The Tommies women’s hockey squad added to its hold on first place in the Atlantic University Sport conference over its last two games.
St. Thomas University (12-1-1) downed the Mount Allison University Mounties 3-1 on Sunday, Nov. 27 at Grant-Harvey Centre after shutting out the Université de Moncton Aigles Bleues 4-0 on Wednesday, Nov. 23 on the road.
With the loss Sunday in Fredericton, the Mounties fell to 3-11 on the year, while the Aigles Bleues dropped to 4-7-3 after losing to STU and being blanked for the second straight game in a 1-0 defeat against the Saint Mary’s University Huskies (10-1-2) on Saturday, Nov. 26.
SMU remains second in the AUS, and the difference between the Huskies and the conference-leading Tommies is a mere three points.
STU edges MtA at home
Three second-period goals were what ended up putting the Tommies over the top on Sunday afternoon.
After a scoreless opening frame, Lauren Legault drew the first blood for STU at 8:49 in period two.
Danielle Ring then widened the Tommies’ lead less than three minutes later at 11:02.
It didn’t take long for Legault to score again at 12:39 and seal the Mounties’ fate.
The lone MtA marker came from Maddy Koughan at 10:40 in the third stanza.
Neither team managed to score on the man advantage, which marked the second straight game STU has gone without a power play goal.
Abby Clarke made 28 saves between the pipes for the Tommies for the win, while Keri Martin said no to 27 of STU’s 30 shots for her fifth straight loss and 10th of the season.
The three stars of the game were Ring, Clarke and Legault.
Tommies hold off Aigles Bleues
Lauren Henman slipped the rubber past UdeM netminder Gabrielle Forget at 16:29 in the opening frame to get the Tommies on the board Wednesday at Jean-Louis Lévesque Arena.
STU captain Kelty Apperson scored to make it 2-0 off a feed from rearguard Paige Jackson at 10:28 in period two.
Fifth-year Tommies blueliner Eliza Snider wired a shot to the back of the net with just under seven minutes to play before Jessica McCann added an empty-netter at 18:08 on a two-on-one rush after taking a pass from Apperson, another fifth-year player.
Apperson was named player of the game for her two-point performance, which bumped her total to 19 points in 13 games.
STU goalie Taylor Cook made 32 saves for the shutout, while Forget blocked 35 of the Tommies’ 38 shots in the losing effort.
The Tommies’ first game after the holiday break goes Saturday, Jan. 7, when STU will host the St. Francis Xavier University X-Women at 3 p.m.
STU’s three-game homestand will continue Sunday, Jan. 8 at 2 p.m. against the Dalhousie University Tigers.
