Flame turns on jets to rocket around Raider in OT

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This article was published 17/03/2011 (5636 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

THERE may not be two better compliments to hang on any athlete — versatile and clutch.

Flames 2 Raiders 1

So let it be said that Victoria Lovell is both for the St. Mary’s Flames girls’ hockey team, especially after scoring the overtime winner — shorthanded, no less — in a 2-1 victory over the Oak Park Raiders in Game 1 of the CTV Division A Championship Series in front of a packed house at Keith Bodley Arena Wednesday afternoon.

Lovell, a Grade 11 student who converted from forward to defence at the beginning of the season, rocketed around a Raider defenceman with 1:57 left in overtime before beating Amanda Pushka to play the heroine in a spirited opener to the championship.

“I honestly can’t even remember it,” said Lovell with a grin outside a jubilant Flames’ locker-room. “I just remember we were short-handed and we needed it in their end. I just saw the opportunity and went with it.

“That’s probably the most important goal I’ve ever scored.”

Interestingly, Lovell’s dramatic punctuation point to Game 1 came completely against the flow of play. The Flames had jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the second period when captain Nicole McGlenen banged home a rebound past Pushka as St. Mary’s outshot the Raiders 18-6 through the first two frames.

But a game Raiders squad — which went 18-2 during the regular season to finish first overall — rallied in the third.

The Raiders peppered Flames goaltender Casey Dame with 19 shots in the third period and tied the contest at 1-1 on a goal by Erin Kucheravy and, with the power-play opportunity in extra time, looked poised to finish.

As Dame and Pushka — the top two goalies in the Winnipeg Women’s High School Hockey League — each took turns making spectacular saves up stepped Lovell for a spectacular effort to end the contest.

“There can’t be a better way to win, that’s for sure,” said Flames’ head coach Eric Pele. “(The Raiders) played a great game. During the season we split (our) games. And it was a fantastic performance by both goaltenders. Casey Dame, our goaltender, stood on her head.

“As for the winner… you don’t want to take a penalty in overtime, but that was a defenceman who stepped up all of a sudden and put it in the net. Just a great effort.”

Game 2 goes Tuesday, March 22 at MTS Iceplex and the Flames, for one, are expecting more of the same.

“We wanted to win the first game to get the series off on a good note so this was a really important win for us,” said Lovell.

“Hopefully this gives us some confidence, but not too much that we let down.”

ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca