Tommies defeat Huskies 2-1 in shootout

HALIFAX, NS – St. Tommies forward Lauren Smith scored the shootout winning goal, and goaltender Katie Sweeney stopped 24 shots, leading the Tommies to 2-1 shootout win over the Saint Mary's Huskies in Atlantic University Sport women's hockey action on Saturday afternoon at the Dauphinee Centre in Halifax.

It was a competitive game between two evenly matched opponents, as both teams recorded six shots in the opening period, and 10 shots a piece in the second period, but Tommies goaltender Katie Sweeney (Tecumseh, ON) and Huskies counterpart Sophie Scully (Ottawa, ON) were sharp, each turning away all 16 shots they faced through 40 minutes of action.

Six minutes into the third period, the Huskies finally broke through. Forward Gillian Lapierre was able to play a pass to linemate Jillian Duggan, just before Lapierre was taken out by a big collision at the blue line, but Duggan took advantage and fired a shot that beat Sweeney high, giving the Huskies a 1-0 lead, 6:13 into the third.

HUSKIES HIGHLIGHTS ��

Jillian Duggan opens the scoring in the third period!

��J. Duggan (5)
��G. Lapierre pic.twitter.com/MvVb80PAwg

— Saint Mary's Huskies (@SMUHuskies) January 10, 2026

The Huskies controlled play for the next 13 minutes, and looked to be headed to victory, but the Tommies scored a last second equalizer. With 18 seconds remaining and the net empty, forward Claire Nimegeers (Wilcox, SK) was able to stuff a rebound through Scully's five-hole, tying the game at 1-1 at the 19:42 mark and forcing overtime.

The three-on-three overtime was eventful, with both teams generating great scoring chances, but Scully and Sweeney remained sharp, turning away all efforts and the game would be decided in a shootout.

The outstanding goaltending continued into the shootout, with Sweeney and Scully each stopping seven attempts, before Tommies forward Lauren Smith (Truro, NS) finally ended it with a goal.

Sweeney was named Player of the Game with 24 shots in regulation and overtime, plus another six saves in the shootout.

The Tommies improve to 11-6-0-1 with the win, good for third place in the AUS standings, while the Huskies fall to 7-8-0-3. St. Thomas will be back on home ice next weekend, hosting the STFX X-Women (13-4-0-0) on Friday, Jan. 17 at 3 p.m., while Saint Mary's hits the road, visiting the UPEI Panthers (10-7-1-0) on Saturday, Jan. 17 at 3 p.m. in Charlottetown, PEI.

Recap by Allan April / Saint Mary's Huskies Athletics
Photos by Eduardo Ibarra / Saint Mary's Huskies Athletics