The Canadian Women’s Hockey League crowned its champion on Sunday in Toronto, and an Alaskan helped decide the matter.
Anchorage’s Zoe Hickel scored two goals to propel the Calgary Inferno to a 5-2 win over Les Canadiennes de Montreal in the Clarkson Cup championship game at Coca-Cola Coliseum.
Hickel, a 26-year-old in her fifth pro season, who twice won world championships as a member of the U.S. women’s hockey team, scored the game’s first goal and added another in the third period to give Calgary a two-goal lead.
.@ZoeHickel WITH HER 2nd OF THE GAME!!!! Some great passing between her and Johnston to restore the @InfernoCWHL's 2 goal lead #CWHL #ClarksonCup pic.twitter.com/BmY5FYsPgN
— Women's Sports Highlights (@WSportHilites) March 24, 2019
She was named first star in a game that featured 15 Olympians – nine for Calgary and six for Montreal. Montreal’s best player, league MVP Marie-Philip Poulin, missed the game with an injury.
Hickel, who played college hockey for Minnesota-Duluth, and sister Tori Hickel, who played for Northeastern, are both members of a powerhouse Inferno team. Calgary’s roster includes three players who will represent the United States at the world championships next month in Finland – Brianna Decker, Kacey Bellamy and goaltender Alex Rigsby, who made 25 saves in the win over Montreal. Decker was named MVP of the Clarkson Cup.