The RDC Queens hopes of a victory came crashing down with 9.2 seconds left in double overtime Thursday night at the Centrium.
After battling to tie the game at two in regulation, the Queens surrendered the game winning goal to the SAIT Trojans in the second extra frame of Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference Women’s Hockey play.
Trojans forward Shea Lee Dolan chased down a loose puck and deked a Queens defender before placing a backhand high glove over RDC netminder Tracie Kikuchi to win the game 3-2 for SAIT.
Two miscues in the opening 20 minutes put RDC behind the eight ball early, but a strong second period with plenty of chances lead to a Catherine Longchamps breakaway goal late in the frame.
“We gave up two poor goals at the start of the game and when you dig yourself in a hole in the first period, it took us a long time to get going,” RDC Queens hockey head coach Kelly Coulter said post-game.
On the power play with just over eight minutes to play in regulation, first year defender Victoria Johnston found the mark with a wrist shot from the point through a screen to tie the game at two.
RDC fired 44 shots on SAIT netminder Elisha Oswald in regulation and six more in OT but weren’t able to beat the Trojans netminder a third time to earn the win. Missed opportunities plagued the Queens in the loss.
“We were able to tie the game, but the tale of the tape is we’re not burying our chances when we get them. Sometimes the hockey gods shine down on you. But when you don’t show that effort in practice it comes back to haunt you in the game,” Coulter said.
Kikuchi made 21 saves in the loss and Longchamps was the player of the game for RDC.
The Queens head coach added that despite the high shot total Thursday, which was well about their average of 23.2 per game this season, they need to do more with the chances they get.
“In practice too often we try cute 2-on-0’s or 3-on-0’s, that we don’t see a lot of in the game,” Coulter said.
“It has to be every chance that you have a shooting drill, you’re shooting like it’s a chance to score the Stanley Cup winning goal. That’s the mentality you have to have.”
The Queens will head to Calgary Saturday night to take on the Trojans and have just three more regular season games left. With the loss, RDC is 11-5-5-o on the year and sit four points behind Grant MacEwan University for second in the ACAC.
Email sports tips to Byron Hackett
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