Hockey Tigers earn 2-1 over Mounties

By Ilyas Kurbanov

(Halifax, NS) – In the fourth game between the Dalhousie Tigers and the Mount Allison Mounties, the Tigers were hosts at the Halifax Forum. The Tigers came out on top with a score of 2-1 in regulation in the AUS regular season game. 

Both teams came out aggressive, but got called for early penalties. Abby Beale (Sackville, NB) got called for a penalty for pushing the goalie in the back while in the crease. The Mounties were able to kill the power play and moments after, Tigers Natalie Stanwood (West Vancouver, BC) was sent to the penalty box for cross checking. 

With the Tigers power play, Annika Rose (North Vancouver, BC) took a shot from the blue line that bounced off of Bianca Zak's (Stonewell, MB) pads and Isabella Weist (Torbay, NL) was able to put the puck in off the rebound to give the Tigers the lead in the first off the power play.  

With 23 seconds left on the power play, Autumn Moors (Ottawa, ON) was called for tripping and the Mounties got a two-player advantage after Ariana Pinchuk (Sherwood Park, AB) was called for body checking, but the Tigers managed to hold on and kill the power play once again. 

Stanwood and Nicole Negyi (Pickering, ON), got the puck to Bobbi Strople (Halifax, NS) after a great defensive shift for the breakaway down the middle of the ice and one-on-one with the goalie, Strople went forehand to backhand to put it inside the net and give the Tigers 2-0 lead. 

With a strong first period, the Tigers were able to kill all four power plays and keep the lead  heading into the second period of the matchup. Mounties shot the puck eight times and Fabiana Petricca (Woodbridge, ON) came up with the saves. 

The first few minutes of the second period were quiet with only one shot on net between two teams however, at the half-mark of the second period, the Mounties started to press the Tigers in their zone. 

With a two-goal disadvantage, the Mounties got two breakaways and they were able to capitalize on one of two. After a miscommunication error between Petricca and the defence, Maddy Koughan (Mermaid, PE) won the race to the puck and managed to slide it in the empty net and make it 2-1. 

The Tigers led 2-1 going into the third. They will be at one played disadvantage for 1:13 to start as Brooklyn Paisley was sent to the box for cross checking in the last minute of the second. 

Coming into the third, the Tigers killed the power play once again. 

With one goal deficit, the Mounties continued to press the Tigers in their zone and got rewarded with an interference penalty called on Hegyi and got the Tigers penalty kill unit out once again. 

While the first period was filled with the penalties, while in the second there were a pair for both teams and in the third two for the Tigers. The Mounties were 0-7 on the power plays throughout the game. 

With the last minute of play, the Mounties pull Zak out of the net to have one last opportunity to even the score and force the game to overtime, but were unable to find the back of the net. 

Strople was named the Subway Player of the Game.

The Mounties are off to StFX tomorrow afternoon matchup against the X-Women and the Tigers will play host to UPEI Panthers tomorrow evening at the Halifax Forum.