The Windsor Southwest Wildcats came out flying on home ice, outshooting the North York Storm 11-6 in a fast-paced opening period. Their early pressure paid off when Annalise Leighton, wearing number 49, opened the scoring at the 6:45 mark, finishing off a play set up by Addison Bridgewater and Lea Giroux. The Wildcats looked poised to take a lead into the intermission, but the Storm struck back in the final minute. With just 39 seconds left on the clock, Ashlyn Donald, assisted by Emily Wallace, found the back of the net to knot the game at 1-1 and completely shift the momentum.
That late first-period goal ignited the Storm, who dominated the second frame with a 12-3 shot advantage. They quickly capitalized as Makayla Dunn scored what would prove to be the game-winner just over four minutes into the period, with helpers from Samantha Wong and Amber Nazir. The Storm's power play then went to work after a Windsor penalty, and Laryssa Mayer extended the lead to 3-1 midway through the period. The Wildcats, however, showed their resilience on a power play of their own late in the period. Captain Emma Holm, number 86, cut the deficit to 3-2 with a crucial goal, assisted by Cassidy Cooper and Megan Grech, sending her team to the locker room with renewed hope.
The third period was a frantic, penalty-filled affair with both teams trading 12 and 11 shots respectively. The Wildcats' power play struck again early, with Cassidy Cooper tying the game at 3-3, completing a nice passing sequence from Tristan Larocque and Emma Holm. The game seemed destined for overtime as the clock wound down under five minutes. However, the Storm's Laryssa Mayer had the final say, netting her second goal of the game with just over four minutes remaining, once again set up by Emily Wallace, to seal a dramatic 4-3 victory for North York. Despite a valiant 26-shot effort and a two-goal performance from their special teams, the Wildcats fell just short, while the Storm's Veronica Mancini backstopped her team to the win in net.
Mississauga Hurricanes #5875