Set ACAC for most wins during the regular season

In their final week of regular season play, the Mount Royal Cougar women have set an ACAC record for most regular season wins in a single campaign, capturing their 20th victory of the season.

Behind a three point night from Jill Hartley, the Cougars showed the type of fortitude that they will certainly need in the playoffs, and edged the Queens in overtime,
4-3.

Neither team could find the back of the net for most of the first period, until the Cougars’ Chelsey Morrill took an Emma Lowry feed and buried it with one minute remaining in the opening frame.

The Queens opened up the scoring in the second period, drawing even at 4:03 with a nice solo effort by Red Deer’s Montanna Noyes. The Cougars responded quickly, with Hedi Syme beating the Queens’ netminder to get back in front, 2-1.

This game was an exciting, back and forth affair and at 14:38 of the same period, the Queens potted the equalizer, beating goaltender Kendall Kilgour to make it 2-2.

Hartley (1G, 2A) gave the Cougars the lead just 2:50 into the final period, taking a pass from Megan Price to make it 3-2 Cougars.

As time wound down, the game looked to be in the bag for the ACAC leading Cougars, but with 31 seconds remaining a Queens’ point shot somehow found its way through the fray and for the fourth time this season, the Cougars were headed to overtime.

As improbable as it may have seemed, the Cougars found themselves in extra time against a team with just three wins all season. But the top-ranked women from MRU hadn’t yet lost in overtime, and they surely weren’t about to drop one with only two games remaining in the regular season.

At 1:06 into the extra frame, Brooke Nelson found the back of the net, needing only one shot in overtime to seal the Queens’ fate - 4-3 Cougars.

With the win, the Cougar women have now set the ACAC mark for most wins in a regular season with 20, surpassing the 2001-2022 Red Deer College Queens who set the mark with 19. The lady Cougars will have one more chance to add to their record total when they take on the Queens again on Saturday, Feb.12th at Flames Community Arena. Puck drops at 7:15 p.m.
 

Congratulations Cougars!