Alice Walker

Alice Walker

In Sunday’s matchup between the McGill Martlets and the Carleton Ravens, captain Cathy Chartrand carried McGill, scoring twice en route to a 6-1 victory. The win extended McGill’s undefeated streak against QUHL opponents to an impressive 86 games and improved their all-time head-to-head record against Carleton to a dominant 53-0-1.

While the score mimicked McGill’s last victory against Carleton, the play was noticeably different. Carleton played harder and pressured the Martlets more. Unfortunately for the Ravens, hard work alone wasn’t enough. Centre Olivia Sutter was injured blocking a shot from McGill defenceman Stacie Tardif, which resulted in a goal by Lainie Smith. Three other players also suffered various injuries during the game.

McGill got off to a roaring start when Jordanna Peroff put her team up one just 8:54 into the game. Chartrand and sniper Ann-Sophie Bettez also contributed to put McGill up 3-0 by the end of the first period.

In the second period, however, momentum began to shift. The Martlets were often caught flat-footed and were complacent in their own zone. Consequently, Carleton was able to put more shots on net and keep the play in McGill’s zone. Ravens defenceman Victoria Gouge scored the only goal in the period, slipping the puck low pad side by a besieged Charline Labonte.

“We played a very disappointing second period,” said Head Coach Peter Smith. “We just sat there and watched the play develop. Luckily, the girls picked it up in the third.”

Chartrand led the way, blasting a hard shot past Ravens netminder Victoria Powers to make the game 4-1. She also shut down play in her own zone and led the Martlet’s transition attack. The team responded to her example and were noticeably faster on the puck after the goal.

“Cathy just held us accountable for our play that period. She told us we were off our game and we had to step it up,” forward Leslie Oles said. “We really respect what she has to say. She is our hardest worker and as a rookie, I just try to take in as much as possible.”

Chartrand’s two-goal night improved her total to nine points, which leads the CIS among blueliners.

When asked about the key to her offence, she just shrugged and said, “It’s always been a part of my game. I have a hard shot and I like to use it. This year though, I have learned to pick my spots better, so that’s probably why I am scoring more.”

The Martlets will try to extend their QUHL winning streak Saturday against the University of Montreal at 8 p.m. at McConnell Arena.