The East Ottawa Stars weathered a relentless offensive storm from the London Devilettes to secure a hard-fought 3-1 victory in U22 Elite action. The tone was set early when the Stars' Kiana Fortin, wearing number 4, opened the scoring just over five minutes into the first period, finishing a play set up by Genevieve Bisson and Molly Cote. That lone goal held up through a tense, penalty-filled first two periods, as the Devilettes poured on the pressure, outshooting the Stars 23-18 through forty minutes. The Stars' defense and goaltender Anna Rioux were the story, turning aside chance after chance to preserve the fragile lead.
The third period saw the game break open. With the Stars on a power play, Angélie Vallée, number 19, delivered the crucial insurance marker, converting passes from Aniston McCrann and Annie McDonell for what would stand as the game-winning goal. Just 23 seconds later, Sophie Orlicky, number 39, extended the lead to 3-0, capitalizing on a feed from Cayleigh Bowes to stun the Devilettes. London finally broke through Rioux's shutout bid with a shorthanded effort from Katherine Cameron, assisted by Emerson Moore, with just under five minutes to play. The Stars, however, locked things down from there, surviving a late penalty to seal the win.
Despite being outshot 36-29, the East Ottawa Stars executed a textbook road victory built on timely scoring and stellar goaltending. Anna Rioux was the undeniable star of the game, making 35 saves for a remarkable performance that frustrated the London attack all night. The Devilettes' Emma Kloosterman made 26 saves in the loss, while her team's discipline proved costly, taking seven minor penalties to the Stars' four. The Stars' special teams made the difference, scoring a power-play goal while their penalty kill, aside from the late shorthanded tally, was a fortress, key to their third consecutive win.
Mississauga Hurricanes #5875