SACKVILLE, N.B. – The Mount Allison Womens' Hockey Mounties opened the 2013 portion of their season yesterday with a 3-0 loss at home to the UPEI Panthers in a rematch of last year's Atlantic University Sport championship game.
The Mounties only managed six shots on goal in the opening two periods, but kept it competitive in the third period, finishing with a shot total of 19 shots. Marie-Soleil Deschenes picked up the shutout in goal for UPEI.
Christina Kelly scored twice for UPEI while Anja Weisser picked up a pair of assists. Ferran Brown opened the scoring on the powerplay in the first period, while Kelly's second goal came with the man advantage with only three seconds left in the second period.
The Panthers got 28 shots on Mountie netminder Meghan Corley-Byrne, who made 25 saves in the loss. Mounties captain Lauren Oickle returned to action for the first time since suffering a shoulder injury early in October, and hopes to bolster a Mountie offence that has only scored 20 goals through the first 15 games of the season.
With nine games remaining on the schedule, the Mounties (4-7-4, 12 pts) sit seven points behind UPEI (9-6-1, 19 pts) for fifth spot in the AUS Standings. The Mounties return to action today when they travel to Fredericton to take on the Saint Thomas Tommies, while the Panthers face the Universite de Moncton Aigles Bleues in Moncton.
The next home game for Mount Allison is Jan. 26 at 2 p.m. against Moncton at the Tantramar Veterans Memorial Civic Centre.
