(MONCTON, N.B.) - The Université de Moncton Aigles Bleues are the winners of the 2014 Subway AUS women's hockey championship for a third time in their history.
Rookie goaltender Gabrielle Forget made 27 saves for Moncton in the winner-take-all matchup.
Amélie Larivière (from Marika Lacroix and Manon Lamarre) in the first period and Catherine Dumas (unassisted) in the second, scored to lead the Aigles Bleues to a 2-0 win over the Mount Allison Mounties in Game 3 of the best 2-of-3 Subway AUS women's hockey championships final series, Saturday.
More than 1,300 spectators were in attendance at the J.-Louis-Lévesque Arena.
The Aigles will now travel to Fredericton on Wednesday for the Scotiabank CIS women's hockey championship being hosted by the St. Thomas University Tommies.
Forget earned a shutout and Subway Player of the Game honours. Kate O'Brien made 28 saves in the loss for the Mounties.
The game was hotly contested in front of a record crowd for women's hockey in Moncton and possibly the AUS. Fans of each team supported their respective teams throughout the game.
There was no third period scoring as each team missed a few scoring chances, but the goaltenders had the last say.
Moncton missed three open nets in the last minute. The Aigles have now won 16 of 19 games in the second semester, despite being in seventh place and at risk of missing the playoffs following first semester play.
It has been quite a few years since the arena vibrated as it did on Saturday evening. Fans showed their appreciation for plays and near misses and were supportive of the saves.
The Aigles received a standing ovation a few times during the game, particularly in the dying seconds. The fans also remained for the awards ceremony following the game. This was the third banner for the Aigles Bleues, who last won it in the 2008-09 season and 2006-07. Moncton took home the CIS bronze medal in 2009.
"We had confidence in our means," said rookie goaltender Gabrielle Forget, who was also named the championship MVP. "It was difficult to concentrate at the beginning, but things were better after a few minutes. I had confidence in my team and especially in the penalty kill situations. We wanted the championship and the intensity was there. This championship gives us confidence heading into the national and we are happy."
"We came close twice in the last four years," said head coach Denis Ross. "I must admit I was very nervous in this series. I knew the power of the Mounties. We were able to better control the middle zone tonight. This is my second championship and much better than the first. The fans were outstanding tonight, the atmosphere was incredible. They were our sixth skater on the ice. We had their support and we could not lose this game. It was very much appreciated and we must thank them."
Source: Moncton Sports Information