Improve to 13-0-1 on the season

Leanne Pfliger and Kendall Kilgour are taking the ACAC by storm. The Cougar women’s dynamic goaltending tandem rank first and third, respectively, in any relevant goaltending statistic, and are two of the biggest reasons the Cougars remain undefeated at 12-0-1.

Pfliger recorded her conference-leading third shutout on Friday night as the Cougar women’s hockey team blanked the SAIT Trojans 2-0 at Flames Community Arenas.
The two teams have had close games in the past, and Friday was no different. Shyla Stadnicki put the Cougars on the board at 18:23 of the first period, with assists going to Hedi Syme and Brooke Nelson.

After a scoreless second frame, the Cougars took a body checking penalty at 1:32 into the third period. With 10 seconds left in the penalty, Chelsey Morrill took advantage of a Trojan mistake and buried a shorthanded marker off a pass from playmaker Chrissy Hodgson to make it 2-0.

Both teams battled hard, but Pfliger won the goaltending duel, stopping all 26 shots she faced for the shutout victory. Chelsea Lowe stopped 25 of 27 shots for the Trojans.
Saturday the Cougars got even more resistance from the Trojans, and would need overtime for the second time in as many visits to SAIT arena to secure the win.

The Cougars did not look in top form Saturday night, and failed to convert on their seven powerplay opportunities, while allowing SAIT to score two powerplay markers on nine attempts.

After a strong first period in which the Cougars allowed only three shots on net, they were outplayed over the final two frames by a Trojan team hungry for revenge.

The first two periods were scoreless as the two teams each struggled to gain any kind of momentum. The Cougars had trouble staying out of the box, stymieing their rhythm.

Tanika Dawson put the Cougars ahead 1-0 halfway through the third period as she converted on a pass from Taralynn Suzuki. The Trojans would find the back of the Cougars’ net just a minute later as they put the first of two powerplay goals past netminder Kendall Kilgour.

Tash Farrier scored at 15:24 of the third to give the Cougars a 2-1 lead, but again, with the Cougars on the penalty kill, the Trojans would equalize just 30 seconds later to knot the game at two apiece.

Just 20 seconds into overtime, Cougars’ standout Chrissy Hodgson was able to bury a goal off a Chelsey Morrill feed to escape SAIT arena for the second time this season with a 3-2 win.

Kilgour stopped 16 of 18 shots for the Cougars’ 12th win of the season.

The Cougars will resume action in the new year, as they face the Red Deer Queens in a home-and-home. The first game will be on Friday, Jan. 6 in Red Deer. The Cougars will return to Flames Community Arenas the following night. Puck drops at 8:45 p.m.