VANCOUVER, BC -- Cassandra Vilgrain of Calgary scored the game winner and added an assist as UBC skated to a 3-1 triumph over McGill, Friday, at the 2016 East vs. West Showcase, a six-team tournament, held at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre.

It was their first rendezvous since UBC bounced the Martlets 4-2 in the opening game at the CIS national championship tourney last spring.

McGill was 0-for-6 on the power-play, while UBC was 1-for-5. The Thunderbirds had a decisive 25-11 edge in shots but McGill was missing the firepower of their top two snipers, seniors Melodie Daoust and Gabrielle Davidson. Daoust, the Canadian Olympic gold medallist, is with the national team in Calgary this week, while Davidson is still recovering from injuries suffered last season and didn't make the trip out west.

"I thought we were energetic, played hard, played fast and somewhat disorganized, which I think at this point in the year is [understandable]," said McGill head coach Peter Smith. "I liked what I saw, but I think there's lots to build on."

Vilgrain, a transfer from the NCAA's New Hampshire Wildcats, is the daughter of Claude Vilgrain, who played six years in the NHL, including a stint with the Vancouver Canucks. She set up teammate Logan Boyd to give UBC a 1-0 first-period lead at 8:04, then made it 2-0 at 17:03 of the middle stanza.

McGill forward Marie-Philip Lavoie, a junior from Pohenegamook, Que., narrowed the gap on a shorthanded effort with just 10 seconds remaining in the second period, assisted by veteran rearguard Alison MacKenzie and freshman blueliner Rachel Santino.

With time winding down late in the third period, the Martlets pulled goaltender Tricia Deguire for an extra attacker but the move backfired when UBC's Jenna Carpenter-Boesch found the empty-net at 19:15.

Deguire, a 5-foot-7 freshman from Sherbrooke, Que., kicked aside 22 of 24 shots in a losing cause. Amelia Boughn collected the win between the pipes for UBC, saving 10 of 11 shots.

"[Tricia Deguire] is a good player," noted Smith. "She brings a lot of confidence. It's [impressive] for a girl playing her first CIS opponent against a good team. She made some real good saves and she has a bright future."

McGill, which dropped to 0-2 in preseason play -- including 4-2 exhibition loss to the Montréal Canadiennes of the Canadian Women's Hockey League -- will confront Calgary on Saturday (4 pm Eastern) before wrapping up the tourney against Mt. Royal College on Sunday afternoon.

(LINK TO COMPLETE BOXSCORE)

2016 East vs. West Showcase Tournament schedule:
(ALL TIMES LISTED ARE PACIFIC)

Friday, September 16, 2016
Calgary 3, Northern Alberta Institute of Technology 0 - (box score)
Western 1, Mt. Royal 0 - (box score)
UBC 3, McGill 1 - (box score)

Saturday, September 17, 2016
10:30 a.m. -- Mt. Royal vs. NAIT
1 p.m. -- McGill vs. Calgary
3:30 p.m. -- Western vs. UBC

Sunday, September 18, 2016
7:30 a.m. -- Calgary vs. Western
11 a.m. -- NAIT vs. UBC
1 p.m. -- McGill vs. Mt. Royal -- (game to be played at Father Bauer Arena)

Live statistics for all games can be accessed at: Canada West women's hockey


SOURCE:

SOURCE:
Earl Zukerman
McGill Sports Info office
(514) 398-7012