2023-08-25 23:59:00
Goaltender Rhyah Stewart shut out the Wildcats on 24 shots in 30 minutes of play Friday in her preseason debut for the Cape Breton Eagles, beaten 5-3 by Moncton.
Stewart, who got the start, stopped 16 shots in the first period and eight in the first half of the second before being replaced by Brandon Lavoie.
When she gave up, her team held a 2-0 lead despite being outshot 24-15.
In the second half of the game, Lavoie couldn’t protect that lead, giving up four times on 16 shots. The Wilcats added a fifth goal in an empty net at the very end of the game.
In the history of the QMJHL, only three women have played as goaltenders in a regular season game: Manon Rhéaume in 1991-1992, Charline Labonté during the 1999-2000 and 2000-2001 seasons and Ève Gascon in 2021-2022.
Last year, the 17-year-old Nova Scotia native played for the Cape Breton West Islanders of the U18 Major Hockey League.
Stewart has already committed to joining the University of Wisconsin Badgers in the NCAA.
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