(HALIFAX, N.S.) - The Saint Mary's Huskies (10-2-0) blanked the StFX X-Women (11-1-0) Saturday night at the Alumni Arena by a score of 3-0.
Huskies goaltender Sienna Cooke recorded her first shutout of the season as she stopped 23 shots from the high-powered offence of StFX. Laura Polak netted two goals and Brianna Soper added another in the win.
It was the first regular season loss for StFX since Nov. 2, 2012 when they were beaten by Saint Mary's. It was a big win for the Huskies who gained on the X-Women for top spot in the AUS. The Huskies now sit only two points back from the conference lead as the first half of the season comes to a close.
Cooke got all the offensive support she needed from a goal in the first period by Laura Polak. At the 09:46 mark, Polak gathered a loose puck from a scramble in front of goaltender Sojung Shin and scored on her backhand.
StFX was quick to counter and drew two consecutive Huskies penalties to earn 1:30 of 5-on-3 power play time. The X-Women peppered Cooke with shots during the power play but the Huskies netminder was up to the task, stopping four shots including one in close from AUS point leader Alexa Normore.
StFX continued to hem the Huskies in their own zone but with three minutes remaining in the period, Saint Mary's relieved the pressure with a fast breakout. As the X-Women headed for a change, Brianna Soper speeded down the left wing, delayed a shot until traffic amassed in front of Shin, and then whipped a wrist shot into the top right corner.
The second period elapsed without any scoring but there were several chances from each team. While Huskies captain Rebecca Mosher was in the penalty box, Cooke battled through a screen by Daley Oddy to make a big save on a strong point shot from Nicole Corcoran.
Five minutes later, Saint Mary's were killing off another penalty when Huskies forward Rebecca Johnson intercepted a pass in the neutral zone, earning herself a breakaway. Johnson put a hard shot on net but the puck was swallowed up by Shin.
In the third period, the Huskies shut down the offence of the X-Women, allowing only three shots to get through to Cooke.
They added an insurance goal seven minutes into the period when Laura Polak scored again on a power play. While Paige Belair was serving a four-minute penalty, Polak set up in the slot and fired home a Caitlyn Manning pass.
The Huskies' next game won't be until Jan. 4, 2014 when they will travel to Moncton to play les Aigles Bleues. The team will return home to play the Dalhousie Tigers at the Alumni Arena on Jan. 9 at 7 p.m.
StFX will visit the UPEI Panthers in their first game following the holiday break, Jan. 4 at 2 p.m. They will visit the Moncton Aigles Bleues the following day at 2 p.m.
Source: Brian Mosher for Saint Mary's Sports Information