Tommies Force Deciding Game

(FREDERICTON, NB) The UNB Reds and St. Thomas Tommies will play a deciding game in their best of three Subway Atlantic University Sport quarter final series, after the Tommies scored a 2-1 win, in double overtime, on Saturday night.

Brooke Stanford (Whitby, ON) scored the game-winning goal at 6:56 of the second overtime, on the Tommies 44^th shot on the UNB net.

"When players are moving with you, and across the grain, it's tough because they get in your way, and you just lose it for that split second, but someone had to win today. Unfortunately, it wasn't us," said Reds goalie Kendra Woodland (Kamloops, BC). "But, if someone would've told me at the start of the year, we'd have a chance to win one more game to go to the semi-final, I'd take it any day."

In an epic playoff contest, the home team struck first, just 2:04 in, on the first shot of the game.

Erin Arsenault (Oakville, ON) re-directed a shot in the slot that went over Woodland's shoulder.

But, the Tommies lead didn't last long.

At 7:20 of the first, and with the Reds on the power-play, Ashley Stratton (Mount Pearl, NL) broke down the right wing and fired a wrist shot that beat Caroline Pietroski (Etobicoke, ON) and tied the game.

St. Thomas had a flurry of chances as the period expired, but Woodland held them off.

The Reds had the best scoring chance of the second period, when Sage McElroy-Scott (Morden, MB) broke in alone. She deked to her right, but Pietroski followed.

After a scoreless second period, the teams played a scoreless third period.

And the first overtime period of ten minutes ended with the teams still tied.

The Tommies had chances to end it in the first overtime, including a partial breakaway for Alex Woods (Courtice, ON). Woodland managed to get a piece of her shot from in close and knock the puck into the corner.

Woodland then made a spectacular, stretching, glove save on a shot from Paige Jackson (Stoney Creek, ON).

The Reds had a rare power-play opportunity in the first overtime, but couldn't capitalize.

"You still check off firsts with this team in their second year, and it's a good thing and a bad thing, in a sense," said Reds head coach Sarah Hilworth. "There was some complacency in the overtime, and opportunities to strike and we just didn't take them. I think we have to learn from that, and we have to execute and we have to finish plays."

"Give them credit, they did what they needed to do to get a win tonight," Hilworth added.

The win ties the series at a win apiece.

"The biggest thing will be that we know they are going to up their effort going into that game," said Tommies head coach Peter Murphy. "They upped their game today from Thursday and they played much better than they did, and we knew we were going to have to match or exceed. We are two very evenly matched squads this year."

Game three goes Monday night, at UNB's Aitken Centre. Game time is 7:00pm.

RECAP AND PHOTOS BY: Andy Campbell/UNB Athletics