VANCOUVER – The Saskatchewan Huskies shutout the host UBC Thunderbirds by a score of 3-0 at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre on Friday night in Canada West women's hockey action.
“I kind of feel it was a mediocre sort of performance,” said UBC head coach Jen Rawson. “I would think the players would agree. It wasn't their worst performance but it definitely wasn't their best.”
Sara Greschner, Breanne George and Danielle Stone scored the Huskies goals.
Greschner's game winner came on a strange play at 12:23 of the first period. She managed to backhand a shot off UBC goaltender
Samantha Langford's foot and into the net.
“Just one little error,” said Rawson referring to the goal on Langford. “But then I thought she played really well the rest of the game.”
Greschner's second goal of the year was a reward for the dominant play shown by Saskatchewan, which recorded the first nine shots of the game.
Then less than four minutes later, George added an insurance marker on the power play. It was her seventh of the season.
Stone scored her fifth goal of the year to make it 3-0, midway through the final period.
She knocked home a loose puck in front of Langford, who made two big saves on the play before surrendering the goal.
Langford made 26 saves in goal for UBC.
Despite being outplayed, UBC had several good chances to score, with the best coming from
Kaitlin Imai breakaway with a minunte left in the second period.
But as she deked to her backhand, Imai's shot was turned away by Saskatchewan goalie Mackenzie Rizos, who earned her first shutout of the season by making 15 saves.
Rizos also did well to stop a
Kaylee Chanakos slapshot from the slot, two and a half minutes into the third.
With the loss, UBC drops to 1-8-2. Saskatchewan improves to 7-4.
“We were a little too stationary and didn't bring the puck to the net enough tonight,” said Rawson.
The same two teams will face off again on Saturday night at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre in Vancouver.
