St. Thomas outlasts Panthers in 4-3 win

By Thomas Becker

Goaltender Caroline Pietroski (Etobicoke, ON) came up big for the St. Thomas Tommies, as they squeaked by the UPEI Panthers 4-3 Saturday afternoon.

Considering the Tommies (2-0-) were outshot 38-20, Pietroski's performance between the pipes was pivotal in the win. 

Seven minutes into the game, Pietroski made a couple key saves before her teammates got up the ice quickly setting up a two-on-one opportunity. On the play, Martina Barclay (Winnipeg, MB) kept the puck herself and fired a shot in the top right corner for the game's opening goal.

The Tommies would add to their lead at 14:48. With traffic in front of the net, Amy Dvernichuk (Regina, SK) poked the puck past netminder Sarah Forsythe (Riverview, NB) for the power play goal and a 2-0 advantage. 

Pietroski said those two first-period goals were critical to the team's success.

"We've talked about coming into games strong because it sets the tone, and I think everyone on this team is doing everything they can to make sure that happens." 

With time winding down in the period, the Panthers (1-1-0) finally got to Pietroski. With 23 seconds to spare, Ashley McCutcheon (Kitchener, ON) skated around the net and found McKinley Nelson (Calgary, AB) in the right circle, where she wired a shot past the netminder for the power play marker.

St. Thomas would restore their two-goal advantage 5:36 into the second period thanks to some strong forechecking. The Tommies forced a turnover in the offensive zone, where Ekaterina Pelowich (Stouffville, ON) gathered the puck and made a great move on a defender before sniping a shot in the top corner to extend their lead 3-1. 

The Panthers got the goal back at 16:09 when Taylor Gillis (Summerside, PE) jabbed at the puck in front of the net and put it in. However, the Tommies responded with a goal of their own as Emma Wilson (Midhurst, ON) found Trinity Webber (Brampton, ON) in the slot, where she slung a shot in the bottom right corner to give her team a 4-2 lead heading into the third period. 

UPEI rookie Emily Holmes (Miramichi, NB) notched her first AUS goal midway through the period when the defender skated in from the neutral zone and got a shot off before putting away her own rebound. That made it 4-3, but that's as close as they got, as the Tommies held on for the win. 

"We've set the tone these first two games," Pietroski said. "The team is really starting to gel and things are looking good so far."

The Panthers don't have much time to rest, as they host the Université de Moncton Aigles Bleues Wednesday night, while St. Thomas welcomes the St. FX X-Women for a Friday night tilt.

Photo Credit: Janessa Hogan