Les Canadiennes Blank Toronto Furies At Home
Marie-Philip Poulin Scores Winning Goal in Annual Pink in the Rink Game
Marie-Philip Poulin’s first period tally was all Les Canadiennes would end up needing to beat a slumping Toronto Furies team.
She took a shot from the slot that eluded Furies netminder Christina Kessler at the 12:54 mark of the opening frame, setting the stage for a 2-0 Canadiennes win Saturday afternoon at the Bell Sports Complex in Brossard.
“It was a great play made by Sophie [Brault] and Ann-Sophie [Bettez],” said Poulin. “Getting the early goal against them was huge for us. It really got the crowd going.”
“We’ve been in a slump for the past month,” said the Furies’ Carlee Campbell. “Not scoring is not really a worry for us, because we have been doing the little things right. As much as it sucks that the bounces didn’t go our way, we can take positives in that we started to come together as a team.”
The game started off slow for the home team but as the game progressed, Les Canadiennes found their stride. They generated many great chances, most notably in the second period. Les Canadiennes outshot the Furies 14-5 in the second, and 29-18 overall.
Despite only having to make 18 stops in the contest for the shutout, Canadiennes goaltender Charline Labonté said the shot counter did not tell the entire story.
“The Furies are so talented,” said Labonté. “Maybe they didn’t take 30 shots against us, but when they did get chances, they were good ones.”
She heaped praise on her counterpart Kessler, who had to be sharp on multiple occasions to keep her team in it.
“Kessler was great on the other side,” said Labonté. “She’s definitely the reason why the game was so close. She made a couple really good saves.”
The game, televised on Rogers Sportsnet, was the team’s annual Pink in the Rink game, in support of the Wellness Initiative of the Cedars Breast Clinic at the McGill University Health Centre. Les Canadiennes players wore special pink jerseys during warmups and throughout the first period to mark the event. Those jerseys, along with other sports memorabilia, were auctioned off with proceeds going to the cause.
The special event was the start of a busy stretch for Les Canadiennes. Eight members of the team will descend upon Toronto next weekend for the league’s annual All-Star Game. A tough two game test in Calgary against the rival Inferno the following weekend will set the stage for the Clarkson Cup playoffs.
“You want to play as much as possible,” said Labonté. “We are coming to the end of the season and they are all important games.”
Les Canadiennes and the Furies will renew hostilities on Sunday afternoon back at the Bell Sports Complex in Brossard.
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