2011 National Women's Under-18 Championship

MERCIER SCORES SHORTHANDED GAME-WINNER TO GIVE HOST TEAM EDGE OVER ATLANTIC

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Saguenay, Que. – The noisy crowd energized its favourite team again Thursday night, cheering the Québecers on to a 2-1 win over Atlantic in what was an exciting and evenly played matchup.

The opening period saw intense play on both sides, but neither team could crack the scoreboard. Despite ten shots, Québec was left frustrated by Abigail Clarke (Springdale, N.L.) throughout the first.

The blue and white host time finally got on the game sheet at 7:31 in the second, when Sarah Lefort (Ormstown, Que.) put the puck over the Atlantic goal line. A few minutes later, Laurie Mercier (Rouyn-Noranda, Que.) capitalized on a powerplay to mystify the east coast defence and make it 2-0 on a beauty marker.

Motivated by the speech of their head coach Maryelle Hannan (Bridgetown, N.S.), Atlantic came out on fire during the third, pulling out all the stops to attempt a comeback. Breanna Lanceleve (Middle Sackville, N.S.) was able to narrow the gap to one goal just 44 seconds into the period.

Despite added pressure on Ann-Renée Desbiens (La Malbaie, Que.), the Québec netminder shut down several strong shots off the Atlantic sticks, for 17 stops total in the game. Atlantic’s Clarke also played a great game between the posts, with 32 saves.

Atlantic will take on Ontario Blue on Friday (1 p.m. ET), while Québec will be back on the ice against Saskatchewan (8 p.m. ET). Come out to the Centre Georges-Vézina to catch the action for yourself, or if you can’t make it to the rink, check it out online at hockeycanada.fasthockey.com.

Penalties:
   None

Penalties:
   07:44 ATL 11 Catherine Berghuis (Cross Checking)
   09:36 QC 19 Catherine Dubois (Checking to the Head)
   14:45 QC 6 Geneviève Bannon (Tripping)
   19:34 QC 6 Geneviève Bannon (Elbowing)

Penalties:
   01:28 ATL 14 Schyler Campbell (Hooking)
   11:07 ATL 11 Catherine Berghuis (Interference)