The Mount Forest Bantam Rep Girls have inked their names into the history books.
Over the Feb. 12-14 weekend, the girls successfully defended their International Silver Stick title of last year, and became the first girls team in the province to repeat as champions at the Bantam "B" level.
“This team has the desire and focus to win hockey games,” said Head Coach Chris Glerum. “It’s a group of girls who focus on playing good hockey, and winning every game.”
It was indeed an accomplishment, as a majority of Ontario's top Bantam "B" teams descended on Trenton, all looking to capture Silver Stick glory. Even the schedule proved a challenge, as round robin play required Mount Forest to play on the Friday morning, and three times on Saturday, with start times stretching from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Game one was against the Kincardine Kinucks, a tough old foe from the WOAA days. Kincardine came out flying and applied immense pressure in the first period, but were unable to capitalize on some quality chances as Ram goalie Tamara Officer shut the door with some highlight reel saves.
Megan Yake took an Amanda Hincks blueline pass and stuffed home a powerplay goal to finally crack the scoring in the third period. Buoyed by the goal, the girls continued to press and force Kincardine into penalty trouble. Jessica Turnbull scored with a wrist shot stick side, as assists to Becky Bults and Jenn Culp sealed a 2-0 win.
The girls had a day-long wait to face the Smith Falls Cubs, first place in their Ottawa league and another tough opponent. Play see-sawed back and forth until penalty trouble set in, but shorthanded Kellie Rawn took an Alyssa Becker pass and found Bults. Becky let a hard wrist shot go that deflected off the Cub's defence and into the net.
Good chances at either end went unrecorded until the second frame, when Rawn won a faceoff back to Justine Glerum on the point. Justine delivered a low hard wrist shot through the screen, and it gave the girls all they needed for the 2-0 win.
“We wanted to make history, and believed that we could with every win,” said Glerum.
“When we won, it felt like we won the gold medal,” added teammate Maryssa Eccles.
Game three only three hours later saw the Kanata Rangers, another tough team from the Ottawa league, outskate the Rams with size, strength and fresh legs. Mount Forest penalties helped Kanata dominate the early play, but also allowed Officer a chance to make saves when needed.
The locals slowly started to apply pressure as Kanata slowed down. By the third period the girls were taking the play to the opposition, and a hard forecheck by Culp got the puck to Bults whose shot on net was redirected past the Rangers goalie by a diving Turnbull. The score stood giving the girls a third win and a first place round robin finish.
“Mentally, they are a strong team,” Coach Glerum said of the Bantam Girls. “They continually make the necessary adjustments to their play, and learn from each game; and their best hockey is still to come.”
The Ilderton Jets met the Rams for game four, and both sides were slowed by the marathon schedule. Running on hyperactivity, Mount Forest outplayed their opponent and were rewarded on a powerplay when Turnbull buried a loose puck from Nicole Ross and Glerum. Rounding out the scoring Nicole Langdon finished off a nice passing play from Rawn and Yake, and gave the girls a 2-0 win and a perfect record.
The tournament semifinal produced yet one more opponent from Ottawa, the Kemptville Storm. Another tough game ensued, as action was end to end until the girls scored with eight seconds remaining in the first period. Kassidy Cowen’s point shot was driven home by Turnbull as the girls enjoyed a rare powerplay opportunity.
Officer was finally beaten by a hard and heavily screened shot from the point, and the goal not only tied the game at 1-1 but ended Tamara's shutout streak at an unbelievable 166 minutes.
Kemptville gained momentum from the goal and started pressing before the girls started to answer back. With the heat on Turnbull yet again turned a Culp pass into a winning goal in the late stages of the third period.
The clutch 2-1 win propelled the locals to the tournament final, where they again met a strong Walkerton contingent. The teams did not disappoint with an extremely hard fought game, and it was a defensive battle with both goalies putting on a clinic for the fans.
It wasn’t until the second stanza that Yake took a Rawn pass and sent Turnbull into the Walkerton zone. Just over the blueline and under defensive pressure, Jessica delivered a hard wrist shot that beat the goalie stick side. It proved to be the game winning goal as both teams battled back and forth in a highly entertaining hockey game, with the girls surviving a formidable last minute push.
With seconds to go, fans got to witness a monster battle at the faceoff circle, as Rawn practically wrestled with a Walkerton player in a battle for the puck. Laying on the ice with a player on top of her, Kellie reached out with her stick and knocked the puck away to deny Walkerton one last shot on net.
As the buzzer sounded, the Rams could finally rest, but not before celebrating their history making Silver Stick triumph.