Box Score
CALGARY – The Mount Royal University Cougars capped off a solid weekend with a 3-1 victory over the MacEwan University Griffins to open the Canada West women's hockey season.

Mount Royal was coming off an identical 3-1 win over the Griffins on Friday night in Edmonton and kept the positive momentum rolling into Saturday's home opener.

After Kate Holan got the start between the pipes in the away game, Scout Anderson assumed the crease on Saturday. Anderson stayed solid in net for Mount Royal, although MacEwan struggled to direct offence towards her. 

The Griffins managed just a single shot on goal in the first period and finished the game with just 13. They registered only 28 shots in the opening two games to MRU's 63.

Mount Royal's defensive dominance was in large part due to reigning Canada West Rookie of the Year Isa MacPhee's steady play on the backend. Along with her controlling presence on the blueline, MacPhee registered two assists and was named first star on Saturday.

The Cougars opened the scoring late in the first with a powerplay marker. Jenn Shaw shovelled the puck towards the net and Jerzey Watteyne collected it and slid it past the leg of Griffins netminder Taya Currie.

Shaw, a fourth-year winger, was playing her first home game as a Cougar as she was forced to sit out last season after transferring from York University. The Calgary local picked up her first career Canada West point on the opening goal and felt energized to be back playing hockey.

"It was so exciting. All this anticipation after not playing for two years now leads to just getting my feet under me and using that energy to keep buzzing with the lines," said Shaw.

Second-year sensation Keyana Bert extended the Cougars' lead midway through the second period. Summer Fomradas' point shot was blocked but the puck spurted out to a wide open Bert who one-touched a shot into the open cage.

Less than two minutes later, Allee Gerrard got her first of the campaign to make it 3-0 after tapping in a rebound in the blue paint. Gerrard set a career high in goals last year with 11, and has eyes on besting that total in her final season as a Cougar.

The Griffins felt a jolt of life late in the third when they broke the shutout bid to cut the deficit to two. Second-year defender Marley Howes scored her first career goal, looking like a well-seasoned goal scorer while doing it. Howes walked in from the blueline and sniped a shot into the top right corner, shocking the Mount Royal defence.

It was too little, too late for the Griffins and despite pulling their goalie for an extra attacker, MRU held on for the victory to secure the weekend sweep.

Mount Royal will now enter an unusually-timed bye week and be back hit the ice on October 23 when they visit the University of Calgary Dinos for another divisional clash.

MacEwan will face their city rivals next weekend for a home-and-home series against the University of Alberta Pandas.