X-Women edge Panthers in overtime thriller

Charlottetown, PEI - Ella VandeSompel's overtime heroics lifted the STFX X-Women to a thrilling 2-1 victory over the UPEI Panthers Friday night, capping off a nail-biting showdown defined by stellar goaltending and gritty defence.

VandeSompel's game-winner came on a two-on-one fastbreak at the 1:48 mark of the extra frame. Anna MacCara carried the puck into the offensive zone before threading a perfect cross-ice pass to VandeSompel, who fired a wrist shot into the top corner past Panthers goaltender Sarah Forsythe.

The game was marked by a goaltending duel between Brooklyn Oakes of the X-Women and Forsythe of the Panthers. Oakes was exceptional, stopping 32 shots, including several high-danger chances, while Forsythe turned aside 26 in a performance that kept her team in contention.

The Panthers nearly opened the scoring at 1:09 of the first period when Ruby Loughton forced a turnover and went in alone, only to be denied by Oakes. However, it was the X-Women who struck first. On a power play at 8:12, Claire Carruthers weaved her way through the neutral zone and danced past two defenders before slipping a backhand past Forsythe to give STFX the lead.

The game remained tightly contested, with both teams trading chances but failing to capitalize, thanks to strong defensive play and outstanding goaltending. In a game destined for overtime, the Panthers finally found the equalizer late in the third period. At 15:42, Jazbey Hrynyk won a battle in the crease and nudged the puck to Ashley McCutcheon, who buried it into an open net to send the game to overtime.

Despite UPEI's late dramatic goal, it was VandeSompel's brilliance in the extra frame that secured the win for the X-Women.

The Panthers will look to rebound on Saturday when they host the Dalhousie Tigers at 3 p.m., while STFX heads to Halifax to face the Saint Mary's Huskies at 7 p.m.

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Recap courtesy Thomas Becker, UPEI Athletics