X-Women blank Reds 6-0

Antigonish, NS - The U SPORTS No. 5 ranked StFX X-Women shutout the visiting UNB Reds 6-0 Friday evening at the Charles V. Keating Centre. The teams were geared up in their finest pink attire for the annual 'Pink in the Rink' event raising funds for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation.

X-Women goaltender Cassidy McEwan (Lloydminster, AB) kept the Reds off the scoresheet for the shutout victory. 

StFX freshman forward Tyra Meropoulis (Edson, AB) was awarded first star and Subway player of the game honours for her two goals and one assist performance. 

Emerson Elliott (Aurora, ON), the second star of the night, added one tally and one assist for the X-Women, while defenseman Lindsey Donovan was the third star, adding two assists.

The opening period set the tone for the evening with the X-Women scoring two goals against UNB netminder Hailey Martens (Ladysmith, BC). The game winning goal came just 2:51 into the first period as Donovan found Santana Gravelle (Lumsden, SK) along the blue line who then Gravelle fired a rocket from the point which made its way through traffic and into the net. 

StFX added the other marker at 13:52 following a breakout from their own zone. Kate Gotaas (Sherwood Park, AB) passed to Kristen McKinley (Rothesay, NB) who made her way into the offensive zone and handed off to captain Sarah Bujold (Riverview, NB) who in turn scored on a low shot.

Shots in the opening period favoured StFX at 10-1.

The X-Women scored two goals in the second period as well. Meropoulis add her first tally of the game and second of the season at the 6:23 mark. Donovan passed from behind the net to Elliott who was positioned at the hashmarks. She then got an open pass to Meropoulis who one-timed it into the net. 

Following a timeout, UNB pulled their starting goalie Martens after allowing three unanswered goals and replaced her with Kendra Woodland (Kamloops, BC).

Just over halfway through the second period, Elliott scored to give the X-Women a 4-0 lead following a barrage of shots on Woodland. StFX first year forward Lea MacLeod (Dartmouth, NS) took the initial shot, with Meropoulis picking up the rebound and firing it on net. After both shots were blocked, Elliott found the loose puck and poked it past Woodland. 

StFX added their fifth goal of the game just under two minutes into the third period. Meropoulis brought the puck into the UNB zone and dropped it back for Elliott, who held it until Meropoulis was positioned in front of the net. Elliott pass back to Meropoulis resulted in a wrist shot that beat Woodland for her second tally of the night. 

The final goal of the night came from Gotaas with under six minutes to play following a scramble in front of the Reds net. Elliott and Julia Schmitt (Windsor, NS) were in on the assists.

StFX outshot UNB 26-10 through 60 minutes of play. 

The Reds will be right back in action on Saturday night as they visit the Universite de Moncton Aigles Bleues. StFX next faces offs against St. Thomas at home on October 27th.

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Courtesy Kiana Pace, StFX Sports Information