Jan 22, 2024 | SCU13BB-MGR | 197 views
Cambridge Roadrunners Annual Tournament - CHAMPIONS!
The team travelled to Cambridge on Jan 19 - 21 to take on the Cambridge Roadrunners Annual Girls Hockey Tournament against some tough opponents, and came away with a hard-fought gold medal!
The weekend started with a 3-game round robin in a 6-team group, and we did not pull an easy draw.
Game 1 was against Burlington Barracudas, a divisional rival in our OWHA loop. Jocelyne L. scored early in the first period to open the game, and we had several chances after that but could not capitalize. Finally, in the third period, Cassidy N. scored a beauty from the point to pull ahead by 2. Late in the third, Burlington managed to slide one by Madelyn S. to draw within 1, but despite lots of pressure by the end of the game, we held the 2-1 win.
Game 2 was a rematch against the Oakville Hornets U13BB2, who we faced (and fell to) in the Pittsburgh finals in November. Anticipation of a tight game was high! However, the girls came into the game strong and never let up. 40 seconds into the game, Lylah D. scored on her first shift with an assist from Cassidy N., and in the second period Jocelyne L. added a goal with an assist from Molly K. Finally, late in the third, Taylor L. picked up the empty-netter as Oakville pressed for a goal, and the game finished 3-0 with a shutout for Dani Y. in net!
Game 3 against Niagara Rapids on Saturday morning started very well, with another first shift goal by Jocelyne L. seconds into the game. However, the force field went up in the Niagara net after that and we could not break it. Niagara managed 2 goals on Madelyn S. and we took the loss and 3rd place in our group, headed to a rematch against Niagara for the semi-finals!
For the semi-finals, we came prepared with a stronger mindset and eyes on the prize. Niagara battled hard, but we were stronger, and two goals by Lylah D. put us up 2-0. Niagara couldn't beat Dani Y. in net, and even with a 6 on 5 late in the game, we held the shutout and Molly K. sealed the deal with an empty net goal to send us to the gold medal match up against an undefeated London Devilettes on Sunday morning!
The girls knew they would have to play hard to gain an advantage on the very strong London team, who were coming into the finals with zero losses, and a +15 goal differential (compared to our +6). We started strong, and held an excellent defense in front of Madelyn S. through the first 1.5 periods, and then a goal by Rachel M. put them on their heels! We continued to hold, even through a brief 5 on 3 PK, and then minutes into the third Molly K. hit a one-timer slapshot from the slot, on an assist from Cassidy N. to pull us ahead by 2! We were feeling good. London capitalized on a defensive error late in the third to draw within 1, and then...in the final seconds of the third period they pulled their goalie and despite our best efforts, netted the equalizer with 25 seconds to go. The entire arena was on their toes as we headed into the 3 minute 3-on-3 overtime period.
The first shift out were Lylah D., Molly K, and Fiona G. They completed dominated the play throughout the first minute and a half, with London not able to capitalize on the any of their attempts to clear us out of their zone. The London goalie made a few big stops, and we shifted our players. Finally, with 1:29 remaining, Jocelyne L. slid the puck to Fiona G. at the blue line, and she made the big shot to net the winner and the gold medal!
Overall, the girls played amazing all weekend and really buckled down when it was needed. An excellent tournament, and an excellent final game, as we head into the end of the regular season and start off our provincial and league playoffs in the coming weeks.