Coming back after a disappointing loss against third-in-the-standings Université de Montréal’s Carabins (13–9–2) on Feb. 9, the Martlets returned to the ice against the University of Ottawa’s Gee-Gees (7–12–5) on Feb. 11. The physical game was also the senior salute, which gave graduating students a thrill going into their final game against Carleton. 

Before the game started, the graduating players were called to a red carpet in the middle of the ice to take photos with the Martlet hockey coaches and their parents. The rest of the Martlets lined up to the side, tapping their sticks and cheering when each senior’s name was called.

Both teams were evenly matched in possession in the first 10 minutes. 11 minutes into the opening period, the Martlets took advantage of a power play to open the scoring with a clinical finish by first-year defenceman Meganne Chailler to open the scoring for the afternoon. Whoops and cheers filled through McConnell Arena. A minute and a half later, defenceman Mia Giles put another one through the net, making it 2-0 for McGill. 

The Gee-Gees fought back aggressively in response. Six minutes into the period, defenceman Reece Mepham accidentally knocked down a referee. A commotion ensued as the referee team called for Mepham to be taken off for physical abuse of an official, which the Gee-Gees coaches contested. Yet the 5-minute match penalty was awarded as Mepham was evicted from the match. 

Just as the power play ended, Giles encircled the Gee-Gees net again, giving the Martlets a 3-0 advantage with only two seconds left on the clock.  

In the second period, the Gee-Gees dominated and played cleanly, scoring early to make McGill work to hang onto their lead. Ottawa eventually broke through 11 minutes in, with forward Arianne Gagnon scoring to make it 3-2. Despite letting a goal in, McGill goaltender Jade Rivard-Coulombe remained a brick wall, saving the numerous shots hurtled toward the net. 

The tension became palpable in the arena during the third period. Gee-Gees forward Béatrice Bilodeau scored within the first 30 seconds from close range. But the 3-2 win still seemed safe for the team. However, in the last 20 seconds, the Gee-Gees swarmed the McGill net again. Forward Katherine Birkby scored, tying the game 3-3. 

As the game carried into overtime, the atmosphere was tense: The Martlets were pushing for their first home win of the season. But the deadlock would not last long. With 45 seconds left, Giles shot on the Gee-Gees from mid-range, swiftly landing it in the net and giving the Martlets a victory. 

Head coach Alyssa Cecere spoke to //The Tribune/ about how the Martlets headed off Ottawa’s tenacity throughout the match. 

“Ottawa’s an aggressive team and they don’t back off,” Cecere recounted. “We knew that was coming, but they gave us a good game and it was a good game overall.”

Going into their last game, senior forward Meg Harley highlighted the significance of Sunday’s win.

“We got one more left, so it’s bittersweet, but I mean for us to win our first home game tonight was really special,” Harley said. “We’re out of the playoffs now, but we still want to win and we still want to upset these teams. To disappoint [the Gee-Gees] was very exciting for us and hopefully we will carry that on to next week.” 

The Martlets (4–18–1) will be facing off against Carleton University’s Ravens (7–15–1), who are currently second to last in the Réseaux du sport étudiant au Québec’s (RSEQ) standings.

Quotable 

“It was just incredible. Our first period as a team was solid. I want to give kudos to the people who assisted the goals, because it wouldn’t have happened without them. But yeah, it was just really cool to put out a win today as a team [….] We stayed really disciplined and we were able to take the hits.”

– Defenceman Giles on the team’s victory in the tense match 

Moment of the Game 

The first 20 seconds of overtime were evenly matched, and then McGill took the puck. Chailler sprinted around the goal, drew in the Gee-Gee defenders, then passed it to Giles, who shot from mid-range, winning the game. 

Stat corner

The match featured eight power plays. The Martlets scored on two out of their five, while the Gee-gees scored on two out of their three.