HALIFAX, NS- The Saint Mary's Huskies defeated their cross-town rivals, the Dalhousie Tigers, 6-3 in an action-packed game Saturday night at the Homburg Centre in Halifax.
Saturday night's win also secured the Huskies victory of the annual Lobster Trap Challenge, presented by Clearwater Seafoods. Combined with the Huskies men's hockey 5-0 win on Friday night, the Huskies outscored the Tigers 11-3 over the weekend to secure the trophy.
The Huskies took control in the early minutes of the first period, creating a few good opportunities to test Tigers goalie Maggie Baxter (Mahone Bay, NS) early in the game.
At 6:51, the Huskies headed onto their first penalty kill. At just over a minute into the penalty kill, Huskies forward Erin Denny (Eskasoni, NS) led a two-on-one into the Tigers zone, putting the puck on net, where teammate Aimee O'Neill (Glace Bay, NS) made no mistake in putting the puck in the back of the net for the Huskies to take the lead 1-0.
The Huskies successfully killed off their penalty, but the Tigers were still pouring on the pressure as Mackenzie Drake (Dartmouth, NS) made a cross-ice pass to teammate Anika Curri (New Canaan, CT), who walked into the Huskies zone and fired a shot right into the chest of Huskies goalie Ridleigh Hansen (Red Deer, AB).
With under eight minutes to go in the first, the Huskies headed onto their second penalty kill. The Tigers made no mistake this time, with Alix Yallowega (Winnipeg, MB) taking a shot through traffic where teammate Olivia Eustace (Riverview, NB) was there to tap the rebound into the net, tying the game 1-1.
Two minutes later, the Huskies went onto their first powerplay of the game, looking to retake the lead. The Huskies offence had many opportunities, with Maddy Corbett (Sydney, NS) sending a saucer pass to Miranda Hatt (Regina, SK), who fired a shot just wide of the net.
The Tigers successfully killed off their penalty and created a few opportunities as Kennedy Whelan (Alliston, ON) had a one-on-one, but Huskies netminder Hansen was there to shut the door.
With under two minutes left to play in the first period, defenceman Abigail Mackenzie (Stellarton, NS) created a turnover and carried the puck into the Tigers zone, where her shot from the hash marks found the top corner of the Tigers net, putting the Huskies back in the lead 2-1.
As the first period ended, the Huskies headed into the intermission leading 2-1 and outshooting the Tigers 11-5.
In the first minute of play of the second period, Huskies forward O'Neill had a great chance down low, but Tigers goalie Baxter was there to make the save. The Tigers responded as forward Brooklyn Paisley (Shawnigan Lake, BC) tipped the puck away from the Huskies defender chasing it down for a breakaway, but Huskies goalie Hansen stayed rock solid, keeping the Huskies ahead 2-1.
The second half of the second period was full of back-and-forth action as the Tigers continued to pour on the pressure; it was forward Paisley's shot from the left faceoff circle that tied the game 2-2 for the Tigers.
Less than a minute later, Huskies forward Charlotte Buffie (Winnipeg, MB) off of a scrum put the puck into the net, seeing the Huskies take back the lead 3-2.
A couple of minutes later, on the Huskies fourth penalty kill, Tigers Eustace found the open net to tie the game 3-3.
Shortly after the Tiger's goal, the Huskies headed onto the powerplay, where Corbett wound up and fired a slap shot that found the back of the net, putting the Huskies back in front 4-3.
As the teams headed into the second intermission, the Huskies led 4-3, outshooting the Tigers 25-13.
The Huskies started the third period on the penalty kill, but they would once again successfully kill it off. As the halfway mark of the third period approached, the Huskies headed on the powerplay, looking to extend their lead.
Huskies forward Erin Denny scored the team's fifth goal from a shot in the slot.
Thirty seconds later, forward Avery Cant (Waterloo, ON) netted her first goal of the game, extending the Huskies lead 6-3.
The second half of the third period saw the Huskies successfully kill a couple of penalties, but it would not be without the Tigers having a couple of close chances. Tigers Eustace and Paisley had great opportunities; however, Huskies netminder Hansen turned them away.
As the final minutes of the game came to a close, the Huskies won with a score of 6-3, outshooting the Tigers 32-20.
Huskies forward Avery Cant was named Player of the Game, scoring a goal and an assist on the night.
Maggie Baxter made 26 saves in net for the Tigers, while Ridleigh Hansen stopped 17 shots for the Huskies.
The Tigers loss gives them a 4-6 on the season. Dalhousie will be back in action Wednesday, November 8, at 7 p.m. as they host STFX X-Women at the Halifax Forum.
The Huskies win improves their record to 5-4 on the season. Saint Mary's will return next Friday night as they host the St. Thomas Tommies at the Dauphinee Centre, with puck-drop at 7 p.m.