Huskies defeat Tommies 3-1 in Fredericton
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Saint Mary's (15-7-1, 15-7-1) | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
|
St. Thomas (13-9-2, 13-9-2) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
FREDERICTON, NB - Saint Mary's goaltender Ridleigh Hansen stopped 24 shots and was named Player of the Game, as the Huskies snapped a three-game losing streak with a 3-1 win over the St. Thomas Tommies in Atlantic University Sport women's hockey action on Saturday at the Grant Harvey Centre.
The Huskies took control early, as just over three minutes into the first period, defender Marisa McClocklin (Saskatoon, SK) picked up the puck in the Huskies zone and found a streaking Miranda Hatt (Regina, SK) who broke out and beat Tommies goaltender Katie Sweeney to put the visitors ahead, 1-0.
HUSKIES HIGHLIGHTS ��
— Saint Mary's Huskies (@SMUHuskies) February 3, 2024
Miranda Hatt opens the scoring with a breakaway tally early in the first period! Her 11th goal of the season gives @smuhuskieswh the 1-0 lead!
�� M. Hatt (11)
�� M. McClocklin pic.twitter.com/2cYtfRetBt
The Tommies pushed for an equalizer and had several opportunities, but Ridleigh Hansen (Red Deer, AB) was stellar, including a great save on Tommies forward Nadia Lavoie on a two-on-one.
HUSKIES HIGHLIGHTS ��
— Saint Mary's Huskies (@SMUHuskies) February 3, 2024
Ridleigh Hansen makes a great save on the Tommies two-on-one to keep the 1-0 lead in tact! pic.twitter.com/2BrmT6OqO0
With less than two minutes remaining in the first period, the Huskies would double their lead, as forward Charlotte Buffie (Winnipeg, MB) fired a shot off the pad of Sweeney, with Gillian Lapierre (Port Coquitlam, BC) gathering the rebound and scoring to put the visitors ahead 2-0.
The second period saw no scoring, with Hansen turning away 10 Tommies attempts, including a breakaway attempt by Natalie MacKay.
HUSKIES HIGHLIGHTS ��
— Saint Mary's Huskies (@SMUHuskies) February 4, 2024
Another great save by Ridleigh Hansen as she turns away the breakaway to preserve the 2-0 lead! pic.twitter.com/sjC60ewEjO
Facing a 2-0 deficit, the Tommies pushed for a comeback, and cut into the Huskies lead with just over a minute remaining, as Nadia Lavoie scored with an extra-attacker on the ice.
But seconds later, Huskies forward Aimee O'Neill (Glace Bay, NS) restored the two goal lead with an empty net goal, securing the Huskies 3-1 win.
HUSKIES HIGHLIGHTS ��
— Saint Mary's Huskies (@SMUHuskies) February 4, 2024
Aimee O'Neill scores the empty net goal as the Huskies secure the 3-1 win over the Tommies!
�� A. O'Neill (7)
�� J. Duggan pic.twitter.com/W0TXl0h5AJ
The Huskies outshot the Tommies 30-25 on the night. Ridleigh Hansen was named Player of the Game, turning away 24 shots in her league-leading 13th win of the season, while Katie Sweeney stopped 28 shots for the Tommies.
The Huskies win improves their record to 15-7-1-3 on the season, good for third place in the AUS. Saint Mary's will continue their road swing next Friday, Feb. 9 as they visit the STFX X-Women (19-4-2-0) in Antigonish, before finishing off the regular season on home ice as they host the Mount Allison Mounties (3-19-3-1) at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 10. GET TICKETS.
The Tommies loss drops their record to 13-9-2-2 on the season. They'll finish off the regular season with a pair of home games next weekend, hosting the UPEI Panthers (7-16-0-3) on Friday, and the UNB REDS (20-5-0-0) on Saturday, with both games scheduled to drop the puck at 7 p.m.
Recap by Allan April / Saint Mary's Huskies Athletics
Photos by C-SHUTTER
