The Cambridge Rivulettes opened the scoring early and held on late to secure a hard-fought 2-1 victory over the Nepean Wildcats. The game’s first shift set the tone, as just over a minute into the contest, Kendra Restauri (#11) found the back of the net. She was set up by a nice passing play from Avery Randall (#27) and Ella Neil (#5), giving the Rivulettes an immediate 1-0 lead they would carry for most of the night. The period was a physical one, with Cambridge’s Reese Reid (#4) taking a head contact penalty and Nepean’s Alessia Longo (#90) called for hooking, but the Wildcats couldn’t solve Rivulettes goalie Addison Mitchell (#31) despite a strong second period where they outshot Cambridge 14-3.
The game’s pivotal moment came early in the third period. After a pair of simultaneous hooking penalties to Nepean’s Jordan Mulvihill (#94) and Kylie Hollingsworth (#17) created a 4-on-4 situation, Cambridge capitalized. Micah Carswell (#24) scored what would prove to be the game-winning goal, assisted by Quinn Carswell (#12) and Olivia Carriere (#14), to double the lead to 2-0. The Wildcats responded quickly on the penalty kill, as Kylie Hollingsworth (#17) redeemed her earlier infraction by scoring a shorthanded goal just over a minute later, assisted by Isabella Donaldson (#9), to cut the deficit to 2-1.
The final ten minutes descended into a chippy, penalty-filled affair as Nepean pressed for the equalizer. A total of six minors were called in the third period alone, including roughing calls to Cambridge’s Lacey Rivers (#19) and Nepean’s Kate Viel (#77) after a scrum. Despite pulling goalie Dominique Rioux (#28) for an extra attacker late, the Wildcats couldn’t find a way past Addison Mitchell again. Mitchell was stellar in the Cambridge net, turning aside 28 of 29 shots for the win, while Rioux made 25 saves in a valiant losing effort for Nepean. The Rivulettes’ defense stood tall in the final minutes to preserve the narrow one-goal victory.
Mississauga Hurricanes #5875