Panthers defeat Huskies 2-1 in shootout

HALIFAX, NS – UPEI goaltender Sarah Forsythe was outstanding with 33 saves, backstopping the Panthers to a 2-1 shootout win over the Saint Mary's Huskies in Atlantic University Sport women's hockey action on Friday night at the Dauphinee Centre in Halifax.

The Huskies started the first period on the attack, recording the first five shots of the game, but Panthers goaltender Sarah Forsythe (Riverview, NB) turned them all away, a sign of things to come for the rest of the night.

The Huskies outshot the Panthers 10-4 in the first period, but the two teams went scoreless into first intermission.

With just three minutes remaining in the second period, the Huskies got the go-ahead goal, as forward Gillian Lapierre (Port Coquitlam, BC) picked up the puck behind the net and made a great pass to find forward Miranda Hatt (Eastern Passage, NS) in the slot, where she fired a low shot past Forsythe to put Saint Mary's up 1-0. That goal was Hatt's 99^th AUS regular season point, setting her up for an upcoming milestone.

HUSKIES HIGHLIGHTS ��

Gillian Lapierre with a great pass to Miranda Hatt who makes no mistake, Huskies lead 1-0 after the second period!

�� M. Hatt (9)
�� G. Lapierre
�� M. McClocklin pic.twitter.com/ACd8HaZO6S

— Saint Mary's Huskies (@SMUHuskies) January 27, 2024

Once again, the Huskies heavily outshot the Panthers and took a 22-8 shots on goal lead, as well as 1-0 lead into the second intermission.

Four minutes into the third period, the Panthers found their equalizer. With Huskies forward Erin Denny (Eskasoni, NS) in the penalty box, Panthers forward Ruby Loughton (Toronto, ON) tipped in a point shot from defender Orianna MacNeil (Mabou, NS) to tie the game at 1-1.

With 60 minutes solving nothing, the teams headed into a three-on-three overtime period. Both teams had several great scoring opportunities in the five-minute overtime, with Ridleigh Hansen making big stops on Panthers' McKinley Nelson (Calgary, AB) and Orianna MacNeil. On the other end, Hatt fired a wicked backhand that was gloved down by Forsythe.

With just over a minute remaining in overtime, the Huskies went on the powerplay as Panthers Lexie Murphy (Kensington, PEI) was sent to the box for tripping. Saint Mary's had a couple more quality scoring opportunities, but Forsythe turned them away, and a shootout would decide the winner.

In the shootout, Huskies forward Kara MacLean (Antigonish, NS) went first, but Forsythe poked it away for the save. McKinley Nelson answered for the Panthers but was stopped on the backhand by the pad of Hansen.

The Huskies second shooter Miranda Hatt opted for a quick release wrist shot, but Forsythe turned it away. That brought up the Panthers Anjali Simms (Delta, BC) who lost the puck on her way to goal.

Third round saw another great stop by the glove of Forsythe, this time on forward Charlotte Buffie. But Hansen responded with a pad save on Ruby Loughton, sending the shootout into extra rounds.

In the fourth round, Huskies forward Aimee O'Neill (Glace Bay, NS) fired a howitzer past Forsythe, but Orianna MacNeil responded with a five-hole goal on Hansen.

That brought us to the decisive fifth round, where Huskies defender Abigail Mackenzie rang a shot off the post, before McKinley Nelson had a nice backhand shot that beat Hansen for the shootout winning goal.

The Huskies outshot the Panthers 34-14 on the night, but Forsythe was outstanding turning away 33 shots and was named Player of the Game.

The Panthers win snapped a five-game loss streak and improved their record to 6-14-0-2 on the season. They'll be back home ice on Sunday as they host the UNB REDS (17-5-0-0) at 3 p.m. in Charlottetown.

The Huskies earn a single point with the shootout loss, with their record now at 14-5-1-3 on the season. Saint Mary's will be back on home ice on Saturday as they host the Moncton Aigles Bleues (12-9-0-2) with puck-drop scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Dauphinee Centre.

Recap by Allan April / Saint Mary's Huskies Athletics
Photos by Eduardo Ibarra / Saint Mary's Huskies Athletics