Box Score
CALGARY – "It's easy to get frustrated when you're looking at the scoreboard and you're questioning what you can do. But we have to stick to our habits. Eventually the puck will find the back of the net," said Cougars defenceman Alex Spence.

The MRU Cougars women's hockey team survived in overtime to beat the University of Saskatchewan Huskies 2-1 on Friday night at Flames Community Arenas.

The visiting Huskies started the game with a few shots on the league's current top goaltender Kaitlyn Ross but the veteran Cougar turned aside the few chances. Going into Friday's tilt, Ross sported a conference-best 1.00 goals against average and ranked second in save percentage with .960% through four starts.

After the decent start from Saskatchewan, it was all Mount Royal. The Cougars applied sustained pressure for most of the first period but ultimately could not get one past Huskies netminder Colby Wilson. Although Wilson has struggled to start the 2024-25 season and is still looking for her first win of the campaign, the goaltender was the best player on the ice for the first 20 minutes.

Summer Fomradas had the MRU's best chance in the opening frame. The blueliner nearly got her first goal of the season when she drifted in from the point and was fed a pass in the slot but was denied by Wilson to keep the game scoreless.

Mount Royal was awarded a powerplay early in the second after Brooklyn Stevely was given a double-minor for head contact. Despite a wild scramble in front partway through the advantage and an MRU goal being inevitable, the Huskies kept the puck out to kill off the penalty.

Despite the Cougars doubling Saskatchewan in shots, the two teams remained deadlocked at zero heading into the third period.

Six minutes into the period, the underdogs broke the ice. An inopportune line change from MRU allowed Saskatchewan rookie Kaysah Nurani to retrieve the puck in the corner before sliding a pass to a wide-open Kahlen Wisener. Weisener ripped a shot past Ross to give the Huskies a 1-0 advantage. 

Saskatchewan's lead only lasted a few minutes. While on the powerplay, Kiana McNinch wired a one-timer that was stopped by Colby Wilson but second-year forward Jerzey Watteyne pounced on the rebound, putting it past the Huskies netminder to even the score at one.

60 minutes of regulation play would solve nothing and five minutes of sudden death three-on-three play was needed.

With under a minute left in overtime, Athena Hauck fed an excellent pass to Aliya Jomha who was quickly cutting to the net. Jomha corralled the puck and deked Wilson before flicking the puck past the blocker of the Huskies' goalie to win the game for the Cougars.

"It was a good win for us," said Alex Spence. "Obviously, [Colby Wilson] stood on her head and made it difficult for us but I thought we were all over them for all three periods."

The 0-4-3 Huskies and 6-1-0 Cougars will rematch tomorrow at FCA. Puck drop is set for 5 p.m.

Tickets can be purchased online and all Cougars action can be streamed live on Canada West TV.