The top seeded StFX X-Women won their first game of the 2012 Subway AUS Championship Thursday afternoon in Halifax, beating the host and sixth seeded Dalhousie Tigers by a 3-1 score. Abygail Laking was named Subway Player of the Game for StFX, scoring the game-winning goal.
The X-Women were the first team to open the scoring as CIS leading scorer Alex Normore continued where she left off in the regular season, roofing one over the left shoulder of Tigers goaltender Zoe Zivolak on the power play at the 8:13 mark of the first frame. Suzanne Fenerty had the lone assist on the play.
The remaining twelve minutes played out in the first period with both teams unable to score any more goals. The X-Women outshot the Tigers 9-7 in the opening frame as the score stood at 1-0 for the blue and white after 20 minutes.
Both teams came out with a little bit more jam in the second period, as the championship host Dalhousie Tigers responded at the 5:14 mark when Miranda McMillan scored on the power play from Jocelyn LeBlanc when she floated a shot toward Kristy Garrow that fooled the X-Women goalkeeper.
With under two minutes to play in the second frame, Laking (from Nicole Hansom and Molly Macdonald) was able to score the eventual difference maker, as she sent a harmless shot toward Zivolak that handcuffed the Tigers netminder. This was the final tally of the period as the shots stood at 22-14 for the X-Women after 40 minutes, and the score 2-1 in favor of the blue and white.
The third period was a defensive standstill until Erin Brophy was able to get some much-needed insurance for the X-Women at the 6:27 mark, stealing the puck off a Tigers defender and scoring over the shoulder Zivolak for an unassisted goal as the X-Women put a final stamp on the game. StFX shut down the Tigers the rest of the way and X-Women goalkeeper Kristy Garrow turned aside any remaining Tigers pressure that came her way as the X-Women held on to defeat the Tigers by the 3-1 score.
StFX outshot Dalhousie by 35-16 margin in the game. Garrow made 15 saves for the X-Women as Zivolak played admirable in the Tigers cage, turning aside 32 saves.
StFX will now get one day’s rest and will play again on Saturday, March 3rd at 3:00 pm against the fourth seeded UPEI Panthers, while the Tigers will play the Panthers Friday afternoon at 3:00 pm. The winner of Pool ‘A’, which consists of the Tigers, Panthers and X-Women will play the winner of Pool ‘B’ (Moncton, Mount Allison and St. Thomas) in the Subway AUS championship game slated for Sunday, March 4th at 2:00 pm.