Reds Down Mounties

(FREDERICTON, NB) The UNB Reds scored a pair of third period goals as they beat the Mount Allison Mounties 3-1 on Sunday afternoon, at UNB's Aitken Centre.

Tamina Kehler's (Chilliwack, BC) goal at 10:23 of the third was the game winner for UNB.

"It was a big momentum swing for us," said Kehler, named the Subway Player of the Game. "We were giving her, shot after shot, all game. It was important that we buried one."

While there was no scoring, the Reds dominated play in the first period.

UNB outshot the Mounties 12-4, and Bianca Zak (Stonewall, MB) was forced to make a handful of difficult saves.

The first real scoring chance for either side came in the first minute of the second period.

Ashley Stratton (Mount Pearl, NL) broke down the wing and past a Mounties defender. Her shot was stopped by Zak, and three different Reds failed to get a stick on the rebound that bounced around in front of the Mount Allison net.

The Reds continued to hound the Mounties, but Zak held her ground, even stopping Sage McElroy-Scott (Morden, MB) on a breakaway about 8:00 in.

With about 7:00 left in the period, Lindsey Smith (Onslow, NS) rang a point shot off a post.

The Reds finally opened the scoring with 5:20 left in the second, on a penalty shot.

The shot was awarded after a coming together in front of the Mounties net that saw the puck go into the net. The goal light went on, but the referee waved the goal off immediately and pointed to centre ice.

Myah Bowal (Terrace, BC) skated in and roofed a back-hand over Zak on the penalty, to give the Reds the lead.

The Mounties tied the game as the second period expired.

Lauren Shaw (Sackville, NB) scored as Mount Allison worked a 5:00 power-play.

The Reds did enough to limit Mount A opportunities during the remainder of that power-play, and a penalty call against the Mounties late in the five minutes brought the advantage to an end.

Kehler's goal restored UNB's lead, and less than two minutes later, Frederike Cyr (Candiac, QC) added to it. She broke down the right wing and moved in front, stuffing the puck under Zak to make it 3-1 UNB.

"It was nice to see goals off a face-off play and off of just pure resilience when you're getting hooked and held and grabbed, just throwing that puck on net," said Reds head coach Sarah Hilworth. "It's good to see that we're starting to score goals that way. We just have to do it consistently against every team in this league."

Disappointed with the loss, Shaw saw some positives for the Mounties.

"We put a big effort in and sometimes they don't go your way, but it's stuff to build on, stuff to learn on," she said. "You've got to learn from your mistakes and keep pushing forward. We're not far off."

Zak earned third star honours for stopping 36 of 39 shots put on the Mounties net.

Hilary Cashin (Fredericton, NB) earned the win in the Reds net. She made 15 saves on 16 shots.

The Reds are now 10-and-6 and will prepare for a Wednesday night visit to cross-town rival St. Thomas. That game starts at 7:00pm.

"This win is another stepping stone," said Kehler. "This game was important. Our Wednesday game is super important."

The Mounties, now 2-13-1, host the Saint Mary's Huskies on Thursday.

UNB wraps up the first half of the season next Sunday, with a visit to Mount Allison.

RECAP BY: Andy Campbell/UNB Athletics

PHOTOS BY: James West/for UNB Athletics