By Kristi Patton /
With vengence on their minds after finishing fourth at last year’s edition of the Esso Cup, the Edmonton Thunder left with a pocketful of metal this time around.
The Thunder had the distinction of being the only returning team at the Esso Cup, the female midget national championship, held April 18-24 in Regina, Sask. Last year the Thunder skated away empty-handed, just shy of a medal with a fourth place finish.
This year’s roster featured nine returning players who helped the Thunder win three straight games in a best-of-five series to top the North Division of the Alberta Major Midget Female Hockey League. The Thunder then toughed their way through a three-game battle against the Highwood Raiders to claim the provincial championship before beating the Thompson-Okanagan Rockets with two shutout wins in the regional finals.
The Thunder rolled over the Regina Rebels 5-1 with Jessica Sekulic and Kirsten Reeves leading the team with two goals in the bronze final. The Rebels came out strong scoring mid-way through the first period to take the 1-0 lead. But that margin only lasted a few minutes as the Thunder stormed back.
Reeves capitalized on a powerplay by skating hard around the Rebels net and flipping the puck into the corner on a wraparound. Arden Cowley poked the puck in next and Caitlin Connel knocked one in making it 3-1 for the Thunder skating into the third period. The Pacific representatives continued their offensive threat in the third period with Sekulic scoring again and Reeves adding another powerplay marker. Thunder goaltender Emma Cooley earned the win turning away 37 shots. Following five days of competitive hockey at the Co-operators Centre at Evraz Place, the Thunder’s Riana Magee was named the top defensive player of the tournament.
The Thunder Bay Queens, representing Ontario, were crowned the gold medal champions after defeating the Notre Dame Hounds, 4-3. The Queens dug themselves out of a 3-1 deficit in the second period for an impressive win.
“At that point I called a timeout and talked to the girls. I told them Notre Dame is getting tired and to keep pressuring them and they did which made the win so much sweeter,” said Lavoie.
“The opportunity to play in the finals was a dream come true for the girls. It was quite the experience and pretty amazing for them with TSN being there broadcasting the game. I want the team to know that I am very proud of all of them and we couldn’t have done it with just one or two lines, we needed everyone to be successful and I am very proud of all of them.”
Queens forward, Kaitlyn Tougas, who scored the championship game-winning goal and also was awarded the most valuable player of the tournament.
“This was a chance of a lifetime,” said the Kaitlyn Tougas of playing in the Esso Cup.
2010 Esso Cup award winners:
Top Goaltender – Samantha Langford, Regina Rebels
Top Defensive Player - Riana Magee, Edmonton Thunder?Top Forward – Janik Robichaud, Moncton Rockets ?Most Valuable Player – Kaitlyn Tougas, Thunder Bay Queens?Most Sportsmanlike Player – Kaitlyn Quarrell, Thunder Bay Queens?Top Scorer – Brienna Gillanders, Notre Dame Hounds |
