SASKATOON – Bailee Bourassa set a new career-high in goals with seven, as the forward tallied her fourth and fifth of her last three games, to help the University of Saskatchewan Huskies women's hockey team defeat the Mount Royal Cougars 4-1 on Friday, Nov. 29 at Merlis Belsher Place.
 
Leah Bohlken and Bourassa each recorded two goals in the win, while Jessica Vance kicked aside 13 of 14 shots fired her way to record her third-straight victory. Bohlken opened the scoring 2:44 into the game and provided an empty-netter to put the icing on the cake for the Huskies, while Bourassa recorded the game-winner and insurance marker in the win. Emily Upgang recorded two assists for Saskatchewan, with Sophie Lalor, Brooklyn Haubrich, Holly Angus and Kayla Kirwan all adding helpers.
 
Cassie Shokar registered 27 saves on 30 shots for Mount Royal, in what was the rookie netminders' first loss in her last three starts.
 
The regulation win is huge for the Huskies, as it allows the team to move to 26 points, passing the Cougars in the standings. The two clubs entered the weekend part of a three-team tie along with the Alberta Pandas for third in the conference with 23 points.
 
Saskatchewan and Mount Royal entered the third tied at one goal apiece after Kate Hufnagel tied the contest midway through the second with a beauty. Anna Purschke, who recorded her 12th point of the season with the helper, spotted Hufnagel all alone in the slot, who deked and outwaited Vance, sliding the puck through the five-hole of the netminder to knot the game up at 1-1.
 
But the third period was all Huskies.
 
Bourassa struck back on the powerplay midway through the third, after a Haubrich shot from beside the cage was stopped by Shokar, the loose puck found its way to the Weyburn, Sask. native on the doorstep who batted it out home on the powerplay to make it 2-1 for the home side.
 
Bourassa kept it coming minutes later. From nearly an identical spot on the ice, the forward picked the left-hand corner over the shoulder of Shokar with a short-side snipe to give the Huskies a two-goal lead with under four minutes left in the third.
 
With the Mount Royal net empty, Bohlken sealed the Saskatchewan win, as she blasted home her second of the night into the open cage to make it 4-1 Huskies.
 
Saskatchewan and Mount Royal will do battle once again tomorrow night at Merlis Belsher Place, as the two clubs play their final games of the 2019 calendar year.