After hanging on to a tight 4-3 win against the Montreal Carabins the night before, the McGill Martlets took the ice again on Saturday afternoon against the faltering Ottawa Gee-Gees at McConnell Arena. The Martlets, riding a 13-game winning streak, dominated the contest 6-1 in a lopsided affair and remain in first place atop the CIS standings. McGill was led by third-year forward Katia Clément-Heydra, who tallied a record breaking hat-trick, and continues to build on her breakout season.
McGill got off to a quick start when Clément-Heydra and second-year star Mélodie Daoust combined with second-year defenceman Brittney Fouracres on a goal, just under two minutes into the game. The two teams went on to play a fairly even first period from there, with the Gee-Gees Cindy Laurin converting on a power play at the midway mark of the period to tie the game at 1-1.
However, the dynamic of the game quickly shifted in favour of the Martlets, as both teams entered the second period. More specifically, Clément-Heydra took over the game with a three-goal scoring run, all tallied within the span of 118 seconds. The hat-trick marks a McGill school record. As a result of the Martlet surge, Ottawa was forced to play from behind for the remainder of the period. The Gee-Gees began playing urgently and physically, which was reflected in the five consecutive penalties called against them in the frame. The Martlets finished the period with a 4-1 advantage.
Ultimately, the Gee-Gees never recovered from Clément-Heydra’s ruthless scoring rub, and remained scoreless throughout the rest of the contest. Daoust added the fifth Martlet goal—her CIS-leading 16th of the season—seven minutes into the third period. Second-year centre Erika Pyke put the game away, as she tallied McGill’s last goal on the power play with five minutes remaining in game, sealing the 6-1 victory.
The Martlets have played incredible hockey all season long to stay atop the CIS rankings for the seventh consecutive week—in addition to remaining undefeated in RSEQ conference play.
A healthy mixture of veteran presence and youth has been crucial for the team’s success. Much of this can be credited to the unbelievable talent on McGill’s top line, composed of Daoust, Clément-Hydra, and Leslie Oles. Daoust sits atop the CIS in points (39), with Clément-Hydra (31) and Oles (27) being fourth and seventh overall, respectively. All together, the trio has combined for 97 points in only 13 contests, which is made even more remarkable by the fact that the second-placed points-getter, Amanda Parkins from Guelph, has played in 21 games. Furthermore, the leadership and steady hand of Head Coach Peter Smith, in his 12th season as coach of Martlets, has kept the team focused throughout their dominating efforts. So far, no team in Canada seems to have an answer for this group of women.
The Martlets will look to continue their torrid pace in Ottawa this week, as they face both the Gee-Gees and the Carleton Ravens in a back-to-back beginning on Jan. 25. McGill returns home to battle the Montreal Carabins on Feb. 1.
