EDMONTON - Holding on for the 3-2 win against the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds, the 10-0-0 University of Alberta Pandas became the first women's hockey team in Canada West to hit double digits in the win column this season.
The loss dropped UBC's record to 1-6-1, but the T-Birds were challenging Alberta's defensive game for the entire evening by finding holes and getting quality chances.
"Our team responded very well with a better effort tonight and we achieved a lot of the goals we set for ourselves coming into the game. We limited our penalties, and actually had a bunch more chances on the power play but we couldn't pull the trigger with the man advantage," said UBC head coach Nancy Wilson. "We have to take this good effort into our upcoming homes games."
The Pandas struck on a quality chance first, however, when 2008-09 Canada West Rookie of the Year and first star of the game, Stephanie Ramsay, snuck in from the point to receive a goalmouth feed from sophomore forward Sarah Hilworth at the 7:16 mark of the first.
Hilworth, the game's third star, would add a goal of her own to double the lead when the Vancouver native curled to the middle of the ice off a faceoff and picked the middle of the net stickside.
Unlike the previous night, when a 2-0 Alberta lead ballooned to six in the middle frame, the T-Birds got the next goal and early.
Having five assists through her first six games, rearguard
Tamara Pickford got a lucky bounce 30 seconds into the second period when she took a shot from the Alberta goal line and had the puck carom off of netminder Dana Vinge and into the net for her first goal of the season.
The one-goal deficit lasted only 37 seconds, though, when junior forward Alana Cabana's shot trickled into the UBC net for the Edmonton native's third goal on the weekend.
The rest of the period seemed to tilt back towards the Alberta end since the T-Birds relentlessly pressured the Pandas, resulting in a wide-open Pickford alone in front of the net but fanning on the shot at the empty cage to make it go wide.
Rayna Cruickshank would also ding the crossbar with a wristshot from the point before Pickford solved Vinge again with a redirect going through the five-hole and bring the game back to a one-goal difference.
Despite out shooting the Pandas 9-5 in the final frame, the tying goal eluded the T-Birds and stretched their winless streak to six games.
"I thought our forecheck tonight was outstanding," added Wilson. "We played a really complete game for the most part and we are going to have to do that if we want to compete against Saskatchewan this weekend."
Alberta remains at home next weekend to host the 3-3-0 Lethbridge Pronghorns while the UBC Thunderbirds return to the confines of the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre to host the 6-1-1 Saskatchewan Huskies.
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