Huskies second-year defensive player Kendra Zuchotzki poses in the team's 'Player of the Game' cape after earning the title for her effort in Friday's 2-1 OT win in Calgary, Alta. (Daniella Ponticelli/HuskieFAN)

By Daniella Ponticelli

Zuchotzki named Player of the Game

Huskies deliver defensive battle in OT win over Dinos

Dec 3, 2022 | 2:48 AM

It felt like deja vu on ice Friday night when the University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team pushed their game against the University of Calgary Dinos into overtime.

Saskatchewan opened scoring 13:37 into the first period at Father David Bauer Arena when first-year forward Taylor Wilkinson passed the puck from behind the goal line to a perfectly-positioned Kelsey Hall.

“It was a good neutral-zone breakout and just a really good forecheck by Kate Ball and Taylor,” Hall said, describing the moment. “I just got lost in the zone. Sure enough I was out front and I just made sure to bury it.”

Hall got that goal, her second of the season, past Dinos’ dynamite netminder Gabriella Durante, who came into Friday’s tilt with the most saves in U Sports hockey so far this season with 395.

She still holds that title, adding 13 more saves to cross the 400 mark.

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Huskies’ third-year goaltender Cameron Drever got her twelfth start in net and helped maintain the 1-0 lead through 40 minutes. The Edmonton product finished the night with 27 saves.

Less than a minute into the third, Calgary got the equalizer with rookie Sydney Mercier tucking a rebound past Drever’s left skate. The Dinos’ Dana Wood and Keagan Goulet were credited with the helpers.

Despite good looks from both teams, the 1-1 tie forced the game into four-on-four overtime — just like the first meeting of the Huskies and Dinos this season in Saskatoon on Oct. 7.

The Dinos won the faceoff to open overtime, but it was heads-up defensive play by Huskies second-year Kendra Zuchotzki that led to a turnover and break away chance.

While Durante kept up with Zuchotzki’s stick handling, her rebound was just as quickly put away by Huskies fourth-year forward Sophie Lalor, 24 seconds into overtime.

“It was man-on-man for four-on-four hockey,” Zuchotzki said. “So when my girl went around and she tried cutting, I poke checked her and yeah, didn’t quite finish, but Sophie finished it off.”

For her efforts — which included a second-period shot that got past Durante, but not the post — Zuchotzki was awarded the bright green Player of the Game cape by her team.

Lalor’s game-winner wasn’t deja vu, but perhaps karmic: the Penticton product suffered a separated shoulder during the Huskies first game against the Dinos this season.

That injury forced Lalor, who recorded her first U Sports hat trick last week, to miss several games afterwards.

Saskatchewan now turns its sights to Saturday’s rematch, which marks the fourth and final meeting with the Dinos this regular season.

It’ll be one they don’t want to play out like their first rematch in Saskatoon on Oct. 8, when Calgary shutout the Huskies in double overtime.

“They’re a big team and that’s one thing that we have to watch because they’re big and they’re also quick,” Zuchotzki said, adding the teams are also playing on larger, Olympic-sized ice.

“It was a good challenge and it was a really good game, all around.”

With the win, the Huskies improve to 10-5-2, while the Dinos now sit at 6-10-1 on the season.

Saskatchewan maintained its solid positioning as the No. 1 penalty kill in Canada West (92.9%), denying the Dinos on all three of their power plays.

However, Calgary returned the favour by going three for three on the kill.

Puck drop for Saturday’s rematch is 7 p.m. CST. Daniella Ponticelli will have the call alongside Huskies alum Leah Bohlken on the HuskieFAN app.