SMU tops Dal in battle of Halifax
Two-goal first and second periods help the Saint Mary’s Huskies top the Dalhousie Tigers 4-1 on Saturday night action at the Civic Centre.
January 14, 2017
(Halifax, NS) - Two-goal first and second periods help the Saint Mary's Huskies top the Dalhousie Tigers 4-1 on Saturday night action at the Civic Centre.
The Huskies opened up the game with an aggressive forecheck and created several offensive chances in the first period.
Just 3:53 into the first frame Caitlyn Manning (Cambridge, ON) opened up the scoring for the Huskies on the power play.
The Tigers responded with high energy immediately after the goal as they looked for an equalizer.
Ashley Money (Langton, ON) came close to getting the Tigers on the board but Saint Mary's goalie Rebecca Clark (Keswick, ON) was able to stop the puck from crossing the line.
The best Tigers chance of the first frame came from Bianca Canadé (Mississauga, ON). Canadé was able to connect with the puck during a scramble in front of the SMU crease, but once again Clark was able to keep the game 1-0.
In the ending minutes of the first period the Huskies widened the lead to 2-0.
At 15:08, third year forward Mary Worndl (Lunenburg, NS) fired a shot past Jessica Severeyns (Hammonds Plains, NS) for her sixth goal of the year.
After the goal Saint Mary's continued to apply pressure. The Huskies generated two breakaway opportunities but Severeyns made two spectacular sprawling saves, keeping the game at 2-0.
Dalhousie came out flying into the second frame. Abigail Shearer (Falmouth, NS) fired a shot from the slot, but the SMU defender was able to block the goal bound puck.
Dalhousie continued to press for their first goal of the night as Lauren Ellerton (Toronto, On) beat the SMU defender, but was unable to beat Clark on the breakaway attempt.
The Huskies took back control of the game half way through the second frame.
Manning buried her second of the night after finishing off the two-on-one play with a powerful shot that beat Severeyns.
The Tigers got on the board 16:49 into the third period with a power play goal. A slick move to the backhand allowed Lisa Maclean (Inverness, NS) to beat Clark. With the goal Maclean has 5 goals on the year.
The Huskies three-goal lead was restored just 12 seconds later as Hannah Askin (Waterloo, ON) scored her first of the night. A long stretch pass from Manning sprung Askin on the breakaway. Severyns was able to stop the first shot but was unable to make the save on the rebound.
The third period was a defensive frame for the Tigers and Huskies teams. The majority of the period's possession was played in the neutral zone, which caused neither team to generate a great number of quality chances.
Neither team was able to add to the score in the final frame. The ending score was Saint Mary's 4 and Dalhousie Tigers 1.
With the win the Huskies improve to 14-1-2, while the Tigers fall to 3-14-1. The Huskies are back in action versus the StFX on January 18, while the Tigers will host Mount Allison on Sunday.