Carothers four point effort gives the Rustlers a series clinching 4-2 victory

The Lakeland College Apex Automation Rustlers and SAIT Trojans faced off in the deciding game of the best-of-three semi-final series on Sunday, March 3rd. The Rustlers were looking to ride the momentum from the game two win on Saturday evening while the Trojans were looking to bounce back and get a win to clinch the series. The Rustlers would get down 2-0 early and come back with two goals in the second and two more goals in the third.

The first period was dictated by lots of shots from the Rustlers. The team was in the Trojans zone for much of the opening ten minutes of period one but Trojans goalie Kaylin Schellenberg was up to the task, stopping several in-close and outside shot attempts. The Trojans would strike first with 4:33 left in period one as Pyper Alexander skated in from the defensive zone, gained speed and let a wrist shot go from the top of the circle to beat Mackenzie Dojahn and give the Trojans a 1-0 lead. That lead would hold up until 0:14 left in period one. Sydney Hollman took a backhand shot that beat Dojahn to increase the Trojans lead to 2-0. Shots on goal were 12-4 for Lakeland in period one. The Rustlers had two power play opportunities while the Trojans had one. Neither team was able to capitalize on the advantage. 

With the score 2-0, the Rustlers came out aggressively in period two, looking to cut into the Trojans lead. Hailey Carothers would score on a power play for Lakeland just over three minutes into the period. Assists would go to Claudia Lammers and Brooklyn Salewski. Carothers would strike exactly eight minutes later to tie the score at 2-2. Assists would come from Lammers and Ava Cole. The Rustlers would take two minor penalties in the second period, just as the Trojans did as well. Both teams would kill off their respective penalties. Shots on goal were 14-3 for Lakeland in period two and 26-7 overall in the game, heading into the third period. 

With the game deadlocked at 2-2, the third period was a barnburner with both teams peppering Dojahn and Schellenberg with chances to clinch the series. The Rustlers would get some puck luck going their way. A shot from Hailey Carothers deflected off Darby Robertson in front of Schellenberg with just over seven minutes to play. The secondary assist would go to Claudia Lammers and give the Rustlers a 3-2 lead. An insurance goal with 2:40 left to go in the third period would clinch the series for the Rustlers. Claudia Lammers would crash the net and bang home a shot from Hailey Carothers to nail down the Rustlers' victory. A secondary assist would go to Keyra Buziak and give the Rustlers a series-clinching 4-2 win. Shots on goal were 11-8 in the third period and 37-15 overall in the game. Players of the game would go to two deserving players; Kaylin Schellenberg who made 33 saves for the Trojans, many of them highlight reel saves. Player of the game for Lakeland would go to Hailey Carothers who would notch two goals and two assists in the win.