Tommies defeat Huskies 2-1 in game one of AUS quarterfinal
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Saint Mary's (0-1) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
|
St. Thomas (2-0) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
FREDERICTON, NB - St. Thomas forward Aimee O'Neill scored a pair of goals as the Tommies defeated the Saint Mary's Huskies 2-1 in game one of the Atlantic University Sport women's hockey quarterfinal on Thursday night at the Grant Harvey Centre.
SMU came out strong in the first period, outshooting STU 13-5. Despite the pressure, Tommies goaltender Katie Sweeney was a wall in net, turning aside all 13 shots she faced. Kara Maclean and Ava Shearer led the Huskies attack with three shots each, but STU held firm defensively.
The second period saw both teams break through on the scoreboard. SMU struck first at 10:43, with captain Ashley Penney finding the back of the net off a setup from Keyara Nelson and Abigail Mackenzie.
HUSKIES HIGHLIGHTS ��
— Saint Mary's Huskies (@SMUHuskies) February 21, 2025
Ashley Penney opens the scoring as she takes the drop off pass from Keyara Nelson and wires a shot to give the Huskies a 1-0 lead.
��A. Penney (1)
��K. Nelson
��A. MacKenzie pic.twitter.com/tTLuF64uGj
The Tommies answered late in the period; with one minute left, Aimee O'Neill buried an unassisted goal to tie it 1-1. Heading into the third, SMU held a slight edge in shots, 19-16.
STU sealed the win in the final frame at min 12:00; O'Neill's second goal of the night, lifted the Tommies to a 2-1 victory in the first game of AUS quarterfinals. O'Neill from STU and Penney from SMU were awarded the three stars.
The Huskies outshot the Tommies 34-26 on the night, with Katie Sweeney stopping 33 shots for the win, while Ridleigh Hansen made 24 saves in defeat.
The Tommies take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three quarterfinal, which now shifts back to Halifax, where the Huskies will host the Tommies for game two on Saturday night at the Dauphinee Centre with puck-drop scheduled for 7 p.m. GET TICKETS
