Pandas win Humes

By John Austen

The Alberta Pandas defeated the Concordia Stingers 4-1 to win the 36th annual Theresa Humes Women's Hockey Tournament, hosted by Concordia University Jan. 2-4 at the Ed Meagher Arena.

It was a battle of the titans and possibly a preview of the final at the upcoming hockey nationals with the No. 1-ranked Pandas facing the No. 2-ranked Stingers.

"They are the team to beat," said Concordia head coach Les Lawton. "It was the Sugar Bowl of women's hockey. The fans got their money's worth."

Alberta took a 1-0 lead on a power play goal from Kristen Hagg in the first period.

The lead was extended to 3-1 at the end of 40 minutes on goals from Taryn Barry and Hagg again. Emilie Larocque replied for Concordia.

In the final frame, Danielle Bourgeois scored for Alberta.

The Pandas outshot the Stingers 51-18. Concordia goaltender Cecilia Anderson was exceptional and was named the outstanding goalie at the tournament.

"She was rock-solid and she did a good job of controlling the tempo of the game," Lawton said. "Her background is in ringuette. She's only dabbled in hockey until now. It's good to see her rise to the challenge."