CALGARY– The Trinity Western Spartans saw their historic season come to an end with a 3-1 loss to the Mount Royal Cougars Sunday evening at the Calgary Flames Community Arena in Calgary. The win by the Cougars gives Mount Royal the best of three series 2-1 over the Spartans.
 
The Spartans Kate Fawcett (Tottenham, Ont.) made 28 saves in the loss, while the Cougars Kaitlyn Ross made 17 saves in the win.
 
TWU's Kate Klassen (Chilliwack, B.C.) scored the lone goal for the Spartans, while MRU got goals from Athena Hauck, Ava Metzger and Breanne Trotter. With three of the four goals on the night scored on the power play.
 
AS IT HAPPENED
The Spartans were the better team in the five-on-five situations in the scoreless first period, but the Cougars had the three power plays and ended the opening period with a two-player advantage. TWU would begin the second period down two players for :46 seconds and one for 1:14. Mount Royal ended the period with a 10-9 advantage on shots. TWU had zero power play opportunities, while MRU was 0/3.
 
With a two player advantage to start the second period the Cougars got on the scoreboard when Athena Hauck's slapshot from the left dot beat TWU's Fawcett to give MRU the 1-0 lead at 0:45. The Cougars controlled much of the play in the period and outshot the Spartans 10-1. With the carry over of penalties MRU was 1/3 on the power play, while TWU was 0/1.
 
The Spartans Klassen tied the game on the power play at 3:17 of the final period. The lead was short lived as the Cougars Metzger got the game winner just over three and a half minutes later at 6:54. Mount Royal's Branne Trotter got the insurance goal at 14:16. TWU had a power play opportunity and pulled Fawcett with 1:20 remaining, but the Spartans were unable to tie the game as the Cougars held on to take the series. MRU finished the period with an 11-8 edge in shots on goal. TWU was 1/4 on the power play in the period, while MRU was 0/1.
 
QUOTABLE
Jean Laforest – TWU Head Coach
"It's the first time we've been in a playoff series and the learning curve is pretty steep. I think they learned quite a bit. They battled really well. Three games in three nights is tough. It was tight all the way through. They have a good program over there. In year two of our program, I'm really happy with what our team has done. Now the challenge is to continue to move forward. We've definitely learned what it's like to play in the playoffs.
 
"Looking back on the year, I think we definitely turned some heads in the first half of the season, after winning just two games all last year. In the second half, we lost a lot of one-goal games and I think that was something that was a challenge. Our offence wasn't as potent and we had some dry spells, but overall I have nothing but great things to say about our group. It's definitely a group that will live in the history of the program. They're the first one to make the playoffs and they got our first playoff win. Historically, this will be a group that will be looked upon a lot. I think overall, they've put our program where it needs to be."
 
Chelsea Debusschere (Lloydminster, Alta.) TWU player of the game
"I'm super proud of our team. I think we gave MRU pretty much everything we had. I wish that we could be taking on UBC next weekend but unfortunately that's not the case and I wish everyone else good luck.
 
"Looking back on the season, we definitely were up and down a bit. I think for the most part, there was a ton of growth. We're super young as a team and so I think we have a ton left in us.
 
"I think we definitely had to learn to overcome nerves in the playoffs. I haven't been in too many playoffs games personally, so even for myself, I was learning from the rookies and we were kind of all going through it together."
 
NOTABLE
• The Spartans are now 1-10 lifetime against the Cougars. TWU was 0-4 vs MRU this season.
• Last night the Spartans won 2-1 in OT, and on Friday night, the Spartans lost 1-0 to the Cougars.
• TWU finished the night with 18 shots on goal, while MRU finished with 31.
• The Spartans finished the night 1/6 on the power play, while the Cougars finished 1/5.
• This is TWU's women's hockey program's second season as members of Canada West. The Spartans were 2-18 in conference play last season. TWU finishes this year 11-13-4 in conference play and 1-2 in post-season play.
 
About Spartan Athletics
As official members of U SPORTS, the Spartans currently compete in 13 sports in the Canada West conference, including women's and men's soccer, volleyball, basketball, hockey, cross country and track & field, as well as women's rugby sevens. TWU also competes as an independent team in men's rugby. Since TWU entered U SPORTS in 1999, the Spartans have won 13 U SPORTS team championships and 32 Canada West team championships.
 
-TW-