#3 ranked Huskies have succesful return to ice in 2-1 win over St. Thomas

FREDERICTON, NB

The Saint Mary's Huskies women's hockey team, currently ranked #3 in the country, were victorious in their return to play on Sunday, defeating the St. Thomas Tommies 2-1 in Fredericton to improve to 14-2-1 on the season.

This rivalry game was one to watch, with both teams getting their feet under them in preparation for the playoffs. This game had plenty of special teams action, as both teams spent plenty of time on the penalty kill and power play. A total of 11 penalties over the span of the game between the two teams, four penalties by the Huskies and seven by the Tommies.

The Tommies had goalie Katie Sweeney (Tecumseh, ON) get some prep in by finally making her AUS season debut, and it was an outstanding performance making 40 saves on 42 shots, keeping the Tommies in this game every step of the way.

The first period saw the Huskies dominate the Tommies offensive zone, but St. Thomas was kept in the game by goalie Katie Sweeney, who turned away the first 12 shots of the game. Late in the period, the Huskies were finally able to beat Sweeney, as a Taylor Keeping (Hackett's Cove, NS) shot was initially turned away, but a scramble on the rebound saw the puck trickle just past the line to put the Huskies up 1-0 with 1:14 remaining in the period. Keeping was credited with her second goal of the year, while. with assists going to Siobhan Birch (Mississauga, ON) and Kara MacLean (Antigonish, NS). The Huskies out shot the Tommies 14-5 in the first period.

The Huskies offensive momentum continued into the second period, as they generated several scoring opportunities in the opening minutes. Just over 5 minutes into the period, Keeping was able to dig a puck out of the corner onto the stick of Mary McDonald (Calgary, AB). McDonald fired a pass to a wide open Kara MacLean in front of the Huskies net, who deked twice and beat Sweeney shortside for her fifth goal of the year, making the score 2-0 for the Huskies.

Just over two minutes later, the Tommies were able to cut the Huskies lead in half, as Huskies goaltender Dagny Hudspeth (Burlington, ON) made a nice save on an initial point shot, but Tommies forward Megan Pardy (Courtice, ON) put the rebound home to make the score 2-1 with 12:24 remaining in the second period.

The Huskies went on the powerplay four times in the second period, generating several offensive chances, but were unable to add on to their 2-0 lead. Saint Mary's outshot the Tommies 13-6 in the second period.

In the third period, the Tommies looked determined to get back into the game, and came out playing aggressively. But Hudspeth continued her strong play in net, making six saves to keep the game 2-1, which would be the final score.

Taylor Keeping was named Subway AUS Player of the Game with one goal and one assist. Kara MacLean was named the game's second star with one goal and an assist, and Tommies goaltender Katie Sweeney was named third star with an impressive 40 saves on 42 shots faced.

With the win the Huskies improved to 14-2-1 on the season and remain atop the AUS standings. They'll have a quick turnaround, as they return home to face the St. FX X-Women on home ice on Monday night. That game, which was originally scheduled for Friday but postponed due to a wind storm in Halifax, will see the puck drop at 7 p.m. at the Dauphinee Centre on Monday.

The Tommies loss dropped their record to 9-9 on the campaign. St. Thomas will next take on the X-Women, Friday night in Fredericton.