(HALIFAX, N.S.) The StFX X-Women kept their 2018 Subway AUS Championship dreams alive with a 2-1 overtime win over the Saint Mary's Huskies on Sunday night at Alumni Arena.
The best of three series is now even at 1-1.
"We came in with our backs up against the wall and it's good to be able to get the win and go home (for game three)," said X-Women head coach Ben Berthiaume.
Sarah Bujold (Riverview, N.B.) scored the OT winner and Santana Gravelle (Lumsden, Sask.) tallied in regulation for the X-Women.
Carley Molnar (London, Ont.) made 33 saves in the win.
Hannah Askin (Waterloo, Ont.) scored for the Huskies.
Rebecca Clark (Keswick, Ont.) finished with 18 saves for SMU.
"There were two good teams going at it and sometimes your not going to get the results you want," said Huskies head coach Chris Larade.
"For 60-minutes we had a good shot advantage and we carried a lot of the play but in four-on-four for whatever reason we went into a let's play not to lose instead of just goin out to get it and it cost us."
It was a tight checking game in which scoring chances were tough to come by.
Askin opened the scoring 10:47 into the first. Laura Polak (Bedford, N.S.) sent the puck to Breanna Lanceleve (Middle Sackville, N.S.) in front she picked it up and tapped it to Askin who slid it home.
Gravelle tied things up just 20-seconds into the second. Just as a SMU penalty expired, Bujold played the puck back to Lindsey Donovan (Miramichi, N.B.) on the right-point. Donovan put it on a tee for Gravelle who one-timed it five-hole from just inside the left circle.
The third was back and forth but neither team could find a way to break through.
Bujold found the winner 5:47 into overtime. Donovan made a poke check at the X-Women blue-line, Kate Gotaas (Sherwood Park, Alta.) picked it up and went back the other way. She flew into the SMU zone and dropped it for Bujold who blasted a one-timer low blocker from the top of the left circle.
Up next, the decisive game three will be in Antigonish, N.S. on Tuesday, March 6 with a 7 p.m. puck drop.
Source: Cam Honey-Webb for Saint Mary's Sports Information