5 mars 2015 – Times & Transcript Aigles Bleues lose in double-OT heartbreaker

St. FX edges Moncton in thriller to win AUS title Times & TranscripT sTaff

The Université de Moncton Aigles Bleues’ hopes for a second straight Atlantic University Sport women’s hockey conference championship ended in heartbreaking fashion on Wednesday night.

Alexa Normore scored with less than one second remaining in double overtime to lift the visiting St. Francis Xavier X-Women to a 3-2 title-clinching victory over the Aigles Bleues at the J.-Louis-Lévesque Arena.

St. FX overcame a 2-0 third-period deficit to battle back and win the game and sweep the best-of-three conference final. It reclaimed the AUS championship it won two seasons ago.

Both the X-Women and the Aigles Bleues had already qualified for the Canadian

Interuniversity Sport championship tournament March 12-15 in Calgary.

Normore, the AUS most valuable player, finished off a give-and-go with teammate Kara Power and slid the puck past Moncton goaltender Gabrielle

Forget in the final second of the double overtime period.

“It was a great AUS final and a great finish,” said X-Women head coach Ben Berthiaume.“We slowly fought our way back in the game after being behind 2-0 and it was anyone’s game.”

Forget and St. FX netminder Sojung Shin both came up with stellar saves for their teams. Shin stopped 44 of 46 shots, while Forget finished with 48 saves.

Jenna Downey and Normore each had a goal and an assist, and Connor

Garagan also scored for the X-Women, who received two assists from Power.

Katryne Villeneuve countered with a goal and an assist, and Veronic Thibeault also tallied for the Aigles Bleues, who lost the series opener 2-0 on the road.

Moncton led 1-0 after 40 minutes and increased its lead to two on Thibeault’s goal at 9:03 of the third period.

The St. FX comeback began when Garagan tapped in a rebound off a point shot by Downey at 13:31 to pull the visitors within one. And then, with just 25 seconds left in the period, Downey delivered a point shot that beat Forget to tie the game

2-2.

Villeneuve had given the Aigles Bleues a 1-0 lead in the first period.

“We gave it all we had,” said Aigles Bleues captain Marika Lacroix. “We were 25 seconds from a victory and a third game. This is not the result we were looking for, but we worked hard. We believed we could do it. It sure was a great game tonight in front of the many fans.”

The X-Women lineup included forwards Sarah Johnson of Moncton, Sarah

Bujold of Riverview and Schyler Campbell of Galloway, near Rexton.

Moncton forward Katryne Villeneuve, a native of Casselman, Ont., was named the AUS women’s hockey rookie of the year on Wednesday.

Villeneuve, who was also picked a second-team conference all-star and made the all-rookie team, played in all 24 regular-season games. She finished first in the AUS in goals with 14, tied for second in power-play goals with five, and her 24 points were good for third overall.

Villeneuve led the conference in game-winning goals with six and finished first overall in shots, taking 102.

“At just 18 years old, Katryne has demonstrated a lot of maturity,” said Moncton head coach Denis Ross.“She brings with her a great deal of experience from the junior women’s hockey league she played in Ontario). Her style of play has added depth to our team. I’m convinced she will be an important pillar of the team in the future.”

Villeneuve becomes the fourth UdeM player to be named the conference’s top rookie and is the Atlantic nominee for CIS rookie of the year.

Moncton forward Marika Lacroix, a fifth-year player from Orleans, Ont., was named to the AUS first all-star team. The Aigles Bleues captain was second in conference scoring with 25 points, including eight goals, in 24 games.

Moncton goaltender Gabrielle Forget and forward Marie-Pier Arsenault joined Villeneuve on the second all-star team. Forget, a second-year netminder from Joliette, Que., went 9-3 with a 1.33 goals-against average and .941 save percentage in 12 games. Arsenault, a fourth-year player from Bonaventure, Que., tied for second in the AUS with 11 goals and tied for fourth in points with 23 in 24 games.

Mount Allison Mounties defenceman Emily van Diepen made the second all-star team. The fourth-year player from Morell, P.E.I., had six points in 20 games.

Other award winners were St. FX forward Alexa Normore (MVP), Ben Berthiaume of St. FX (coach of the year), St. FX forward Taylor Dale (most sportsmanlike player) and forward Sarah MacNeil (student- athlete community service award).

AuS Men

The University of New Brunswick Varsity Reds captured the AUS men’s hockey championship in Wolfville, N.S., on Wednesday night.

The Varsity Reds scored twice in the third period to double the Acadia Axemen

4-2 and sweep the best-of-three conference final.

UNB, Acadia and the host St. Francis Xavier X-Men all have berths to the CIS championship tournament March 12-15 in Halifax.

Campbellton native Chris Caissy scored a goal, and Riverview native Jordan

Murray had two assists for the Varsity Reds.

Université de forward Allain Saulnier was selected an AUS men’s hockey first-team all-star on Wednesday. The second-year player from Cap-Pelé led the Aigles Bleus and was tied for third in conference scoring with 34 points, including 14 goals, in 28 regular-season games.

Also making the first all-star team was UNB defenceman , a second-year player from Riverview. Murray finished third among AUS defencemen with 23 points in 26 games.

Award winners were UNB forward (MVP), UNB defence-man Randy Gazzola (rookie of the year), UNB’s Gardiner MacDougall (coach of the year), Saint Mary’s Huskies forward Ben Duffy (most sportsmanlike player) and St. FX forward Robert Slaney (student-athlete community service).

Marie-Pier Corriveau of the Université de Moncton Aigles Bleues, left, stands her ground as Jenna MacDonald of the St. Francis Xavier X-Women tries to get by during AUS women’s hockey playoff action at the J.-Louis-Lévesque Arena on Wednesday night. PHOTO: RON WARD/TIMES & TRANSCRIPT