MONTREAL -- This week marks the anniversary of the first-ever national championship captured by the McGill University women's hockey team, a 2-0 shutout over the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks, on March 10, 2008 in Ottawa. It capped a spectacular season during which the Martlets posted a 37-4-1 record overall. That mark included a perfect 18-0 first-place finish in the Quebec league standings and an undefeated 7-0 dossier in post-season play en route to capturing the Golden Path Trophy as national champs.
Inducted to the McGill Sports Hall of Fame in 2018, that squad outscored opponents by a lopsided 185-33 margin in 42 games, including an unblemished three-game sweep at Nationals, where they blanked Manitoba (6-0), StFX (3-0) and Laurier (2-0).
"It was a huge win for our program," then McGill head coach Peter Smith, (BEd'79, MA'86) told The McGill News after winning the banner. "We have been knocking at the door for a number of years and it's really nice to finally reach the top."
Not only was this the program's first national title, it marked the first time that any McGill women's team had captured a CIS (now U SPORTS) championship.
The Martlets, who lost the previous year's hockey final to the University of Alberta Pandas, were taking part in their eighth CIS championship tourney in nine years, having previously earned two silvers and four bronze medals.
Martlets netminder Charline Labonté stopped all 55 shots she faced during the tournament, earning shutouts in all three games the team played. After coming within one win of a national title the previous year, Labonté noted that the Martlets were determined to play their best at the CIS finals this time.
"There was a lot of pressure on us," said Labonté after the gold medal game. "We have felt that pressure but were also up for the challenge."
Rookie rearguard Cathy Chartrand scored the winning goal in the final contest and was named MVP of the tournament. "We did it as a family," said Chartrand. "We had one goal, and we followed it step by step." Chartrand was also named to the all-tournament team, along with defence partner Catherine Ward and McGill forward Vanessa Davidson.
The rooting section for the Martlets during the gold medal game included a few surprising faces. Several players from the University of Alberta, McGill's archrivals at the Nationals, donned McGill jerseys and cheered the team on. Martlets captain Shauna Denis (BCom'07), encountered some of the Alberta players after the game and was told they wanted McGill to win because the Martlets demonstrated skill and class throughout the tournament.
Davidson later received the Gladys Bean trophy as McGill's female athlete of the year.
Smith and Labonté travelled to China shortly after their CIS triumph, where they earned silver medals as members of Team Canada at the IIHF world hockey championships. Smith coached the national team and Labonté was one of its netminders.
The 2007-08 Martlets team roster featured six Quebec league all-stars and four all-Canadians (goaltender Charline Labonté, defenceman Catherine Ward, along with forwards Vanessa Davidson and Ann-Sophie Bettez). Peter Smith was named CIS coach of the year, while Bettez was voted CIS rookie of the year and team captain Shauna Denis won the national Marion Hillard Award for best combining hockey with academics and leadership. The other to earn all-conference honours was rearguard Cathy Chartrand.
Rounding out the roster was Carly Hill, Alessandra Lind-Kenny, Julie Casavecchia, Jordanna Peroff, Rebecca Martindale, Kate Elzinga, Alexandra Wells, Alyssa Cecere, Lisa Zane, Gillian Merrifield, Jasmine Sheehan, Chantal Gauvin, Amy Soberano, Victoria Wells, Gabrielle Smith and Catherine Herron.
The support staff included assistant coaches Amey Doyle, Joel Bergeron, and Stacey Hannay, along with Dana Rittmaster (strength & conditioning) and Marie-France Depin (equipment manager). The medical staff was composed of head therapist Michele Brown in addition to student therapists Emilie Comtois-Laurin, Megan Robinson, Vanessa Beaumont and Vanessa Bouchard.
SOURCE:
Earl Zukerman
Communications Officer
McGill Athletics and Recreation
(514) 398- 7012
earl.zukerman@mcgill.ca
www.mcgillathletics.ca
