The Phantoms Female Hockey team skated to a narrow 5-4 victory over the Manitoba Mavericks in a game defined by special teams and a frantic third-period shootout. The Phantoms set the tone early, with Natalie Evans opening the scoring just 28 seconds into the contest. The Mavericks' Lily Benjaminson answered back to tie it, but the Phantoms closed the first period strong with goals from Sienna Pokol and Taylee Mason, the latter coming in the final minute to take a 3-1 lead into the intermission. The second period saw the Mavericks begin their comeback on the power play, as Scarlet Tourangeau capitalized to cut the deficit to one.
The final frame was an offensive explosion, with a staggering 81 combined shots on goal. Tourangeau struck again on the power play early in the period to knot the game at 3-3, completing her hat trick and showcasing her chemistry with Sadie Turek, who assisted on all three of her goals. The Phantoms responded quickly, however, as Sienna Pokol netted her second of the game to restore their lead. The Mavericks pressed relentlessly, firing 51 shots in the period alone, and Tourangeau completed a phenomenal four-goal night with just 18 seconds remaining to pull her team within one. Despite the late heroics, the Phantoms held on through the final seconds to secure the win.
Penalty trouble was a theme, with the Phantoms taking seven minors, including two each from Mila Lapointe and Taylee Mason. The Mavericks made them pay with two power-play goals from Tourangeau. The Phantoms' penalty kill, however, weathered the storm at critical moments, and their top line of Pokol, Evans, and Mason proved lethal, combining for four goals and five assists. In a game where goalie stats were not tracked, the sheer volume of shots—51-30 in favor of the Mavericks in the third—suggests a remarkable display of resilience from the Phantoms' netminder to preserve the one-goal victory in a chaotic and unforgettable finish.
