MONTREAL – Vienna Rubin tallied three points and Mika Chang scored in double overtime as the McGill women's hockey team upset the No. 10-ranked Montreal Carabins 4-3 in a memorable Grey Cup Sunday matinee at Place Bell.
 
The result avenged Friday's 2-1 double overtime loss against U de M and was McGill's first win of the regular season, halting an 0-5-1 winless streak. It also snapped a six-game slide to the Carabins, improving McGill's lifetime head-to-head series record to 61-40-0.
 
"It was a back-and forth game, we kept pushing and they pushed back," said McGill bench boss Alyssa Cecere. "It was a fun game to coach. Sometimes you work hard get lots of chances but don't get the breaks. But we finally got them today. Kudos to our players. They've been working really hard, haven't shown any signs of giving up and have improved every game. So it's good to work with a group like that."

In a contest that featured four lead changes, the teams were tied 1-1 after the first period, 2-2 after two and 3-3 after three.  The first overtime, a five-minute 4-on-4 session, was scoreless. It wasn't until the teams dropped down to a frantic 3-on-3 that a winner was finally declared when veteran rearguard Elizabeth Mura tapped a timid pass back to Chang behind her own net. Chang, a bio-engineering senior from Toronto, then streaked up the ice, working a 2-on-1 with rookie Katya Blong and fired home a rebound at the 1:50 mark. It was her team-leading fifth of the season – and second game-winner – in 13 games, counting non-conference play.
 
Rubin, who had no goals in her freshman season, now has four in 13 games overall. She was a force to be reckoned with, scoring twice and adding a helper. She assisted on McGill's first goal, by Taylor Garcia that tied the game at 1-1, then scored twice to put the Martlets ahead 2-1 and 3-2.

"Vienna had a great game and is a key player for us on both sides of the puck, offensively and defensively," Cecere said. "She's probably been our most consistent player this season, works really hard and puts in extra time. So it's nice to see her rewarded for that and I'm very happy for her."

Scoring for the Carabins was defender Audrey Gervais, along with forwards Juliette Rolland and Catherine Proulx. Rolland was also assessed a bizarre hooking penalty called at 14:18 of the third period moments after Montreal had knotted the score at 3-3. Rolland somehow managed to get her stick tangled in the hair of McGill forward Anika Cormier. When Rolland pulled, Cormier fell and lost a chunk of hair. The game was delayed for a few moments to clear the loose hair off the ice.
 
U de M was 2-for-3 on the power-play, while the Martlets went 1-for-5. It was McGill's first power-play marker of the season.
 
The Carabins had a 40-29 edge in shots but were stymied on numerous occasions by Martlets goaltender Jade Rivard-Coulombe, who registered 37 saves for the win.

"Jade was solid and kept us in the game on numerous occasions, especially in the overtime," said Cecere."She made a huge save on a key breakaway that led to the winning goal."

Her counterpart at the opposite end of the ice, Maude Desroches, made 25 saves and took the loss.
 
Montreal (4-1-2) will play next on Nov. 22 at division-leading Concordia (8-0), while McGill (1-5-1) will travel to Bishop's (2-5-1) on Nov. 23.

MARTLET MURMURS: On Saturday, U SPORTS, the national governing body for Canadian university sports, announced that Sheryl and David Kerr, both McGill graduates,  were named as co-recipients of the Mitchell Family Alumni of the Year Award. The award, launched in 2021, is presented annually to former male and female varsity athletes who have shown outstanding post-graduation leadership in their communities and continued contributions to their universities. Sheryl and David have donated over $5 million to their alma mater since graduating, including gifts to their respective faculties as well as to McGill Athletics & Recreation. The married couple met while playing varsity hockey at McGill in the 1960s and remain involved in numerous philanthropical initiatives together as a team.
 
SCORING SUMMARY

U SPORTS STATS & STANDINGS

RSEQ STATS & STANDINGS
 
SOURCE
Earl Zukerman
Sports Information Officer
Athletics & Recreation
McGill University
514-983-7012 (Tel.)
www.mcgillathletics.ca
earl.zukerman@mcgill.ca