3-0 win in final home game against Trojans

It was a night of firsts and lasts.

Emily Harrison’s first goal of the season proved to be the game winner as the Mount Royal Cougars women’s hockey team defeated rival SAIT 3-0 on January 20.

The contest was also the last regular season home game the Cougars will host against SAIT as Mount Royal makes the move to CIS competition next season. The two teams will play their final ever regular season game Jan. 21 at SAIT.

Harrison gave the Cougars a 1-0 lead with 59 seconds left in the second period. That goal came on Mount Royal’s 31st shot of the game. Overall, the Cougars fired 46 shots on SAIT goalie Chelsie Lowe.

With the win, the Cougars retain first place in the ACAC with 12 wins, four losses and one overtime loss. The standings are rounded out with NAIT in second, MacEwan third, SAIT fourth and Red Deer fifth.

The Cougars next home date is Jan 28, 7:30 p.m. against NAIT. The team then plays only two home games in February, Feb. 3 against Red Deer and Feb. 18 against MacEwan. The ACAC playoffs run Feb. 23 until March 18.

“I think we made (SAIT’s) goalie look pretty good tonight. We shot a lot of pucks right at her and just couldn’t put it in. It was evading us almost the whole game,” said Harrison. “It was nice to finally put one in.”

The Cougars would add two more goals in the third period off the sticks of Mackenzie Duncan and Taralynn Suzuki. Duncan’s tally came after she one-timed a pass from the top of the circle. Suzuki’s marker came just as a minor penalty to SAIT’s Sarah Williams expired.

“I think we need to focus more on getting better shots. We had tons of shots tonight, but we need better quality shots,” said Harrison.

Head coach Scott Rivett somewhat agreed with Harrison’s assessment. Instead of focusing on shots on goal, however, Rivett said the Cougars are looking at the number of scoring chances they produce during the game.

“I think we can do a better job manufacturing some better chances, putting pucks in better places and creating some rebounds,” he said.

The story of the game, other than the score, is the nearing end of the rivalry between Mount Royal and SAIT. Last season, the Trojans defeated Mount Royal 4-0 in the deciding game of the ACAC Championship series, a game held in the Cougars home rink at Flames Community Arenas.

That hasn’t been lost on the Cougars this year, especially to one of the team’s fifth-year players.

Jess Legasse was on the losing side of that battle and admits that both she and the team get up to play the Trojans. She also said she’ll miss the rivalry.

“It’s weird that it’s going to be my last time playing them here, but it’s good to come out with a win. They beat us in the final last year, so any time we beat them feels good,” said the Regina native.

“It’s hard to get over something like that. They came in here last year and took our trophy away from us, so it’s easy to get motivated for them,” she said.

But in the same breath, Legasse admits she will miss competing against these fiercest of rivals.

“You just get excited in a different way to play them. I’m going to miss it. I’m never going to see hockey like this again.”

On the men’s side, the Cougars secured a 5-3 win in Edmonton over NAIT. Jordon Harrison scored two goals to pace the Cougars, who also received markers from Brendan Turnbull, Tyler Jewitt and Vinnie Muchalla.

With the win, the Cougars hold on to first place in the ACAC standings over second place NAIT and third place SAIT.

The Cougars host NAIT in the return match of their home-and-home series Jan.31, 7:30 p.m. at Flames Community Arenas.