season. Head Coach Morgan Mann said it was a good start to the postseason.
"I thought we played well," he said. "We played with pace, were aggressive and made plays."
In game 1, the Rustlers quickly set the tone in the opening period, earning more than four times the scoring chances that the Rattlers had and led 1-0 off of a tally from Claudia Lammers. Eight minutes into the second, Medicine Hat tied the score on the powerplay, but a pair of Keyra Buziak goals had the home team up 3-1. In the third, the league's new record holder for most goals in a season added another two, while Marley Dumanski also scored to get her third point of the evening. Schay Camphaug only needed to make four saves for the victory.
Game 2 began with a much different energy, as Alyssa Shaw scored less than a minute into the game. By the eight-minute mark, Lakeland led 4-0 and the Rattlers began venting their frustration through extremely physical play, including after the whistle. Numerous 10-minute misconduct penalties were handed out between the two teams, in addition to 42 minutes of minor penalties in the opening frame, after which the Rustlers led 6-0.
Lakeland outshot the Rattlers 42-13 for the game, amassing 54 total penalty minutes to Medicine Hat's 48. Buziak and Ryann Rekimowhich each had a goal and two assists, while Shaw and Kylie Perry both scored twice.
In the ACAC Finals, the Rustlers will face the Red Deer Polytechnic Queens in a rematch of last season, after RDP defeated the NAIT Ooks in a pair of one-goal games. Game 1 will take place in Lloydminster on Friday, March 6, with puck drop at 7:15 pm in the Hub. The women then travel to Red Deer for Game 2 at 5:00 pm on Saturday, before returning to the Border City for Game 3 on March 13. Games 4 and 5, if necessary would be in Red Deer and Lloydminster on March 14and 15 respectively, both at 7:00 pm.