Box Score WHKY: MRU (2) at ALB (1)

EDMONTON – Sydney Benko broke the deadlock with just over five minutes left in the third period, as her game-winner gave the visiting Mount Royal Cougars a 2-1 victory over the Alberta Pandas in Game 3 of their Canada West Semifinal series.
 
The win punches the Cougars ticket to both to the Canada West Final, and the 2023 U SPORTS Championship in Montreal. It will be the Cougars second trip to both, and their first since 2020.
 
"It was a tight weekend, there wasn't much space on either side. I thought we saved our best effort of the weekend for the last game," said Cougars head coach Scott Rivett.
 
"It's nice to see our team display some resiliency. Even after giving up a goal, we didn't sit back, we wanted to play attack mode today."
 
Mount Royal outshot Alberta 24-11 in Game 3 on Sunday, including 17-6 over the final two periods. Laura Cook scored the other Cougars goal, to go along with Benko's late powerplay tally. Kaitlyn Ross stopped 10 shots, picking up her fourth win of this post-season.
 
Cassidy Maplethorpe scored the lone Pandas goal early in the first period, which was arguably the only legitimate Pandas scoring chance all game.
 
"I think their experience showed this weekend. They executed their game plan better than we did. They passed well, got the puck in deep when they needed to," said Pandas head coach Howie Draper. "We had trouble gaining and maintaining possession today. We are a better team than we showed this afternoon, but there is also some inexperience that held us back a little bit."
 
Maplethorpe scored her first goal of the weekend just 3:17 into the first, beating a scrambling Ross with a backhand into the top half of the net. Both teams played a competitive and close first period, with MRU holding a slight 7-5 shot lead.
 
The next 40 minutes were all but level, as the visitors dictated the play. MRU outshot Alberta 11-2 in the second frame, in a lopsided period. Cook was finally able to capitalize on the Cougars dominance, as her shot from the point beat a screened Oswald.
 
The Cougars strong play carried over into the third, as they continued to control possession. Benko gave MRU the late lead as Alexandria Spence's shot bounced off her shin pad and past Oswald into the Alberta net.
 
MRU will wait their opponent in the Canada West Final, playing either Saskatchewan or UBC.
 
"We are going to try and get some rest this week, we have played six games in nine days. And none of those games have been easy, this is a tough conference," concluded Rivett. "So we will try and build some energy heading into the final."

Player of the game: Sydney Benko