Box Score WHCKY: SSK (1) at MRU (0)

The University of Saskatchewan Huskies defeated the Mount Royal University Cougars 1-0 in game one of the semi-finals, Friday night at Flames Community Arena.
 
The Huskies came out hungry in the first period. Mallory Dyer released a slap shot from the point hitting a sea of MRU bodies in front of the crease. Kara Kondrat picked up the loose puck in the slot, ripping it past Zoe DeBeauville's blocker side to take a 1-0 lead three minutes into the game.
 
Saskatchewan continued to press throughout the first, having six more scoring opportunities.
 
The Cougars found their legs later in the period after shaking off some of the rust from last week's bye and were able to register 10 shots on goal.
 
"We came off that bye week, so we knew we'd maybe be a little bit slow out of the gate, especially with the pace that U of S likes to play at," said MRU Head Coach Scott Rivett.
 
Isabella Pozzi received a cross-checking penalty two minutes into the second period. This ignited MRU's offensive momentum as the majority of play was spent in the Huskies zone resulting in 11 shots on goal for the Cougars.
 
"MRU really took us into the second period here. A lot of things we have done well in the second half is finding ways to manage the puck. I didn't think we did that very well in the second period," said Saskatchewan Head Coach Steve Kook.
 
Aliya Jomha took a holding penalty 200 feet from her own net, causing a momentum swing. The Huskies were able to finally set up in the zone and test DeBeauville four times before the period ended.
 
Tori Williams's stick broke on the penalty kill and she was stuck out on the ice for the full two minutes. Stick or no stick, Williams got into lanes and blocked numerous shots to help keep it a one-goal game.
 
The Cougars continued to push in the third challenging Camryn Drever 13 more times, but they could not find a way to get the puck past her.
 
Sydney Benko had a breakaway opportunity but shot the puck high and wide with five minutes to go in the third.
 
In a last-minute effort, MRU pulled DeBeauville for the extra attacker to force the game into overtime but fell short as the Huskies got possession and pinned the puck in the Cougar zone.
 
Drever received her second shut-out of the postseason tonight, stopping 32 shots.
 
"I think we managed the puck very well, and I think I made some timely saves for the team," said Drever.
 
The two teams face off again tomorrow at 6:00pm, in game two of the semi-finals. Catch the action on Canada West TV presented by Co-op.
 
"We are very excited for tomorrow. It's a three-game series; nothing is over yet. We just have to have short-term memory and come out tomorrow like tonight never happened," said Williams.

Player of the Game: Tori Williams


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