Huskies blank Tigers 3-0
Grace Beer made 26 saves in the loss.
The Saint Mary Huskies shut out the Dalhousie Tigers 3-0 at the Halifax Forum. The Huskies were able to snap a five-game losing streak and the Tigers look to get back on track following the break.
Neither team took immediate control of the game. Early in the first period, the play was end-to-end with both goalies making significant saves. The Huskies would begin accumulating more offensive possession, eventually leading to a goal opportunity. 6:30 in the first, Jillian Duggan (Halifax, NS) took a shot from a narrow-angled rebound to give the Huskies an early 1-0 lead. The Tigers would commit a penalty thirty seconds after the opening goal allowing the Huskies to continue the pressure. The Huskies took six more first-period shots, 13-7, but the Tigers started finding rhythm late and Grace Beer (Oakville, ON) remained reliable, making twelve saves.
The second period started with some back-and-forth sequences until a bad Tigers line change left an opening that the Huskies exploited. 2:59 into the second, Abby McCarthy (Falmouth, NS) would beat Beer's glove on the 1-on-1 fastbreak, deriving from a long pass delivered by Marisa McClocklin (Saskatoon, SK). The Huskies took the 2-0 lead and didn't step off the brakes, until the mid-way mark of the period when the tides shifted in the Tiger's favour. Huskies goalie, Ashley Imlach (Newtonville, ON) kept the Tigers goalless by making key saves. In the totality of the second period, The Huskies' offence had more success with more possession and eight more shots, 22-14. The Tigers continued to have close chances, but the Huskies' backcheck gave the Tigers difficulties.
The Tigers took it to the Huskies in the third. The Tigers outshot the Huskies 11-2 within the first ten minutes of the third period. The Tigers would continue to get great chances all third period, getting two powerplays and fifteen third-period shots. Unfortunately for the Tigers, Imlach was in peak form. The Huskies would put a cap to the game with a late goal on the Tiger's open net, scored by Kylie Kerr (Milton, ON).
Ashley Imlach would secure the shutout, earning herself player of the game. Imlach saved all twenty-nine shots.
The Tigers face St. Thomas after a break on Friday, January 10, 2025, at 7:00 pm AST. The Huskies head home to face the Reds, this Saturday at 7:00 pm AST.