REDS defeat Huskies 4-1 in Fredericton

FREDERICTON, NB - The UNB REDS scored four unanswered goals to beat the Saint Mary's Huskies 4-1 in Atlantic University Sport women's hockey action, Saturday night at UNB's Aitken Centre.

Katelyn Scott (Almonte, ON) scored twice, and Mackenzie Keenan (Midhurst, ON) set up the tying and winning goals for UNB. Keenan was named Tim Horton's Player of the Game.

"We worked hard," said Keenan. "We have a new group this year, so I think it shows, the hard work we've put in this year, to beat a team like SMU."

The visitors opened the scoring at the 5:47 mark of the first period when Avery Cant (Waterloo, ON) put a shot on the UNB net that squeaked through the pads of goalie Kendra Woodland (Kamloops, BC).

"We had a bit of momentum when I got the goal, but we have to find ways to keep the energy up to keep going," said Cant. "We came back in the second and third, but we took a lot of penalties, that didn't help. We were on the PK a lot and they capitalized on their powerplay."

The REDS drew even late in the period.

With about a minute to play, first-year RED Scott tipped Keenan's point shot to put the home team on the board. The goal was Scott's third of the young season.

Keenan set up the eventual game-winner early in the second period, firing a shot tipped by Sydney Oitomen (Mississauga, ON).

In the third, the Huskies pushed to tie the game, but couldn't find the equalizer.

The REDS added an insurance goal with just over five minutes to play, team captain Payton Hargreaves (Whitby, ON) pounced on a rebound and fired it past Huskies' goalie Sophie Scully (Ottawa, ON).

Scott's second of the game was scored into an empty net.

"Scotty's been really good, coming in as a first year, she's been a really impactful player," said Keenan. "She's worked hard and is doing really well."

With the win, the REDS are now 5-1-0-0 (W-L-OTL-SOL) and sit atop the AUS standings.

The Huskies, now 2-1-0-1, sit fifth.

"We can't take teams lightly," said Keenan. "We have to respect every team and give our best effort every game."

The Huskies continue their weekend road trip on Sunday, visiting the UPEI Panthers for a 4:00pm faceoff.

The REDS next action is Friday when they visit the STFX X-Women. Game time is 7:00pm.

RECAP BY: Andy Campbell/UNB Athletics
PHOTOS BY: Fran Harris/for UNB Athletics