REDS defeat Huskies 3-0 in game two of AUS semifinal

FREDERICTON, NB - Sydney Oitomen (Mississauga, ON) scored twice and Kendra Woodland made 28 saves as the UNB REDS shut-out the Saint Mary's Huskies 3-0 on Thursday night, taking a two-games-to-none lead in their best of five Atlantic University Sport women's hockey semi-final series.

Woodland's shut-out earned her Tim Horton's Player of the Game honours.

The home team opened the scoring in the most unlikely of ways, while killing off a two-skater advantage.

With the REDS playing 3 on 5, Oitomen stole the puck near the Huskies blue line, raced in alone and beat Saint Mary's goalie Ridleigh Hansen (Red Deer, AB) to stake UNB to a 1-0 lead.

Less than two minutes later, working even strength, Melanie Drost (Nepean, ON) and Reagan Minor (Dunnville, ON) broke in on a two-on-one.

Drost fed Minor who beat a moving Hansen to double UNB's lead.

In the second period, Oitomen scored her second of the game and third of the series, pouncing on a loose puck to the right of Hansen and pushing it into the Huskies net.

The REDS shut down the Huskies in the third on route to the 3-0 win.

"We know we have a hard road ahead of us," said Huskies' captain Caleigh Meraw (Red Deer, AB). "We didn't help ourselves out there for just a couple of minutes, but we know that we're totally capable of coming back and taking three games straight, so there's a lot of positivity and excitement to get back home and get going."

The REDS are now one game from advancing to the conference final for the third consecutive season.

"We're three periods away from playing in another national championship, the third in five season, six seasons, so it's an amazing feeling in there right now," said Woodland. "We have a lot of momentum moving into Sunday."

The third game of this series goes Sunday evening at SMU's Dauphinee Centre, in Halifax. Game time is 7:00pm. GET TICKETS

RECAP BY: Andy Campbell/UNB Athletics
PHOTOS BY: James West/for UNB Athletics