Huskies top Aigles Bleues 4-3 in double overtime

Moncton – A goal by Hannah Askin, left ball alone in front of goaltender Gabrielle Forget, with 3 seconds left in the overtime period, lifted the Saint Mary's University Huskies (11-3-0=22pts, 1st place) to a 4-3 win over the Université de Moncton Aigles Bleues (8-5-1=17pts, 2nd position) in an Atlantic University Sport women's hockey game, at the J.-Louis-Lévesque Arena, Sunday.

The Blue and Gold did have a 2-0 lead in the first period on goals by Marie-Pier Corriveau (Véronic Thibeault) and Amélie Dion (Marie-Pier Corriveau, Katherine Dubuc), three minutes apart in the middle of the period. The Huskies came back to even the chances with two second period goals of their own, by Mary Worndl and Caitlyn Manning, seperated by eight minutes.

Both teams exchanged goals in the third, Dion (unassisted) with her second of the game on the power play for the Blue and Gold, at 12:02 and Breanne Lanceleve, three minutes later, for the Huskies. The visitors had a 50-27 lead on shots on goal. Gabrielle Forget was credited with the loss (15 shots in the second period) and Rebecca Clarke, the win.

"The second period hurt us," stated Moncton coach Denis Ross. "This was our worst second period of the season. We also took two bad penalties in the overtime and we left the front of the net open for the winner. Both goaltenders played well this weekend, Forget had 50 shots today. We played better in the first and third periods. We let go a 2-0 lead in the second that gave them the momentum. We were playing like panicked bees in a hive, in our zone. We need to remedy that. »

Team captain Marie-Pier Arsenault was not happy with the loss. "We really wanted this game to inch closer to the Huskies," Arsenault said. "The second period did not go as intended and I don't have the answer as to why we did not play as we are capable. We will practice to get ready for the weekend games."

Moncton plays the Mounties and the X-Women, next Saturday and Sunday, on the road.

WINNING GOAL – Hannah Askin (2) of the Huskies, left alone in front of the net, propels the puck over the pads of sprawled goaltender Gabrielle Forget of the Aigles Bleues for the winning goal in overtime, Sunday in AUS women's hockey at the J.-Louis-Lévesque. (Photo Normand A. Léger)