Woodland And REDS Shutout Tommies
(FREDERICTON, NB) Lauren Carter (Milton, ON) scored twice in the first 11 minutes of the game to lead the UNB REDS to a 4-0 win over the St. Thomas Tommies, at Fredericton's Grant-Harvey Centre, on Friday night.
Carter was named Subway Player of the Game.
Payton Hargreaves (Whitby, ON) and Ashley Stratton (Mount Pearl, NL) had the other UNB goals, while Frederike Cyr (Candiac, QC) and Lillian George (Nipissing First Nation) had two assists each.
Three of the REDS' four goals came on the powerplay.
"I thought we had a great bounce back game against a tough opponent," said REDS head coach Sarah Hilworth. "We faced some adversity on Wednesday and I felt tonight was a great response."
On Wednesday, the REDS had their 13-game winning streak snapped in a loss to UPEI.
UNB netminder Kendra Woodland (Kamloops, BC) posted her third shutout of the season with 16 saves. Caroline Pietroski (Etobicoke, ON) made 33 saves on 37 shots for the Tommies.
The REDS struck early, scoring on a powerplay less than five minutes in, with Carter getting the puck by a diving Pietroski.
Carter wasn't done. A short time later, Sydney Oitomen (Mississauga, ON) would feed her a cross-crease pass for her second of the period. The REDS struck again, on the powerplay, with Hargreaves whacking home a loose puck in the crease.
Pietroski shut the door in the second period, getting her pads on a rebound attempt by the REDS at the 12-minute mark. She'd deny the REDS of another powerplay goal minutes later, after a UNB defender kept the puck in on a Tommies' clearing attempt. The REDS worked their quick passing game, setting up a one-timer in the slot, but Pietroski slid across her crease to cover the puck.
It'd take a double-minor to outwork Pietroski, after a wraparound attempt was kicked lose to Stratton who scored easily.
"I was very proud of our group's energy and support for one another," said Coach Hilworth.
The final period consisted of back-and-forth play, as neither team was able to find the back of the net, as the Tommies finished their third consecutive game without a goal.
Tommies' head coach Peter Murphy said his team will be focusing on improving on both sides of the ice in the New Year.
"Defensively, we've got to do better to discontinue shot chances," he said. "We've got to do the same on the other end. They're covering more pucks on the other end."
The Reds will be back on the ice December 2nd, in Halifax, against the Dalhousie Tigers. They'll go into that game with their 14-1-0-1 record.
The Tommies will have the remainder of the year off, finishing the first semester with a 5-10-1-0 record.
RECAP BY: Billy Cole/STU Athletics
PHOTOS BY: SRM Photography for STU Athletics