Box Score
Lethbridge – Mount Royal’s effective first line combination did all of the damage on route to a 2-0 win, Saturday night, against the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns.
Emily Harrison, Chrissy Hodgson and Tanika Dawson each earned two points on the night for the Cougars, with Harrison and Hodgson registering a goal and an assist, while Dawson assisted on both Cougars markers.
Crystal Patterson got the start for Lethbridge, while Kendall Kilgour started for the Cougars, turning aside all 27 shots to earn the shut-out.
After being edged out in a tough shootout last night in Calgary, the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns looked to bounce back and split the weekend home-and-home series with the Mount Royal Cougars, but their efforts were thwarted by the stellar goaltending of Kilgour.
These two teams looked statistically very similar coming into this weekend. Through five weeks of conference action, these teams had posted identical records and nearly the same goals per game average (just over two) and only one goal separated them in total goals scored.
Both teams seemed to struggle getting into offensive formation in the first period. A hard slap shot from ‘Horns Jocelyn Sabourin came close, as did Cougars’ Kat MacDonald’s effort, from Sarah Weninger, but neither team would manage to put a marker on the score sheet through the opening twenty minutes.
Outshooting the home team 10-9 in the first, Mount Royal came out strong in the second and earned their first goal of the night at 3:36. Winning the draw to the left of Patterson, Harrison took a quick outlet pass from Hodgson and managed to quickly unload a wrister that would beat the ‘Horns keeper high blocker side.
Moments later, the Cougars would capitalize on a power play opportunity that would boost their lead to two. Working to secure a loose puck in front of the net amid a bunch of bodies, Hodgson chipped the puck past an unsuspecting Patterson for her team leading seventh goal of the season.
The ‘Horns tried desperately to mount a comeback in the third, but were unable to generate a continuous attack. Late efforts by Chelsea Minor and Krystal Reithmayer both would ring off the post but that’s as close as they would come.
With this loss, the ‘Horns fall to 4-5-3, while the Cougars improve to 6-4-2. The ‘Horns will remain at home next weekend and take on the University of Saskatchewan Huskies while the Cougars will face off against their cross town rival University of Calgary Dinos in a two game home-and-home series beginning on Thursday at Father David Bauer Arena.
