By Ryan Lum, Staff Contributor
The Dal Tigers women’s hockey team announced something great to come last Friday night, defeating the UPEI Panthers 4–2. Coinciding with the kick-off of homecoming weekend, the win gave the Tigers on a two game win streak just in time for a string of easier match-ups in their upcoming schedule.
Hosting an abnormally large and raucous homecoming crowd, both teams set a fast pace in the first period, but textbook positional play gave neither side any offensive advantage.
UPEI’s Amanda Armstrong looked to have given the Panthers the go-ahead at 4:45 of the first after a soft backhand slipped from under Dal netminder Ashley Boutilier’s pads, but a second thought from the officials had the goal waved off, the whistle having been blown before the puck went in.
Dalhousie captain Laura Shearer finally opened the scoring at 17:19 of the first, her snapshot from just right of the hash marks finding the near post and ricocheting in.
Dal went 2–0 up five minutes into the second after Jocelyn Leblanc and Megan O’Neill patiently executed a 2-on-1, giving Leblanc her second of three assists on the night and O’Neill her first goal of the season.
Boutilier stood tall for Dal, psyching out UPEI’s Jessica Rosenbaum on a penalty shot opportunity and making several diving saves to keep the Panthers’ power play 0-6 in the game. Indeed, penalties on both sides were the name of the game, and would have been a decisive factor it wasn’t for the fact that neither team was able to score when holding the advantage.
UPEI speedster Jessica Rosenbaum made it 3–2 at 8:17 of the third after breaking two defenders and going five hole on Boutilier, setting a chippy tone for the remainder of the third period.
Things looked tense going into the final minute of play with the Panthers on a 5-4 woman advantage with the goalie pulled and the face-off in the Tigers zone. Dal’s Miranda Macmillan made it 4-2 after a crucial shot block by defender Elizabeth Matheson deflected the puck in to the neutral zone and gave Macmillan the empty net to shoot at.
The Tigers next home game is Wednesday, Nov. 3 at 7 p.m. against the St. Mary’s Huskies.
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