MONTREAL -- Sophomore Rosalie Bégin-Cyr from St. Georges, Que., scored in regulation and netted the only post-overtime shootout marker as No.4 ranked Concordia edged second ranked McGill 2-1 in the RSEQ women's hockey season opener, Saturday, at McConnell Arena.
 
It was the first meeting between the bitter cross-town rivals since the Martlets swept the conference semifinal series -- 6-2 and 5-3 --  last spring.  McGill dropped to 87-45-4 in 136 ifetime meetings versus the Stingers since 1997.

The Martlets paid dearly for a bizarre "ineligible participation" penalty incurred by all-star sniper Jade Downie-Landry, just moments after breaking a 0-0 stalemate at 17:11 of the second stanza. Only 78 seconds later, she was whistled for a rarely-known infraction, buried deep in the Hockey Canada Rulebook. 

Hemmed in by the Stingers, Downie-Landry handed her hockey stick to centre Marika Labrecque, who had lost hers during the play. Downie-Landry then picked up her teammates stick only to be whistled down by the referee. Apparently, this was an infraction of Rule 3.2 (a)(b), which indicates that "The only player who can pick up the stick on the ice and use it to participate in the play is the original player who dropped it..."

Only seven seconds after the penalty was called, Bégin-Cyr tallied a power-play marker to tie the game at 1-1, setting the stage for the overtime shootout.
 
"It was a good, fast game with two good teams going hard," said head coach Peter Smith. "I liked our game today and I thought we played well. Our downfall was a number of really good scoring chances that didn't find the back of the net. Overall, it was a really strong performance from everybody."
  
Despite a low-scoring contest, it was end-to-end hockey with Concordia outshooting the hosts 32-27, including a 15-6 edge in the second period. Both sides had premium scoring opportunities, including breakaways and a Kellyanne Lecours shot which had all of the fans at McConnell Arena fooled. Lecours and several teammates even raised their arms in celebration before the reality of superb save by Concordia goaltender Alice Philbert's sunk in.  
 
After a pair of scoreless five-minute overtime periods, Concordia won the shootout session 1-0. Only Bégin-Cyr managed to sneak a five-hole shot past McGill's Trisha Deguire. Three Martlets shooters failed to connect, including Nicole Howlett, plus Downie-Landry and Lecours, who hit the goal-post.
 
Deguire made 31 saves in a losing cause in addition to stopping both Emmy Fecteau and former teammate Olivia Atkinson in the shootout. 
 
"Your best penalty killer has to be your goaltender and I thought she was terrific," noted Smith, whose veteran netminder fended off six of seven shorthanded scenarios, including a double minor called on Downie-Landry midway through the third period for checking to the head.
 
At the other end of the ice, Philbert, who begins her third Stingers season, turned aside 26 pucks for the win.
 
McGill, which had five fewer power-plays than the visitors, went 0-for-2.
 
No rest for the weary as Concordia (1-0-0) returns home for a Sunday matinee against  the Ottawa Gee-Gees (0-0-0) at 3 p.m. The Martlets (0-0-1) play their next game on Friday, Oct. 25 against the Montreal Carabins (1-0-0) at CEPSUM Arena in a 7 p.m. puck drop.
 
SCORING SUMMARY

RSEQ HOCKEY SCOREBOARD, STANDINGS & STATS