Charlottetown, PE - A balanced attack from the second period on was more than enough for the StFX X-Women in a 6-2 route of the UPEI Panthers Saturday night.
Defenceman and Subway Player of the Game, Lindsey Donovan led the team with two goals and an assist, while Sarah Bujold, Patti-Anne Tracey, Santana Gravelle and Kathryn Gotaas chipped in with one goal each. Veteran forward Daley Oddy was in a giving mood, tallying three assists on the night.
"We work well as a team," Donovan said. "We have great chemistry and we build off each other."
After a scoreless first period, where they outshot their opponent 13-5, the X-Women (4-0) started connecting on their shots. At 11:26, Donovan fired the puck from just inside the blue line and made it count for the 1-0 edge.
"It's a team effort," said Donovan. "When you come off a good shift we're always encouraging each other."
It didn't take long for them to double their lead, as the league's leading goal scorer Bujold notched her fourth of the season just 28 seconds later.
After surrendering the second goal, the Panthers' (0-2-1) offence started to show signs of life. Maria Clinton nearly cut it in half on a wrister, but missed high. However, on the ensuing faceoff, Ashtyn Bartlett tipped a shot from Sophie Vandale to cut into the deficit 2-1.
The X-Women's dominant second period ended on a high with Tracey's goal to restore the two-goal advantage.
The third period began the same way the second ended, with a StFX goal. On a nice feed from Emerson Elliott, Gravelle pushed the lead to 4-1 with the marker. Panther rookie Leah Byrne scored less than a minute later in her first action in the AUS, but the X-Women responded with a goal by Gotaas. Donovan then added her second of the game late in the period to seal the 6-2 win.
"After a win we just reset and focus on the next one," Donovan said.
The Panthers look to rebound following the loss and head to Sackville, N.B. on Sunday (Oct. 22) to take on the Mount Allison Mounties. The X-Women will next see action on Friday (Oct. 27) when they travel to Halifax to play the Dalhousie Tigers.
GAME NOTE: The game was suspended midway through the first period due to a small fire that had broken out in an overhead heater in the arena. The venue was cleared as the fire was extinguished and the game resumed quite some time later.
Courtesy Thomas Becker, UPEI Communications