GAME 3 POOL A: CIS championship: McGill dominate SMU 7-2 en route to gold medal berth

Courtesy StFX sports information

ANTIGONISH, N.S. (CIS) – The two-time defending CIS champion McGill Martlets proved why they have been the No. 1 ranked team all season as they handed the No. 4 seeded Saint Mary’s Huskies a 7-2 drumming in final Pool A round robin action Saturday evening at the StFX Keating Centre. 

Championship website (including complete stats): http://english.cis-sic.ca/championships/wice

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CIS women's hockey championship - Game 6 Alberta 2 StFX 0 - Alberta advances to championship final

Seven different Martlets scored goals in the game as McGill opened up with a 2-0 first period lead and then went on to score four second period goals to establish a 6-1 lead after 40 minutes. Lauren McCusker (Newmarket, ON) scored the lone Huskies goal. Each team exchanged goals in the third period to close out the game and settle the placings from Pool A for playoff Sunday. McGill advances to their fourth consecutive gold medal appearance, while Saint Mary’s will play for bronze.

Their opponents will depend upon the result of the final round robin game tonight between No. 3 Alberta (1-0) and No. 5 StFX (0-1). An Alberta win will earn them a ticket to the gold medal match, while a StFX win by two goals or more will snag them a berth. With Laurier (1-1) waiting in the wings, a StFX win by one goal would create a three-way tie and require tie breaking procedures to determine Sunday’s placings. 

In today’s Pool A round robin game, the Huskies got into penalty trouble early on in the first period, although the Martlets were unable to capitalize on their first power play attempt. Continued McGill pressure on the Saint Mary’s net did result in their first goal of the game as Rebecca Martindale (Kingston, ON) scored 6:33 in. SMU’s Jillian MacIsaac (Timberlea, NS) made the initial save on net but she was down and Martindale popped in the loose puck. Alessandra Lind-Kenny (Calgary) and Jordanna Peroff (Keswick, ON) assisted on the play.

One of Saint Mary’s only chances to score in the opening frame came from a shot in close by McCusker but the puck was just wide of the net.

Saint Mary’s had one power play opportunity but were unable to score.

McGill forward Cathy Chartrand (Lac Nominingue, QC) had a few shots on goal for the Martlets, including one that grazed off the top of MacIsaac’s glove but stayed out of the net.

The Martlets second goal of the game came with 1:19 left in the period as several McGill players were banging away at the puck in front of the Saint Mary’s net until Lind-Kenny eventually shot it in. Linemates Martindale and Peroff were credited with assists.

The Martlets closed out the first period with a 15-3 shot advantage.

McGill started off the second period where they left off the first, attacking the Saint Mary’s net. On an early power play, Vanessa Davidson (Kirkland, QC) took a shot from just outside the faceoff dot and beat MacIsaac high over the glove shoulder to give the Martlets a 3-0 lead 2:23 into the second frame. Caroline Hill (Dorval, QC) and Chartrand assisted.

A Saint Mary’s giveaway in their own zone led to the Martlets’ fourth goal as Amy Soberano (Toronto) picked off the puck in the slot and fired it past MacIsaac, scoring unassisted at 6:39. Jillian Robinson (Aylesford, NS) replaced MacIsaac in the Huskies net after the Soberano goal and was tested early as the McGill onslaught continued with another goal less then three minutes later. As the two teams were playing four aside hockey, Kim Ton-That (Vaudreui-Dorion, QC) skated through the Saint Mary’s defense then beat Robinson high over the shoulder on a pretty shot, unassisted.

Saint Mary’s top line came through shortly after the Martlets fifth goal as Kyla Thurston (Ajax, ON) was pressuring the McGill net on the power play. Her determination paid off she assisted on the McCusker goal as the Huskies finally broke the goose egg and scored at 11:37.

The high scoring second period wasn’t over yet though as Jasmine Sheehan (Mississauga, ON) scored shorthanded at 14:42, after a unlucky dump into the Saint Mary’s zone bounced through to the net and tricked past Robinson. Lainie Smith (Richmond Hill, ON) and Alyssa Cecere (Brossard, QC) picked up assists.

It appeared that the Martlets had scored their 7th goal of the game with just under two minutes to play in the period as there was a goal net scramble and several bodies were pushed across the goal line along with goaltender Robinson. After discussion amongst the officials and goal judge it was determined that the whistle had blown before the puck had crossed the line and indeed no goal was registered.

The Martlets closed out the period with a 6-1 lead and 15-5 shot advantage in the period and 30-8 advantage through 40 minutes. The Huskies were called for 4 minor penalties and the Martlets 3 in the lengthy second period.

The third period began with a Saint Mary’s power play but it was McGill forward Ann-Sophie Bettez (Sept-Îles, QC) who scored shorthanded as she skated in alone and beat Robinson on a deke 56 seconds into the period. Davidson assisted on the Martlets’ 7th goal.

With a commanding 7-1 lead, the Martlets were content to sit on the six goal advantage for the remainder of the third period and ride out the victory, although they did give up one more Huskies goal in the process.

Saint Mary’s second goal of the game came with 2:33 left to play as Kaitlyn Abbass Goose Bay, NL) broke in shorthanded and in an attempt to deke Smith, ended up trickling the puck between her pads and scoring unassisted through the five-hole. Jenna Currie (Berwick, NS) picked up an assist on the play.

With so many Martlets appearing on the score sheet, and a total team effort it was captain Vanessa Davidson who took home Player of the Game honors for McGill. Third year forward Kyla Thurston was named Saint’s Mary’s Player of the Game.

McGill goaltender Taylor Salisbury picked up her second win of the tournament and had 11 saves in net. MacIsaac and Robinson faced a combined 37 McGill shots on net as MacIsaac took the loss (1-1).

With the win the Martlets (2-0) advance to the gold medal game on Sunday at 6:00 pm (AST), their fourth consecutive appearance in the national final. They are the two-time defending champions and will await the result of the Alberta (1-0) and StFX game (0-1) this evening for their opponent.

Saint Mary’s (1-1) will play for bronze Sunday at 2:00 pm (AST) with their opponent yet to be determined as well. The Sunday qualifiers from Pool B is wide open depending upon how the No. 5 X-Women fair against the No. 3 Pandas in the final round robin game. 

SCORING SUMMARY 

McGill 7, Saint Mary’s 2

FIRST PERIOD

SCORING:
1. McG Rebecca Martindale (1) (Alessandra Lind-Kenny, Jordanna Peroff), 6:33.
2. McG Alessandra Lind-Kenny (1) (Rebecca Martindale, Jordanna Peroff), 18:41.

PENALTIES:
Jenna Currie (SMU) high sticking, 3:02; Rebecca Mosher (SMU) tripping, 10:11; Cathy Chartrand (McG) hooking, 13:40.

SECOND PERIOD

SCORING:
3. McG Vanessa Davidson (1) (Caroline Hill, Cathy Chartrand), 2:14, PP
4. McG Amy Soberano (1) (unassisted), 6:39
5. McG Kim Ton-That (1) (Jasmine Sheehan, Cathy Chartrand), 9:51
6. SMU Lauren McCusker (1) (Kyla Thurston), 11:37, PP
7. McG Jasmine Sheehan (1) (Lanie Smith, Alyssa Cecere), 14:42, SH

PENALTIES:
Rebecca Mosher (SMU) tripping, 00:20; Jordanna Peroff (McG) holding, 2:59; Sarah
Maynard (SMU) holding, 9:15; Caroline Hill (McG) hooking, 9:42; Rebecca Mosher (SMU)
Interference, 12:37; Jordanna Peroff  (McG) interference, 12:48; Lauren McCusker
(SMU) body contact, 15:28.

THIRD PERIOD

SCORING:
8. McG Ann-Sophie Bettez (1) (Vanessa Davidson), 00:56, SH.
9. SMU Kaitlyn Abbass (1) (Jenna Currie), 17:27, SH.

PENALTIES:
Amy Soberano (McG) tripping, 00:47; Rebecca Mosher (SMU) high sticking, 12:05; Bench Minor (served by Amy Soberano) (McG) Too many on ice, 14:41; Kori Cheverie (SMU), high sticking, 15:40; Kaitlyn Abbass (SMU) checking, 19:42. 

 
GOALS (by period)
SMU: 0-1-1: 2
McG: 2-4-1: 7

SHOTS ON GOAL (by period)
SMU: 3-5-5: 13
McG: 15-15-7: 37

POWER PLAY:
SMU: 1-6
McG: 1-9

GOALTENDERS
SMU: Jillian MacIsaac (L, 1-1, 20 shots, 16 saves, 26:39)
          Jillian Robinson (L, 0-0, 17 shots, 14 saves, 33:21)
McG: Taylor Salisbury (W, 2-0, 13 shots, 11 saves, 60:00)

BLACKBERRY PLAYERS OF THE GAME:
SMU: Kyla Thurston
McG: Vanessa Davidson

REFEREE: Gabrielle Lortie

LINESMEN: Brittany O’Neill, Molly Simon

ATTENDANCE: 587

SEEDINGS, POOLS, SCHEDULE & RESULTS (All times LOCAL: Atlantic Time)

Pool A
1. McGill
4. Saint Mary’s
6. Montreal

Pool B
2. Wilfrid Laurier
3. Alberta
5. StFX

Thursday, March 11
16:00 Pool A #1: No. 1 McGill 3, No. 6 Montreal 1
19:30 Pool B #1: No. 3 Alberta 1, No. 2 Laurier 0

Friday, March 12
16:00 Pool A #2: No. 4 Saint Mary’s 4, No. 6 Montreal 2
19:30 Pool B #2: No. 2 Laurier 3, No. 5 StFX 2

Saturday, March 13
16:00 Pool A #3: No. 1 McGill 7, No. 4 Saint Mary’s 2
19:30 Pool B #3: No. 5 StFX vs. No. 3 Alberta (SSN Canada) 

Sunday, March 14
11:00 5th Place: No. 5 Montreal vs TBD (SSN Canada) 
14:00 Bronze: No. 4 Saint Mary’s vs TBD (SSN Canada) 
18:00 Final: No. 1 McGill vs TBD (SSN Canada)

- CIS -