Panthers advance to semifinals after dominant Game 3 performance

By Thomas Becker

The UPEI Panthers will compete in the second round of the AUS playoffs for just the second time in program history. 

In Sunday afternoon's must-win Game 3, the Panthers shut out the Dalhousie Tigers 3-0 to advance to the semifinals, where they'll battle the first-place UNB Reds in a best-of-five series. 

Sophomore forward Chiara Esposito had a hand in each goal, finishing with two goals and an assist. Kelly Clements also had a three-point night with a goal and two assists, while Ashley McCutcheon added a pair of helpers.

"Honestly, it feels incredible," Esposito said after the emotional win. "We have an amazing group of girls in there that worked so hard the past three games to get us here, and we deserve this."

Throughout the season and even the playoffs, these two teams played each other tough, as the six games leading up to this one were all decided by a single goal (four of the games went into overtime or a shootout). But on Sunday, UPEI looked like they wanted it more and controlled the game from start to finish. 

"As soon as the first puck dropped to the last second of the game, everyone needed to be in it and wanted to win it" Chiara said of the team's urgency coming into the game. "We treated it like it was out last game of the year." 

The Panthers were all over the Tigers in the first period, as most of the action took place in their offensive zone. As a result, they outshot their opponent 14-8.

They continued to pepper rookie goaltender Grace Beer with shots in the middle stanza and eventually found a weakness—targeting her with high shots. 

UPEI's first goal came on a power play at 1:55 when McCutcheon's shot hit a Tiger defender and slid towards Espositio, who flicked a soft shot off Beer's glove and in.

Clements added to the Panthers' lead at 12:58 when she took the puck from the right circle and fired a wrist shot that ricocheted off the goalie's shoulder and landed in the back of the net.

They would take that lead into the third period where they added an insurance goal to seal the win and series. On a power play at 2:02, Rachel Richards fed a pass to Esposito at the top of the slot where she slung a wrist shot in the top right corner for her second of the game. 

Despite surrendering three goals, Beer may have been the best Tiger on the ice, as she turned aside 27 shots. Sarah Forsythe, meanwhile, wasn't challenged nearly as much, as she stopped all 13 shots she faced en route to her second shutout of the series.

The Panthers will now face the Reds, who took three of four games against UPEI during the regular season. Game 1 is scheduled for Feb. 22 at 7 p.m. in Fredericton.

Photo Credit: Janessa Hogan