The Mount Royal University Cougars in Calgary caused quite a surprise on Sunday at the CEPSUM, winning the Canadian Women’s University Hockey Championship with a 4-3 win over the defending champions Concordia University Stingers. It was a goal from Aliya Jomha that settled the debate 11:10 into the first overtime period.
Tournament MVP Kaitlyn Ross faced 32 shots. “We never stopped believing in it, even tonight when we were trailing late in the third period,” she said. The Stingers have a great team, but the girls did an amazing job in front of me. It’s such a feeling to be champions after beating the defending champions! »
After an exchange of goals – by Chloe Gendreau for the Stingers and Ava Metzger for the Cougars – in the first two periods played at a good pace, things came alive in the third period. Breanne Trotter first gave the West players the lead with a power play goal. But Rosalie Bégin-Cyr recreated the tie by scoring a superb goal on a penalty shot, goalkeeper Kaitlyn Ross having immobilized the puck behind her net.
Megan Bureau-Cyr then restored the lead to the Stingers with a power play goal, and it was believed that the hardest part was done for the home team, but the Cougars played their all out late in the game by withdrawing their keeper and they were rewarded with Trotter’s second goal, two seconds from time!
The Cougars previously beat the tournament favorites Toronto Varsity Blues and the host University of Montreal Carabins. In 2020, on their first appearance at the championships, they won their first match, but in vain, since the competition was canceled after the first day due to COVID-19.
“It’s amazing to have had this chance to kind of complete our journey,” said head coach Scott Rivett. We have several players who were there in 2020 and they are finally crowned tonight. It’s a first title for our program, for our university in fact, and it means a lot to us. »
On the Stingers side, the mood was less cheerful, but head coach Julie Chu insisted: “We told the players that they should be proud of themselves, that they had fought until the end. . We lost 12 players after our title last year, we had a young team and we still made it to the final, to extra time. It’s a remarkable performance and we are proud of all the players. »
Emmy Fecteau, one of the stars of the team, had tears in her voice. As much as the loss, she was disappointed not to have offered the four veterans who were playing their last university match another title. “I’ve been playing with Rosalie [Bégin-Cyr] for 15 years, I’ll never play with her at this level again. Right now it’s hard not to think about the chances we missed, about that goal they scored at the very end of the third period…”
Earlier Sunday, the Carabins fought hard against the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds, but lost 3-2 in the bronze medal game. The host team overcame a two-goal deficit in the third period, but saw their rivals bounce back with a decisive goal three minutes from time.
“It’s one of the bravest teams, the most faithful to the Carabins spirit, that we’ve had here,” said head coach Isabelle Leclaire. They fought to the end, like in the semi-finals, and they came close. There are disappointments, of course – it was an opportunity to achieve a unique achievement in front of our fans – but I am very proud of what we have achieved.
“And I am confident that these Championships will prove to be an important step in the progression of our program. It allowed us to mobilize the supporters, the old ones, it allowed us to recreate a magic around our team which will carry us over the next few years. »
The Carabins have a relatively young roster, and the future looks bright. However, they will have to deal with the departure of the three players, Kaleigh Quennec, Breanne Dondo and Emily-Renée Paquin, who played the last game of their university career on Sunday.
“It’s amazing what these six years with the Carabins have given me,” said Quennec, a player who competed in the Olympics and World Championships for Switzerland.
“I was able to grow as a player, make dreams come true and have a great experience. I am really grateful to all my teammates, the staff of the team, of the university. And it’s magical to end with this weekend, to experience all these emotions. »
For Isabelle Leclaire, who has seen all the players pass since the creation of the program in 2009: “It goes by too quickly, that’s for sure. I hope that after the disappointment and the loss, Kaleigh, Breanne and Emily-Renée will remember the good times of their years with us and use everything they learned for the rest of their lives. »
