MOUNT PEARL, N.L. – It may not have been the colour the Mid-Isle Wildcats wanted, but the P.E.I. champions are returning home with a medal from the Atlantic midget AAA female hockey championship for the second year in a row.
The Wildcats, who won the 2017 regional title, shut out the Western Warriors from Newfoundland and Labrador 3-0 in the bronze-medal game on Sunday morning to complete play in the four-day tournament 3-1-1 (won-lost-overtime losses). The Wildcats lost out in a tiebreaker for a berth in the gold-medal game.
“I’m really happy that we won the bronze medal, but I’m disappointed we didn’t get the opportunity to play for the gold,” said Wildcats forward Keiran Andrews of Hunter River.
The P.E.I.-champion Wildcats, comprised of players from the Kensington, Southside, North Star (Rustico) and North River minor hockey associations, defeated the host Eastern Icebreakers 5-1 on Saturday to complete round-robin play at 2-1-1 (won-lost-overtime losses) in the five-team event, which also includes the provincial champions from Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.
“I thought we played very well,” added Andrews, 17. “Our goalie, Hannah LeClair, was outstanding in all the games and held us in there.
“Our first game (a 1-0 overtime loss to New Brunswick’s Northern Lightning) was a little wobbly because of the travel, and being excited to be here. We picked it up after that.”
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Bronze-medal game
LeClair capped off her debut at the Atlantic midget AAA female hockey championship with a shutout in the bronze-medal game. Overall, LeClair only surrendered five goals in the Wildcats’ five games and was named the tournament’s top goaltender.
“Hannah was a wall, there is no doubt,” said Wildcats head coach Kevin Andrews. “She looked very comfortable in nets, was very solid and focused.
“We have four defencemen (Jacqueline Mix, Madeline Hamill, Kennedy Francis and Carla Stewart), and they all played extremely well keeping the shots to the outside.”
Mid-Isle Wildcats goaltender Hannah LeClair was named the top goaltender of the 2018 Atlantic midget AAA female hockey championship on Sunday. LeClair allowed just five goals in five tournament games.
Offensively, Francis, Stewart and Kelsey Weeks found the back of the net. Mix and Maggie Linkletter chipped in with single helpers.
After a scoreless first period, the Wildcats took a 2-0 lead into the final frame on a pair of power-play goals.
“Our team played very well,” said Hamill. “We had two really awesome power-play goals, and it’s been a bit of a joke on our team on how we never score on the power play.
“To get those two huge goals, I was proud of my teammates.”
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Coach Andrews said the bronze-medal game was the Wildcats’ best performance of the weekend.
“We were passing and moving the puck very well,” he added. “We outworked the Western Warriors for the most part, and our power play finally clicked.”
Hamill and forward Cassie Doiron of Rustico were two of the seven graduates wearing the Wildcats’ jersey for the final time Sunday.
“We were in the dressing room before the game, and we just said, ‘Guys, this is the last game for some of us, and we want to finish it on a good note and bring home a medal for our families’” said the 17-year-old Hamill, who is from Searletown. “There is nothing better than that.”
Doiron added: “It’s hard knowing this was the last game you are going to play, so you just wanted to give it everything you have and finish off with a win.”
Doiron said she could not have asked for better teammates for her final year of minor hockey.
“It was a really good season, on the ice and off,” said Doiron, 18. “We had a great team, everyone got along.”
Commitment
To illustrate the commitment of the Wildcats’ players, Coach Andrews shared a story he just learned about on Sunday about the players signing a contract.
“The players took it on their own initiative that they wrote and signed this contract themselves at the end of January,” said Andrews, who had not even had the opportunity to read it at the time. “It was all player initiated, player driven, and player signed that they would put the team ahead of themselves, eat healthy and do anything else that would help the team have success. . .
“As a coach I have never seen that before. That’s how the players looked at it this year – they wanted to do it for each other.”
Wildcats 3 Warriors 0
Rookie Hannah LeClair capped off her debut at the Atlantic midget AAA female hockey championship with a shutout. Overall, LeClair only surrendered five goals in the Wildcats’ five games in Mount Pearl, N.L.
Offensively, Kennedy Francis, Carla Stewart and Kelsey Weeks found the back of the net. Maggie Linkletter and Jacqueline Mix chipped in with single helpers.
After a scoreless first period, the Wildcats took a 2-0 lead into the final frame.
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Wildcats 5 Icebreakers 1
Keiran Andrews held the hot hand for the Wildcats, scoring a hat trick and adding an assist for a four-point effort. Lexie Murphy (1-1) and Sophie Flynn added single goals while assists were credited to Charlotte Linkletter, Cassie Doiron and Kennedy Francis.
Emily Hawco netted the lone goal for the Icebreakers.
The Wildcats, who held a 42-17 shots-on-goal advantage, built period leads of 1-0 and 3-0.
LeClair earned the goaltending win.
