MONTREAL – Lanie Guimond scored at 1:20 of overtime, leading Carleton to a 2-1 victory over McGill in the final women's hockey game of the season for both schools, Friday, at McConnell Arena.
 
Cecelia Lopez put the Ravens ahead 1-0 at 1:30 of the second period. The Martlets forced overtime when junior defenceman Olivia Pridham of Stouffville, Ont., scored a power-play marker at 11:06 of the third period. Sophomore Anika Cormier of Ste. Marie de Kent, N.B., and freshman rearguard Mia Giles of Hammonds Plains, N.S., both drew assists on the play. It was Pridham's second goal of the season in 30 games overall and the team's 10th marker from the blueline corps. Giles (6-5-11) ended up edging out Pridham (2-8-10) for the Martlets' overall scoring lead.
 
McGill, which had a 34-30 edge in shots, went 1-for-5 on the power-play and erased both shorthanded scenarios. Carleton's goaltender Frederike Lavoie-Leroux made 33 saves for the win, while McGill's Jade Rivard-Coulombe, a rookie from Chateauguay, Que., made 28 stops in a losing cause.
 
The game also marked the Ravens last ever in the RSEQ conference as they will be moving, along with Ottawa, to the OUA next season. Since Carleton joined the Quebec conference in their inaugural season of 2001-02, the Ravens have only qualified for the playoffs six times, the last appearance occurring in 2012. Unless some new women's hockey teams join the RSEQ, it will be a four-team league next season.
 
The Ravens (8-16-1) finished fifth in the RSEQ conference, five points ahead of McGill (5-18-2). This was only Carleton's 12th lifetime win against the Martlets, who dropped to 108-12-1 in 121 head-to-head games overall.
 
It was a disappointing season for a young McGill squad, which missed the playoffs for the second straight year after a stellar run of 24 consecutive post-season appearances since the national championship was inaugurated in 1997-98. McGill iced a lineup this season that was composed of eight freshmen, six sophomores, six juniors and five seniors. Only team captain Meg Harley has consumed five years of eligibility. Others expected to graduate include forwards Quynn Campbell, Stephanie Keeper and Cassidy Stasiuk, in addition to defenceman Lydia MacLellan.
 
"Looking at last season, we had a tough rebuild after we lost some key players but this season we've definitely gone on an uphill climb," said Stasiuk, a pharmacology senior from Kamloops, B.C., on the McGill Streaming Network's post-game show. "All of our players worked so hard… I'm excited to see what this group does over the next couple of years… Since I've been here, I've grown so much as a person and a player. It's just crazy to me the amount that I've learned here. Being on the team, but not just on the ice as a player. Learning from my teammates, my coaches and the amazing staff that I've had here.  It was a really great honour that I got to come here and I'm leaving a better person than the one I came as."
 
The RSEQ best-of-three semifinals begin next week with fourth-place Ottawa (8-12-5) going up against No. 1 ranked Concordia (25-0-0). The Stingers became the league's first undefeated team since McGill went 20-0-0 in 2012-13. The other semifinal will pit third-place Montreal (13-10-2) against second-seeded Bishop's (16-9-0).

SCORING SUMMARY

McGILL OVERALL SCORING LEADERS

NATIONAL SCORING LEADERS

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