Mounties pick up 3-2 road win at STU

--- Sean Crocker --- 

(Fredericton, NB) The St. Thomas University Tommies fell in a 3-2 nail biter against their provincial rivals, the Mount Allison University Mounties, in AUS women's hockey action Sunday afternoon at the Grant Harvey Centre. 

The Tommies got outshot in the early going but found the twine first when Becky Conner (East Paul, MB) walked into the slot and ripped the puck over the shoulder of Lindsay Wray, 1-0 Tommies. 

The Tommies were outshot 11-3 at the start of the second frame and Tommies head coach, Peter Murphy, recognized an improvement throughout the period. 

The Mounties knotted the game up 1-1 at the start of the second period when Jessica Desautels picked the top corner on Abby Clarke (Springdale, NL) to give the Mounties new life.  

The Mounties kept on coming when Desautels netted her second of the game off a slick pass from Emma Schurman, giving the Mounties their first lead of the game at 2-1. 

The Tommies responded with a strong shift in the Mount Allison zone, which resulted in a goal by a goal from Tommies forward Danielle Ring (Saint John, NB) to tie the game back up just 47 seconds after the Mounties took the lead. 

Tommies head coach Peter Murphy was pleased with the resilience his team had on the day. 

"We bounced back when we had to," said Murphy. "We didn't seem to just keep the momentum and stay with it." 

Tommies goaltender, Abby Clarke, held her team in the game, posting 22 saves through the first two periods and 26 by the end of the game.  

"She gave us enough to be right in there until the very end," Murphy said. "She played really well for us, and we just didn't have enough to win today." 

The Tommies surrendered the game winning goal with 1:59 remaining in the third period when Maddy Koughan buried the rebound from a Heather Richards shot, giving the Mounties a 3-2 lead.  

The Tommies have a tough weekend ahead when they visit the Dalhousie Tigers, followed by a visit to the reigning conference champions, the St. Francis Xavier X-Women in Antigonish. 

"We have to practice and have a bit more consistency," said Murphy. "We know what we have to do, so we'll have to work hard and see what happens." 

The Tommies are back in action Friday night when they visit the Tigers in Halifax at 7:00pm at the Halifax Forum, while the Mounties won't have to travel far, as they face UdeM Friday night at 7:00pm in Moncton.