Kingston Ice Wolves Midget AA
Respect everyone. Fear no-one!
Local Girls Contribute to Ice Wolves' Success at Provincials
Local girls played a prominent role in propelling the Kingston Tragically Hip Ice Wolves Midget AA to a fourth place finish at the Ontario Womens Hockey Association Championships on the weekend.
The Ice Wolves lost their first game to eventual bronze medal winners Etobicoke Dolphins 3-1 but rebounded to hammer Sault Ste Marie Wildcats 8-0 in game two. Gananoque native and team captain Sarah Small had three goals and two assists, linemates Meghan Steacy (Gananoque) and Katie Gordanier (Joyceville) each scored once and added a helper and Michelle Good (Lansdowne) was perfect in recording the shutout in goal.
Game three was a must-win against powerhouse Brampton Canadettes and the Wolves prevailed in a nail-bighter 1-0 as Steacy scored the only goal with an assist to Small. In the semi-final against Ottawa's NCCP Capitals, Michelle Good was outstanding in goal as the Wolves lost 1-0 in double overtime. And it was Good back in goal in the bronze medal game, which was a 2-1 loss to the Dolphins from Etobicoke.
Ice Wolves coach Rick Small was very satisfied with his team's performance at the Provincials. "There are almost 50 teams at the AA level, which is the highest level in Ontario, and we all start out the season with the same goal... to get to Provincials. To get to the medal round was unbelievable, we honestly did not expect to be among the elite teams. But this group showed a work ethic that was off the charts and we beat more talented teams by working them to death. I know from talking to other coaches that they saw us play and did not want to play us because they knew we would be dangerous", he said.
The coach went on to say that the game against Sault Ste Marie was probably the best game he has seen his team play in the three years he has coached. "The game against the Sault was incredible, everything we worked on all season, our power play, penalty killing, forechecking systems... everything came together. We scored some highlight reel goals and were very strong on defence and the result was a very important win in a pressure cooker situation."
The tournament marked the end of a very successfull Midget AA term for Sarah Small. She spent three years with the Wolves, the final as team captain. Meghan Steacy, Michelle Good and Katie Gordanier are all expected to be back next season as the Wolves will be set to open the new Kingston arena on Gardiner's Road. The Ice Wolves Association is hoping that one of the four arenas in the new complex will be allocated to them and all teams will be able to play their home games in the same arena.
