Box Score SASKATOON, Saskatchewan– Fourth-year blueliner
Presleigh Giesbrecht (Gretna, Man.) played the hero with an overtime winner, her third goal of the season, to lift the Trinity Western Spartans to a 2-1 win over the Saskatchewan Huskies Friday night at Merlis Belsher Place Arena in Saskatoon, Sask. The win improves the Spartans to 3-2, while the loss drops the Huskies to 1-1-1-0
Also scoring for the Spartans was fifth-year forward
Jordyn Matthews (Okotoks, Alta.) with her first of the season.
Scoring the lone goal for the Huskies was Shelby Williamson with her first goal of the season.
Fifth-year goal
Kate Fawcett (Tottenham, Ont.) made 14 saves in the Spartans' win, while Colby Wilson made 26 saves for the Huskies in the overtime loss.
UP NEXT
The Spartans will finish the weekend double-header with Huskies tomorrow at 5 p.m. (MT). The game can be seen live on Canadawest TV.
QUOTABLE
Peter Hay, TWU Head Coach
"It was a messy game, and we couldn't get much going but we battled hard and found a way to win. We can't expect every game to be perfect, but we have lots to do to regroup to be better to get the weekend sweep."
AS IT HAPPENED
Trinity Western got on board at 15:27 of the first period when Matthews scored with the assists going to fifth-year forward
Kyra McDonald (Inuvik, NT) and third-year blueliner
Kasey Ditner (Fort St. John, B.C.). This goal marked Matthews' first of the season, giving the Spartans a 1-0 lead. The period concluded with the Spartans maintaining their one-goal advantage.
Neither team was able to find the back of the net in the second period. The Huskies were on the power play three times to TWU's lone opportunity with extra attacker.
In the third period, Saskatchewan capitalized on the power play, with Shelby Williamson scoring at 6:41, assisted by Kahlen Wisener and McKenna Bolger. Both teams had a power play in the third, with the end of regulation having the teams tied at 1-1.
It took just 22 seconds of overtime for the Spartans Giesbrecht to get the winner. Giesbrecht scored on a pinpoint shot from the right dot that went into the top left corner of the Huskies' net to give TWU the 2-1 overtime win.
NOTABLE
- The Spartans outshot the Huskies 28-15.
- TWU was 0-3 on the power play, while Saskatchewan finished 1-5.
- TWU is currently 6-7 lifetime against Saskatchewan.
- Trinity Western has now won three straight against Saskatchewan. In their last conference meeting last season, the Spartans swept the Huskies at home in Langley, B.C., winning 3-1 and 4-1 to split the season series 2-2.
- Last week, the Spartans dropped two to the No. 1 UBC Thunderbirds in the home-and-home series, losing 3-1 in Langley, B.C. and 3-2 in Vancouver
- In their last games two weeks ago, the Huskies split with the Mount Royal Cougars in Calgary, Alta., losing 3-1, and winning 1-0.
About Spartan Athletics
As official members of U SPORTS, the Spartans currently compete in 11 sports in the Canada West conference, including women's and men's soccer, volleyball, basketball, hockey and track & field, as well as women's rugby sevens. TWU also competes as in the NAIA in track and field and cross country and as an independent team in men's rugby and women's and men's disc golf. Since TWU entered U SPORTS in 1999, the Spartans have won 14 U SPORTS team championships and 33 Canada West team championships.
About Trinity Western University
Recognized for quality, TWU has received seven consecutive A+ rankings for Quality of Teaching and Learning, holds three Canada Research Chairs, and wins national championships in U SPORTS. More importantly, lives are changed at TWU through its whole-person, Christ-centred approach to education. With a wide array of undergraduate, graduate, and adult degree-completion programs, TWU equips leaders of character and competence to make a positive impact in the lives of others.
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