The Ottawa Senators seized control early and never looked back, defeating the North York Storm 6-2 in a game defined by special teams and a dominant third period. The Senators struck first, with Lexie Hatoum opening the scoring midway through the first period, assisted by Lily Shannon. Just fifty seconds later, Chloë Martineau doubled the lead, converting a setup from Olivia Wallace and Keara Kiley. The Storm’s discipline wavered early, with Jade McNicol taking a head contact penalty, but they managed to escape the first period down only two goals despite being outshot 9-8.
The middle frame saw the Senators extend their lead on the power play. With Charlotte Wheeler in the box for tripping, Keara Kiley capitalized on the man advantage, assisted by Ella Fridgen, to make it 3-0. The Storm showed a brief spark of life when Olivia Lehti found the net, assisted by Amber Nazir, cutting the deficit to 3-1. However, the period was marred by penalties, including a four-minute slewfooting call against Ottawa's Lily Shannon and a head contact minor against North York's Laryssa Mayer, setting a chippy tone for the final twenty minutes.
Any hope of a Storm comeback was extinguished in a decisive third period by the Senators. Killing off a double-minor for head contact to Camryn Chevrier, Ottawa’s penalty kill turned lethal. Avery Wojtyk scored a shorthanded goal, assisted by Brooke Glynn, to make it 4-1. Martineau then netted her second of the game, again from Olivia Wallace, pushing the lead to 5-1. Incredibly, the Senators added another shorthanded tally, this time from Lexie Hatoum for her second goal, while still killing the same major penalty. The Storm’s Makayla Dunn managed a late power-play goal, assisted by Emily Wallace, but it was mere consolation. Ottawa’s Ivy Nellis earned the win in net, while the Senators' special teams were the ultimate difference-makers, scoring once on the power play and twice shorthanded to secure a convincing road victory.
Mississauga Hurricanes #5875