Boston Blades stunned at home by Thunder

As the third period was approaching its halfway mark, it looked like the Boston Blades were going to get their first regulation win of the season.

Despite being heavily outshot, the Blades had a 1-0 lead going into the third. Unlike past games, the Blades were able to bring offensive pressure, with a possession that extended across several shifts.

In the middle of that series, Blades Assistant Captain Kristina Brown had the puck in the corner but was knocked down by a Thunder defender. Instead of giving up the puck, Brown, from a seated position, continued stick handling, retaining possession long enough to get back up and pass it off to a teammate, keeping the pressure going.

It seemed like nothing could go wrong.

The puck eventually made it's way to Blades Captain Tara Watchorn. Always a danger from the point, Watchorn sent a shot to the net, but it was quickly blocked by Thunder defensemen Candice Styles, who took it the length of the ice for a goal.

"I tried to get the puck on net but [Styles] made a nice block and a nice move of the break away," Watchorn said after the game. "I haven't done that in a long time."

Less then three minutes later, the Thunder scored again, this time after the Blades got stuck in their own zone for too long.

Despite the 2-1 loss to Brampton, the team is focusing on the positives.

"It was frustrating at the end there, that it got away from us. Just a couple of mistakes, but it's definitely not something to hang our heads about," Watchorn said. "That was, by far, the best game we played this year."

After several games with second period meltdowns, the Blades played far more consistently on Nov. 14 than, perhaps, they have all season. Although the shot total, 53-15 in favor of Brampton, mimics that of the Blades set against Calgary two weeks ago, they seemingly spent more time on offense.

That offensive zone pressure didn't result in the goal scoring chances Boston needed for the win, unfortunately.

"We definitely need to take more shots," said Blades forward Elizabeth Tremblay after the game. Tremblay scored the Blades lone goal in a situation that was not typical for her.

After the Thunder lost the puck in the neutral zone, Watchorn picked it up and passed it to the wide open Tremblay on the other wing. Tremblay saw a screen used it to her advantage.

"Usually I don't take the shot by the blue line. I usually try to drive to the net. Their defense was in front of me like a screen to I just took the shot," said Tremblay.

In a strange bit of scheduling, the Blades have six games in a row against Brampton. Though they couldn't pull out this first win, the team sees this as an opportunity to focus on how they can improve.

"I think it's going to be a good challenge to be internally focused on how we can get better," said Watchorn.