The St Thomas University Tommies walked away with a 5-2 victory in their home opener against the Dalhousie Tigers.  

The Tigers got on the board first when forward Danika Phillips (Barrie, Ont.) forced her way to the net on the powerplay where she found the twine, 1-0 Tigers.  

The Tommies looked shaky in the early going, but they managed to find their footing near the end of the first period.  

The Tommies responded less than five minutes later when an attack turned into a goal for Olivia Reid (Aurora, ON) to knot the game up 1-1.  

Tommies head coach Peter Murphy was not pleased with the start of his team but knows there are ways the play can be fixed.  

"We weren't very happy with the first period," said Murphy. "We haven't been as consistent as we wanted to be. It's all about starting on time."  

The tie was broken ten minutes later, when Autumn Moors (Ottawa, Ont.) found the back of the net on the powerplay, forcing the Tommies' top ranked penalty kill into submission.  

The Tommies redeemed their penalty killers when Alisha Gilbert (Chipman, NB) scored on a two-on-one rush, picking the top corner on Tigers goalie, Taylor Beam (Brooklin, Ont.), for the game-tying shorthanded goal.  

"Gilbert and Ford are our two top penalty killers," said Murphy. "Those two worked together last year as well and they have been dynamite together."  

The Tommies took control of the game after the tying goal, refusing to allow a shot against for 15 minutes of play.  

"On one of the goals, someone just didn't do something they were supposed to do," said Murphy of the first period. "It's about knowing when you had a rough game, and they know when they do."  

Alex Woods (Courtice, ON) broke the deadlock late in the frame on a rocket of a shot from the point, giving the Tommies their first lead of the game.  

"Woods is always strong, she's always really impressive," said Murphy. "We talked about people having to step up with Lauren Henman out of the lineup."  

The Tigers pressed for the equalizer, but could not get any offence going after the first period, mustering only seven shots after that stanza.  

The Tommies put the icing on the cake with two late goals courtesy of Leah Galati (Missasauga, ON) and Danielle Ring (Saint John, NB).   

"Today we were happy with the second and third," said Murphy about his team. "We identify that we need to start better."  

The Tigers will host STU on the 26th in Halifax while the Tommies are back in action Sunday afternoon when they take on the Mount Allison Mounties at 2:00pm at the Grant Harvey Centre.