CALGARY -- Tanya MacDonald scored at 10:31 of the third period to lift Nova Scotia to their first victory at the Esso Women's Nationals Hockey Championship on Friday, a 4-3 triumph over Team Manitoba.

MacDonald's gamewinner was the third of three third-period goals as Nova Scotia overcame a 3-1 deficit to earn the victory. Melissa Welton scored twice for Nova Scotia and assisted on MacDonald's gamewinner, while Kerrie Boyle also scored for Nova Scotia.

Lisa Mork had a pair of goals for Manitoba, which also got a goal from Cindy Klassen.

In other games on Friday, undefeated Ontario held off Saskatchewan 3-1, while Quebec also ran its won-lost record to 3-0 with a 5-1 victory over Team BC.

Ontario, represented by the Beatrice Aeros, fell behind 1-0 on a first-period goal by Joana Mould, but Cheryl Pounder tied the score before the period was over. Amanda Benoit made it 2-1 Ontario with a goal at 13:25 of the second period and Lara Perkes provided insurance with a third-period goal.

The 1998 championship is being contested among teams from nine provinces, divided into two pools of five teams. Pool A includes Alberta, Ontario, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Nova Scotia. Pool B is composed of Quebec, New Brunswick, British Columbia, Prince Edward Island and the host team. The round-robin portion of the tournament continues on Friday, March 20, with the playoff round opening on Saturday, March 21 and concluding with the bronze- and gold-medal games on Sunday, March 22.

The 1998 Esso Women's National Championship game will be played at 6 p.m. (8:00 p.m. EST), and will be televised live on TSN, and its Quebec-based sister network, Le Réseau des Sports (RDS).

Linda Coulter, Jody Grabas and Correne Bredin all scored twice for the Edmonton Chimos, the defending National Champions, who are the host team at this year's tournament. The Chimos, 2-1, also got goals from Nicole Chapdelaine, Fiona Smith, Deanna Lang and Melissa Laviolette.

Natalie Christensen of Team BC will not play for the balance of the tournament after she suffered an apparent concussion when she collided with an opponent from the Edmonton Chimos in first-round play on Thursday.

Christensen fell awkwardly into the corner boards and was knocked unconscious briefly in the mishap. She was diagnosed with a concussion and advised to remain off skates for one week, at which time her condition will be re-evaluated.