Quebec conference hockey finals: Carabins-Martlets playoff preview
MONTREAL -The No.1-ranked McGill Martlets will put their 82-game win streak on the line as they will be looking to strike first in the Quebec university women's hockey League Championship Series, a best-of-three affair for the Dr. Ed Enos trophy. that opens tonight at McConnell Arena against the No.10-ranked Montreal Carabins.
Game 2 is scheduled for Friday at U de M's CEPSUM arena and if a deciding game is needed, it is slated for Sunday at 2 p.m. in McConnell Arena, which is located at 3883 University, behind Molson Stadium.
Tickets are only $10 for adults, $5 for students and seniors and free for children 12 and under.
For those unable to attend in person, all games from the QSSF final series are scheduled to be webcast at the Streaming Sports Network, which can be found online at: www.ssncanada.ca
The Martlets are guided by Amey Doyle, who won the league's coach-of-the-year honours in her first year behind the bench. She tepped up from her assistant coaching role to replace Peter Smith, who took a one-year sabbatical to serve as an assistant with the gold-medal winning Canadian Olympic team. McGill posted an unblemished record for the third straight season, finishing with a 20-0 record in league play, outscoring opponents 79-18. Overall, McGill owns a 28-0 record against CIS teams this season, including a 2-0 mark in post-season play.
McGill is led by first-team all-stars Vanessa Davidson of Kirkland, Ann-Sophie Bettez of Sept-Iles, Que., and league MVP Cathy Chartrand, a 5-foot-10 rearguard from Lac Nominingue, Que.
Davidson, a fifth-year centre, captured the league scoring championship with points, including 13 goals in 20 games. Bettez, her third-year linemate, tallied a league-leading 22 goals, two shy of the league record, and 30 points in 18 contests. Chartrand was the top-scoring rearguard in the nation with a 10-18-28 record in 20 contests.
The Martlets swept their five-game season-series with the Carabins, a new expansion team in the Quebec conference, outscoring them by a 24-8 margin. However, the Martlets did need overtime to win one of their match-ups, a 3-2 victory at McConnell Arena on Nov. 7. McGill went 6-for-21 on the power-play against the Carabins and snuffed out 19 of 21 penalty-killing situations, scoring a pair of shorthanded markers. The Martlets outscored Montreal 6-1 in the opening period and 13-1 in the middle stanza. They each tallied four goals in the third period and McGill had a 1-0 advantage in overtime.
Under the guidance of head coach Isabelle Leclaire, Montreal finished second with a 13-6-1 record, outscoring opponents 58-55. In the playoffs, U de M won their semifinal playoff series 2-1 against the Ottawa Gee-Gees.
SOURCE:
Earl Zukerman
Communications Officer
McGill Athletics & Recreation
514-398-7012