Blayre Turnbull Discusses Clarkson Cup Championship.

The Calgary Inferno claim Clarkson Cup (CWHL/Chris Tanouye)

On Sunday evening in Ottawa, the puck dropped between the Calgary Inferno and Les Canadiennes de Montreal, in a battle for the prestigious Clarkson Cup. The 2016 Canadian Women's Hockey League championship would be played at the Canadian Tire Centre, home to the National Hockey League's Ottawa Senators.

The game featured regular season MVP and Les Canadiennes superstar Marie-Phillip Poulin, who led her team to an impressive first place finish and an easy sweep of the Toronto Furies in the semi-finals. On the opposite end, Inferno goalie Delayne Brian had been the catalyst of late, sparking her team following a regular season loss to Les Canadiennes with spectacular play between the pipes. Brian’s play helped guide the Inferno to a series win over the Brampton Thunder in the semi-finals.

On Sunday, the two teams whom finished one and two in the regular season would meet again in the Clarkson Cup Finals. This time it wouldn't be about the big names or superstars, and for her part Brian was deserving of the MVP. That being said, the cataylst on offense was a rookie out of Wisconsin, Blayre Turnbull.

The Inferno came into this matchup considered the underdog against Les Canadiennes, former three time champions who were making their sixth appearance in the Clarkson Cup. Montreal had also won the season series against the Inferno, four games to two, outscoring Calgary 24-15 in those six meetings.

However, Calgary would not let any of the stats, or “talk” about who would win this game and how they would win, deter them from accomplishing the last phase of their season long journey, winning a Clarkson Cup.

The game would start with Rebecca Johnston scoring just 2:26 into the first period, putting Montreal on their heels a bit to start the game. Five minutes later, Poulin did what she had been doing all season long, finding the puck on her stick and making a great move to beat Brian and tie the score at one. Both teams would exchange offensive attacks until Brianne Jenner broke the tie late in the first period to give Calgary a 2-1 lead into the first intermission.

Inferno Celebrate (CWHL/Chris Tanouye)

Starting the second period, Calgary got another early goal, this time from Jessica Campbell, to put the Inferno up 3-1. Most people would tell you they were shocked to see the start Calgary had, eventually taking a 5-2 lead into the locker room at the second intermission. The Inferno would tack on three more goals in the third to win their first ever Clarkson Cup in franchise history.

“We don’t call the win an upset”, Turnbull said. “Most outsiders would have considered us the underdog, but I personally don’t feel that way, even though they had four wins and we had two [in the regular season series]. I think we were two fairly evenly matched teams… one team didn’t have much more skill than the other.”

Turnbull had three goals and two assists during the Clarkson Cup tournament, and scored the eventual game-winning goal with 10:10 left in the 2nd period in the Championship against Montreal. The former Badger's performance is an illustration of the team’s model for success… It’s not about one player, or goaltender making all the plays, but displaying what a team could do together.

On scoring twice in the game, Turnbull said: “It was definitely exciting but most important was winning for the team… there are a bunch of girls who haven’t had the opportunity for a [Clarkson Cup] in five years or so… it was a special moment for them”

Turnbull puts in a shot on Charline Labonte (CWHL/Chris Tanouye)

Even when the game seemed to get close, Calgary always had a response. Les Canadiennes outshot the inferno 41-26, but could not manage to close the gap after going down early.

“The game was tight after [Poulin] scored, Montreal played hard but we had to stick together, play as a team and stick to the game plan,” Turnbull added. “We weren’t just going to rely on a hot goaltender, we knew our offense had to score too.”

Turnbull and the Inferno did just that and scored 8+ goals for only the second time all season, this time in the most important game of them all. “This was a special game. To play at the Senators rink with over 4,000 people there, plus the live stream on SportsNet Canada, it was just a very special moment.”

(CWHL/Chris Tanouye)

Interestingly enough, Turnbull credits Brianna Decker, of the NWHL’s Boston Pride and a former Badger teammate, in providing guidance and mentorship in her first year.

“Decker is definitely a role model for me, she has just taught me a lot especially when we were together at Wisconsin,” Turnbull said. Decker won the 2016 inaugural Isobel Cup Finals with the Pride, as well as Finals' MVP. The two will have a lot to discuss following the claim to greatness in their respective leagues, but also with the upcoming NCAA Women’s Frozen Four.

Speaking of hardware and Wisconsin, they are playing Minnesota for a spot in the National Championship…Thoughts?

“I had a great time at the University of Wisconsin, we were treated like celebrities, the people and staff always made it welcoming… the success of the program makes me proud to see how hard they worked to get there and to be a part of it is special.”

Turnbull and the rest of the hockey community will be tuned in next weekend as the NCAA Tournament Frozen Four gets underway--the last major event in women’s hockey before the off season.

Follow Luis Sanchez on Twitter @Luis_MyW