FINAL: CIS championship: Pandas put an end to Martlets 86-game winning streak with a 2-0 win

FINAL: CIS championship: Pandas put an end to Martlets 86-game winning streak with a 2-0 win

Courtesy StFX sports information

ANTIGONISH, N.S. (CIS) – The Alberta Pandas are the 2010 CIS women’s ice hockey champions. The Pandas entered the tournament as the No. 3 seed and knocked off the No. 1 McGill Martlets with a 2-0 gold medal victory Sunday evening at the StFX Keating Centre.

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

Video

CIS women's hockey championship game Alberta defeats McGill 2-0 to capture the 2010 CIS women's ice hockey crown at the Keating Millenium Centre in Antigonish, NS

CIS women's hockey championship - Bronze medal game The Laurier Golden Hawks shut out the SMU Huskies for the bronze medal at the 2010 CIS women's ice hockey championship in Antigonish, NS.

CIS women's hockey - 5th place game Montréal def. StFX 1-0 to finish fifth at the CIS women's ice hockey championship in Antigonish, NS.

With the win, the Pandas have the distinction of being the team who halted the Martlets historic 86 game unbeaten streak against CIS opponents, dating back to Dec. 30, 2007. It was the Pandas who also beat the Martlets back on that date, a 2-1 shootout victory. The Pandas have also stopped McGill’s 20 game unbeaten streak in post-season play, dating back to Alberta’s 4-0 win in the 2007 CIS gold medal game.

“I feel a great sense of relief,” commented Pandas head coach Howie Draper after the championship game. “It’s been a tough road for this team but we came together at exactly the right time and it’s a great feeling.”

Championship Most Valuable Player Alberta defender Stephanie Ramsay (Charlottetown) had nothing but credit for her teammates commenting, “the individual honor of CIS championship MVP is great but it’s not about that. I couldn’t have done what I did without my teammates.”

The Pandas were backstopped by stellar goaltending throughout the championship as goaltender Dana Vinge (Edmonton) did not allow a goal against in three tournament games, earning all three wins in the Pandas net. “It is an awesome reward for all the hard work our team put forth this year,” said Vinge. “I feel like I didn’t have to do much because my teammates played amazing defense, blocking shots and everything and I just did what I had to do.”

It was Melody Howard (Grand Prairie, AB)’s unassisted goal 6:09 into the first period that held up as the game winner for Alberta. Forward Alana Cabana (Edmonton) added to the lead with a late second period marker as she banged in a loose puck, and Vinge held strong in the Pandas net with 18 saves to help lead the Pandas to victory.

Both teams started the game fast and furious, creating end to end action in search of the first goal of the game. Alberta had an early power play opportunity and registered three shots on goal.

The Pandas got to the Martlets early in the game when Howard skated in on the right wing and let a shot go on McGill goaltender Taylor Salisbury (Surrey, BC) who made the save but coughed up a rebound right back to Howard. She made no mistake on her second chance, beating Salisbury on a quick shot, high over the glove shoulder. The goal came unassisted 6:09 into the first period.

McGill had a power play chance with just over four minutes left in the period but they couldn’t get set up. Vanessa Davidson (Kirkland, QC) had a quick shot on Vinge who handled the puck.

The Pandas closed out the period with an 8-4 lead in shots over the defending champion Martlets.

Second period play featured a lot of back and forth action from one end to the other with not a lot of big scoring chances on the part of either side until the latter half of the period.

Stacie Tardif (Ste. Anne de Bellevue, QC) let go a shot from the point which was tipped wide by Rebecca Martindale (Kingston, ON) with just over three minutes to play in one of the Martlets best scoring chances of the period.

McGill went on the power play with 2:38 left in the period, but that was quickly negated by a Davidson holding call 20 seconds later. With some open ice during 4-on-4 action, Ramsay initiated the Pandas second goal. Her shot from the point bounced off a body in front of the net and hit the goal post, then as the loose puck was bouncing around, Cabana got her stick on it and buried it into the McGill net. Tarin Podloski (St. Albert. AB) assisted on the play as the goal was scored with just 1:11 left on the clock.

The Pandas took a 2-0 lead to the dressing room after 40 minutes of play, out shooting the Martlets 6-3 in the period and 14-7 in the game thus far.

Both teams exchanging scoring chances in the opening four minutes of the third period as the Martlets were urgent to get back into contention and the Pandas wanted to put the gold medal game away. Davidson had a blistering shot on the power play which was turned aside by Vinge. 

Martlets defender Cathy Chartrand (Lac Nominingue, QC) had a hard shot from the point on Vinge with over nine minutes to play but Vinge handled the puck and kept her 0.00 goals against average over the course of the championship in tact. Just over a minute later McGill was pressuring the Pandas net and had several consecutive shots but still could not convert.

The two-time defending CIS champions kept shooting away, however, and almost scored on a goal net scramble with just over five minutes to play. The Martlets momentum was halted with a Chartrand penalty for body checking at 15:47. Following the penalty kill the time simply ran out on the Martlets, as did their record run of 86 consecutive games against CIS opponents without a loss.

As for Alberta, they claim their 7th overall CIS championship banner and first since 2007. The Pandas were 3-0 in championship action and did not allow a goal scored against them the entire weekend. They skated to 1-0 and 2-0 round robin victories over No. 2 Wilfrid Laurier and No. 5 StFX en route to the gold medal game.

Second year Pandas defender Stephanie Ramsay was named the Tournament Most Valuable Player in addition to her selection to the tournament all-star team. Joining her on the championship all-star squad were teammates Leah Copeland (forward) and Dana Vinge (goalie), along with defender Cathy Chartrand from McGill, forward Andrea Ironside from Wilfrid Laurier and forward Kyla Thurston from Saint Mary’s. StFX goaltender Katie Harvieux was awarded the R. W. Pugh Fair Play award for sportsmanship.


SCORING SUMMARY 

Alberta 2, McGill 0

FIRST PERIOD

SCORING:
1. ALB Melody Howard (1) (unassisted), 6 :09.

PENALTIES:
Ann-Sophie Bettez (McG) roughing, 00:46; Melody Howard (ALB) hooking, 15:27; Jasmine Sheehan (McG) interference, 17:48; Tarin Podloski (ALB) checking, 18:50. 


SECOND PERIOD

SCORING:
2. ALB Alana Cabana (1) (Tarin Podloski), 18:49.

PENALTIES:
Rayanne Reeve (ALB) hooking, 00:57; Jennifer Jubb (ALB) body contact, 12:35; Sarah Hilworth (ALB) checking, 17:23; Vanessa Davidson (McG) holding, 17:43.   


THIRD PERIOD

SCORING:
No scoring.

PENALTIES:
Lindsie Fairfield (ALB) holding the stick, 4:25; Vanessa Davidson (McG) tripping, 6:40; Cathy Chartrand (McG) body contact 15:47.


GOALS (by period)
ALB: 1-1-0: 2
McG: 0-0-0: 0

SHOTS ON GOAL (by period)
ALB: 8-6-10: 24
McG: 4-3-11: 18

POWER PLAY:
ALB: 0-5
McG: 0-6

GOALTENDERS
ALB: Dana Vinge (W, 3-0, 18 shots, 18 saves, 60:00)
McG: Taylor Salisbury (L, 2-1, 24 shots, 22 saves, 60:00)

BLACKBERRY PLAYERS OF THE GAME:
ALB: Jennifer Jubb
McG: Ann-Sophie Bettez

REFEREE: Gabrielle Lortie

LINESMEN: Allison Smith, Brittany O’Neill

ATTENDANCE: 853

CHAMPIONSHIP ALL-STARS 

Tournament MVP

#23 Stephanie Ramsay, Alberta

Tournament All-Stars

G - #1 Dana Vinge, Alberta
D - #23 Stephanie Ramsay, Alberta
D - #8 Cathy Chartrand, McGill
F - #66 Andrea Ironside, Laurier
F - #14 Leah Copeland, Alberta
F - #21 Kyla Thurston, Saint Mary's

R.W. Pugh Fair Play Award

#29 Katie Harvieux, St.FX

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 0 vs. No. 3 Alberta 2 

Sunday, March 14
11:00 5th Place: No. 6 Montreal 1 vs No. 5 StFX 0
14:00 Bronze: No. 4 Saint Mary’s 0 vs No. 2 Laurier 4
18:00 Final: No. 3 Alberta 2 vs No. 1 McGill 0


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