Calgary, Alta – Today’s game determined if the Calgary Inferno would move on to the Clarkson Cup Final or face the Brampton Thunder for the last time. Ultimately, the Inferno came out on top 4-3 and will proceed to face Les Canadiennes du Montreal March 13 in the Clarkson Cup Final.

The first period was nothing short of exciting. Within the first two and a half minutes the Inferno heated up the ice. Meaghan Mikkelson had the opportunity to get the puck in the net, which she was able to take advantage of, scoring the first goal of the game, assisted by Rebecca Johnston and Brianne Jenner. This was when the game really began as both teams brought their best defense for the remainder of the period. Five minutes later the Brampton Thunder raced the puck to other side of the ice, putting the pressure on Delayne Brian. Brian refused to let the puck enter the net and was able to save the first pressure attempt. With 10:44 left in the first period Sarah Edney rushed the puck to other side once again, this time scoring the first goal for the Brampton Thunder, assisted by Becca King. With 4:16 left in the first period Bailey Bram put the Inferno up by one right after a Brampton power play, assisted by Jacquie Pierri. Fourty-five seconds later, defense Brigette Lacquette fired the puck in the net, scoring the third goal for the Inferno, assisted by Johnston and ending the first period 3-1.    

“We stuck to the game plan and went out thinking ‘get pucks deep, hard on the pucks, stop on the pucks’ and kept doing that. A couple of our goals were people in front of the net screening. I think we did the little things right, and we were successful tonight,” said forward Bailey Bram.

In the second period the Inferno spent a total of eight minutes in the penalty box, though Brampton was not able to capitalize on any power plays. During the last minute of the second period Courtney Birchard scored the second goal for Brampton, pulling closer to the Inferno. The final score in the second period was 3-2 for the Inferno.  

“Brampton has a ton of skill on their team. They have Rattray, Birchard, and Fortino; we were able to shut them down when we needed to, and I think we can do that against Montreal too,” added Bram.

The third period determined the future for both teams and the Inferno were within reach of a trip to the Clarkson Cup Final. Both sides fought their hardest ensuring neither were able to get the puck into the net. With 10:03 left in the final period, Rebecca Vint managed to seep through the Inferno defense and send the puck to the back of the net, tying the game, with assists from Jess Jones and Jamie Lee Rattray. Either team only needed one more goal to move on to the finals. The Inferno fought frantically to win the game.

With 7:33 left in the final period, Rebecca Johnston secured the winning goal for the Inferno, assisted by Jenner and Jillian Saulnier. The final score of the game was 4-3 for the Inferno.    

 “We’re going to have fun tonight and celebrate the win. We’re going to come back to work Tuesday and remain focused. We know what to expect from Montreal, they’re a hard fought team with tons of skill and they’re going to do everything they can to beat us. We have to be prepared and stick to what we’ve been doing all year, and what we have done to have success,” concluded Bram.

The shots on net were 33-31 for the Brampton Thunder.

The three stars of the game are:

1.     #6 Rebecca Johnston, Calgary Inferno

2.     #12 Meaghan Mikkelson, Calgary Inferno

3.     #12 Rebecca Vint, Brampton Thunder

The Inferno now prepare to face Les Canadiennes du Montreal for the Clarkson Cup Final in Ottawa March 13.

The Canadian Women’s Hockey League (CWHL) and the National Hockey League’s Ottawa Senators (@Senators) announced a two-year agreement on January 25 that will see the Senators bring the CWHL’s Clarkson Cup Final to Ottawa and Canadian Tire Centre in both 2016 and 2017. The 2016 Clarkson Cup Final will be held from March 11-13 and will include the CWHL Awards Gala and CWHL Community Day events before culminating with the Clarkson Cup Final.