2015 National Women's Under-18 Championship

ONTARIO RED ERASES THREE-GOAL DEFICIT, WINS IN OT

WENDY GRAVES

HUNTSVILLE, Ont. – Daryl Watts (Toronto, Ont./Mississauga, PWHL) tied the game with 1:18 left in the third period and Saroya Tinker (Oshawa, Ont./Durham West, PWHL) won it 3:54 into overtime, as Ontario Red erased a three-goal third period deficit to beat Manitoba and clinch first place in Group A.

With just over eight minutes to go in the third period, Manitoba led 4-1 and looked well on its way to winning its first game ever against Ontario Red at the National Women’s Under-18 Championship. Instead, it surrendered a trio of goals in 6:51 and dropped to 0-8 all-time against the team.

The comeback started at 11:51, with a Lindsay Agnew (Oakville, Ont./Mississauga, PWHL) one-timer from the face-off circle. Just 1:07 later Annie Berg (Beamsville, Ont./Cambridge, PWHL) sent a backhand high into the net as she skated through the slot. The comeback was completed when Ella Shelton’s (Ingersoll, Ont./London, PWHL) point shot bounced off the boards out front for Watts to deposit into the net.

Tinker’s wrist shot from the top of the face-off circle rewrote a story that only 20 minutes earlier looked to have a completely different ending.

Both teams had clinched a spot in the medal round the day before. Friday’s game would determine their seeding.

Energized by an early penalty kill, Manitoba got on the board first, only 5:02 into the game.

Ashton Bell (Deloraine, Man./Westman, MFMHL) circled through the zone, then drove straight at the net. The puck was poked back out to the low slot, where Kayla Friesen (Winnipeg, Man./St. Mary’s Acadmey, CAHS) roofed it glove side.

Ryleigh Houston (Winnipeg, Man./Balmoral Hall, JWHL) doubled the lead early in the second, going short side with a shot from the slot.

Jaime Bourbonnais (Mississauga, Ont./Oakville, PWHL) got Ontario Red on the board three minutes later with a blast from a few feet inside the blue line.

Back-to-back minor penalties seven seconds apart gave Manitoba a two-man advantage for 1:53. Exactly one minute after the first penalty, goalie Serena D’Angelo (Stoney Creek, Ont./Stoney Creek, PWHL) had no chance when Sheridan Oswald (MacGregor, Man./Central Plains, MFMHL) lasered it top corner short side from the bottom of the face-off circle.

Forty-seven seconds later, and still on the power play, Manitoba went up three, when Hannah Fouillard (St. Lazare, Man./Yellowhead, MFMHL) went glove side from the top of the far face-off circle.

Stephanie Neatby (Toronto, Ont./Toronto, PWHL) came in for the third period for Ontario Red. The change seemed to spark her team, which responded by outshooting Manitoba 14-1 over the final 20 minutes of regulation.

Manitoba goalie Tory Micklash (East St. Paul, Man./St. Mary’s Academy, CAHS) finished with 26 saves in the loss.