CALGARY – The match was the highest scoring game in Clarkson Cup history – Calgary swept Montreal 8 to 3 to take the much-anticipated and hard-earned victory.
Montreal has won three titles; while Calgary had never won the Clarkson Cup or even appeared in the final until Sunday.
After a 24-game season and best-of-three playoff series in the Canadian Women’s Hockey League, the Calgary Inferno and Montreal Les Canadiennes faced off for all the marbles at the Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa.
It’s the first time the championship of the CWHL has ever been held in an NHL arena, where the leagues top two teams were vying for the so-called Stanley Cup of women’s hockey.
Calgary’s Blayre Turnbull, Brianne Jenner, Jessica Campbell and Rebecca Johnston each scored twice for the Inferno. Goalie Delayne Brian stopped 38 shots for her best game of the season.
Brian took home the first star of the game and the MVP award in the game. Eleven Inferno team members contributed to the game points.
Montreal’s Marie-Philip Poulin, Noemie Marin and Kim Deschenes scored for Les Canadiennes. Goalie Charline Labonte faced 25 shots.
The Inferno has a number of gold medal Canadian Olympians on their squad, including captain Brianne Jenner, Hayley Wickenheiser, Haley Irwin, Rebecca Johnston and Meghan Mikkelson.
The win is a special one for Wickenheiser since it’s the only prestigious title she had left to win. The 37-year-old has earned a silver medal at the 1998 Winter Olympics and four Olympic gold medals, the most recent of which was for the 2014 Sochi Olympics.
She has also led the Canadian Women’s National Team to six gold medals and one silver medal at the Women’s World Hockey Championship.
Montreal had a strong regular season, finishing with 42 points from 20 wins, 1 shoot-out loss and three losses, two of which were delivered by the Inferno. Calgary finished in second place with 16 wins, one overtime loss, one shoot-out loss and six regulation losses.
The weekend started with the Canadian Women Hockey League’s Award Gala. The Rookie of the Year Award was presented to Calgary Inferno standout Elana Lovell, who racked up 26 points through 24 games in her inaugural season with the CWHL. She finished tenth in league scoring.
Comments