Tommies End 2022 with Shutout Loss

Fredericton, NB – The St. Thomas University Tommies hosted the University of New Brunswick Reds in another edition of the 'Battle of the Hill' Friday night at the Grant-Harvey Centre. Lauren Carter's (Milton, ON) two goals in the first 11 minutes would propel the Reds' early surge to a win, enroute to her Subway Player of the Game honours. Payton Hargreaves (Whitby, ON) and Ashley Stratton (Mount Pearl, NL) each had a goal while Frederike Cyr (Candiac, QC) and Lillian George (Nipissing First Nation) had two assists. Three of the Reds' four goals came on the power play.  

Reds' netminder Kendra Woodland (Kamloops, BC) posted her third shutout win of the season with 16 saves. Caroline Pietroski (Etobicoke, ON) made 33 saves on 37 shots for the Tommies. 

The Reds struck early, scoring on a powerplay less than five minutes in, with Carter getting the puck by a diving Pietroski. Carter wasn't done there – Sydney Oitomen (Mississauga, ON) would feed her a cross-crease pass five minutes later for her second of the period. The Reds struck again on the power play, with Hargreaves whacking home a loose puck in the crease.  

Pietroski shut the door in the second period, getting her pads on a rebound attempt by the Reds at the 12 minute mark. She'd deny the Reds of another power play goal minutes later, after the Reds defender kept the puck in on the Tommies' clear attempt. The Reds worked their quick passing game, setting up a one timer in the slot as Pietroski slid across her crease to cover the puck. 

It'd take a double-minor to outwork Pietroski, after a wraparound attempt was kicked lose to the Reds player who would rifle it past her. 

The final period consisted of back-and-forth play, as neither team was able to find the back of the net, as the Tommies finished their third consecutive game without a goal. 

Tommies' head coach Peter Murphy said his team will be focusing on improving on both sides of the ice in the New Year. 

"Defensively, we've got to do better to discontinue shot chances," he said. "We've got to do the same on the other end. They're covering more pucks on the other end." 

The Reds will be back on the ice Dec. 2 in Halifax, NS, against the Dalhousie University Tigers for the final time of 2022, entering the game with a 14-1-1 record. Puck drop is at 7:00. The Tommies will have the remainder of the year off, finishing the first semester with a 5-10-1 record. They'll be back in 2023 on Jan. 6, as the Universite de Moncton Aigles Bleus visit for a 7:00 puck drop.