EDMONTON - It took 64 minutes, 59 seconds, and 37 shots, but the Alberta Pandas finally found twine with 0.6 seconds left in overtime thanks to
Taylor Anker.Â
Anker tapped in a pass from
Allison Reich, with the puck sneaking over the goal line just before the buzzer went off, giving Alberta a 1-0 win. Alberta picks up their fourth win over MacEwan this season, having now outscored the Griffins 8-1 in those contests.Â
Alberta improves to 7-3-0 this season, and 44-0 all-time against the Griffins. The loss drops MacEwan to 1-7-2.Â
There was one reason the game needed overtime to be decided, and that was Griffins goalie Brianna Sank, who stopped 36 of the 37 Alberta shots she faced in a terrific performance. 12 of those 36 saves came in the third period and overtime, as Sank kept MacEwan in the game for as long as possible, securing a point.Â
Mackenzie Dojahn made 16 saves for the Pandas to earn her first career shutout, and second career Canada West victory.Â
The Pandas outshot MacEwan 10-4 in the first, with
Madison Willan earning the best scoring chance, but her backhand hit the post and trickled harmlessly into the corner.Â
Giving up 40 shots in Friday night's 4-1 loss, MacEwan struggled to maintain offensive zone time again on Saturday. The visitors had four shots in each of the four periods, with only a couple forcing Dojahn to make a tough stop.Â
Sank stopped 22 shots in the second and third periods, including 14 in the second period alone. Most notably, her rebound control was excellent, limiting the Pandas second-chance opportunities.Â
After a slow start to overtime, an end-to-end rush from Reich set up the cross-crease feed to Anker, who potted in her sixth career goal, and first this season.Â
Alberta will host the Regina Cougars next weekend, while MacEwan will host the TWU Spartans.Â
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