Take a 1-0 lead versus Griffins

The Cougar women’s hockey team started their series off on the right foot, beating the MacEwan Griffins 3-1 on Friday in the first game of the best-of-five series. They’ll have to wait until Wednesday for game two after inclement weather and poor road conditions halted the teams’ weekend travel plans.

The Cougars, entering Friday’s game with just a 1-1-2 record against the Griffins, dominated the visitors all game, registering 35 shots to just 19 for the Griffins.

Goals from Chrissy Hodgson, Hedi Syme and Emma Lowry paved the way for the 3-1 victory. Cougar netminder Kendall Kilgour stopped 18 of 19 shots in the win.

Hodgson put the Cougars on the board midway through the first, taking a feed from linemate Chelsey Morrill to put the Cougars up 1-0. The Griffins registered just 12 shots through the first two periods, and the Cougars extended the lead at 10:56 of the second when Lowry took a
pass from Brooke Nelson and buried it behind the Griffin netminder to make it 2-0.

The Cougars took a 3-0 lead late in the second frame as Syme scored her first of the playoffs on a powerplay marker.

The Griffins would score on the powerplay with time winding down in the third period, but it was too little too late as the Cougars jumped out to a 1-0 series lead.

The two teams will play Wednesday; times have yet to be announced.