Moncton, NB – In pre-season exhibition play, the StFX X-Women were 1-2 at the Moncton Invitational tournament over the weekend.
Friday evening the X-Women fell 4-3 to the Quebec U18 team, while the host Moncton Aigles Bleues nipped the X-Women 2-1 Saturday night in a game played in Bouctouche, N.B. The X-Women rounded out the weekend with a 4-2 victory over the UPEI Panthers Sunday afternoon.
On Friday evening, the X-Women played a competitive game against the U18 squad from Quebec. After a scoreless first period, veteran X-Women forward Alex Normore opened the scoring in the game 30 seconds into the second period with a power play goal, assisted by Schlyer Campbell.
Quebec then tied it with their own power play marker at 6:20 and went on to score two more unanswered goals early in the third period to take a 3-1 lead.
Normore notched her second goal of the evening at 3:29 of the third, from Kara Power and Kira Dube on the power play. Freshman forward Jenna MacDonald tied the game just over two minutes later as Lisa Downey was in on the assist.
After battling for the remainder of the third period, Quebec scored the game winner at 16:50 and hung on for the 4-3 victory. Sojung Shin tended the net for the X-Women.
On Saturday evening against Moncton, all the scoring in the game took place in the second period. X-Women forward Kara Power opened the scoring at 10:21, from Normore and Downey, then Katryne Villeneuve (12:09) and Marie-Pier Corriveau (19:47) replied for Moncton.
Émilie Bouchard was the winning goaltender for the Aigles Bleues, while Pascale Daigle took the loss for the X-Women.
Sunday afternoon saw the X-Women skate to a 4-2 victory over the UPEI Panthers. The Panthers got out to an early 1-0 as they scored 4 minutes into the game, however the X-Women tied it up with a goal of their own at the 14:09 mark of the opening frame. Campbell scored on the power play from Nicole Corcoran and Normore.
Freshman Nicole Halladay gave the X-Women a 2-1 advantage with a second period goal at 8:05, assisted by Taylor Dale and Power.
Campbell's second goal of the game just over two minutes into the third period gave the blue and white a two-goal lead as Normore picked up the helper.
The Panthers fought back quickly, however, coming to within a goal just 28 seconds later, but Alessia Pasquariello gave the X-Women back their two-goal lead at 7:29. Fellow freshman Chloe Allen assisted on the play.
With pre-season exhibition play complete and a 3-2 showing over the past few weeks, the X-Women now look forward to beginning AUS regular season play. Their first games come on October 17th and 18th when they hit the road to face UPEI and Moncton. StFX's home opener is slated for Friday, October 24th when they play host to Dalhousie at 7:00 pm.