The Lady Tommies had an air of confidence and everything to be proud of during and after their 7-1 victory over the Saint Mary’s Huskies (SMU) on Saturday afternoon.
A few of the STU players admitted that having Kayla Blackmore’s fierce intensity and leadership back on the ice may have been a possible reason for the Lady Tommie’s unstoppable performance against the Huskies .
Cassidy MacTaggart was particularly happy with not only her first goal, but also her first two goals of her rookie season. She was celebrating “their hard work at coming out of the team’s slump” in the last few weeks and hoped that “they saved a little for their next tough battle with St. FX.”
SMU was the first to get on the scoreboard, scoring within the first few seconds of the game. After their opening goal, SMU never saw the green light, or many other scoring opportunities, throughout the rest of the game. The Lady Tommies’ flurry of shots on goal never ceased and they overcame numerous slashes, trips and headshots to win back their team confidence.
There were many power play opportunities for STU to use to their advantage, not only to score a goal, but also to pump up the team confidence.
It was during a five-on-three advantage, and after her second scoring attempt, that Renata Mastna (assisted by Erin MacIsaac) scored the first goal to end the first period with an even score of 1-1.
The second period opened with a heightened intensity and Blackmore’s immediate shot on goal was snatched from the air adeptly by SMU goalkeeper.
Another five-on-three power play opportunity showed STU’s team hustle after the puck. Moments after the power play ended, perseverance prevailed with a flurry of goals for STU.
First, Cassidy MacTaggart was in position for the rebound goal off Erin MacIsaac’s shot attempt. Next, Katie Brewster skated the puck right into the SMU goal (assists were given to Danielle Miller and Kayla Blackmore).
Then, after many notable scoring attempts by Jordan Miller and Carly Critch, Danielle Miller ended the second period with the fourth goal for STU.
The third period began with a third five-on-three power play opportunity for STU to use their time wisely and to gain control of the play.
This led to Danielle Miller’s second goal of the game (assisted by Blackmore and Caley Steinart), which put STU ahead 5-1.
Then, Blackmore’s patience of sliding many pucks across the crease but never across the goal line paid off when her defensive steal allowed her to dribble the puck all the way into the SMU goal for the sixth goal of the game. Finally, MacTaggart scored her second, unassisted goal to end the game with a 7-1 victory.
