The quarter-final series of the Subway AUS Championships between Dalhousie and St. Thomas needed to be decided by a third and final game. The first game, the Tommies dominated at home with a 7-3 victory. The second game in Halifax was a close affair of 3 – 2. The third game, Tommies had home-ice advantage and 141 fans watching their final game of the first round.
The Tommies started strong, winning the first eight face-offs, which leads to six shots within the first five minutes. Both teams got power play opportunities, but the first period ended scoreless.
The Tommies dominate puck possession and outshot the Tigers 11- 4.
Play moved back-and-forth through the second, until there were six minutes left. Jenny Marita Alfieri got the puck down low and skated out front uncontested. She picked the blocker side of Abbey Clarke and the Tigers went up 1-0.
With just over two minutes left in the second period, the Tigers get their fourth power play of the game. Five seconds left in the penalty, Maggie Beaton feeds the puck through traffic to Lisa Maclean who slides it through the legs of Abbey Clarke.
The Tommies were down by two going into the third period. The Tommies headed to their dressing room, where the team leaders stepped up.
“As captains we gathered everyone together, we just wanted to rally and get everyone excited and know that we have to have some urgency in our game if we want to win,” says Tommies captain Kelty Apperson.
The Tommies went on the power play early, and kept the puck in the offensive zone. Myfany Thompson hit the crossbar but it popped out.
“They came out hard in the third,” says Tommies head coach Peter Murphy about his team.
Near the end of the power play, Cassidy McTaggart put one home for the Tommies and cut the lead to one. They continued the pressure throughout the third, getting 16 shots on goal.
The Tommies pulled their goalie in the last minute, but the Tigers managed to hold on. The final shot tally was 35-12, in favour of the Tommies.
“This team had a lot of heart and we were really determined,” says Apperson. “It’s not the result we wanted but we know we’re all here for each other.
