Antigonish, N.S. - The U Sports second-ranked Saint Mary's Huskies (4-0-1) skated to a 4-2 victory over the StFX X-Women (2-3-0) in AUS hockey action Friday night at the Keating Centre.
In the first period, at 13:01, Laura Polak (Bedford, NS) gave the Huskies a 1-0 edge. Siobhan Birch (Mississauga, ON) and Brooke Murphy (Balla Phillip, NB) collected assists on the power-play marker.
The Huskies held a 10-3 advantage in shots on goal, after one period.
Early in the second period, at 1:55, the X-Women evened the contest on a shorthanded marker from freshman Kate Gotaas (Sherwood Park, AB). Jenna MacDonald (Osgoode, ON) and Nicole Halladay (Smiths Falls, ON) tallied the helpers.
In the middle stanza, Rebecca Weagle (Lunenburg, NS) turned aside six shots for the Huskies, while Pascale Daigle (Irishtown, NB) made 11 stops for the X-Women.
In the third period, the Huskies started on the power play - for almost four minutes - but the home side's penalty kill kept the game deadlocked.
Later, X-Women fifth-year forward Kara Power (New Glasgow, NS) got a partial breakaway, but Weagle made a save on her wrist shot. On the play, the Huskies took a penalty and were left shorthanded, but StFX could not capitalize.
Midway through the final period, the Huskies struck quickly, with a pair of goals just 15 seconds apart, to take a 3-1 lead.
At 9:43, Breanna Lanceleve (Middle Sackville, NS) tallied, from Hannah Askin (Waterloo, ON) and Polak to restore Saint Mary's one-goal edge.
The Huskies doubled their advantage, at 9:58, when Caitlyn Manning (Cambridge, ON) capitalized on a set-up from Mary Worndl (Lunenburg, NS).
Emily Power (Airdrie, AB) of the X-Women sliced the disadvantage in half, with a shorthanded goal, at 12:40. Defenders Nicole Corcoran (Bloomfield, PEI) and Halladay notched the assists.
At 13:50, on the same power play, Saint Mary's regained their two-goal edge - at 4-2 - with Birch finding the back of the net, from Askin and Polak.
In the final minutes, the X-Women staged another rally, but they could not carve into the Huskies' lead.
Birch earned Subway player of the game and first star honours, while Polak and Halladay garnered second and third star selections, respectively.
Weagle and Daigle made 16 and 23 saves, respectively.
The X-Women will return to the ice tomorrow (Oct. 29), when they travel to Sackville, NB, to face the Mount Allison Mounties, in a 7 p.m. puck drop.
The Huskies will be back in action Sunday, Oct. 30, when they host the Dalhousie Tigers, in a 2 p.m. start, at Alumni Arena.
-30-