RECAP BY: Ethan Hunt
(Halifax, NS) - The Dalhousie Tigers escaped with a 4-3 shootout win against the St. Thomas Tommies on Saturday night at the Halifax Forum.
Dalhousie and STU worked each other into the game for the first eight minutes, and both teams did not have a serious scoring chance, until Kennedy Whelan (Alliston, ON) and Olivia Eustace (Riverview, NB) went on a two on one, but Eustace was unable to corral the puck in front of Katie Sweeny (Tecumseh, ON).
Brooklyn Paisley (Shawnigan Lake, BC) nearly scored off of a give and go with Eustace, but Sweeny just got her pad on the slot shot.
Despite Dalhousie carrying possession for a majority of the first period, the teams exited the ice still even.
St. Thomas had their first big opportunity of the game a minute into the period, off of Amy Dvernichuk (Regina, SK) driving into the offensive zone, who's shot trickled out to Claire Nimegeers (Wilcox, SK), who forced Grace Beer (Oakville, ON) to make an incredible blocker save.
The Tommies went on their first powerplay of the night, but despite keeping zone pressure for the entirety of the advantage, Beer and the DAL penalty kill bent but did not break.
After another penalty kill by Dalhousie, Whelan put the first goal on the board, after weaving around multiple STU defenders, the forward tucked the puck past Sweeney for a beautiful marker.
With Whelan's lone goal, the Tigers went into intermission a goal up on the Tommies.
With just over 13 minutes left in the period Eustace drove down the right side of the offensive zone, and off of her own rebound, she put the puck past a diving Sweeney.
St. Thomas made things interesting late in the period, off of Tommies captain Ekaterina Pelowich (Stouffville, ON) knocking in a rebound to make it a one score game.
Off an offensive zone faceoff, Emma Bishop (Bedford, NS) answered immediately with a rebound goal of her own to put Dalhousie up two with less than four minutes remaining.
STU answered back off the faceoff, this time Nimegeers knocked the puck past Beer on a rebound in front of a chaotic crease.
With four seconds left in the period, and their goalie pulled, Pelowich delivered again with a huge goal on a complete scramble in front of the crease, to force the teams to go into extra time.
Despite the tandem of Paisley, and Eustace creating multiple chances, Sweeney stood up to any opportunities and the teams went into a shootout.
STU could not score the first shot, to which Whelan scored the first goal of the shootout by outwaiting Sweeney, and Lauren Smith (Truro, NS) responded with a five hole goal.
The shooters missed the next four rounds, until Eustace buried the Tommies, sniping it top shelf past Sweeney.
Eustace took home player of the game, and the Dalhousie Tigers escaped with a 4-3 win.
STU will travel to Antigonish to faceoff against STFX on Sunday, and DAL will welcome Moncton on Wednesday to the Forum.
PHOTOS BY: Tamara Joseph