By Owen Kitzan – Sports Editor

The Gaiters women’s hockey team started off their season with a clean sweep of their pre-season games. Bishop’s had the opportunity to face off against three teams with a visit in Montreal to play against McGill University and two home bouts, playing against Queens University and the University of New Brunswick. Bishop’s looked to build upon an impressive RSEQ campaign in the program’s second year, desiring come out and prove they were back to win.

Bishops would start off their year with a road trip down to McGill where the Gaiters would once again show their fierce competitiveness against an opposing RSEQ squad. As the game wore on it eventually became apparent that the Martlets side simply could not contain the Gaiters. When the final buzzer sounded, the scoreboard read zero for McGill and seven for Bishop’s.

After a dominant first game on the road, the Gaiters would look to continue gearing up for their season with a two-game weekend at home. Bishop’s first opponent would be the University of New Brunswick’s Reds, a team from outside their conference, meaning fresh competition. This matchup would prove to be a much more even matchup for the women as both teams came out strong. The game went down to the final wire, making its way into overtime. The Gaiters would once again prove victorious coming out of the extra frame with a 4-3 win.

The women’s second game would come later that weekend with a matchup against the Queens’ Gaels, another team from outside their conference. Bishop’s eyed the chance to finish their preseason undefeated and came into the final game ready to play. However, the Gaels were also prepared and kept the game close the whole way. The Gaiters strived to keep the Gaels just out of reach. The scoreboard read 3-1 for Bishops as their pre-season wrapped up with them coming out triumphant.

Following a near perfect start against their pre-season competition, it will be exciting to see what’s in store for their upcoming campaign. The women will look to turn intensity up a notch and prove that they are here to stay as one of the fiercest competitors in RSEQ. The team will play its first game of the year on Oct. 13 at Carleton followed by their home opener against Concordia on Oct. 21.