Ice Hawks showcase ringette skills at Michigan tournament

NEWS RELEASE
SAULT ICE HAWKS
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The U14A Sault Ice Hawks squeezed in one last tournament on the season by competing in the Mid-Michigan Tournament hosted by Michigan Ringette in Bay City this past weekend.

This tournament is seen as more of a showcase of ringette and used to try to grow the sport in the state as well as in the U.S. This was the first time the tournament was held in a number of years and the 4th instalment. 

The Ice Hawks approached the weekend as a fun year end adventure and one last time to compete together as a team.

The U14 age group was a newer division for the tournament and just had three teams competing. They included the Ice Hawks, Ring Tech from Gatineau and the Durham Dragons. The Ice Hawks first game was against the team from Durham. This team was composed of various players representing the Durham region. The game started back-and-forth high paced action with Durham being the first to find the back of the net. The Dragons then extended their lead to 2-0 before the Ice Hawks got on the board with just over 2 minutes remaining in the period.

The Ice Hawks were able to tie the game up in the final minute but Durham countered with a goal just 9 seconds later to take the 3-2 lead into the 2nd period. Durham was able to score twice more in the 2nd and held the Ice Hawks at bay to take the 5-2 win. The Ice Hawks were back on the ice in the evening to take on the team from Gatineau on the Olympic sized ice pad. The size of this pad aided the Sault’s speed game and they were too much for Ring Tech to handle as the Sault won 5-0.

Saturday saw the Ice Hawks play the teams in the same order. Once again the game against Durham was a back-and-forth affair with the Ice Hawks starting to control more of the play but unable to find the back of the net on multiple occasions. Final score was 4-2 for the Dragons but after the game it felt like the Ice Hawks should have won if they were able to capitalize on some opportunities.

The Sault team started to really gel during Saturday and was possibly playing some of their best ringette of the entire year. This was unfortunate news for the team from Gatineau as they simply ran into a team that seemed unstoppable on the ice. The Ice Hawks finished the round robin with an 8-0 win over Gatineau and were off to the finals the next day.

The Ice Hawks were prepared for one final matchup against the Durham Dragos who went undefeated through the round robin. The girls knew they could play with them and just needed to convert some of their chances. Once again the Ice Hawks started the game strong and kept control of the play. The Sault was the first team to hit the scoreboard with a goal three and a half minutes into the game. Durham countered quickly, scoring just a minute later to tie things up. The Sault didn’t let this alter their plans though as they kept the pressure on and were able to score two more times before the period was over taking the 3-1 lead into the 2nd.

The Ice Hawks were able to extend their lead with a goal 2 minutes into the period but once again it was countered by Durham making it 4-2 with just over ten minutes to play. The second period became more aggressive as both teams knew what was at stake and the penalty box began to fill for both sides. Durham was able to find the back of the net one more time with 5 minutes remaining. The teams continued to fight back and forth but the Ice Hawks were able to hold off the attack and take the tournament victory 4-3.

The U14A Ice Hawks would also like to give a big shoutout to their sister team the U19A Ice Hawks who were also competing in the tournament and walked away with a second place finish taking on Richmond Hill, Laval and Team USA who they had a come from behind 4-3 win on.

The U14A Sault Ice Hawks are comprised of Brooklyn Adams, Kylie Beland, Erika Bernardo, Maelle Brown, Matthea Brown, Mikayla Farelli, Jessica Fasanello, Cameron Galizia, Avery Gauthier, Maisie LaBerge, Alex Lepore, Sophie Marcellus, Reese O’Neil and Leah Vaughan. The Ice Hawks are supported by Chelsea Clingen (head coach), Steve Marcellus, Curt O’Neil, Gannon Vaughan (assistant coaches), Alyssa Paquin (apprentice coach), Brigitte Vaughan (trainer), and Tara Gauthier (manager) as well as many parents, siblings and family members.

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