The NAIT Ooks clash with the Red Deer Queens for game one of the best-of-five finals at the Nest on Friday night.
In the opening moments of the first period, the Ooks controlled play. They had success on the forecheck, forcing the Queens' defenceman into mistakes. Queens' goalie Tanya Disotell-Dunsmore was forced into some problematic saves with traffic in front, and it was all Ooks in the early portions. Red Deers' offence woke up as the period rolled along but had trouble getting pucks through as the Ooks were doing a terrific job getting in the shooting lanes. On the Queens' second shot, Jailyn Bablitz opened the scoring beating Kaitlyn Slator over the glove giving Red Deer a 1-0 lead with just under five minutes remaining in the first. The Ooks were awarded the first man advantage late in the frame, but they couldn't muster anything together, and the Queens took their 1-0 lead to the break.
In the second period, the Queens doubled their lead after a back-and-forth start to the period. Arilyn Toews banged home a loose puck, and the Queens were up two on the Ooks near the midway mark. The Ooks showed some desperation but struggled to generate any real chances. The Ooks went back to the powerplay and had multiple opportunities to cut the lead in half, but Disotell-Dunsmore was stellar when relied upon. Queens came within inches of adding to their lead late in the middle frame, but Slator made a great save, and it remained a 2-0 hockey game heading into the final twenty.
The Ooks started the third hungry to get on the board but struggled to get pucks to the net. Red Deer did a great job eliminating any second and third chances. The Queens had a few quality chances to extend their lead on the man advantage, but Slator stood tall and made tremendous saves to keep the Ooks' deficit within reach. The Ooks dominated in the offensive zone, creating dangerous scoring chances, but Disotell-Dunsmore was a brick wall between the pipes. The Ooks continued to press with the goalie pulled but couldn't find the back of the net, and the Queens stole game one on the road.