2011 Esso Cup

EDMONTON EDGES NOTRE DAME IN SHOOTOUT THRILLER

ST. ALBERT, Alta. – The Edmonton Thunder (Pacific) bench erupted into cheers, and Heather Kashman(Edmonton, Alta.) slid onto one knee and pumped her arm in excitement, after the three-year Thunder forwardsent a fast, hard shot flying into the back of the Notre Dame Hounds (West) net during a thrilling shootoutSunday evening inside Servus Place, helping her team to a 3-2 victory to kick off the 2011 Esso Cup.

From the opening puck drop to that final shot, the Edmonton-Notre Dame matchup was an action packed affairfrom start to finish, a fact that’s really no surprise considering both teams medalled in last year’s EssoCup. Notre Dame took silver, while Edmonton managed bronze at the 2010 event in Regina, Sask.

While Kashman closed the scoring for Edmonton, it was Sasha Lutz (Edmonton, Alta.) who opened it up,cracking the scoreboard at 9:34 in the first with a little help from teammates Samantha Schulz (Edmonton,Alta.) and Caitlin Connell (Edmonton, Alta.), making it 1-0 for Thunder heading into intermission.

The puck continued to soar up-and-down the ice throughout the second, but neither team could slip it pastthe goal line by the time the clock ran down on the period. Natasha Kostenko (Fannystelle, Man.) tied it upmidway through the third for Notre Dame, putting fans on the edges of their seats and firing up the Houndsenough to score another, with Kostenko assisting Brittany Berisoff (Kelowna, B.C.) for a brief 2-1comeback.

Edmonton sent the game into a fruitless five-minute overtime period when Kirsten Reeves (Edmonton, Alta.)scored an unassisted marker in the final five minutes of the third. After five minutes of four-on-four OT,six players took turns in the shootout, with Kashman lighting up the lamp – and sparking Edmonton’sboisterous celebration.

The Notre Dame Hounds face off against the Kodiaks du Lac St-Louis (Québec) on Monday morning, while theEdmonton Thunder take on the Toronto Aeros (Ontario) in the afternoon game.

Penalties:
   03:06 PAC 7 Stephanie Zvonkovic (Tripping)
   15:05 PAC 14 Sydney Thomlison (High Sticking)

Penalties:
   18:49 WST 7 Brittany Berisoff (Roughing After Whistle)

Penalties:
   09:05 WST 8 Natasha Kostenko (Holding Opp. Stick)
   14:03 WST 9 Kelty Apperson (Hooking)

Goals:
   None

Penalties:
   None