EDMONTON EARNS SEMIFINAL SPOT IN THRILLING SHOOTOUT
REGINA, Sask. – The first shootout of this year’s Esso Cup had fans on the edges of their seats Thursday
morning, as five players from the Rockets and the Thunder took turns firing the puck one-on-one with the
opposing team’s goalie before Heather Kashman (Edmonton, Alta.) was finally able to secure a spot in the
semifinals for the Pacific representatives.
But despite the best efforts of the underdog Rebels, the Notre Dame Hounds were the ones to come out on top
of this longstanding and heated rivalry, capping off the 4-2 matchup with an empty net goal by Brienna
Gillanders (Kyle, Sask.) with just two seconds remaining in the game.
Not even five minutes of four-on-four overtime yielded a winner, with both teams scrambling to put the
puck in the net before time ran out on the clock. Although regulation time ended in a tie, the matchup kicked
off with the Thunder taking an early lead.
Rachel Johnson (Edmonton, Alta.) opened the scoring just minutes into the game, with help from Alison
Campbell (Edmonton, Alta.) and Laura Bennett (Edmonton, Alta.). Riana Magee (Edmonton, Alta.) followed up
with the Thunder’s second marker four minutes later, on an assist from Johnson.
But the action on the ice quickly moved in favour of Atlantic representatives the Moncton Rockets, with
Janik Robichaud (Dieppe, N.B.) scoring two goals within less than a minute of each other, including one on a
power play, to tie the game up at two going into the intermission.
The exciting opening period couldn’t be matched by the second and third, with neither team able to put the
puck past the goal line over 40 minutes of play. Neither team could capitalize on loose pucks in front of the
net, with goaltenders Morgan Glover (Edmonton, Alta.) and Pascale Daigle (Moncton, N.B.) both standing their
ground and sending the game into OT.
In the end, though, it was Edmonton’s game, with Kashman’s Thunder teammates storming her in celebration
at the end of the shootout. Jessica Sekulic (Edmonton, Alta.) was named Player of the Game for the winning
team, while blueliner Monika Cormier received the honour for Moncton. | 
