In a thrilling matchup between the Mount Royal Cougars and the Alberta Pandas, the Cougars emerged victorious in double overtime, securing a hard-fought 3-2 win on the road in Game 1 of the Canada West Women's Hockey Semi-Final.

Mount Royal wasted little time asserting themselves, striking first at 9:24 of the opening period. Lyndsey Janes found the back of the net with assists from Jordyn Hutt and Lyvia Butz, giving the Cougars an early 1-0 lead. The Cougars held Alberta to just one shot in the first period, demonstrating strong defensive play and puck control.

The second period saw a shift in momentum as Alberta began to push back. After an early tripping penalty against Mount Royal's Athena Hauck, the Pandas capitalized on the power play. Natalie Kieser evened the score at 1-1 at 5:26. Alberta continued to generate chances, outshooting the Cougars 9-3 in the period, but Mount Royal goaltender Kaitlyn Ross stood tall, keeping the game tied heading into the third.

Alberta carried their momentum into the final frame, taking the lead just 54 seconds into the third period. Jadynn Morden netted the go-ahead goal, putting the Pandas up 2-1. However, the Cougars responded quickly. When Alberta's Taylor Anker took a delay-of-game penalty at 2:54, Mount Royal took full advantage. Sydney Benko scored a power-play goal at 3:41, with Aliya Jomha and Alex Spence picking up assists, leveling the game at 2-2.

Neither team could break the deadlock in regulation, forcing overtime. The first extra frame was tightly contested, with each team taking penalties but failing to convert. With both defenses holding strong, the game extended into a second overtime period.

The decisive moment came at 2:33 of the second overtime. Gabby Lindsay played the hero, scoring the game-winner off a rebound with assists from Julia Duke and Summer Fomradas, sealing the 3-2 victory for Mount Royal. The Cougars outshot the Pandas 26-18 overall, with a particularly strong showing in overtime, where they put eight shots on goal compared to Alberta's two.

Cougars Head Coach Scott Rivett praised his team's resilience and adaptation throughout the game. "It's a tight game, they are a very good team that plays with a lot of pace. You saw by the shots there wasn't a lot of space on the ice," Rivett said. "I thought we started to find our pace and start playing the way we want to play against them in the later part of the third period and into overtime. I liked where we finished."

Goaltender Kaitlyn Ross was stellar between the pipes for Mount Royal, stopping 16 of 18 shots, while Alberta's Grace Glover made 23 saves in the loss.

With the win, Mount Royal takes a crucial 1-0 series lead in the best-of-three semi-final. Their ability to battle through adversity and execute in key moments was on full display, setting the stage for a strong finish to their campaign.

The Cougars women's hockey team will be back in action tomorrow at Clare Drake Arena at 7 PM MT. You can catch the game live on Canada West TV – Powered by BioSteel.