ANTIGONISH, N.S. (CIS) - The University of Alberta Pandas are back to a place they used to call home: atop the Canadian Interuniversity Sport women's hockey world.

Sophomore right-winger Jenna Barber broke a 1-1 tie midway through the second period and the second-seeded Pandas held on to defeat the top-ranked and defending national champion Wilfrid Laurier University Golden Hawks 2-1 in the gold-medal final of the 2006 CIS championship at the Charles V. Keating Millennium Centre, at StFX University.

Championship web site: www.cisport.ca/e/championships/w_hockey/2006

Alberta had been waiting all season in hopes of a re-match on the national stage with the Hawks, which stunned them 4-1 in last year's CIS final to put an end to their streak of three straight CIS banners, and 122 consecutive undefeated games.

The Pandas have now been crowned five times in the last seven years, their previous gold medals coming in 2004, '03, '02, and '00. They also boast a pair of silver medals ('04, '99) since the inception of the CIS championship in 1997-98.

"It's a tremendous feeling. It's a very, very good feeling," said Pandas head coach Howie Draper moments after the win. "Our goal from the start was to win a championship. It was a long road back to the finals."

"To win against Laurier is no easy task. I think they're a tremendously skilled team," continued Draper, in his ninth campaign at the helm of the eight-time Canada West champions.

Alberta lost eight key contributors from last year's squad and "had to fight tooth and nail to get here," added Draper.

While her teammates celebrated, tournament MVP Tarin Podloski, a sophomore right-winger from Edmonton, had one word to sum up the feeling: "Awesome."

"We worked hard all year, and knew we'd have to keep that up in the finals against Laurier," finally added Podloski, who drew an assist on Barber's championship-winning goal to finish the tournament with one goal and four helpers.

Laurier head coach Rick Osborne had words of praise for both teams.

"I'm extremely proud of our players. You can't get any closer in the finals," said Osborne, who has led the Hawks to three straight OUA banners, in addition to the consecutive trips to the national final. "I give the credit to Alberta, they played hard."

"It was a close game. A power play goal decided it. It was one play. That's what usually happens in a big game," added Osborne.

Forward Laurissa Kenworthy, a junior from Newmarket, Ont. put Laurier on the board first, forcing home a power play goal 12 minutes and 50 seconds into the opening period. Second-year rearguard Andrea Bevan of Collingwood, Ont. picked up an assist on the play.

The Pandas fought back to even the match with 2:41 remaining in the stanza, on a pretty goal by winger Jamie Coffin. The junior from Irma, Alta. completed a passing play from centre Jennifer Newton of Norglenwold, Alta., and right-winger Kaye London of Sexsmith, Alta.

The Hawks took consecutive minor penalties towards the middle of the second frame, and Barber would make them pay with the game-winner.

The Pandas were already on the power play when Bevan was called for interference at 9:09, giving Alberta a two-man advantage for 32 seconds. The Pandas couldn't convert immediately but, 10 seconds after Hawks rearguard Diana Circchillo had stepped back on the ice, Barber found the back of the net, assisted by first-team all-Canadian Kristen Hagg and Podloski, a member of the second CIS team.

With neither team wanting to commit costly mistakes the Pandas and Hawks shifted to a defensive mode in the third, with Laurier managing only six shots on goal, and Alberta four.

Laurier pulled goaltender Morgan Wielgosz with 65 seconds left in a desperate effort to send the game to overtime, to no avail.

Junior netminder Holly Tarleton of Lashburn, Sask. turned aside 17 shots to earn her third win of the weekend for the Pandas. Wielgosz, a sophomore from Dorcheter, Ont., made 19 saves in the losing cause.

Barber was named player of the game for the Pandas, while Bevan earned the honours for the Hawks.

Joining Podloski on the CIS tournament all-star team were teammate Kristina Kother, a fifth-year defender from Spruce Grove, Alta., Laurier's Kenworthy and Ashley Stephenson, a rearguard from Mississauga, Ont., StFX rookie goaltender Katie Harvieux of Digby, N.S., and McGill centre Christine Hartnoll of Marham, Ont.

The Fair Play Award went to StFX's Kelly Boudreau, a sophomore centre from New Glasgow, N.S.

The 2007 CIS women's hockey championship will be hosted by the University of Ottawa.

NOTES: Alberta is the only school to win both the CIS women's and men's ice hockey titles in the same season, in 1999-00. The Edmonton institution will have a chance to repeat the feat when the Golden Bears play host to the 2006 University Cup tournament later this month (March 23-26); Alberta could also become the first ever school to claim the national women's field hockey, women's ice hockey and men's hockey banners in the same campaign.

TOURNAMENT AWARDS

MVP: Tarin Podloski, Alberta

Fair Play Award: Kelly Boudreau, StFX

All-stars:

Goalie: Katie Harvieux, StFX.
Defence: Kristina Kother, Alberta
Defence: Ashley Stephenson, Laurier
Forward: Tarin Podloski, Alberta
Forward: Laurissa Kenworthy, Laurier
Forward: Christine Hartnoll, McGill

SCORING SUMMARY: CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL

Alberta 2, Laurier 1

FIRST PERIOD

SCORING:
1. WLU Laurissa Kenworthy (2) (A. Bevan), 12:50 PP
2. ALB Jamie Coffin (1) (K. London, J. Newton), 17:19

PENALTIES:
Team (WLU) too many skaters, 1:49; J. Judges (WLU) boarding, 2:41; J. Barber (ALB) roughing, 5:13; K. Hagg (ALB) high sticking, 12:39.

SECOND PERIOD

SCORING:
3. ALB Jenna Barber (2) (K. Hagg, T. Podloski), 9:51 PP

PENALTIES:
D. Circchillo (WLU) roughing, 7:41; A. Bevan (WLU) interference, 9:09.

THIRD PERIOD

SCORING:
No scoring.

PENALTIES:
None.

POWER PLAY:
ALB: 1/4
WLU: 1/2

SHOTS ON GOAL (by period):
ALB: 6-11-4:21
WLU: 8-4-6:18

GOALTENDERS
ALB- Holly Tarleton (W, 3-0-0, 18 shots, 17 saves, 60:00)
WLU- Morgan Wielgosz (L, 2-1-0, 21 shots, 19 saves, 58:55)
WLU - Team (0 shots, 1:05)

PLAYERS OF THE GAME:
ALB: Jenna Barber
WLU: Andrea Bevan

SEEDING, SCHEDULE & RESULTS (all times LOCAL)

1. Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks (OUA champions / 20-3-1 regular season, 2-0 playoffs)
2. Alberta Pandas (Canada West champions / 16-1-3 regular season, 4-0 playoffs)
3. St. Francis Xavier X-Women (AUS champions / 17-2-2 regular season, 2-0 playoffs)
4. McGill Martlets (QSSF champions / 12-2-1 regular season, 2-1 playoffs)
5. Toronto Varsity Blues (OUA finalists / 12-7-3-2 regular season, 2-1 playoffs)
6. Dalhousie Tigers (AUS finalists / 14-3-3-1 regular season, 2-1 playoffs)

Pool A: Wilfrid Laurier, McGill, Dalhousie
Pool B: Alberta, StFX, Toronto

Thursday, March 9
Game #1: Laurier 4, Dalhousie 2
Game #2: Alberta 5, Toronto 0

Friday, March 10
Game #3: McGill 2, Dalhousie 0
Game #4: StFX 2, Toronto 0

Saturday, March 11
Game #5: Laurier 4, McGill 1
Game #6: Alberta 3, StFX 2 (OT)

Sunday, March 12
5th place: Toronto 2, Dalhousie 0
Bronze medal: McGill 3, StFX 2 (shootout)
Championship final: Alberta 2, Lau