Finishing strong
Panthers seeking key points tonight at home, Sunday on the road
The UPEI Panthers women’s hockey team is looking to get back in the win column before 2017 ends.
UPEI (2-6-4) hosts the Dalhousie Tigers tonight at 7 p.m. at MacLauchlan Arena before visiting Fredericton, N.B., Sunday for a 3 p.m. game with the St. Thomas Tommies to conclude the 2017 portion of their schedule.
The Panthers started the season 2-2-1, but has since gone 0-4-3.
“The games we were winning by one last year, we seem to be losing by one this year,” head coach Bruce Donaldson said Friday. “I don’t believe that our record is reflective of some of our play, but we’ve been a little inconsistent at times and it’s cost us.”
The Tigers were 7-5-0 before Friday’s game with the Tommies (8-3-1) in Fredericton.
The Panthers are a young team with 16 players in their first or second years in the Atlantic University Sport.
Donaldson said he’s looking for a 60-munute effort in tonight’s game.
“Dal has gotten us twice so far this year, so to me it’s a key game. We need to be able to push back and try and get some points from them,” Donaldson said.
Mount Allison started the season with six straight losses, but has since gone 3-2-2 and is tied with the Panthers with eight points for the final playoff spot.
Specialty teams continue to be key to success in the conference and the Panthers own the worst penalty kill at 73.8 per cent while the power play is second at 21.7.
Rachel Colle leads UPEI in scoring with seven points (four goals and three assists) in 12 games.
Lisa MacLean has 15 points in 12 games to lead the Tigers.
Megan Sullivan gets the call in the Panthers crease.
Kaylee Dufresne, a secondyear Panthers forward from Orleans, Ont., sustained a concussion in the team’s last game and will be out this weekend.