RSEQ week 7 overview

This week’s play continued to prove that parity is increasing among what is arguably the most competitive conference in the country. Three of the five RSEQ teams are now nationally ranked, with Montreal (5) and McGill (6) maintaining their places in the poll, and Ottawa (10) breaking in for the first time this year. Yet despite the elite caliber of the league’s top teams, both Carleton and Concordia have continued to challenge their opponents.

Friday, Nov. 25: Carleton 1 at McGill 3

Olivia Atkinson tallied what proved to be the game winner as the Martlets tripled Carleton on Friday.

Freshman Jade Downie-Landry opened the scoring for McGill at 19:09 of the first, assisted by Shana Walker. Atkinson doubled the advantage at 5:16 of the second, before Marie-Philip Lavoie added a power-play marker at 14:54. Nicole Howlett and Mélodie Daoust each recorded two assists in the contest.

Tawnya Guindon put the Ravens on the board with a power-play goal at 5:32 of the third, but Carleton couldn’t manage a comeback.

The Martlets outshot their guests 38-18.

Ravens netminder Katelyn Steele turned away 35 pucks in the loss, while Tricia Deguire made 17 stops for McGill.

Carleton was 1-for-3 on the power play, while McGill went 1-for-4.

Though wins are still the exception for the Ravens, the tighter scorelines against ranked teams and their proven ability to get themselves back into a game — even after three unanswered goals — continue to be bright spots.

Friday, Nov. 25: Ottawa 2 at Montreal 3

Casandra Dupuis scored twice as the Carabins defeated Ottawa 3-2 on Friday.

Sophomore Roxanne Rioux opened the scoring for the Gee-Gees at 15:01 of the first period. Dupuis tied it up with her first of the evening at 3:26 of the second, and the teams entered the third period tied 1-1.

Jessica Cormier put Montreal ahead at 5:22 of the final frame, before Dupuis netted her second — the game winner — unassisted at 17:14. Carol-Ann Upshall recovered one for Ottawa just 26 seconds later, but the Carabins closed out the victory.

Maude Lévesque-Ryan made 30 saves on 33 shots for the Gee-Gees, while Marie-Pier Chabot claimed the win by stopping 17 of 19 pucks for the hosts.

Both teams were perfect on the penalty kill, with Montreal negating four Ottawa power plays and the Gee-Gees killing off their only infraction.

The highly competitive Ottawa squad entered into the national rankings in 10th place this week, and it remains to be seen whether they’ll be able to maintain the success they’ve shown early in the season.

Sunday, Nov. 27: Concordia 2 at Ottawa 3 (OT)

Mélodie Bouchard scored the overtime winner as the Gee-Gees edged Concordia 3-2 on Sunday.

Cindy Laurin opened the scoring for Ottawa just 2:07 into the game, and teammate Marimée Godbout-Parent added another at 5:19 of the second to give the home side a 2-0 lead heading into the third.

Stéphanie Lalancette narrowed Concordia’s deficit to one with 2:52 left in regulation, and Sophie Gagnon tied it up for the Stingers with 72 seconds remaining to force overtime.

Bouchard put an end to things just 25 seconds into the extra session, bringing her to 19 points in just nine games thus far this season.

Katherine Purchase made 30 saves on 33 shots for Concordia, while Émilie Bouchard stopped 25 of 27 for the Gee-Gees.

Ottawa was 0-for-2 on the power play and killed its only penalty taken.

Ottawa (6-2-1) maintains the top spot in the league standings, with 13 points, and has broken into the U Sports/CIS Top 10 national rankings. McGill (6-2-0) and Montreal (6-4-0) follow with 12 points apiece, though the Martlets have two games in hand. Concordia (2-5-1) and Carleton (2-6-1) round out the conference with five points each.

All five teams are in action next week, which marks the final weekend of play in the semester before the exam period and holiday break.

Next Week in RSEQ:

Friday, Dec. 2:

Montreal (5) at Carleton, 7 p.m. (FREE LIVE STREAM)

McGill (6) at Concordia, 7:30 p.m. (FREE LIVE STREAM)

Sunday, Dec. 4:

McGill (6) at Ottawa (10), 2 p.m. (FREE LIVE STREAM)

Concordia at Carleton, 3 p.m. (FREE LIVE STREAM)