BOX SCORE Note: a previous version of this story incorrectly attributed the game as the second-longest in Canada West history. Our apologies for the error.
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CALGARY – A tally by fifth-year captain
Tanya Morgan at 3:19 of the third overtime period sealed a Game 1 victory for the No. 2 University of Calgary Dinos, 3-2 over the University of Alberta Pandas Friday night at Father David Bauer Arena.
The Dinos take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three Canada West semi-final series between the provincial rivals and will look to eliminate the Pandas – and punch their ticket to the CIS championship in Toronto – with a win in Game 2 Saturday night. The puck will drop in that one at 7 p.m., live on http://cgy.canadawest.tv.
“I drove wide and tried to shoot far side and it hit low,” described Morgan of her goal. “You have to battle hard the whole way in a game like this.”
Incidentally, the Pandas have a history with marathon overtimes, succumbing to a 3-2 defeat in triple overtime when Manitoba's Nellie Minshull scored at 5:29 of the third extra session on March 15, 2009 in Game 3 of the conference championship series. The year before that, Alberta and Manitoba played 48:53 of overtime before Cami Wooster of the Pandas claimed the conference championship for the home team in the third overtime.
The Dinos came into Friday night action having not played in a week after earning a bye through the opening round of the playoffs. Alberta was fresh off a three-game series at home where they eliminated the Saskatchewan Huskies.
The visiting Pandas had good control over the early first period play as the Dinos adjusted from being out of play for a week. Calgary got their legs under them though and had their best offensive chances of the first frame after a trio of power plays.
In the final two minutes of the first, the Calgary attack broke.
Hayley Wickenheiser carried the puck in from the left side before throwing it into the slot.
Calaine Inglis swatted at the rubber and was turned away, but on a third chance,
Jenna Smith finally buried a shot for the Dinos, making it a 1-0 score.
Six straight penalties to Calgary derailed the home club's offence in the middle stanza, allowing Alberta the opportunity they needed to knot up the game. Set-up at the right side of the goal, Monika Moskalski received the puck from Janelle Froehler and netted her second of the postseason on the man advantage at 8:46.
At the midway point of the third period, Alberta grabbed their first lead of the night while on another power play. A neat deflection by Alison Campbell off Kirsten Toth's point shot eluded
Amanda Tapp for his second of the playoffs.
Faced with their first bit of adversity of the second season, Calgary rallied back quickly with a tally at 12:06. A wicked blast off the twig of
Iya Gavrilova sailed past Michala Jeffries' glove and in, tying the game at 2-2.
While a number of close calls danced around the slot at both ends, nothing was settled, forcing 10 minutes of overtime. After a two minute rest, neither team could light the lamp as the game needed another intermission and overtime.
In the second overtime session, fatigue became noticeable as the squads traded chances. With a couple of missed one-timers at either end of the rink and an odd bounce off the end boards not going in, the match was sent to a fifth period. With fresh ice and legs out for a triple overtime, it took just over three minutes when the Dinos' captain fired a shot from the slot past the outstretched Pandas' netminder to end the game.
Erin Davidson picked up the lone assist on the play.
“We have to come ready to go now tomorrow night knowing they are going to come battle harder than they did even tonight,” explained Morgan. “It isn't over, we have to come ready to go.”
The best-of-three series will continue Saturday night at the Father David Bauer Arena with a 7 p.m. puck drop. If necessary, Game 3 will be played at 4 p.m. Sunday with the winner of the series advancing to the Canada West Final.
Adding fuel to the fire, not only does the winner of this series earn a spot in the conference final series next weekend, they also clinch a spot at the national tournament in Toronto, where the Dinos will look to defend their 2012 CIS title.
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