OTTAWA – Rookie Taylor Garcia of Ottawa, scored her first career collegiate goal, shorthanded at 5:25 of the middle period, and freshman Jade Rivard-Coulombe registered a 19-save shutout, as McGill blanked Carleton 1-0 in a women's hockey thriller at the CU Icehouse, Saturday.
 
It was the Martlets first 1-0 victory in 50 games overall, since they blanked Ottawa to win the rubber match of the Quebec conference semifinal series on March 6, 2022. And the last time that McGill produced a 1-0 win in regular season play was a home-ice decision over Ottawa on Feb. 9, 2019.
 
Garcia's game-winning tally was a highlight reel extravaganza. McGill was in the late stages of killing a slashing penalty to Cassidy Stasiuk early in the middle stanza. Some 29 seconds before it expired, freshman Vienna Rubin of West Vancouver, B.C., pounced on loose puck near the McGill blue line and raced along the boards past an Ottawa rearguard on a 2-on-1 break with Garcia. Rubin then went deep into the left corner of the offensive zone boards and fed a nifty pass to Garcia, who had snuck into the slot area. The 18-year-old Arts & Science freshman deftly redirected the pass into the top-right corner of the net, as skilled a play that one would see at the NHL level.
 
It was the second career shutout for Rivard-Coulombe, a 20-year-old from Chateauguay, Que. The 5-foot-10 puck-stopper had previously served up her inaugural whitewash in her first career start and team's second preseason contest, with 30 saves in a 4-0 win over visiting St. Thomas University on Sept. 23.
 
In the frantic final few minutes of the game, Carleton was unable to pull goaltender Caitlin Whitehead for an extra attacker as an aggressive McGill forecheck buzzed around the Ravens zone like bees to honey. Whitehead, who was credited with 20 saves in a losing cause, made a plethora of spectacular stops in the last 30 seconds.
 
The Martlets, who held a 21-19 edge in shots, went 0-for-5 on the power-play and erased all three shorthanded situations.

The result improved McGill's lifetime head-to-head record to 107-9-1 lifetime against the Ravens.
 
Next on tap for McGill (2-2-0) will be Bishop's (2-1-0), which is scheduled to visit McConnell Arena on Nov. 3 at 7 p.m. Carleton (0-4-0) will host the Montreal Carabins (1-1-1) on the same evening.
 
SCORING SUMMARY
 
McGill's OVERALL SCORING LEADERS
 
U SPORTS STANDINGS
 
SOURCE:
Earl Zukerman
Sports Information Officer
Athletics & Recreation
McGill University
CELL: 514-983-7012
E-MAIL:earl.zukerman@mcgill.ca