MONTREAL - Caitlin Whitehead made 36 saves as the Carleton Ravens shutout McGill 1-0 on Saturday night.
The Ravens goaltender recorded her first RSEQ shutout as the Ravens did everything they could to keep pace with idle uOttawa for the last playoff spot in the RSEQ.
The most penalized team in the RSEQ, the Ravens started the game in a familiar spot, working the penalty kill, but showed that practice makes perfect by keeping McGill at bay. Then, midway through the period, the Ravens would get a chance of their own on the advantage and made no mistake as Meara Ryan banged home a Reese Cole-Ashbury rebound just 22 seconds into the power play for the lead.
Carleton wouldn't need any more offence than that on this day. The Ravens would go to work on the penalty kill just a minute after the goal but were able to keep the Martlets on their heels. Most of the second period would also be marked by penalties. Carleton and McGill would trade opportunities on the power play, but neither team could solve the opposing goaltender. Through two periods, Sarah Carmichael had stopped 18 of 19 shots while Caitlin Whitehead had already recorded 27.
The Ravens would carry a good chunk of the play in the third period, despite some pushback from the Martlets. Carleton didn't look phased under the pressure of their hosts and took only one penalty, which they killed without much incident.
The shutout victory for Whitehead is significant to Carleton as they must now pivot and prepare for an intense final push to the playoffs. On Sunday, the Gee-Gees are in Lennoxville to face Bishop's, who currently sit second in the conference. Ottawa holds a three-point lead on Carleton with plenty of time left for a reversal of fortune.
