First years Beggs, Hansen power Huskies to 3-2 road win over Panthers
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Saint Mary's (6-4-0, 6-4-0) | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
|
UPEI (6-5-1, 6-5-1) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
A pair of first year players – forward Mackenzie Beggs and goaltender Ridleigh Hansen – had excellent games to power the Saint Mary's Huskies to a 3-2 win over the UPEI Panthers on Friday night at MacLauchlan Arena in Charlottetown, P.E.I.
The Panthers jumped out to an 1-0 lead two and a half minutes into the first period when sophomore forward Ruby Loughton buried the rebound on the power play. Standout rookie defender Orianna MacNeil started the play with her wicked shot from the point.
Just over 10 minutes into the first period, the Huskies responded when first year forward Mackenzie Beggs (Kemptville, ON) played a stretch pass to forward Jillian Duggan (Halfiax, NS), who tipped the puck past the UPEI defender giving her a partial breakaway and made no mistake, beating Sarah Forsythe glove side to tie the game at 1-1.
HUSKIES HIGHLIGHTS ��
— SMU Huskies (@SMUHuskies) November 12, 2022
Jillian Duggan makes no mistake on the breakaway to put @smuhuskieswh up 1-0.
��J. Duggan (2)
��A. McCarthy
��M. Beggs pic.twitter.com/Gazf1igoIU
The Huskies weren't done with first period scoring, as they had a powerplay opportunity. Beggs skated past a defender and fired a shot from a tough angle that fooled Forsythe for her first career AUS goal, giving the Huskies a 2-1 lead with just over two-and-a-half minutes remaining in the first period.
HUSKIES HIGHLIGHTS ��
— SMU Huskies (@SMUHuskies) November 12, 2022
First year Mackenzie Beggs scores on the powerplay for her first career @AUS_SUA goal, putting @smuhuskieswh up 2-1.
��M. Beggs (1) pic.twitter.com/h8VYAfGQjK
In the second the period, Huskies star forward Shae Demale (Red Deer, AB) would add to Saint Mary's lead, scoring her 11th goal of the season to extend the Huskies lead to 3-1 after 40 minutes of play.
HUSKIES HIGHLIGHTS ��
— SMU Huskies (@SMUHuskies) November 12, 2022
Shae Demale scores her 11th of the season to secure the @smuhuskieswh victory.
��S. Demale (11)
��K. MacLean pic.twitter.com/56bNEhlGls
In the third period the Panthers came to life, picking up their play with MacNeil taking charge. Her lethal shot was shown off once again, this time scoring on the power play to cut the lead to 3-2 with 15 minutes remaining.
Ultimately, UPEI was unable to find an equalizer as they fell 3-2 to the Huskies in their last home game of the semester.
Huskies forward Mackenzie Beggs was named Subway Player of the Game with a goal and an assist. After the game, Beggs said it was about pushing through on tough night.
"We knew the Panthers we're going to bring it the whole game, so we had to push back and fight through it.
First year goaltender Ridleigh Hansen (Red Deer, AB) was outstanding for the Huskies, stopping 27 of 29 shots faced for her second straight victory. Sarah Forsythe made 13 saves for the Panthers.
The Huskies win improves their record to 6-4-0 on the season. They'll return to Halifax to host the St. Thomas Tommies on Saturday, with puck drop scheduled for 7 p.m. GET TICKETS
The Panthers loss drops their record to 6-5-1. Their next game will take place Friday, Nov. 18 as they head to Fredericton to take on the St. Thomas Tommies.
Recap by Justin Arenburg / UPEI Panthers Athletics
Photos by Janessa Hogan / UPEI Panthers Athletics
