The McGill Martlets skated into Ed Meagher Arena last Friday riding a 12 game winning streak. When the evening was over, they left the arena with the beginnings of a slump.
The Concordia Stingers came out strong despite an hour’s delay and shoddy ice conditions to up-end their cross-town rivals 4-2.
The game got under way at about 9 p.m., instead of the scheduled 8 p.m.. The ice glistened with water, wreaking havoc for both teams who were having trouble keeping their balance.
It took both sides a few minutes to get adjusted, after which the game became extremely physical.
It was apparent that the Martlets were intent on winning this game with their strong offence, but Concordia goaltender Jessica Anderson was quick on her feet throughout the night.
“Defensive zone coverage is one of things we still have to work on,” Stingers’ Head Coach Les Lawton said. “Our goaltender made key saves, I’m very happy about the way she played tonight.”
Concordia right wing Myriam Boudreau got the Stingers on the scoreboard just over 6 minutes into the first period.
McGill replied four minutes later with a questionable goal due to the fact that it was called after the referee had blown the whistle.
Although Concordia’s defensive zone coverage did not improve, Anderson took it upon herself to protect her crease with several spectacular saves.
A Concordia power play in the final few minutes of the opening frame nearly gave Concordia the lead, but the Martlets shut the door and the teams headed to the locker room in a 1-1 deadlock.
Powerful Stinger centre Dominique Rancour scored the first of her three goals on the night four minutes into the second period when she banged in a rebound past the McGill goaltender.
Martlet Sarah Lomas evened out the score a minute later by skating behind the Concordia net and sinking in a backhand goal.
The tempers of both clubs began to flare from that point and they climaxed when Concordia captain Anne-Marie Breton-Lebreux was ejected for hitting from behind.
“We were pretty upset when Anne-Marie was ejected,” assistant Marie-Claude Allard said. ” [But] we decided not to let it bother us and we told ourselves to win this game for her, which is exactly what we did.”
The condition of the ice deteriorated in the third period to the point that the puck would stop dead in its tracks.
McGill began to show signs of fatigue, and the Stingers took advantage.
Rancour had the puck on a string throughout most of the third period, scoring her second goal on a breakaway only three minutes into the final stanza.
Racour potted her third goal of the night with 11:35 to go, to put the nail in the Martlets’ coffin.
The Stingers and Martlets have two match-ups remaining in the regular season, and confidence is running high amongst the Concordia women.
“We really deserved this win today,” beamed Rancour. “We clearly are the stronger team, and we don’t think we’ll win our series against them, we know we will.”
The Stingers begin the second half of the year when they host the Theresa Humes women’s hockey tournament in early January.
The Concordia Stingers came out strong despite an hour’s delay and shoddy ice conditions to up-end their cross-town rivals 4-2.
The game got under way at about 9 p.m., instead of the scheduled 8 p.m.. The ice glistened with water, wreaking havoc for both teams who were having trouble keeping their balance.
It took both sides a few minutes to get adjusted, after which the game became extremely physical.
It was apparent that the Martlets were intent on winning this game with their strong offence, but Concordia goaltender Jessica Anderson was quick on her feet throughout the night.
“Defensive zone coverage is one of things we still have to work on,” Stingers’ Head Coach Les Lawton said. “Our goaltender made key saves, I’m very happy about the way she played tonight.”
Concordia right wing Myriam Boudreau got the Stingers on the scoreboard just over 6 minutes into the first period.
McGill replied four minutes later with a questionable goal due to the fact that it was called after the referee had blown the whistle.
Although Concordia’s defensive zone coverage did not improve, Anderson took it upon herself to protect her crease with several spectacular saves.
A Concordia power play in the final few minutes of the opening frame nearly gave Concordia the lead, but the Martlets shut the door and the teams headed to the locker room in a 1-1 deadlock.
Powerful Stinger centre Dominique Rancour scored the first of her three goals on the night four minutes into the second period when she banged in a rebound past the McGill goaltender.
Martlet Sarah Lomas evened out the score a minute later by skating behind the Concordia net and sinking in a backhand goal.
The tempers of both clubs began to flare from that point and they climaxed when Concordia captain Anne-Marie Breton-Lebreux was ejected for hitting from behind.
“We were pretty upset when Anne-Marie was ejected,” assistant Marie-Claude Allard said. ” [But] we decided not to let it bother us and we told ourselves to win this game for her, which is exactly what we did.”
The condition of the ice deteriorated in the third period to the point that the puck would stop dead in its tracks.
McGill began to show signs of fatigue, and the Stingers took advantage.
Rancour had the puck on a string throughout most of the third period, scoring her second goal on a breakaway only three minutes into the final stanza.
Racour potted her third goal of the night with 11:35 to go, to put the nail in the Martlets’ coffin.
The Stingers and Martlets have two match-ups remaining in the regular season, and confidence is running high amongst the Concordia women.
“We really deserved this win today,” beamed Rancour. “We clearly are the stronger team, and we don’t think we’ll win our series against them, we know we will.”
The Stingers begin the second half of the year when they host the Theresa Humes women’s hockey tournament in early January.
