Davidson double dips, Martlets clinch,streak at 41

By Earl Zukerman

MONTREAL – Senior Vanessa Davidson of Kirkland, Que., tallied twice and goaltender Charline Labonté of Boisbriand, Que., posted her sixth shutout in nine outings as No.1-ranked McGill skated to a 4-0 whitewash over Carleton in women’s university hockey at McConnell Arena, Sunday.

Amy Soberano, a junior from Toronto and freshman Marie-Andrée Leclerc-Auger also scored for McGill, which clinched first place for the fourth consecutive season and the fifth time in Quebec conference history.

The Martlets improved to 12-0 on the season and extended their win streak to 41 consecutive games against CIS opponents. It was also McGill’s 31st straight victory over Carleton as the Martlets improved to 43-0-1 lifetime against the Ravens with 25 shutouts.

Ann-Sophie Bettez of Sept-Iles, Que., added three helpers and increased her league-leading points total to 17-25-42 in just 12 contests. The 21-year-old management sophomore, who captured CIS rookie-of-the-year honours last season, moved into second place in the CIS national scoring race. She trails Alberta’s Tarin Podloski (18-31-49), who has played in 10 more games.

The Martlets had a 41-14 advantage in shots – including a 19-2 margin in the opening stanza – as Labonté registered her 49th career shutout in 103 starts and improved her career record to 91-9-3 in a McGill jersey. The physical education junior, who recently returned from a week-long national team training camp in Calgary, has a 9-0-0 record this season and leads the nation with a stingy 0.44 goals-against average and a stellar .970 save percentage.

Ravens’ netminder Valerie Charbonneau, a seniro from Sudbury, Ont., made 37 saves in a losing cause as her record fell to 3-4-0.

McGill (12-0) will play next on Feb. 7 when they host their cross-town rivals, the Concordia Stingers, at McConnell Arena. The third-place Ravens (5-9-0) now have a 13-day layoff and will play next at Concordia (3-9-1) on Valentine’s Day.

MARTLET MURMURS: McGill killed off all six Carleton power play chances and remain perfect in that department. to date, the Martlets have successfully snuffed out all 41 penalty-killing situations -- while scoring two shorthanded goals -- in 12 league games... After 26 contests overall, they have conceded just four power play goals in 75 chances and have struck for six shorthanded markers.



SCORING SUMMARY

Carleton 0 at McGill 4

(Feb 1, 2009 at McConnell Arena @ McGill)

FIRST PERIOD:
Scoring -
1. McGill, Marie-Andree Leclerc-Auger (15) (A-S. Bettez, V. Davidson) 3:02 (PP)

Penalties -
S. Tardif Mcg (interference) 0:23,
T. OReilly Car (hooking) 1:20

SECOND PERIOD:
Scoring -
2. McGill, Amy Soberano (7) (C. Hill, L. Zane) 0:40
3. McGill, Vanessa Davidson (14) (A-S. Bettez, J. Sheehan) 16:28

Penalties -
S. Tardif Mcg (slashing) 14:04

THIRD PERIOD:
Scoring -
4. McGill, Vanessa Davidson (15) (A-S. Bettez, M-A. Leclerc-Auger) 14:12

Penalties -
A. Lind-Kenny Mcg (high sticking) 0:23,
J. Gordon Car (tripping) 2:20,
J. Meisner Car (roughing) 5:00,
J. Peroff Mcg (holding) 7:45,
A. Lind-Kenny Mcg (tripping) 15:03,
J. Gordon Car (bodychecking) 17:36,
M-A. Leclerc-Auger Mcg (slashing) 18:49

SHOTS BY PERIOD:
CAR: 2 7 5 -- 14
McG: 19 9 13 -- 41

POWER PLAY CONVERSION:
Carleton 0-6.
McGill 1-4.

PENALTIES:
Carleton 4-8.
McGill 6-12.

GOALTENDERS:
Carleton
Valerie Charbonneau [L, 3-4-0, 60:00, SV: 37, GA: 4]


McGill
Charline Labonte [W, 9-0-0, 60:00, SV: 14, GA: 0]



Start : 1:03 PM

End : 2:59 PM

Attendance : 135

Referee: (not available)

THREE GAME STARS:
------------------------
1. MCG - 25 Vanessa Davidson
2. MCG - 24 Ann-Sophie Bettez
3. CAR - 27 Valerie Charbonneau

McGILL LINEUP SCRATCHES:
-----------------------------------
G Kalie Townsend
G Gabrielle Smith (dressed but DNP)
D Shaunn Rabinovich
F Alyssa Cecere (flu)