SMU top UNB 5-2 in women's hockey

            Huskies beat Reds

(Halifax, NS) In their second game of a back to back home stand, the Saint Mary's Huskies took on the UNB Reds Sunday afternoon in AUS women's hockey action at the Halifax Forum. The Huskies dominated most of this match, coming away with a 5-2 win.

UNB opened the scoring five minutes in with their first shot of the game. In the high slot, Myah Bowal (Terrace, BC) wired a shot past goalie Rebecca Clark (Keswick, ON) and bar down off of a pass from the corner from Ashley Stratton (Mount Pearl, NL).

The rest of the period, however, was all Huskies as they out-skated the Reds and scored four unanswered goals in quick succession.

On the power play halfway through the period, Caleigh Meraw's (Red Deer, AB) low shot from the point went straight in, with the help of traffic in front of the net. Sydney England (Chamcook, NB) assisted.

Next, Brooke Murphy (Balla Philip, NB) stuffed a bouncing rebound past goalie Kendra Woodland (Kamloops, BC). Siobhan Birch (Mississauga, ON) had the assist.

Murphy got her second goal of the game a couple minutes later with a shorthanded breakaway that left Woodland sprawling.

The Huskies' fourth goal was scored by Shae Demale (Red Deer, AB). A UNB defender got her glove on a high flipping puck before it got to the net, but it came down right on the sick of Demale in the slot. Mary McDonald (Calgary, AB) and Miranda Hatt (Eastern Passage, NS) had the assists as the score went to 4-1 for the Huskies.

The Reds took a time out after that, and there were no more goals for the rest of the period. Shots in the first 20 minutes were 17-3 in Saint Mary's favour.

The second period was more even, with the Reds able to get some pressure on Saint Mary's, especially on the power play. Shot went 13-8 for the Huskies.

There was a great scoring chance for UNB in the second half of the period. Working on the forecheck, Sydney DesRochers (Woodstock, NB) stripped the puck off a Saint Mary's defender. She got a sharp angle shot off and it popped out front to Bowal, who nearly put it past the pad of Clark, but the goalie managed to snag it with her toe.

With no goals scored, it was 4-1 still heading into the third period.

An early UNB power play cut the lead to two, as Jennifer Bell (Miramichi, NB) sniped a low wrist shot from the top of the circle. The goal came at 1:37 in the third period and was assisted by Julia Spitzig (Kitchener, ON) and Jenna Maclean (Wilcox, SK).

The Reds had some momentum after that, but it was the Huskies who would score again with about five minutes left in the game. Katie Peddle (Labrador City, NL) tipped in a shot from the point from Kiana Wilkinson (Prince George, BC) to make it 5-2 for Saint Mary's. Taylor Gravelle (Lumsden, SK) also had an assist on the play.

That would do it for this game, as the Huskies kept the Reds penned in their end for most of the remaining time.

The Subway Player of the Game for the Huskies, with two goal in their win, was Brooke Murphy.

Next up, the Huskies travel to play UPEI on January 25, while UNB plays faces the Huskies again on January 26 in Fredericton.

Sarah Moore

Photo Nick Pearce