Written by Allan April, SMU Athletics
HALIFAX, NS – Saint Mary's forward Ashley Penney scored a goal and an assist, and goaltender Ridleigh Hansen turned away 27 shots for the shutout, as the Huskies defeated the Dalhousie Tigers 2-0 in Game One of the Atlantic University Sport women's hockey quarterfinal on Wednesday night at the Dauphinee Centre in Halifax.
In the early going, both teams had quality scoring chances but were unable to capitalize. Tigers forward Gabrielle Noordijk (Oakville, ON) had the first two shots of the game, but was denied by Huskies goaltender Ridleigh Hansen (Red Deer, AB). Several moments later, Huskies forward Avery Cant (Waterloo, ON) cut around two players but was stopped by Tigers goaltender Grace Beer (Oakville, ON).
The remainder of the period was a defensive battle, as both teams fought for possession through the neutral zone, with few quality scoring opportunities. The Tigers outshot the Huskies 7-6 through the first 20 minutes, and the two teams went into intermission with a scoreless tie.
It was more of the same defensive intensity in the second period – the Huskies had a great scoring chance on a two-on-one as Ashley Penney (Lawrencetown, NS) slid a cross ice pass to Gillian Lapierre (Port Coquitlam, BC) but her shot was denied by Beer.
The Tigers responded with a two-on-one chance of their own as forward Kennedy Whalen (Alliston, ON) fired a shot that was denied by Hansen, who then stopped Paige Coulter-Vansickle (Millbrook, ON) on the rebound.
With just under three minutes remaining in the second period, the Huskies finally found their go-ahead goal, as Ashley Penney sprung fifth year forward Miranda Hatt on a breakaway. Hatt's initial shot rung off the post, but she was able to corral the rebound and fire a shot from a tough angle that snuck past an out of position Beer to make it 1-0 Huskies.
Hatt's goal seemed to spark some urgency in the Tigers, as they pushed for the equalizer with a strong forecheck in the Huskies defensive zone. Forward Isabella Weist (Torbay, NL) thought she had scored as she jammed a loose puck into the crease, but the officials waved it off as Hansen and the puck were clearly pushed into the goal by a Tiger.
The Huskies outshot the Tigers 16-12 in the second period, taking a 22-19 shots lead, as well as a 1-0 lead into the second intermission.
Midway through the third period, Huskies forward Charlotte Buffie (Winnipeg, MB) broke out on a one-on-one but was taken down from behind by the Tigers defender, earning a penalty.
On the ensuing Huskies powerplay, the Tigers were looking to clear the zone but Ashley Penney intercepted a pass in and in a single motion fired a high shot past Beer for the powerplay goal, doubling the Huskies lead to 2-0 with 8:11 remaining in regulation.
Dalhousie continued to push for a response, but Hansen and the Huskies defence shut them down and held on for the 2-0 Game One win.
With a goal and an assist, Ashley Penney was named Player of the Game for the Huskies, while Grace Beer was named Player of the Game for the Tigers, turning way 35 shots.
The Huskies outshot the Tigers 37-27 on the night, with Ridleigh Hansen turning away 27 shots for the shutout win, while Grace Beer stopped 35 shots in defeat.
With the win, the Huskies take a pivotal 1-0 lead in the best-of-three quarterfinal series. The series will now shift across town to the Halifax Forum where the Tigers will host the Huskies on Friday night at 7 p.m. If necessary, the decisive Game Three will be played on Sunday, Feb. 18 at the Dauphinee Centre, with puck-drop scheduled for 7 p.m.