Mounties upset Huskies on Bell's OT winner

(HALIFAX, N.S.) - Jennifer Bell scored a breakaway goal 2:27 into overtime to lead the Mount Allison Mounties (8-8-0) to a 2-1 victory against the Saint Mary's Huskies (12-3-1) at Alumni Arena on Saturday afternoon.

Bell's first goal of the season helped extend the Mounties' winning streak to five games. Defenceman Emily van Diepen played a part in both of Mount Allison's goals, scoring the first and assisting on the second.

The Mounties have been no stranger to close games this year as seven of their eight wins have been settled by one goal.

Both goaltenders played well on Saturday; the Mounties' Keri Martin had a strong game, stopping 30 shots, while Sienna Cooke was sharp, making 21 saves.

The overtime loss yields a single point to Saint Mary's who are now tied with StFX for first place in the AUS pending the X-Women's game tomorrow versus the fifth-ranked Mounties.

The Huskies took a 1-0 lead two minutes into the first period on a goal by Kaylan Palsat. Maggie Poliseno worked along the end boards and broke loose from defenders behind the net for a centering pass that found Palsat who wristed a shot along the ice that beat Martin.

It was just over four minutes later that the Mounties tied the game, just as Huskies forward Caitlyn Manning returned to the ice from serving an interference minor. A point shot by Emily van Diepen found its way past a screened Cooke to bring the game back to even.

The game remained scoreless through the second and third periods, but both goaltenders had to be on their toes.

With six minutes to go in the game, the Huskies turned the puck over in their defensive end giving Jennifer Dillon a great chance in close. Cooke was able to keep the game deadlocked with a swift shoulder save on Dilllon's wrist shot.

As time ran down in the third period, Cooke's counterpart Martin had to make a sliding pad save on Laura Polak who drove hard to the net and redirected a Breanna Lanceleve pass.

Overtime began and the Mounties pressured the Huskies, got several scoring chances, and then Bell ended the game. She used a good burst of speed to get away from Saint Mary's defenders for a breakaway and fired a wrist shot that beat Cooke blocker side.

Mount Allison will travel to StFX on Sunday as they look to bring their win streak to six against the other top ranked team in the AUS. Saint Mary's will try to get back in the win column against the Dalhousie Tigers on Tuesday at the Alumni Arena.

Source: Brian Mosher for Saint Mary's Sports Information