SASKATOON – Second-year Huskie Chloe Smith broke a scoreless tie with 9:44 left in the third period to help the University of Saskatchewan bounce back with a 1-0 victory over Mount Royal on Saturday at Merlis Belsher Place.
 
With the win, the Huskies move to 5-3-3-1 while the Cougars fall to 4-7-0-1. The Saskatchewan victory came a night after Mount Royal left the arena with a 3-2 win.
 
Third year Jessica Vance picked up the shutout in the defensive battle, registering 19 saves for her third blank sheet of the season. The Prince Aalbert, Saskatchewan, native faced a number of strong chances in the dying minutes but held strong to get the Huskies the win.
 
Vance now owns a .958 save percentage, three points back of the league-leader and University of Alberta goaltender Halle Oswald.
 
Zoe DeBeauville countered with 23 saves on 24 shots for Mount Royal, raising her save percentage to .912 on the year. She kept the Cougars in the game through two periods, making 18 saves before the puck dropped on the third.
 
DeBeauville made six saves alone off chances from third-year forward Bailee Bourassa, who was buzzing after scoring in a Saskatchewan loss on Friday night.
 
The Huskies hit the road to play defending champions Manitoba next weekend, while Mount Royal heads back to Calgary for a home-and-home with Lethbridge.