2018 Esso Cup

BRAMPTON EDGES SELECTS IN SHOOTOUT, GETS FIRST ESSO WIN

JASON LA ROSE

BRIDGEWATER, N.S. – Tamara Giaquinto and Erin Gibbons scored goals in the shootout, and the Brampton Canadettes survived a furious third-period comeback to earn a 5-4 win over the Northern Selects at the 2018 Esso Cup on Monday afternoon.

Paige Whaley had a pair of goals in regulation time, and Gibbons and Nyah Philip added one each for the Canadettes, who led by three goals early in the third period, and by two with less than four minutes to go before the Selects rallied to force extra time.

Giaquinto went first in the shootout, going to her forehand to tuck a shot around Northern goaltender Lily Currie. The next seven shooters missed before Gibbons picked the corner over the blocker of Currie to clinch the first win of the week for the Ontario champions.

After being shut out by the Saskatoon Stars, Brampton got on the board quickly against the Selects; Whaley let go a harmless-looking wrist shot that found its way past the blocker of Currie for the 1-0 marker just shy of the 12-minute mark of the first period.

Gibbons extended the lead to two at 10:15 of the second, knocking in a pretty set-up from Gracey Gee, and a cross-crease feed from Brooke Carriere to Whaley produced the 3-0 goal just 66 seconds after that.

Eva Wornell got one back for Northern before the end of the middle frame, cleaning up a loose puck in front of netminder Hannah Szczepanowski to send the Atlantic champions to the dressing room down two.

The deficit was three again when Philip picked off an errant pass in the Northern zone and beat Currie on the backhand, but Camryn Halliday popped in a rebound within three minutes to make it 4-2.

Jenna Reid made it a one-goal game when her point shot went off a Canadette and past Szczepanowski for a power-play goal with 3:40 remaining, and Ella MacLean ripped a shot to the short-side of the Brampton puck-stopper on another man advantage (this one six-on-four with Currie on the bench) to make it 4-4 at 18:34.

The Canadettes had the best chance of the three-on-three overtime, but Currie turned away Emma Potter on a partial breakaway to get her team to the shootout.

Szczepanowski was perfect in the one-on-one competition, turning aside Kara MacLean, K.J. Emery, Ella MacLean and Eva Wornell to secure an important two points for the Canadettes.

Brampton is back on the ice at the LCLC on Tuesday night when it takes on host Metro Boston Pizza (7 p.m. AT), while the Selects hope to bounce back when they face the Pionnières de Lanaudière in the first game of the day (12 p.m. AT).