Scarborough's Spooner all-time leading goal scorer for Ohio State..

Jan 16, 2012

Scarborough native and former Cedarbrae Collegiate student Natalie Spooner is now the all-time goal scoring leader with the Ohio State Buckeyes. Three goals over the weekend gave her 87 goals, breaking the old mark of 86. Spooner also took Western Collegiate Hockey Association offensive player of the week honours for the third time this season and ninth time in her collegiate career.

Just past the midway point of her final senior year, the Canadian national team member has already set the all-time goal scoring record for the Buckeyes women's team.

Her three goals in two games last weekend (Jan. 6 and 7) gave her 87 goals, smashing the previous all-time mark of 86 goals for the Buckeyes.

The performance was also good enough to land her a third straight nod for offensive player of the week in her league (the Western Collegiate Hockey Association) - the third time she's picked up the honour this season, and ninth in her collegiate career.

About the only downer for Spooner on the weekend was that although her record breaking goal was a key one, as it tied the Jan. 7 game 3-3 early in the third period, their St. Cloud State opponents scored late to win the game 4-3. Spooner also picked up an assist in the game.

Ohio won the series opener 2-0 on Jan. 6 with Spooner scoring both goals.

On the season, Spooner has a team-leading 27 points (18g, 9a) through 20 games with a plus-9 on-ice rating.

For her career, she currently has 140 points (87 goals and 53 assists), fourth best in program history and just six points shy of third place.

Coach Nate Handrahan told The Lantern, Ohio State's university paper, that Spooner is "one of the most explosive players in the country. She does very special things on the ice."

He noted Spooner "has missed almost an entire season's worth of games (over her career) due to training with the Canadian national team," but added it's something top quality college programs have to endure.

As for Spooner, with her senior year fast wrapping up, local fans could be seeing her in action as soon as this fall.

She said she intends to put her name in the draft for the Canadian Women's Hockey League. The fledgling six-team professional women's hockey league, including the Toronto Furies, boasts many Olympians from Canada and around the world

Growing up in Scarborough, Spooner played her rep hockey with Durham West Girls Hockey Association, but also enjoyed high school hockey at Cedarbrae Collegiate.

"Even having a women's team there it was awesome," she said in a previous interview with The Mirror. "And just being able to play with the girls and kind of teach them, because I knew we weren't the most experienced team, but I think every time we got on the ice we had fun with it and we were just able to always have a laugh."

With thanks to Norm Nelson writing for Inside Toronto.