The East Ottawa Stars weathered a relentless offensive storm from the Central York Panthers to emerge with a hard-fought 2-1 victory. From the opening puck drop, the Panthers asserted their dominance, outshooting the Stars 12-6 in the first period. Their pressure paid off midway through the frame when Demi Lazarou, wearing number 5, found the back of the net with an assist from Ellie Lewington to give Central York a 1-0 lead. The Stars' discipline was tested early, with Angélie Vallée taking a head contact penalty, but goaltender Anna Rioux and her penalty-killing unit stood tall to keep the deficit at one heading into the intermission.
The second period saw the Panthers continue to control the shot clock, firing 16 more pucks toward Rioux. However, the Stars began to find their footing. Despite taking two more minor penalties—another to Vallée for tripping and one to Genevieve Bisson—the home team managed to tie the game. At the 15:09 mark of the period, Annie McDonell, number 84, scored an even-strength goal, assisted by Aniston McCrann, to knot the score at 1-1 and swing the momentum. The third period became a tense, back-and-forth affair. The Stars finally earned their first power play of the game when Anastasia Trifon of the Panthers was called for hooking. The Stars' power play unit capitalized decisively. With just over four minutes remaining, BÉATRICE GAUVIN, number 13, buried the game-winning goal on the man advantage, with helpers from Annabelle McKenzie and Macyn Driver.
In the end, the story of the game was written in the crease. Panthers' netminder Jamie Sanford was solid, turning aside 23 of 25 shots, but she was outdueled by a spectacular performance from Anna Rioux of the Stars. Facing a barrage of 38 shots, Rioux was a perfect 38-for-38, recording a remarkable shutout performance that was the foundation of her team's victory. The Stars' ability to bend but not break defensively, coupled with timely scoring from McDonell and GAUVIN, allowed them to steal two points despite being heavily outshot in a classic goaltender's duel.
Mississauga Hurricanes #5875