EDMONTON -
Natalie Kieser scored 2:23 into the first overtime period, sending the Pandas to the Canada West Final with a 3-2 win over Mount Royal.
Not only does it send the Pandas to Vancouver for the 2025 Canada West Final, but it also sends Pandas Hockey to the 2025 U SPORTS Championship, hosted by the Waterloo Warriors in three weeks.
The Pandas trailed 2-1 late in the third, before Abby Soyko tied the game with 4:09 left in regulation, her second of the game. Soyko assisted on the overtime winner as well, as her shot was bobbled by Cougars goalie Kaitlyn Ross, before Kieser whacked in the rebound.
"We just needed to believe in ourselves. We hadn't demonstrated we believed that. I think we all knew we were a better team than we showed in the first two periods," said Howie Draper of his message after the second. "We had to decide if we wanted to be second place, or if we wanted to be first."
Aliya Jomha scored both Mount Royal goals on Sunday night for a Cougars team that finishes one win shy of the conference final for the second year in a row. It's the second-straight Game 3 win for the Pandas over the Cougars in the conference semifinal, with Alberta earning a 2-0 win nearly one year ago today at Clare Drake Arena.
"It was our best game of the series by far, and might have been one of our best games of the season. Last seven minutes or so we got a bit scrambly as they pushed," said MRU head coach Scott Rivett. "Might have felt the pressure a bit, and they were able to capitalize."
Jomha opened the scoring in Game 3 midway through the first, beating Pandas goalie Grace Glover with a screened shot from the point. It was Jomha's first of the post-season after scoring 13 in the regular season. MRU looked the better side for the first two periods, out-shooting the Pandas 7-4 in the opening frame.
Soyko breathed some life back into the Pandas, beating Ross with a wrist shot from the right circle on a Pandas powerplay. Despite multiple other powerplay opportunities in the first two periods, the Pandas couldn't strike again.
Jomha restored the MRU lead seven minutes later, walking out from the corner, and beating Glover with a low shot glove side. Glover was forced to make a couple other key stops in the second to keep the game within one.
It took 13 minutes into the third period for the Pandas to start to seriously press for the equalizer. With their season in the balance, Soyko beat Ross with nearly an identical wrist shot from the circle over the MRU goalie's glove to tie the game.
"She is a second team all-star for a reason," said Draper of Soyko. "Absolutely she has found her stride. She came up big, and this is exactly what we need from that caliber of player."
Alberta had 100% of the momentum heading into OT, with Kieser ending the series just over two minutes in.
The Pandas will now head to Vancouver to take on the UBC Thunderbirds next weekend in the 2025 Canada West Final.
