Huge third period leads Panthers past Mount Allison 7-2

By Thomas Becker 

Behind a dominant five-goal third period, the Panthers overpowered the Mount Allison Mounties 7-2 Saturday afternoon.

Subway Player of the Game Rachel Colle did the damage early with a pair of goals, while teammate Faith Steeves finished the Mounties off with two of her own in the decisive period.

"As a team, this is the best we've moved the puck all season," Colle said. "Every single player on our team was going today and once we hit the third period we finally broke through."

However, it was trying time in the opening 20 minutes. The Panthers (2-2-1) did everything right in the first period – outshooting their opponent 14-2, while dominating possession – but struggled to turn opportunities into goals.

The Mounties (0-5), meanwhile, capitalized on the few chances they had. Seconds after killing a penalty, Mountie Jessica Campbell skated in alone and beat goaltender Camille Scherger for the opening goal with five minutes remaining in the period.

"We outshot them quite a bit and had a lot of concentration in their end, so it was nice to be able to dig out of that small hole and move forward," said Panthers head coach Bruce Donaldson.

Instead of getting down on themselves, the Panthers came out of the intermission determined to get the puck in the net. They finally got it done on a power play just three minutes in, when the puck squirted through the crease to Colle, who deposited it home, tying the game at one apiece.

At 9:06, Colle was at it again and added her second power play goal of the afternoon, pushing the Panthers ahead 2-1. However, the slim lead was short-lived as Mountie Maddy Koughan tied it up again before the period ended.

From there, the floodgates opened as goals poured in for UPEI. Kaylee Dufresne was the first to score, while Steeves, Emma Martin, Jessie Brown and Steeves again pounded their opponent to the ground in the five-goal frame.

"It's been awhile since this team put seven goals on the board," Donaldson said. "What I like today was that we shared the puck well. And if everybody buys into that then good things will happen."

The Panthers' power play unit was especially key, as they finished 5-for-9 on the afternoon. With the five goals, the Panthers now rank first with eight power play markers and second in percentage at 33.3 per cent.

"The power play was working really well today and it was the difference in the game," Donaldson added.

The Panthers look to extend their win streak to three games when they travel to Fredericton to take on the St. Thomas Tommies on Oct. 29 at 2 p.m.