St. Peter and MacNeil net pair as Panthers overmatch Mounties 6-1

By Thomas Becker

The UPEI Panthers unleashed their firepower in a dominant 6-1 win over the Mount Allison Mounties Tuesday night, driven by two-goal outings from Kierra St. Peter and Orianna MacNeil. 

Anjali Simms and Carly Thompson joined the scoring frenzy, each netting a goal to cap off an all-around team effort. St. Peter and Thompson were also credited with an assist in the win. 

The Panthers (6-6-3), who endured tough losses against St. FX and Dalhousie last week, were finally rewarded for their effort with an offensive explosion that overwhelmed their opponent. 

"Coming off two hard-fought games last weekend without a win was definitely a motivator for us," St. Peter said. "As a team, we knew how important this game was in the standings and knew we needed to execute. Ori's first goal gave us the momentum we needed to spark our offence."

The scoring started midway through the first period when MacNeil went coast-to-coast, slicing through defenders with ease. She capped off her dazzling solo effort at 9:08, sneaking a wrist shot past Mounties (1-14) goaltender Skye McDonald on the short side to give UPEI a 1-0 lead.

Building on the momentum, the Panthers struck again at 15:39 with a shorthanded marker. On a two-on-one break, Thompson delivered a perfect feed to St. Peter, who crashed the net and slipped a backhander past McDonald for a 2-0 advantage. 

The second period opened with more brilliance from UPEI. At 5:40, Simms delivered on the power play, as the sophomore defender maneuvered the puck along the boards before cutting to the net and shovelling a backhand by McDonald to make it 3-0. 

The Mounties responded with a power play goal of their own just over a minute later, as Chelsea Krahenbil took a short pass at the top of the right circle and sharply turned before firing a wrist shot past goaltender Sarah Forsythe, cutting the deficit to 3-1.

However, the Panthers didn't let up. St. Peter notched her second of the game at 10:14, taking advantage of a rebound from Jazbey Hrynyk's tipped shot that hit the post. With the puck landing at her stick, St. Peter easily tapped it in. Moments later, at 11:50, Thompson extended the lead by finding the puck amid a scramble in front of the net and slotting it home. 

MacNeil capped off the scoring surge just over a minute later with a brilliant individual effort. Scooping up the loose puck, she skated along the boards, cut sharply toward the net, and unleashed a tough-angle shot that beat McDonald, bringing her night to an end as she was replaced by Hannah Pagdato for the remainder of the game. 

The Panthers tightened up defensively in the third period, limiting Mount Allison to just six shots and securing the convincing win. Forsythe provided a strong presence between the pipes as she turned aside 21 shots in the win. 

"The last 10 games have been quite good for us. We've been much stronger defensively, more committed to team defense, playing faster, grittier, and tougher hockey, with outstanding goaltending backing us up," said Panthers head coach Sean Fisher. "Tonight, it was great to see all that hard work pay off with some pucks finding the back of the net."

The Panthers close out the first semester Saturday night in Fredericton when they take on the St. Thomas Tommies, while the Mounties host the UNB Reds.

Photo Credit: Janessa Vanden Broek