NAPANEE, Ont. (U SPORTS) – A third period goal from Gabrielle Davidson lifted the No. 4 McGill Martlets past the No.1 UBC Thunderbirds, 1-0, in the matinee semifinal at the 2017 U SPORTS Women's Hockey Championship at the Strathcona Paper Centre in Napanee, Ont.
 
CHAMPIONSHIP WEBSITE: http://en.usports.ca/championships/wice/index

The Martlets earned a berth to Sunday's 7 p.m. ET gold-medal game, while UBC will skate for bronze at 3 p.m. ET. Both games will be streamed live on OUA.TV.

"It's tough, I'm still a little bit in shock," said UBC head coach Graham Thomas in an emotional post-game interview. "This is why you hate the game, this is why you love the game — I'm really proud of our group and all the firsts we've accomplished this season."
 

WHKY | @ubctbirds head coach Graham Thomas gives an emotional interview following UBC's 1-0 semi-final loss to McGill. #ChampSZN pic.twitter.com/Oc5jd0scMC

— U SPORTS Hockey (@USPORTS_Hockey) March 18, 2017

Both goaltenders were superb in their respective nets, with UBC's Amelia Boughn turning aside 29 of 30 shots sent her way in the loss. McGill's Tricia Deguire stopped all 17 shots en route to a shutout.
 
The game was fast-paced, but it was goaltending that stole the show early. In the first period, McGill had two great chances off the rush, but were unable to beat Boughn. 

With both teams spending a great deal of time in the penalty box, special teams became a key component throughout the 60 minutes. The Martlets were able to create chances in the second on the man-advantage, but once again Boughn stood tall for UBC. 



In the third, McGill was finally able to find the back of the net with just 2:29 left in the third period. After a UBC powerplay was cut short due to a penalty against Kelly Murray, Davidson was able to find space in the slot and hammer in a one-timer shot off a feed from First-Team All-Canadian Melodie Daoust. The goal was all that McGill needed, as they hung on in the final minutes to claim a 1-0 victory.

"It's tough, I'm still a little bit in shock," said UBC head coach Graham Thomas in an emotional post-game interview. "This is why you hate the game, this is why you love the game — I'm really proud of our group and all the firsts we've accomplished this season."

GAME NOTES: McGill will seek its first national championship since 2013-14 on Sunday...UBC has never won a national title...McGill's Gabrielle Davidson leads tournament scoring with three goals… The game saw a total of 16 penalties called.


 
SCORING SUMMARY
 
Official Boxscore: http://en.usports.ca/championships/wice/2017/boxscores_champ/20170318_9pch.xml
 
FIRST PERIOD
 
No Scoring

PENALTIES:

Cahoon (UBC) Interference, 4:31;
Atkinson (MCG) Hooking, 4:58;
Ranahan (UBC) Body Checking, 10:46;
Vilgrain (UBC) Hooking, 14:53;
Todd (MCG) Slashing, 18:28.
 
SECOND PERIOD

No Scoring
 
PENALTIES:
 
Daoust (MCG) Roughing, 1:11;
Murray (UBC) Interference, 7:09;
Vilgrain (UBC) Slashing, 10:46;
Cotter (MCG) Interference, 19:06; 
 

WHKY | HIGHLIGHTS
The @McGillAthletics @MartletHockey are heading to the Gold medal game after defeating @ubctbirds 1-0 #USPORTSWHKY17 pic.twitter.com/zYfNcWMC6X

— U SPORTS Hockey (@USPORTS_Hockey) March 18, 2017

THIRD PERIOD

1. MCG Gabrielle Davidson (3) (Melodie Daoust), 17:31
 
PENALTIES:
 
Bowman (MCG) Hooking, 4:15;
Murray (UBC) Tripping, 8:06; 
Cahoon (UBC) Hooking, 11:56; 
Atkinson (MCG) Holding, 15:58;
Murray (UBC) Tripping, 16:47;
Lavoie (MCG) Slashing, 19:07; 
Tardif (UBC) Roughing, 19:07. 

GOALS (by period)
MCG 0-0-1: 1
UBC 0-0-0: 0
 
SHOTS ON GOAL (by period)
MCG 9-11-10: 30
UBC 4-4-9: 17
 
POWER PLAY:
MCG 0-8
UBC 0-6
 
GOALTENDERS
MCG — Tricia Deguire (W, 2-0, 17 shots, 17 saves, 0 GA, 60:00)
UBC — Amelia Boughn (L, 1-1, 30 shots, 29 saves, 1 GA, 60:00)
 
PLAYERS OF THE GAME:
MCG: Gabrielle Davidson
UBC: Amelia Boughn
 
REFEREES: Melanie Bordeleau
LINESWOMEN: Marce Ross and Laura Longpre
 
START: 2:59
END: 5:09
LENGTH: 2:10