Antigonish, N.S. - The StFX X-Women skated to a 4-1 win over the CIS fifth-ranked Saint Mary's Huskies in Game 2 of their 2016 Subway AUS women's hockey championship semi-final match-up Sunday afternoon in front of more than 400 fans at the Keating Centre.
With the victory, the X-Women forced a third-and-deciding game in the best-of-three series.
In the opening ten minutes of the first period, the Huskies had a couple power-play opportunities, but they could not get on the scoreboard, while the X-Women also came up empty on their one 5-on-4 chance.
At the 14-minute mark, the X-Women got on the board, when AUS second-team all-star Daley Oddy (Cranbrook, BC) centered to Schyler Campbell (Galloway, NB), who got a hard shot away, but conference rookie of the year Rebecca Clark (Keswick, ON) made the save. On the rebound, freshman Lydia Schurman (Summerside, PEI) picked up the loose puck and found the back of the net to give StFX a 1-0 edge. Oddy and Campbell garnered the assists.
Less than five minute later, at 18:34, the X-Women doubled their advantage, when Campbell put Oddy in alone with a lead pass. Oddy muscled by the Huskies' defender before making a nifty move backhand-to-forehand to beat Clark.
"It is do-or-die - playoff hockey - so we knew we had to come out strong and give it our all today," X-Women captain Taylor Dale (Oromocto, NB) said in the first intermission.
In the second period, Gemma MacDonald (Blooming Point, PEI) and Moira MacDonald (Cole Harbour, NS) generated early chances for the Huskies, but X-Women goaltender Sojung Shin (Seoul, Korea) was able to keep the visitors scoreless.
A short time later, Shin made another quality stop on a deflection by Haylee Tretiak (Teulon, MB), who was parked on the lip of the X-Women crease.
During a four-on-four situation, veteran X-Women defender Jenna Pitts (Antigonish, NS) challenged Clark with consecutive point shots through screens, but the freshman was able to make the saves and control the rebounds.
Late in the middle stanza, on their fifth power play of the game, the Huskies sliced the lead in half, when Caitlyn Schell (Waterford, ON) picked up a loose puck in the X-Women crease and slid it home. On the Huskies' shoot-in, Shin was handcuffed by a funny bounce and the puck squeezed through her legs, and Schell capitalized. The unassisted marker came 20 seconds before the intermission.
"We hope it changes the momentum," Saint Mary's captain and first-team all-star Breanna Lanceleve (Middle Sackville, NS) said between periods of the late-period goal.
"We have been working hard and we were rewarded."
Early in the third period, at the 51-second mark, Oddy scored her second of the game - unassisted - to give the X-Women a 3-1 lead.
With a 5-on-3 advantage, StFX pressed for more, but Clark held the fort for the Huskies, including making a sparkling glove save on Pitts.
The penalty-kill spurred the Huskies, who pushed to carve into the two-goal deficit, but Shin and her defense stood strong.
Late in the period, Schell had another scoring chance, but Shin made a shoulder stop on the high backhander.
With 56 seconds remaining in regulation, Sarah Bujold (Riverview, NB) cleared the X-Women zone and raced into the Huskies' end. Against two defenders, she put a diving back-hand shot into the empty net, with Clark on the bench for an extra attacker. The tally was unassisted.
"Our seniors did not want it to be their last game and we went out and did something about it," Oddy said after the game.
"We were able to feed off the crowd and get a big win."
Oddy was the Subway player of the game, while Schell earned top honours for her team.
Shin made 28 saves for the win, while Clark turned aside 22 shots in the loss.
Game 3 will take place Tuesday, March 1 in Alumni Arena in Halifax. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m.
"It is a smaller rink, so we will have to keep our feet moving and getting shots," Oddy said.
The X-Women-Huskies winner will face the St. Thomas Tommies for the conference title.
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