2018 Esso Cup

CANADETTES WORK OT AGAIN, EDGE METRO IN SHOOTOUT

JASON LA ROSE

BRIDGEWATER, N.S. – Brooke Greenwood tied the game with 31.5 seconds left and Tamara Giaquinto won it in the shootout, giving the Brampton Canadettes a 4-3 extra-time win over Metro Boston Pizza to wrap up play Tuesday at the 2018 Esso Cup.

It is the second day in a row the Canadettes have gone past 60 minutes; they were on the other end of a late comeback Monday before downing the Northern Selects 5-4 in a shootout.

Shooting first – just as she did Monday – Giaquinto pulled out almost exactly the same move, going quickly to the forehand and tucking her shot around Metro goaltender Brooke Bennett.

Brampton netminder Hannah Szczepanowski was perfect in the shootout, stopping Ellen Laurence, Madison Gray, Hannah MacNeil, Jillian Duggan and Allie Norris to secure the two points.

An early Brampton power play converted very quickly to open the scoring; Brooke Carriere took a feed from Greenwood and beat Bennett only three seconds into the man advantage. The goal set a new tournament record for fastest goal from the start of a power play.

Metro answered less than three minutes later when Laurence jumped on a turnover in the Brampton zone and beat netminder Hannah Szczepanowski, and MacNeil went upstairs on the short side of Szczepanowski at the 10-minute mark to put the hosts ahead.

Emma Porter responded for the Canadettes midway through the second period, picking off an errant pass at the Metro blue-line and beating Bennett to the blocker side to make it 2-2.

Brampton dominated the second period, holding Metro without a shot on goal, and continued to control the puck in the third when it held a 16-8 advantage.

But the Nova Scotians got one against the flow of play in the third; a shot from Laurence hit a stick and deflected right to Bobbie Day Wilson, who tapped in the go-ahead goal with 6:25 to go.

Penalty trouble would doom Metro in the dying minutes; thanks to a pair of minors the hosts found themselves on the wrong side of a five-on-three, and Brampton put Szczepanowski on the bench for a three-player advantage.

Greenwood made them pay, swatting in the tying goal past a screened Bennett to force overtime.

Both teams enjoyed time on the power play in the extra period, but neither could find a winner.

The Canadettes return to the LCLC on Wednesday afternoon, taking on the Pionnieres de Lanaudière (3:30 p.m. AT), while Metro will take on the St. Albert Slash (7 p.m. AT).