2015-16 National Women's Team

THREE-GOAL FIRST PERIOD LEADS WHITE PAST TIGERS AT FALL FESTIVAL

JASON LA ROSE

CALGARY, Alta. – Cayley Mercer (Exeter, Ont./Clarkson University, ECAC), Cassandra Poudrier (Lachenaie, Que./Cornell University, ECAC) and Tara Watchorn (Newcastle, Ont./Boston, CWHL) scored 4:04 apart in the first period, giving White all the offence it would need in a 4-1 win over the SEAC Tigers on Thursday night at Canada’s National Women’s Team Fall Festival.

White made it clean sweep for camp teams on the opening night of games after Red came from behind to beat the Calgary AAA Flames 4-3 in the camp opener earlier Thursday.

Sarah Lefort (Ormstown, Que./Boston University, HE) scored the other goal for White, while Genevieve Lacasse (Kingston, Ont./Boston, CWHL) made 22 saves and came within seconds of a shutout.

Mercer opened the scoring at 6:03, driving to the net and redirecting a perfect feed from Victoria Bach (Milton, Ont./Boston University, HE) past SEAC netminder Logan Larock, and Poudrier doubled the advantage with the eventual game-winner just 2:40 later.

Watchorn’s seeing-eye shot from the point found its way past Larock at 10:07 for a three-goal lead after 20 minutes.

The White offence quieted down after that, although it wasn’t without its chances; Larock made 15 of his 28 saves in the second period alone as White jumped to a 26-12 advantage in shots on goal through two periods.

The Tigers started to pepper Lacasse with shots in the third, including an early penalty shot opportunity, but the Olympic gold medal-winning goaltender stood her ground, and Lefort showed off her slick hands to make it 4-0 with 4:53 left.

It took a 6-on-3 power play in the game’s final minute for SEAC to finally beat Lacasse; Brady Risk buried the rebound off a Eric Welford shot with just 7.2 seconds remaining to spoil the shutout bid.

White returns to the ice Friday night when it takes on Red in the first of two intrasquad games (8:30 p.m. MT), while the Tigers face off with the Flames in an all-AMHL showdown in the day’s first game (5:30 p.m. MT).