Women's Hockey (1-0 RSEQ Playoffs)
Vs. McGill (0-1 RSEQ Playoffs) on Wednesday, February 22, 7:00 p.m. at the uOttawa Minto Sports Complex
1
2
3
Final
Gee-Gees
0
0
2
2
McGill
0
0
0
0
Gee-Gees goal scorers - Leclair (Desforges, Watson) 18:02 3rd period; Lefebvre 19:15 3rd period;
McGill goal scorers- none
With the regular season in the rear view mirror, the Gee-Gees began the first round of the RSEQ playoffs Wednesday evening when they hosted the regular season champion McGill Martlets. The Garnet and Grey fought neck and neck with the Martlets for 60 minutes, ultimately knocking off McGill 2-0 in a stunning upset that gives the Gee-Gees the early series lead.
The Gee-Gees proved that regular season track records do not deserve mention in the post season by shutting out the offensively gifted Martlets for the first time this season. Stephanie Mercier (Smooth Rock Falls, Ont.) backstopped the Gee-Gees with a solid showing, making 37 saves in her first shutout of the season.
"She was in her zone tonight. She was on top of her game and knew what she was doing on every save tonight," said an ecstatic Gee-Gees head coach Yanick Evola. "It is difficult for a rookie to play against the top team in the country, but her hard work has paid off. She deserved that win tonight."
Despite being outshot 37-12, the Gees' defensive play was executed flawlessly, breaking up every offensive chance that the Martlets generated. Multiple Martlet odd-man rushes were broken up and countered by the Gee-Gees.
"We played a solid defensive game tonight, which we have been working on a lot," said Evola. "We shut them down tonight and closed the gaps. You cannot give that team time and space, and we were very good in limiting their chances tonight."
After 58 minutes of exchanging chances, the Gee-Gees finally cracked the goose egg on the scoreboard with a goal from rookie Elarie Leclair (Varennes, Que.) who buried the first goal of the game with a wrist shot that eluded McGill goaltender Charline Labonte. The Gee-Gees faithful erupted with excitement for what was the only time this season that the Gee-Gees have led the Marlets.
Despite relentless third period pressure from the Martlets, the Gee-Gees managed to remain calm and meticulously execute their defensive zone coverage. With McGill goaltender Labonte pulled in the final minute of play, Gee-Gees forward Dominique Lefebvre (Cantley, Que.) potted the Gees' second goal, sending the Martlets home with an early series deficit.
The McGill power play units that lead the country in regular season efficiency went 0-for-4 on the evening, while the Leclair's goal for the Gee-Gees was a power play marker, making the Garnet and Grey go 1-for-1 with the man advantage.
"We played very hard tonight. We played with our hearts and we represented our school very well tonight," said Evola.
32 years later, to the day, the uOttawa Women pulled off a RSEQ playoff version of the infamous Miracle On Ice game, defeating a heavily favored power house and defying all odds.
