BRIDGEWATER, N.S. – The Northern Subway Selects lost 5-4 to the Brampton Canettes at the Esso Cup on Tuesday, but it felt like a small victory.
Playing at the AAA Midget female nationals in Bridgewater, the Selects rallied from a 4-1 deficit in the third period to force overtime, before ultimately losing in a shootout.
The Selects fell behind 3-0 by the time the game was half-way over, but Eva Wornell jammed in a loose puck at the side of the Brampton net just before the second intermission. Brampton got an early third-period goal, but that’s when the Selects started the comeback.
Camryn Halliday poked in a rebound and then, with Brampton running into penalty trouble, Jenna Reid hammered a shot from the point and the Selects were within a single goal. The Selects pulled their goalie late, and an Ella MacLean slapshot got through some bodies in front of the net to tie the game with 1:26 remaining. A three-on-three overtime didn’t solve anything, although goaltender Lily Currie stoned the Canettes on two breakaway opportunities to get the Selects into the shootout.
The Selects County came up empty in the five-player shootout and Brampton was able to get two pucks past Currie.
Ella MacLean, Jenna Reid, Halliday, Eva Wornell and Lindsey Smith picked up helpers in the game.
On Sunday, the Selects opened the Esso Cup with a 3-1 victory over the host Metro Boston Pizza. Kara MacLean’s second goal of the night, coming with less than five minutes remaining in the third period, snapped a 1-1 tie and Mariah Linehan scored into an empty net in the game’s final minute, securing the win.
Heath Miller, Maddie Quinn, Jenna Reid and Eva Wornell all had assists, and Currie stopped 18 shots in goal for the Selects, the Atlantic representative who notched a 12th consecutive playoff win.
The Northern Selects’ third game of the tournament will be Tuesday at noon, where they’ll square off with Quebec’s Pionnières de Lanaudière.
