WOMEN’S HOCKEY Montreal Stars win second consecutive Clarkson Cup

NIAGARA FALLS — They came in as favourites and left as champions — back- to- back champions, in fact.

The Montreal Stars won the 2012 Clarkson Cup with a hardfought, evenly- played 4- 2 victory against Brampton Hockey Club in Sunday’s final at the Gale Centre in Niagara Falls.

It’s the third time Montreal has claimed the top team prize in North American women’s hockey. The Stars also won the Clarkson Cup in 2009 and 2011.

“Every time, you want it more because you have a taste for it,” captain Lisa- Marie BretonLebreux said. “It’s really hard to win it back- to- back. We’re really proud for being strong until the end and showing up for today’s game and all weekend long.”

Montreal finished the four- day tournament with a perfect 4- 0 record. The Stars out- scored their opponents 18- 6. Goaltender Jenny Lavigne was lights out in net, recording two shutouts and allowing just two goals in the three games she started.

Montreal defeated Brampton 2- 0 earlier in the tournament on Friday. That game, like Sunday’s final, was a tight- checking and back- and- forth affair.

“The games are always close and physical. It’s the biggest rivalry ... in the league,” BretonLebreux said. “Every time we play Brampton, we play with passion.”

After a scoreless first period, Montreal exploded for three second- period goals, starting 23 seconds in when Alyssa Cecere broke the deadlock. Stars superstar Caroline Ouellette made it 2- 0 at 4: 03 after taking a beautiful cross- ice pass from teammate Dominique Thibault and depositing the puck past Brampton goaltender Liz Knox. Vanessa Davidson scored what turned out to be the winning goal for Montreal at 12: 08.

Brampton came out strong in the final 20 minutes, carrying most of the play. Courtney Birchard’s marker at 7: 55 gave Brampton some hope before Montreal’s Emmanuelle Blais’ goal at 12: 54 restored her team’s three- goal advantage. Despite getting into penalty trouble in the final couple of minutes, Brampton showed some resilience when Cherie Piper scored at 17: 27 to bring her team closer. But it was too little too late. “I think there was a few tough calls late in the third period, especially in the last five minutes, that were pretty tough for us,” said Brampton’s Gillian Apps, who is the granddaughter of Hockey Hall of Fame member and Toronto Maple Leafs great Syl Apps and the daughter of former National Hockey League player Syl Apps Jr.

“Our team battled until the end, and that’s what we came here to do.”

Montreal and Brampton have played each other tough all season, and Apps doesn’t see that changing much next season if most of the players on the two sides return.

“We might have a whole new team, they might have a whole new team. It just depends what happens with the rosters, but every game you go into, you want to play a full 60 minutes and hopefully that brings you out on top.

“That’s our goal every time we go into a game, so the next time we meet them it’s going to be the exact same thing.”

Montreal’s Julie Chu credited Lavigne for having an “incredible” Clarkson Cup.