EDMONTON- An overtime goal sealed the University of Alberta Pandas win over the University of Calgary Dinos and solidify them a spot in the Canada West finals. The Pandas beat the Dinos in a tight 4-3 game that was sent to overtime, on Saturday afternoon at the Clare Drake arena in Edmonton. 

Alberta came out hard looking to seal their fate and head to the Canada West finals next weekend, Mar. 6-8. Applying consistent pressure and testing Calgary's goaltender Hayley Dowling early in the first period on a quick breakaway only to be denied by the second year goaltender.

The Pandas found the back of the net near the end of the first period when Allison Campbell passed the puck out front to Lindsey Cunningham who shot the puck glove side. Dowling got a piece of it but not enough to keep the game at zero.

Alberta continued to test Dowling in the second period outshooting Calgary 11-7. Midway through the middle stanza Alberta increased their lead to two. Deanna Morin fed the puck to Jessica Kamjes down low, who circled the net came out to the hash marks and scored five-hole on the ice.

The Dinos, looking for their first of the game to cut the Pandas lead, found the back of the net on the power play just three minutes after the Pandas goal. Sarah Astle fed Jayme Clark on the point who fired a slap shot on net; Heather Berzins picked up the rebound and tucked it past Lindsey Post to cut the scoring gap to one.

Calgary tied the game up at the very end of the second again on the power play with only two seconds left on the clock. Controlling the puck, looking for their chance to strike, Janelle Parent passed the puck to Iya Gavrilova on the point who fired a low slap shot through traffic for Jenna Smith to redirect past Post and in.

The Dinos came out looking to take the lead early in the third period, hemming the Pandas in their own zone for the first two minutes of the period. It would be the Pandas who would take the lead three minutes into the third however. With a scrum in front of the net pulling Dowling across the crease Gillian Altheim passed the puck to Sasha Lutz to put the puck in the wide-open net.

It wasn't over for the Dinos yet. In what looked like would be the end of the Dinos playoff run head coach Danielle Goyette pulled Dowling for an extra attacker with a minute left. Working the puck in the Pandas end, Parent received a pass in front from Gavrilova that sailed past Post and in to tie the game 3-3, with a mere six seconds left in the game, sending it to overtime.

Alberta took the semi-final series, two minutes into overtime when Kampjes fired the puck cross crease for Hannah Olenyk to tip it in high glove side.  

The Pandas will move onto the Canada West finals next weekend Mar. 6-8 against the winner of the other semi-final series that features the University of Manitoba Bisons and the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds. The winner of the final series will go onto the CIS National Championship tournament, which is being held at the Markin MacPhail Centre in Calgary. The Dinos may get a shot at revenge in the National Championship tournament as they get a bye to Nationals as hosts.

- UC -