COUTU-GODBOUT GETS LATE WINNER, LEADS RED PAST WHITE

JORDAN MADY

CALGARY, Alta. – Sarah-Eve Coutu-Godbout (Rouyn-Noranda, Que./Quinnipiac University, ECAC) got a little help from the opposition to score the game-winning goal Monday night, helping Red beat White 4-3 at Canada’s National Women’s Development Team selection camp.

With the game tied and overtime looking, Coutu-Godbout threw the puck in front of the White net, where a defenceman, trying to clear the puck into the corner, instead banked the puck off her own player and past helpless goaltender Shea Tiley (Shallow Lake, Ont./Clarkson University, ECAC) with just 2:35 to go.

Red erased three one-goal deficits to score the victory in the first of two intrasquad games between the teams at camp; they will also play one game each against Sweden and a team of CIS all-stars.

Although Red had the first 10 shots of the game, it was White who opened the scoring; Kristyn Capizzano (Oakville, Ont./Boston College, HE) banged a rebound past netminder Erica Howe (Orleans, Ont./Brampton, CWHL) with just one second left in a power play.

Sarah Nurse (Hamilton, Ont./University of Wisconsin, WCHA) pulled Red even before the end of the opening period, redirecting a Lindsey Donovan (Miramichi, N.B./St. Francis Xavier University, AUS) point shot past Julia Vandyk (Cambridge, Ont./Colgate University, ECAC), who got the start in the White goal.

The teams went back and forth in the second period, with Jade Downie-Landry (Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que./McGill University, RSEQ) finishing off a two-on-one to restore the White lead at 6:44, only to see Shae Labbe (Calgary, Alta./Colgate University, ECAC) sneak a shot through Vandyk to tie the game just 1:21 later.

After both teams switched goaltenders midway through the period, White went ahead for the third time on a Victoria Bach (Milton, Ont./Boston University, HE) goal at 14:26, before Kristin O’Neill (Oakville, Ont./Cornell University, ECAC) converted on a Red power play four minutes after that.

That would be it for scoring until the Coutu-Godbout winner. White pulled Tiley for an extra attacker in the final minutes, but couldn’t find a way past Stephanie Neatby (Toronto, Ont,/Princeton University, ECAC), who earned the win for Red.

Both teams will see the ice again Tuesday; White is up first, taking on Sweden (4 p.m. MT) before Red faces off against the CIS side (7:30 p.m. MT).