Antigonish, N.S. - The visiting Universite de Moncton Aigles Bleues (9-6-1) skated to a 1-0 overtime win over the StFX X-Women (7-8-1) Sunday afternoon at the Keating Centre.
In the first five-minute sudden-death overtime period, Karine Roy (Nigadoo, NB) tallied the game-winner during a 5-on-3 power play. From the slot, she deflected a pass from Kaitlyn Gallaway (Stratford, PEI) top shelf over the right shoulder of X-Women goaltender Sojung Shin (Seoul, Korea). Veronic Thibeault (Val d'Amour, NB) collected the other assist at the 3:49 mark of the extra session.
In a scoreless first period, the X-Women out-shot Les Aigles Bleues 12-10.
Marie-Pier Corriveau (Magog, QC) had the two best scoring chances of the opening 20 minutes for Moncton, including a re-direction from in tight, but Shin was able to make the big save on both occasions.
Both teams came up empty on their first period power play opportunities.
In the second period, the X-Women killed a couple of penalties, including a kneeing call against Kara Power (New Glasgow, NS). While she was in the box, StFX garnered a pair of shorthanded scoring chances, with Sarah Bujold (Riverview, NB) getting a hard shot away and Lisa Downey (Stratford, ON) putting her stick on the rebound from the edge of the crease, but Emilie Bouchard (Casselman, ON) made the saves.
During one of the Moncton advantages, Amelie Dion (St.-Jean-Baptiste, QC) made a rush into the X-Women zone, but Shin made a sparkling glove save to keep it scoreless.
Less than one minute later, just as a StFX penalty expired, Moncton captain Marie-Pier Arsenault (Bonaventure, QC) rang a shot off the goalpost.
In the final minute of the second period, the X-Women had a couple scoring opportunities on the power play. After making a rush into the Moncton zone, Daley Oddy (Cranbrook, BC) centered to Power, who was hooked before she got a hard shot away. Bouchard made a pad save on that attempt and the rebound chance for Power.
In the third period, Power and Oddy broke in on an early 2-on-1, but they could not muster a quality chance.
Later in the frame, Dion made another rush into the X-Women zone, but Shin turned her aside. In another sequence, she thwarted Moncton, including a sprawling save on a rebound attempt.
Jenna Pitts (Antigonish, NS), in her return from a shoulder injury after a multiple-week absence, tried to give the X-Women the lead in the latter half of regulation. She pinched in from the point and got a high, hard shot away, but Boucher made the save.
Bouchard turned aside 37 shots for the win, while Shin made 27 saves in the loss.
The Subway player of the game and first star was Roy, while Corriveau and Pitts garnered second and third star selections, respectively.
Moncton will be back on the ice Wednesday, Jan. 20, when they visit Charlottetown to face the UPEI Panthers in a 7 p.m. start.
StFX will return to action Saturday, January 23, when they travel to Halifax to battle the rival Saint Mary's Huskies. Puck drop is set for 2 p.m.
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