MONTREAL - The McGill Martlets have neither the time nor the inclination to focus on the historical significance of what happened Friday night.
No, they have their sights set on something they feel is far bigger and more significant – a national championship.
But years from now, when their playing days are over, they may very well think back to this nail-biting 2-1 shootout victory over the Universite de Montreal Carabins with a sense of pride and accomplishment.
Because it's not every team that can claim to have won 100 straight conference games, something the Martlets did Friday night at McGill's McConnell Arena.
For the mean time, however, that kind of nostalgia will simply have to wait.
"We don't really focus on the score or the record," said goalie Charline Labonte, a Canadian Olympic gold medalist. "It's just to keep on the plan to make it to nationals."
The Martlets have a score to settle at the national championships, having lost in the final to Alberta last year with Labonte away in Vancouver with the Olympic team.
That snapped a run of two straight national titles for the Martlets, and while this remarkable run of consecutive conference wins is of little importance to them, that national championship streak is one they desperately want to start anew.
"Eyes on the prize, that's it," head coach Peter Smith said. "It's another game as far as we're concerned."
The Martlets win Friday night ran their conference record this season to 19-0, and the last time they actually lost a league game was way back on Feb. 7, 2007 when they fell 2-1 to the University of Ottawa Gee Gees.
But the 100th win did not come easy.
After Caroline Hill gave McGill a 1-0 lead at 5:55 of the second period with a power play goal, Janique Duval tied it up for the Carabins at 12:59 of the third with a power play goal of her own.
The game went to overtime but it solved nothing, leaving the streak to live or die on the result of a shootout.
Each team had five shooters, but the only one to score was a player who has gone through just a fraction of the Martlets 100 straight conference wins – first-year forward Katia Clement-Heydra of St-Bruno-de-Montarville.
"Any other player on that team could have scored that goal," she said.
This was the third time this season the Carabins nearly put an end to the streak, suffering a 4-3 shootout loss on Nov. 13 and losing 5-4 on a third period McGill goal on Jan. 23.
Ultimately, Smith feels these types of tests will help his team reach that ultimate goal which is, for the time being, overshadowing this historic milestone.
"Having a competitive game is really good for us," Smith said. "We need those reminders from time to time."
