ST. CATHARINES, Ont. - The Ryerson Rams came away with a 2-1 win on Thursday afternoon after four periods of back and forth playoff hockey. With their game one win, the Rams head back to Toronto for a decisive game two on Saturday night.

Brooklyn Gemmill (Cambridge, Ont.) was the catalyst all night, scoring the overtime winner and assisting on Olivia Giardetti's (Whitby, Ont.) early opening goal. Erika Crouse (Kirkland Lake, Ont.) assisted on both goals while Rachel Seeley's (Ottawa, Ont.) 26 saves paved the way for Ryerson's win. 

Just 32 seconds into the game, Giardetti gave the Rams a lead on a dart of a shot. Crouse and Gemmill started the rush off a neutral zone turnover before Giardetti's wrister zoomed in off the post past Jensen Murphy's blocker. 

For the rest of regulation, Seeley and Brock's Murphy were locked in a goalie's duel.

The Rams held Brock shot-less throughout the first eleven minutes of play. It took until the Badgers' second power play to generate some pressure. Nevertheless, the opening 20 ended with Brock registering just three shots on goal compared to 12 for Ryerson. 

Despite more Rams pressure early in the second, an errant pass sprung Brock's Annie Berg for a breakaway. The forward was able to lift it past Seeley to knot things up. 

Although mostly untested in the first, it was Seeley's turn to keep things afloat for Ryerson throughout the second. Sarah Brooks went off on another Brock breakaway, but was swallowed up by the Rams' starter. Later, Carley Blomberg and Mikayla Flanagan took off for a 2-on-0 rush, but ran out of ice near Seeley's crease. 

A brief power play came and went for Ryerson as well as a 4-on-4 stretch, but the score remained 1-1 after forty. The scoreboard was flipped in the second period, with the Rams only registering four more shots compared to Brock adding 11. 

The 1-1 stalemate held up in the opening half of the third thanks to a blocked shot by Teagan Gartley (Kitchener, Ont.) in the slot. Meanwhile, Annie Berg continued to get chances for the Badgers, getting stopped on her second breakaway and wiring one off the crossbar on the power play. 

With six minutes to go, Crouse's point blank shot off a feed from Kryshanda Green (Brampton, Ont.) was blockered away by Murphy. Brock's Paige Cohoon seemed to net the game-winner with just four minutes left off a point shot, but the referees disallowed it after the net fell off its moorings before crossing the line. 

Both squads exchanged penalties in the very last minute of play, but regulation concluded with the game knotted at 1. 

Four minutes into overtime after both squads returned to even strength, a scrum saw the puck trickle wide past an open Ryerson net. The Badgers continued to press for another ten minutes, but failed to finish their odd-player rushes. When the Rams earned some momentum, Brock's Niamh Haughey was called for cross-checking. 

Just 30 seconds into the ensuing power play, Lauren Nicholson (Dresden, Ont.) fed Crouse from the point, who centred it for Gemmill. One-timing her shot while down on a knee, Gemmill beat Murphy's stretched pad before being swallowed up by her celebrating teammates. 

Perhaps the most relieved Ram was Seeley. The netminder rushed to join her celebrating team after stopping three breakaways throughout the game and saving seven shots in overtime. 

Puck drop for game two on Saturday is scheduled for 7:15 p.m. on Mattamy Home Ice. Ryerson students can attend the potential elimination game for free with their OneCards.