The McGill Martlets (4–5) faced cross-town rival and RSEQ top-ranked Université de Montréal (UdeM) Carabins (5–2) at McConnell Arena on Nov. 16. From the sound of the opening buzzer, the Martlets dominated, maintaining the lead with the help of third-year forward Lea Dumais’ decisive hat-trick and ultimately securing a 4–1 victory. This victory was especially meaningful for the Martlets considering their last encounter with the Carabins ended in a 1–3 defeat.

“[The Carabins] are definitely […] very physical,” Dumais said. “We’ve played them a lot in the playoffs, so it’s definitely sometimes a bit emotional, but [they’re] always a fun [team] to play against, and it’s very competitive.”

Within minutes of the opening faceoff, the Martlets kept the Carabins in their defensive zone, setting the tone for the rest of the game. Another precedent set early on was in penalties: Two minutes into the game, third-year forward Stephanie Desjardins was called for interference. Though the Martlets were the first in the penalty box, they did not let this deter them. A structured offence and tight passing gave the Martlets ample opportunity for shots on goal, and on a power play for the Martlets, Dumais scored her first point of the game, assisted by third-year forward Kellyane Lecours and fourth-year defencewoman Kate Devries. 

“[We played] with lots of confidence,” Head Coach Peter Smith said. “We had a great week of practice. The previous weekend, we played well against Concordia, [but then] we didn’t play well against Carleton, and I think that that was a lesson learned. In this league, you have to come out of every game and play hard, and I think that’s what we did today.”

The second period saw the Carabins returning the pressure as both teams found the back of the net, with Dumais scoring her second goal. McGill then surged in the third period, gunning to secure victory. A pair of penalties against Dumais and fifth-year center Nicole Howlett for slashing and hooking, respectively, resulted in a five-on-three Carabins power play. Fourth-year goalie Tricia Deguire defended shot after shot from a hungry Montréal offence, remaining steady on the penalty kill. The Martlets used this newfound resolve to score two goals within the last five minutes of the game: One by Dumais to round-out her hat-trick, and an empty net goal from Desjardins. 

With this victory under their belt, the Martlets feel confident that they can use this momentum to power through the final three games of the semester. 

“Today we played amazing,” Deguire said. “It was really a team effort [….] Right now what we need to do is continue on that track, and if we can play the same as today, we will be really good to go [for the next game].”

The Martlets will face off against the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees (7–5) on Nov. 22. 

Moment of the game

With third-year forward Lea Dumais and fifth-year centre Nicole Howlett in the penalty box, the Martlets had just three skaters on the ice. Thankfully, the Martlets soldiered through the penalty kill, with fourth-year goalie Tricia Deguire keeping the Carabins’ out of her net. 

Quotable

“Every game that we’ve played has been a […] lesson, and […] today is no different. I think our players realize what they’re capable of [….] Every game I think we’ve gotten better and better at understanding that. I have a lot of confidence that we’ll come out and play exactly like that in our remaining three games of our semester.” — Head Coach Peter Smith on the team’s growth

Stat Corner

The Martlets and Carabins kept the penalty box full this game, with seven penalties against the Martlets and five against the Carabins.