McGill women’s hockey (3–6) fell 1–2 to top-ranked Concordia (8–1) in a fast-paced game on Nov. 24. Concordia gained the upper hand early, scoring just 55 seconds into the first period. The Martlets allowed a second goal on a power play later in the period, after third-year centre Marika Labrecque was called for a penalty. The period ended with six shots on goal for the Martlets and eight for the Stingers.
“I feel good about our team,” Martlet Head Coach Peter Smith said. “The reality is that we’ve had three games [where] I thought we played real well, [but] we came out [on] the short end.”
The second period saw an uptick in momentum for the Martlets with 14 shots on goal to 10 from Concordia. Fourth-year forward Léa Dumais put McGill on the scoreboard with a goal poked past the Concordia defence after a struggle around the net, assisted by fourth-year defence Rachel Santini and third-year forward Christiana Colizza. This was Dumais’s fourth goal in three games. The second period also saw Concordia’s only penalty, given for interference, handing McGill a power play 15 minutes into the period. McGill was unable to score again; however, the next two power plays for the Stingers produced no goals, demonstrating the Martlets’ strong defence and performance under pressure.
“The game started at three o’clock and we didn’t start playing at three o’clock,” Smith said. “Against a team like that you have to play a full 60 minutes, and we got probably a good 45 [minutes] out of it, but we didn’t get 60.”
Both teams kept a clean slate in the third period, with a game total of 24 shots on goal for both teams. The pace of play picked up in the third period with McGill skating hard and fast in an attempt to even the score. While the Martlets could not put themselves back on the score sheet, they remain hopeful for their final game before the break.
“We only have one game left, so we obviously want to finish on a high note,” Smith said. “We are playing [University of Ottawa] next Saturday, and we would like to do well, and we need to get some healthy bodies back.”
The break promises to give the Martlets a chance to recuperate from the first half of the season and focus on moving forward and qualifying for the provincial and national championships, coming in February and March, respectively.
The Martlets next face the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees (4–5) at home on Nov. 30.
Moment of the Game
Assisted by Rachel Santini and Chistiana Colizza, fourth-year forward Léa Dumais scored her fourth goal in two home games in the second period. In the 2018-19 season, Dumais became the fourth highest scoring player in Martlet hockey history.
Quotable
“I like what we have going on and I feel good about our team. We work hard.” – Head Coach Peter Smith on the Martlets moving into the second half of the season.
Stat Corner
Fourth-year goaltender Tricia Deguire made 22 saves, demonstrating why she was invited to the USports Summer Showcase Tournament in August 2019.
