First full ice tournament and a Championship to boot!Well, the Keith Lindsay Memorial Tournament weekend has come and gone. The girls were able to battle and come out on top after what can only be described as an electric 5 game tournament and one that I hope they remember forever!
Game 1 the young ladies of SCP White were able to come out strong against new competition vs the Sarnia Lady Sting with a decisive 5-0 victory. The girls were dialed in, wanted it and showed it with how they played on the ice. In between games, a number of the girls made the trip to Colasanti's where the fun continued and perhaps going in to the second game we suffered from the "Colasanti Coma". We unfortunately lost to SCP Yellow in a lopsided game.
The girls showed back up to arena on Saturday morning for our 12pm third game vs SPFHA Blue and again we stumbled losing to a strong Blue team that came out hungry for the win. The girls, somewhat deflated from two very tough losses in a row were eager to get back on the ice for our first ever semi-final game against that very same SCP Yellow team that beat us the day before.
This is where the tournament took a turn and things just clicked with our girls. In an epic battle of SCP teams the girls were up and down the ice from both sides working incredibly hard with both teams looking to punch their ticket to the finals on Sunday. The buzzer went to end the third and we were on our way to overtime for the first time ever! There was scoring chances on both ends of the rink, gigantic saves and a tremendous effort by both groups of girls that ultimately ended the overtime period! As we were in uncharted water, the referee advised the coaching staff that it was in fact time for the shootout. Nerves from both sides could be felt as we did as much as we could to keep the girls feeling confident and loose as both our shooter and goalie took their positions for the shootout! With shooters going at the same time from both teams, you didn't know what end to watch as the coaches scanned the ice surface waiting to see how it was all going to turn out! The arena was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop until our very own Lily Wood perfectly placed her shot through the 5 hole to secure the goal just seconds before Elody Murray was able to shut the door to lock in the win! The arena was electric, additional spectators were in, other teams were watching and it was the perfect moment for our team. A loss is tough on any day, but in a shootout semi final our hearts went out to the SCP Yellow team as it was unfortunate that either team had to lose one of the best hockey games of the season!
The girls were beyond excited in the room, now fully aware that they would be playing for the Keith Lindsay Memorial Championship! Our competition was secured and it was indeed another rematch against SPFHA Blue. The table was set and the girls came to the rink on Sunday for our first ever championship game!
Back and forth scoring the whole way through the game, our girls played incredibly! In similar fashion and just to keep the coaches, parents and fans on our toes these girls of ours again heard the buzzer at the end of the third bringing us to yet another overtime game in as many days. As we took the ice after a brief break between play, our Predators took to the ice very calm and ready to play! An early chance in our end had us worried, leading to a face off in our zone that presented another scoring chance that our goalie was able to kick out of danger with her pad before covering it up. As the girls lined up for the face off in our end again, they were certainly feeling the pressure but a quick draw win lead to fast break down the ice and the girls were hustling! SPFHA Blue won the race and as they moved the puck, Grace Olsen intercepted the pass! Skating hard towards the bottom of the circle, she opted to shoot and the arena erupted! The girls had just secured the championship and the celebration began!
As a coach, the girls demonstrated how resilient they have become and showed us all exactly how determined they are! Winning a tournament is a rare accomplishment on its own, but doing it with overtime twice, a shootout and all the moments from the five games played really speaks to how far these girls have come not only as hockey players on a team but the growth they have shown over the year as young women. Personally, I along with the coaches could not be prouder of each and every one of them. Each girl on the team stepped up when they were required to and it was truly a team effort from a confident group of women that led them to this achievement!
Kudos to you girls! You certainly deserve it!
