2015 National Women's Under-18 Championship

QUEBEC SNEAKS PAST SASKATCHEWAN FOR FIRST WIN

WENDY GRAVES

HUNTSVILLE, Ont. – Goals from Amélie Lemay (Drummondville, Que./Limoilou, CEGEP), Alice Fillion (Québec, Que./Est, LHFDQ) and Deziray De Sousa (Montreal, Que./Exeter High School, USHS) and 29 saves by Edith D’Astous-Moreau (Laval, Que./Stanstead College, CAHS) allowed Quebec to sneak past Saskatchewan Friday at the 2015 National Women’s Under-18 Championship.

Rosalie Bégin-Cyr (St-Georges, Que./Limoilou, CEGEP) had two assists in the win. Léonie Philbert (St-Bruno, Que./Nord, LHFDQ) and Kimberly Vigneault (Sept-Îles, Que./Limoilou, CEGEP) added a helper each.

Danielle Nogier (Saskatoon, Sask./Saskatoon, SFMAAAHL) and Maeveine McGauley (Wilcox, Sask./Weyburn, SFMAAAHL) scored for Saskatchewan, with Lilla Carpenter-Boesch and Sophie Shirley (Saskatoon, Sask./Notre Dame, JWHL) picking up assists.

Jasey Rae Book (Loreburn, Sask./Swift Current, SFMAAAHL) made 16 saves in her second start.

It had been a disappointing U18 nationals so far for both teams. Neither had found its way into the win column coming in, and both had been outshot by double digits in their losses.

Quebec had high hopes of building on its gold medal win at the Canada Winter Games in February. But after winning medals in the first seven National Women’s Under-18 Championships, it will now go three straight years without a podium finish.

Saskatchewan must wait another year for a shot at its first medal.

Quebec opened the scoring on Friday midway through the first period. Lemay kept the puck on a two-on-one and beat Book far glove side.

Things picked up early in the second period. Just 1:30 in, three Quebec players took multiple cracks at the puck down low, with Fillion eventually putting it in.

Eleven seconds later Saskatchewan had a response. Off the ensuing face-off, the team worked the puck around the Quebec net, with Carpenter-Boesch passing out front to Nogier at the side of the net. The forward was quicker than her defender getting a stick on the puck.

Quebec gave itself a cushion 12:22 into the third period, when De Sousa redirected Vigneault’s point shot.

That goal proved big four minutes later. From the goal line, Shirley threw the puck on net, where McGauley was able to score from the top of the crease.

Saskatchewan’s attempt at completing the comeback was hindered by a body checking minor on Kalista Senger (Clavet, Sask./Saskatoon, SFMAAAHL) with 2:28 left in the third.

Quebec aggressively applied enough pressure in its offensive zone that Saskatchewan couldn’t pull its goalie until 14 seconds left in regulation, not enough time to find the equalizer.