Nov. 30, 2012 - 7:00 PM

Martlet Hockey vs. Carleton (Home)

Won 4-0 vs Carleton

MONTREAL – Mélodie Daoust of Valleyfield, Que., scored two goals and added a pair of helpers as No.1-ranked McGill blanked the visiting Carleton Ravens 4-0 in CIS women's hockey at McConnell Arena, Friday.

The Martlets extended their record to 13-0 against CIS opponents overall andran their lifetime record against the Ravens to 68-1-1.

McGill dominated from start to finish with a 47-12 advantage in shots against the Ravens, who opted to impose a stifling soccer-style defensive trap with all five skaters remaining below the faceoff circles any time the puck was in their zone.

The system almost worked as sophomore goaltender Eri Kiribuchi, an import from Prague, was at the peak of her game and made 43 saves in a losing cause.  McGill only led 1-0 until early in the third period before the floodgates broke open.

Daoust, who now leads the CIS scoring race with 14 goals and 35 points in just 11 games,  set up linemateChelsea Saunders, a senior from Ottawa, for the game-winner at 3:22 of the opening period, then struck twice in the final period, at the three-minute mark and again at 11:20. She was at it again just over five minutes later, setting up Katia Clement-Heydra, who potted her 10th goal in 11 games. Clement-Heydra, a junior from St. Bruno, Que., also drew three helpers in the contest. She now has tallied 10 points in her last two games and sits third in the RSEQ scoring ace with a 10-14-24 record.

Saunders, who was filling in for sniper Leslie Oles – who missed her second straight game with an upper-body injury -- on the top line, finished with three points.

“That line of 12 (Saunders), 19  (Clement-Heydra)and 17 (Daoust) was really clicking for us tonight, especially in the third period,” said McGill head coach Peter Smith, who was working in his 499th game behind the bench and improved his record to 343-125-31 overall in 13 seasons with the Martlets. “But early on, there were too many times when they should've have shot but passed the puck instead.”

McGill, which has one of the top power-play units in the country, went 0-for-5 with the man-advantage, including a four-minute span after a rare double minor was called in the opening stanza on Carleton rearguard Wendy Abramenko for checking to the head.

“I didn't like our power-play tonight and Carleton hung back and tried to clogged up the middle so it was kind of hard for us to get pucks through,” explained Smith. “Our team is so darn competitive that when it doesn't go well, we kind of press a little bit. We were a little better in the second period but moved the puck much better in the third. That opened up lanes and seams, creating space that we weren't getting earlier.

“There were times tonight where we got away from our game plan and didn't play with the sense of urgency that we are capable of. Experienced teams set their own tempo and because we're a young team, we still struggle with that at times. We're real good at matching the tempo when it is fast but tonight we matched the tempo when it was slow.”

Goaltender Taylor Salisbury, a senior from Surry, B.C., improved to 8-0 on the season and needed only 12 saves for the shutout, her third of the season and 10th career goose-egg in 55 career contests.

McGill will close out the first semester with an exhibition game against the visiting Brown University Bears on Saturday at 3 p.m. The Bears, an NCAA Div. 1 team from Providence, R.I. are 2-7-1 overall but surprised the Montreal Carabins 4-1 on Friday night. They feature a lineup stocked with a dozen Canadians, including three from the Montreal area. McGill is 14-8-0 overall, including an 0-6-0 record against NCAA squads.

MARTLET MURMURS: McGill captain Darragh Hamilton was shaken up in a second-period collision behind the Carleton net. The senior from Ormstown, Que., was down for a few minutes before hobbling off the ice with what appeared to be an injured right leg. She did not return in the third period and her status appeared somewhat doubtful for the game against Brown.

SOURCE: Earl Zukerman, McGill Sports Info Office, 514-398-7012

SCORING SUMMARY

Carleton 0 at McGill 4

(Friday, November 30, 2012 - McConnell Arena @ McGill)

GOALS BY PERIOD:
Carleton 0-0-0 -- 0
McGill 1-0-3 -- 4

1st Period-
1, McGill, Chelsea Saunders 4 (Clement-Heydra, Daoust), 3:22.

Penalties-
Plourde Car (hooking), 6:42;
Gjerde Car (interference), 14:05;
Abramenko Car (dble minor for check to the head), 17:26.

2nd Period-
(No Scoring).

Penalties-
Abramenko Car (delay of game), 5:05;
Pyke Mcg (bodychecking), 11:02;
Davidson Mcg (interference on goaltender), 19:53.

3rd Period-
2, McGill, Melodie Daoust 13 (Clement-Heydra), 3:00.
3, McGill, Melodie Daoust 14 (Clement-Heydra, Saunders), 11:20.
4, McGill, Katia Clement-Heydra 10 (Daoust, Saunders), 16:41.

Penalties-
(None)

Shots on Goal-
Carleton 4-4-4 -- 12.
McGill 17-15-15 -- 47.

Power Play Opportunities-
Carleton 0 / 2;
McGill 0 / 5.

Goalies-
Carleton, Eri Kiribuchi (L, 2-4-0, 47 shots-43 saves; 60:00).
McGill, Taylor Salisbury (W, 8-0-0, 12 shots-12 saves; 60:00).

Attendance: 78

Start: 7:00 PM
End: 8:51 PM
Length: 1:51

Referees-Genevieve Bordeleau.

Linesmen-Lysanne Patry , Pascal Ouimet.

THREE STARS:

1. MCG - 19 Katia Clement-Heydra
2. MCG - 17 Melodie Daoust
3. MCG - 1 Taylor Salisbury