Huskies top Aigles Bleu 3-2

(Halifax, NS) The Saint Mary's Huskies picked up a 3-2 win over the UdeM Aigles Bleu in AUS women's hockey action at Alumni Arena.  

The Huskies remain undefeated through four-games and move into a tie with the StFX X-Women for first in the AUS. The Aigles Bleu fall to 2-2 and sit in a tie for third with the Dal Tigers.

"We made everything a struggle," said Huskies head coach Chris Larade. "It's not fun if it's easy, so we'll take the win and make sure that we come to the rink a little better prepared in the future."

Laura Horwood (Grandfalls-Windsor, Nfld.) scored the game winner with her first career AUS goal. Nicole Scholfield (Winnipeg, Man.) and Siobhan Birch (Mississauga, Ont.) got the other Huskies goals.

Rebecca Clark (Keswick, Ont.) made 15 saves in the win. She now has a 3-0 record on the season.

Katryne Villeneuve (Casselman, Ont.) and Marie-Pier Corriveau (Magog, Que.) found the back of the net for the Aigles Bleu.

Sabrina Lerun (Lassale, Que.) finished with 22 saves and fell to 1-1.

Scholfield opened the scoring 11:03 into the first. Carly Baker (Newmarket, Ont.) and Kate Barber (Aurora, Ont.) worked the cycle game down low in the Aigles-Bleu zone. Barber spotted Scholfield pinching in from the point and Scholfield sniped bar-down from just below the left-dot.

Birch stretched the Huskies lead to 2-0 1:45 into the second. Scholfield got the puck in deep for Brooke Murphy (Balla Phillip, N.B.). Murphy worked behind the net before slipping a pass out front to Birch who knocked it home from the doorstep.  

Villeneuve made it a one-goal game with a power-play goal under a minute later. Judyane Bernier (Rimouski, Que.) tapped the puck to Corriveau down low in the Huskies zone. Corriveau moved to go behind the net and threaded a slick pass back to Villeneuve in the high-slot. She stepped into a wrist-shot and rifled it through traffic high-glove just inside the post.

Corriveau tied it up at 2-2 with another power-play goal at the 17:11 mark of the second. Dominique Bérubé (Trois-Pistoles, Que.) feathered a perfect lead-pass through the neutral zone that sprung Villeneuve on a blue-line breakaway. She lifted a backhand wide short-side and stuck with the play, flipping the puck back in front where Corriveau swatted it out of the air from in tight for the goal.

Horwood picked up the game-winner 9:25 into the third. Laura Polak (Bedford, N.S.) picked up the puck down low in the Huskies zone and found Baker on the right wing. Baker spotted Horwood streaking through the neutral zone and sent her in on a breakaway. She kept the puck on her forehand and buried a wrister blocker-side.

"It felt pretty good, just shot it and it went in," said Horwood. "Not a good game all around but I thought we played pretty good in the third."

Shots were 25-17 Huskies.

The Aigles-Bleu were two-for-three on the power-play and did not take a penalty.

Up next the Aigles Bleu will face the STU Tommies in Fredericton N.B. on Saturday, October 28. The Huskies play the Dal Tigers on Wednesday, October 25 at the Halifax Forum.  

Cam Honey-Webb

Photo Nick Pearce