The Jr. Ladies Silvertips took advantage of a power play late in the third period to earn their second win of the season, May 12.

The Tips beat the Calgary Cardinals, 6-5, in their season home opener on a goal by Taylor McElroy with 1:51 left on the clock.

Head coach Todd Betterton says they ran into some penalty troubles but managed to pull through with a power play goal.

"It's great to get a win in our first game in our home rink," says Betterton. "We had lots of fans and lots of support. We're very proud of the girls for not giving up and staying positive through the whole thing."

The Tips took a 3-0 lead in the first period with goals by Annie Morrison, Christina Olver, assisted by Rovanna Irvin, and Kara Kondrat, assisted by Annie Morrison.

The Cardinals came back with vengeance in the second, scoring two goals in four minutes. The Tips fired back with two of their own by Lauren Murphy and Jaimie Betterton. The Cardinals then scored one more to end the stanza, 5-3.

The Cardinals took advantage of power play opportunities in the third  to tied the game. Fortunately, the Cardinals wound up in the penalty box late in the game to set up the winner.

Too many penalties can be stifling for a team and Coach Betterton says the key is to find the balance between passion and fair play.

" I don't mind girls that work hard and take the odd penalty but we've got to be a bit smarter in the offensive zone."

Coming into the game, the Tips and Cardinals had similar records.

"The Cardinals have a lot great experienced players, so when we looked at both teams record coming into the game we knew it would be pretty close, and it was."

The Tips are on the road this Friday to take on the Raiders in Okotoks.