Gavelin notches overtime winner, Cougars top Bisons 3-2

Gavelin notches overtime winner, Cougars top Bisons 3-2

The University of Regina women's hockey team went to overtime for the second-straight game against the visiting Manitoba Bisons and came out on top with a 3-2 win.

Kylie Gavelin (pictured) scored the game-winner in Saturday's contest to give the Cougars their first win of the 2014-15 season. The winner came three minutes into overtime when Gavelin walked out front from the corner and beat Amanda Schubert. Natasha Kostenko and Kylee Kupper also scored for Regina. Alexis Larson had a pair of assists.
Alana Serhan had a goal and an assist for the visitors.

Kostenko scored the game's first goal on the powerplay with just under six minutes left in the first period. Nikki Watters-Matthes put a shot from the point on net and the loose puck bounced right to Kostenko in front. Kostenko collected the rebound and slid it under the pad of Schubert to give the Cougars their first goal of the young season. Larson and Watters-Matthes tallied assists.

The Bisons knotted the score at 1 with a goal just over four minutes into the second period as the puck took a strange bounce and ended up in the back of the net. The goal was credited to Jessica Rosenbaum, with Tasmine Hemingway and Alana Serhan collecting assists.

The Cougars answered less than five minutes later as Larson fed the puck to Kupper down the left side. Kupper went one-on-one with the defender and managed to get around her before beating Schubert on the short side for her first of the season.

Manitoba managed to tie things up again though, with a goal by Serhan with six minutes left in the third. Serhan's goal highlighted a nice passing play by Hemingway and Maggie Litchfield-Medd.

The overtime period brought some furious action, and the Cougars were sent reeling when Metz took a hooking penalty. The Bisons had multiple chances with the man-advantage, but the Cougars managed to kill the penalty.

Less than a minute after the penalty was killed, Gavelin found herself free in the corner and walked out front. She was able to get a good angle on the shot and beat Schubert to lift the Cougars to the win.

Toni Ross was spectacular in net, making 38 saves including a huge glove save in overtime that kept the Cougars alive.
Schubert stopped 25 shots for the Bisons.

The Cougars will hit the road next weekend for a pair of games in Edmonton against the University of Alberta Pandas.