MONTREAL -- Rookie Alexandria Serpico set up two early markers and goaltender Brittany Smrke earned a 12-save shutout as the top-ranked McGill women's hockey team raised the banner on a new season with a hard-earned 3-0 whitewash over the No.2-Montreal Carabins at McConnell Arena, Friday.

It improved McGill's lifetime record against their bitter archrivals to 34-7-0 overall, including 16-4-0 on home ice.

The soiree started off on the right foot with a pre-game ceremony to officially unveil the team's fourth CIS national championship banner, won in Fredericton last spring with a 4-3 double overtime victory over the Carabins. Fittingly, the evening was capped off with another conquest over the Carabins and the cherry on top was the presentation of CIS championship rings to the team, in a post-game reception before alumni, family and friends at the arena's Alumni Lounge.

Serpico, an arts freshman from Calgary, assisted on goals by Stefanie Pohlod and Gabrielle Davidson goals at 2:51 and 6:47, respectively. And that quite simply took the air out of the Carabins sails.

Smrke, an industrial relations sophomore from Oakville,  and the Martlets suffocating defence shut the door the rest of the way, liniting the Carabins to just 12 shots in the entire game.

Senior defenceman Brittney Fouracres, who scored the aforementioned double overtime  game-winner to give McGill the CIS title, added a third-period insurance marker at 6:27, converting a pass from Leslie Oles, to put the contest out of reach.

McGill was 1-for-6 on the power-play, while the Carabins were 0-for-5.

The win over the Carabins snapped McGill's five-game losing streak -- all to NCAA squads -- and improved the team's overall record to 3-1-0 against CIS opponents. It also upped head coach Peter Smith's lifetime mark behind the McGill bench to 401-143-31 overall.

The Carabins (1-1-0) will play at Carleton (1-0-0) on Sunday.

McGill (1-0-0) now begins a home-and-home series with Ottawa (1-1-0). They play in the nation's capital on Sunday at 2 p.m., then will host the Gee-Gees on Nov. 1 at 3 p.m.

MARTLET MURMURS: Forward Logan Murray, who had graduated last spring, has decided to rejoin the team for a fifth season... She is the second member of last year's championship squad to have a change of heart, joining rearguard Michelle Daigneault, who made the decision to return for a fifth year in late July... Former Martlets Darragh Hamilton, Nicole Spadotto and goaltender Andrea Weckman, were in town to receive their championship rings and were called upon to perform the ceremonial faceoff... Taking over from Hamilton for her first official league game as the new captain was Katia Clement-Heydra., who heads a leadership group with alterate captains Leslie Oles, Brittney Fouracres and Adrienne Crampton... Other alumni on hand for the festivities included Shauna Denis, who captained the Martlets to their first CIS title in 2007-08, in addition to three-time Olympian gold medallist Kim St-Pierre, Gillian Merrifield, Paula Paula Mailloux-Albiani, Kim Ton-That, Dana Rittmaster, Adrienne Saba, Christine Hartnoll, Sophie Acheson, Alyssa Cecere, Suzie Fujiki, Rebecca Martindale, Amey Doyle, Jasmine Sheehan, Lisa Zane, Gabby Smith and Britt Privee.

SEE COMPLETE BOXSCORE

SCORING SUMMARY
Montreal 0 at McGill 3
(Friday, October 24, 2014 - McConnell Arena @ McGill)

GOALS BY PERIOD:
Montreal 0-0-0 -- 0
McGill 2-0-1 -- 3

1st Period-
1, McGill, Stefanie Pohlod 1 (Serpico, Lavoie), 2:51.
2, McGill, Gabrielle Davidson 1 (Serpico), 6:47.

Penalties-Duval Mtl (bodychecking), 0:48; Pohlod Mcg (holding), 3:58; Barker Mtl (dble minor for check to the head), 10:46; Oles Mcg (hooking), 14:54.

2nd Period-
(No Scoring).

Penalties-Delorme Mtl (hooking), 10:25; Oles Mcg (interference), 14:57; Pyke Mcg (delay of game), 19:57.

3rd Period-
3, McGill, Brittney Fouracres 1 (Oles), 6:27 (PP).

Penalties-Charlebois Mtl (hooking), 4:47; Mantha Mtl (bodychecking), 7:46; Pohlod Mcg (tripping), 15:51.

Shots on Goal-
Montreal 5-4-3-12.
McGill 8-6-6-20.

Power Play Opportunities-
Montreal 0 / 5;
McGill 1 / 6.

Goalies-
Montreal, Elodie Rousseau-Sirois (L, 1-1-0, 20 shots-17 saves; 60:00).
McGill, Brittany Smrke (W, 1-0-0, 12 shots-12 saves; 60:00).

Attendance: 230
Start: 7:00 PM
End: 8:56 PM
Length: 1:56

Referee-Vanessa Morin.
Linesmen-Stephanie Gagnon, Audrey St-Pierre.

THREE STARS:
1. MCG - 9 Alexandria Serpico
2. MCG - 14 Brittney Fouracres
3. MTL - 84 Ariane Barker