CALGARY – Despite the absence of both teams' leading scorers, the Saskatchewan Huskies pulled out an offence-filled 4-3 overtime win over the Calgary Dinos at the Olympic Oval Friday.

BOX SCORE

Both teams were short on the offensive side of the puck as the Dinos were without Canada West scoring leader Hayley Wickenheiser while the Huskies spent the evening without Brianne George, the second player on the Canada West scoring list.

Throughout the night the Dinos found themselves shorthanded as they were handed minor after minor for all 69 minutes of the game. All told the Dinos took eight penalties while the Huskies handed the home team a single power play.

Both teams converted on one of the Huskies advantages with the Dinos drawing first blood while shorthanded. That goal, the first of the game at 8:28, was scored by the hard work and determined forecheck of Erin Davidson. Stripping the Saskatchewan defender of the puck behind the Huskies' net, Davidson quickly darted out front of the crease and slipped the opening goal through the five-hole of Mackenzie Rizos.

“If we had more players like Erin tonight then we would have been in good hands,” Dinos head coach Danielle Goyette noted about her forward after the loss. “She played an awesome game and was our best player on the ice. She isn't renowned for the offensive part of her game, she's typically more defensive, and it's fun to see her be successful.”

Davidson would add an assist to her game early in the third period to regain the Dinos the lead after Saskatchewan's Terri Baker evened the score midway through the second with her first goal this season. Davidson's assist came 3:24 into the third after she stripped the puck from the Huskies defender before feeding the puck to an awaiting Tanya Morgan ready in the slot to fire home a rocket of a slapshot.

The Dinos held the lead three times over the course of three periods only to be matched by the Huskie offense. Morgan's goal was matched by a similar play at the other end of the ice that saw former Dino Megan Frohaug slap her first goal of the season past Jennifer Mallard 10:38 into the third off of an intercepted pass in the Dinos end.

Following that, the Dinos would regain the lead when an incredible individual effort by rookie forward Kira Sonnenberg saw her undress two defenders on the way towards the Saskatchewan net leaving he alone to pocket her fifth goal of the season less than two minutes after the Saskatchewan equalizer.

The Huskies would equalize again when their eighth power play of the game finally solved the Dinos penalty kill. The goal was the effort of another former Dino, Shelby Davey, who netted the goal after Julie Paetsch and Cara Wooster banked a shot off the boards putting Mallard out of position and handing Davey her fourth goal of the season.

With a three-three tie after regulation the teams headed to an overtime that saw Davidson continue her dominating play. The initial Dino rush saw her take three more shots on Rizos to run her total to eight shots on the evening. That rush wouldn't convert and the Huskies would come back with the winning attack with 1:06 left in the overtime. That attack was set up by initial efforts by Bews and Wooster that were stymied by a diving save by Mallard. Paetsch picked up that rebound and slip it past the outstretched stick of the prone Dinos goaltender earning the Huskies an extra point in the standings and a win on the night.

When the dust settled Saskatchewan's netminder, Rizos, had turned away 28 of 31 shots fired her way while at the other end Jennifer Mallard got in front of 25 of 29 attempts.

“Tonight we were our own worst enemy as a team. We didn't show up, we weren't ready, some of our leaders didn't show up,” an obviously disappointed Goyette commented after the loss. “We have another game tomorrow and we have to make sure we bounce back.”

The next game in the weekend series goes Saturday on the Olympic Oval ice with a 7:30 p.m. puck drop.

-UC-