On Saturday, November 1st, the Hawks looked to get back in the win column, travelling to Shoal Lake to square off against the Yellowhead Chiefs. The Chiefs were anxious to avenge the 1-0 loss the previous weekend in Pilot Mound. Like in previous games, the Hawks were strong out of the gate, only to find the momentum quickly change back to the home team. After the first few shifts, the Chiefs regained their composure and started applying their own pressure. At the 11:31 mark of the first, there was a shot on net that Taylor corralled in her equipment, but before the referee would blow the play dead, it dropped to the ice, where the Chiefs forward standing at the top of the crease saw the loose biscuit and poked it across the goal line for the first score of game. Continuing their recent trend of not getting many shots on net, the girls managed only three shots in the first period, compared to the Chiefs' nine. After the intermission, the visiting fans were looking for a spark, and with some newly formed lines in the second , the Hawks looked to even the score. With Kate Friesen being moved up to the top line with Brooklyn Platt and Chelsea Dearsley, Pembina Valley seemed to regain some of their fire, pushing Yellowhead back into their zone and applying more and more pressure on the home team. Unfortunately the quality scoring chances weren't plentiful, but progress was being made. In the first period Megan Neduzak took a hard fall into the post, injuring her leg. It would be obvious that she couldn't continue, as she didn't see the ice in the second or third periods. So with Jenai continuing to sit with a concussion, Mackenzie still sore from a lower body injury from Friday night, and Kate moving up to play forward, the coaching staff decided to run with four d-men, moving Abbey Bridges back to the blueline. During this second frame, the Hawks were able to generate more chances, but at each turn, former Hawks goalie Emma Greenwood was up to the task. With just under eight minutes to go in the second, Yellowhead extended their lead on a powerplay goal. In the third period the Hawks tried everything in their power to break the goose egg, but the home team wouldn't allow many opportunities, playing a smothering defensive style. Pembina Valley managed another six shots in the period, for a complete game total of 17, half of Yellowhead's 34. Hoping to end the weekend on a high note, and find some offensive sprark, the girls travel to Winnipeg on Sunday to take on the Winnipeg Avros.
Facing what felt like a must-win game, the Hawks took to the ice against the Winnipeg Avros, Sunday afternoon at the Keith Bodley arena in Winnipeg's west end. After dropping the last two decisions this weekend, the pressure was high to not only regain the scoring touch that has eluded them, but also to find the chemistry in each other's lines. The girls would have to do this with a slightly shorter bench as the injury bug struck again, with Megan out with a sore leg from the previous game's collision with the post, and Jenai still out with a concussion. The first period starting out relatively quick paced, with each team taking turns, but neither goalie was willing to concede the early goal. It would be the Avros who would strike first however, when at the 6:19 mark of the first, a backhand off the stick of the Avro forward went off the post and in. That lead would be short-lived however, when with 1:57 left on the clock, Burgandy notched her second goal of the season when her unasissted shot deflected off the Winnipeg defenseman and over the Avro's goaltender. Feeling good going into the first intermission, the Hawks must've mentally prepared themselves for the second period in which they dominated. Playing high-tempo Hawks hockey, the girls came out flying in the second period. Despite the shots being even at eight a piece in the frame, the play was being carried primarily by the Hawks. Strong forchecking led to some great opportunities, and at 10:31, they were rewarded again, with Chelsea taking a feed from Sage and Captain Kate, and finding the back of the net. Then, with 3:45 left in the second, Chelsea found herself back on the scoresheet. Abbey had passed it along to Brooklyn Platt on the half wall who then slid it over to Chelsea in the high slot. Chelsea made no mistake, burying her second of the game, and extending the lead to two. Heading into the third stanza, the girls were riding a high of emotion. The shots were going in and confidence was high. They had every reason to believe this game would be an early turning point, which was only solidified when three minutes and 17 seconds into the third, Katie buried her sixth of the season, thanks to a great pass by Burgandy, making it a score of 4-1. Four minutes after that though, Winnipeg scored to cut the deficit to two. Not to be outdone, the Avros scored again on the powerplay with only 3:17 left in the game. Then, again with time winding down and a late game penalty, the Avros pulled their netminder for the extra attacker. This proved to be a pivitol moment of the game, as with only 13 seconds from salvaging a road win, Winnipeg found the back of the net, much to the dismay of the Hawks faithful. Dejected, the girls couldn't muster a much needed overtime goal, so for the second time in three nights, a shootout would have to determine a winner. With Jordyn Zacharias scoring after a Chelsea miss, the pressure was on Sage to deliver a goal. With a nifty stop/start goalmouth attempt, but an equally impressive stop, Winnipeg had a chance to seal it with another goal. Corinne was up to the task however, which meant that Mackenzie would have to solve the Avros 'tender to extend the shootout. With a left to right sweeping move to her forehand, she tried to go high, but wasn't able to find the back of the net, giving the Avros the win and the extra point. Tough loss for Pembina Valley, as they weren't able to hold the lead and salvage a win over the weekend. With two practices this week and hopefully a few days of rest to help heal the wounded, the girls will be anxious to prove themselves next Friday as they meet the very tough Westman Wildcats in Hartney, who have only lost one regular season game all season long.
Ready to face the weekend with high hopes of turning around a three game losing skid, the Pembina Valley Hawks took to the road Friday, Nov 7th to face the always formidable Westman Wildcts in Hartney. True to form, the Wildcats came out in the first period with a lot of gusto, but all for naught, as the Hawks had plans of their own, using good teamwork to not only thwart the offensive outburst, but at times hemming Westman in their own end. The Wildcats used their speed to test the Hawks often, but despite their best efforts, the Hawks were able to fend them off at every turn. At the 7:21 mark of the first period, the Hawks got on the scoreboard when Kate Friesen took a great pass from Lindsay Michiels, and wired a shot past the Westman goalkeeper. The score remained 1-0, thanks in part to stellar goaltending by Corinne Schroeder. The shots favoured the home team 10-9 after the first period. The second frame saw a lot of end to end action, treating both sets of fans to some great hockey, but in the end, the goaltenders were the difference makers, neither allowing the puck to cross their respective goal lines. In the second, the shots favoured the Hawks 10-8. With the Hawks faithful wondering if the girls would be able to hold off the Wildcats relentess attack in the third, that answer came with 9:12 left in the game. A friendly hometown bounce found the puck on a Wildcat's forward stick and with Corinne sliding to the other side of the net, the Westman player just found an opening and poked the the puck into the net. A little deflated, the lady Hawks kept pressing, but to no avail, the next goal wouldn't be found in regulation. The overtime four on four frame allows more open ice opportunities, and both teams wanted the extra points of winning before the shootout. With only one minute and thirty eight seconds remaining in the fourth period, Brooklyn Major, who almost didn't make the game with a stomach flu, took a head man pass from Chelsea Dearsley. Brooklyn stepped across the Westman blueline and wristed a shot on net, getting the puck deep, allowing her team a line change. The Wildcat goaltender inexplicably reached for the puck on her blocker side with her glove, and in doing so, misplayed it, allowing it find its way into the netting in the back of the net. The game was over, and Pembina Valley would leave town with their first win in four tries. The final shots on net were 30-28 in favour of the home team, but it was the visitors who would skate away victorious.
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Riding high with emotion, the girls took to the ice for their second straight road game, as they faced the Avros again at the Keith Bodley arena, in Winnipeg. The previous weekend's collapse was very much a the forefront of the Hawks thoughts, as they looked to avenge that loss. The girls came out strong in the first, but found themselves on the penalty kill only a 1:12 into the game. Less than a minute into the powerplay, the Avros got the puck across the Hawks blue line, where an Avro was able to bat the puck to an open teammate, who beat Taylor Reimer short-side, giving Winnipeg the early lead. The Avros kept the forechecking pressure up to, forcing some ill-advised passes up the middle, but Taylor stood her ground and kept her team in it. With time winding down in the first, the Hawks were able to sustain some late pressure, and with only six ticks left on the clock, Lindsay once again found an open Kate Friesen, who walked around one defender and shot a low wrist shot, which just found the inside of the post, evening the score at one apiece. Feeling better about a tie going into the first intermission, the Hawks fans knew that the girls played better than the scoreboard showed. The Hawks led the shots on goal by a 13-7 margin. The second period started very much like the first, in that the Avros would be the first to score, forcing the girls to have to pay comeback once again. At 14:40 of the second frame, Winnipeg had the puck at the Pembina Valley blue line, and the Avro defensman threw a shot on net, through a heavy screen and the puck just found the small gap between Taylor's pad and the far post. Four minutes later it would be the Hawks who responded when, after a draw deep in the attacking zone, the puck squirted out to point where Mackenzie drew it back and unleashed a shot that would bulge the twine, knotting the game at two. Even though it felt like the Hawks were dominant throughout most of the third period, the shots on goal were recorded as 11-8 in favour of the home team. True to form the game continued on in the third much as it had in the first two periods. Four minutes and six seconds in, it would be Winnipeg regaining the lead for the third time, when the Avros capitalized on a defensive breakdown and once again found the back of the net on a scrum in front of the net. Not to be outdone, the Hawks responded when Sage McElroy-Scott took a feed from hard skating Alyssa Alderson, and Brooklyn Platt, and made no mistake beating the Avros netminder. This seemed to light a fire in the girls, and they went for the jugular. The next few minutes the Hawks forechecking became relentless. The Avros had no answer for the tight checking and great skating as the Hawks lines just rolled out. With 7:47 left in the game, Katie Heppner worked the puck down low in the corner, and seeing a pinching Kate Friesen, feathered a pass onto her stick. Kate glanced up and saw Brooklyn Platt in the low slot and fired the puck over and Brooklyn made no mistake snapping the puck past the Avros netminder, giving the Hawks their first lead of the game. Winnipeg managed a little pressure after that, but with time winding down and their goalie called to the bench, Pembina Valley was able to hold off attack, and kill off the remaining time, ensuring their second straight victory. Taylor played very well down the stretch, and kept the Avros at bay.
Sunday, November 9th saw the girls finish off their third straight road game in St. Adolphe, as they looked to finish off their three game weekend in style. Even though Eastman has had some struggles this year, the Hawks took nothing for granted. Right out of the gate, the Hawks sprang to life dumping the puck in and chasing. At the nine minute mark of the first period, Alyssa Alderson took a feed from Abbey Bridges, and made no mistake, notching her fifth goal of the season. Just over 2 minutes later, it would be Alyssa again finding the back of the net, this time with helpers from Burgandy and Katie. The first period was all Hawks as they fired 13 shots on the Eastman goalie, while Corinne faced only 8 shots. The second period saw a parade to the penalty box, with the Hawks being penalized for four of the seven infractions. The shots in the second frame once again favoured the visitors by a 14-7 margin, and even though there were 14 shots, only one found it's way in the back of the net, when Sage would score her first of two on the night, when she took a pass from the recently returning Jenai Buchanan. This would be Jenai's first game back from a 9 game hiatus from her concussion, but even with limited playing time, she managed to be a factor. The third period saw Pembina Valley really take charge and dominate the game. Cheslea got in on the scoring action, one minute and 37 seconds into the third, when when she scored her team-tying eight goal of the season. Her goal was unassisted. Then, with 10:48 left in the third, Sage scored her second of the game, and sixth of the season, when she took a pass from Brooklyn Platt's team leading tenth assist of the season. Also getting credit with an assist was Katie Heppner. Corinne was as sharp as she needed to be, making 24 stops and preserving the shut-out once again. The score ended up 5-0 on a dominating team performance, ending the weekend on the desired high note that they were looking for.
Congratulations to Corinne Schroeder, the MFMHL player of the week! The Hawks are very proud of your accomplishment and how well you've played recently. Check out the link below...
MFMHL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Week 6 ending November 9, 2014
Goaltender Corrine Schroeder of the Pembina Valley Hawks is the Selkirk Source for Sports-Reebok MFMHL Player of the Week. Schroeder a Grade 10 student from Elm Creek, MB. was an impact player for the Hawks as she backstopped 2 of her team's 3 wins over the weekend. Schroeder pick up two wins by registering a 29 save 2-1 OT win over first place Westman of Friday night before picking up a 24 save shutout vs. the Eastman Selects, posting a save % of .981 and a GAA of 0.49 during her two starts. To date Schroeder has a 2.08 GAA and season save % of .917 in MFMHL play.
Congrats Corrine
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On Saturday, Nov 15th, the lady Hawks hosted the Eastman Selects in Pilot Mound. Coming off of a big three-win weekend last weekend, the girls were hoping to continue that winning trend. The first period saw the Selects come out of the gate quickly and were able to dictate the play in the first shift or two, however the Hawks had different plans for the evening. Only 2:43 seconds into the game, Captain Kate Friesen would get the home team on the board with a great shot from the point. Drawing the assist on the play was Burgandy Thiessen. Eastman was quick to respond, when they managed to beat Taylor 17 seconds after that, tying the game up at one. Within minutes however, Kate would strike again, when she blasted another one past Lynnell Donohoe, the Eastman goalie, at the 2:42 mark, with helpers from Chelsea and Burgandy. Not to be outdone, the Hawks captain would finish off the natural hat trick, when she took a feed from Chelsea and Chloe, putting Pembina Valley up by three. The score of one period of play was 3-1, with the shots favouring the home team by an 18 to 8 margin. The second period saw another physical 20 minutes, with each bench showing that there was no love lost between the two teams. There weren’t many penalties called, the referee was letting the girls play, but the Hawks let the scoresheet do the talking, scoring another two goals. The first goal of the period and fourth of the game came off of the stick of Sage McElroy-Scott, who has been red hot lately, at 9;09. The assists on that goal came from Burgandy, her third of the night, and the always hard working Lindsay Michiels. With time winding down, and only a minute and 26 seconds left, Chelsea continued her dominant play and scored a beauty, after taking a great pass from Abbey Bridges, who was manning the blueline. The shots in the second period told the story, with Pembina Valley outshooting the visitors 24-3. The third frame saw the game tighten up a little, with the physicality taking its toll, as four of the game’s five penalties were called. Despite the power play opportunities, the scoring chances were greatly reduced, and with only nine shots by the home team, and only four for the Selects, no goals were recorded in the third. The Hawks would skate away victorious, relishing in their 5-1 win, but also knowing the final shots on net were 51-15 for the home squad. Taylor Reimer continued her stellar play, suffocating all the rebounds, and turning aside all but one of the Eastman’s 15 shots. Another great team win, as the Hawks keep building up momentum in these important league games.
Coming off a great win Saturday night, the Hawks braved the high winds and snowy conditions on Sunday as they made their way to the MTS Iceplex to take on the Balmoral Hall Blazers in an exhibition match. In their previous meeting, Balmoral had shut out the Hawks, but coming off four straight wins in which they scored 16 times, the Hawks’ confidence was riding high. Perhaps the girls were a little too confident or maybe their legs were a little weary from the slow, wintery drive into Winnipeg, but the Hawks came out flat in the first allowing the Blazers to dictate the play of the game. Balmoral came out very strong and never let up, and with their defensemen pinching aggressively, they often hemmed the Hawks in their defensive zone for seemingly minutes at a time. Despite the intense pressure, the Hawks scrambled to keep their opponents off of the board, and thanks to some great saves by Corinne, they did just that for most of the first frame. With 4:33 left in the first though, Balmoral finally solved the MFMHL player of the week, and skated to a 1-0 lead after one. Surprisingly the shots after one period of play were dead-even with each team having fired seven shots on net. The second period saw the Hawks come out with a more determined effort and they were able to counter the Blazers pressure with some of their own. Although not able to find the equalizing goal, the Hawks were feisty and kept working hard. At one point Brooklyn Platt scored what would have been the tying goal, but after discussing it with her linesmen, the referee waved it off as they thought the puck had been knocked down by a high stick in front of the net. Dejected, the girls kept pressing, but with just over a minute left in the frame, Balmoral once again found the back of the net, taking a 2-0 lead into the second intermission. The shots registered a deceiving 12-4 in favour of the home team, possibly due to some of the Hawks shots that went wide and high of the home team’s net. Going into the final frame, the girls knew that finding a way past the Blazer netminder would prove tough, as the home team played a strong defensive game. The Hawks have shown themselves a plucky bunch this year, and after finally sustaining a pressured attack in the second, Kate Friesen fired a shot from the point with traffic in front. Katie Heppner picked up the juicy rebound and deflected it over to Burgandy, who made no mistake, burying the puck passed the home team’s goalie with 12:56 showing on the clock, cutting the lead to one. With former Hawks Lauren Keen, Kenzie Dearsley, Kelsey Conrad and Destiny Collins cheering them on, the girls battled hard for the rest of the period, and with time winding down, Corinne was summoned to the bench in favour of the extra attacker. With six skaters, the Hawks pinned Balmoral deep in the attacking zone, but after a blocked shot at the blue line, the Blazer forward followed the puck into the neutral zone and with no defender between her and the net she slid the puck into the empty cage, deflating any chance of a Hawk comeback. The final shots were 35-15 for the home team. Next up for the Hawks is a road trip up to Shoal Lake to take on the league leading Yellowhead Chiefs on Thursday, Nov 20th, followed by a weekend in Grand Forks, playing a two game exhibition set at the Ralph Englstad arena.
On a rare Thursday night tilt, the Hawks travelled up to Shoal Lake to take on the league's first place team, a match that was originally scheduled for Friday, Nov 21st. With the Pembina Valley squad travelling to Grand Forks for a couple of weekend exhibition games, the Chiefs were kind enough to host our girls on a Thursday night. With many of the battles between these two teams being tight-checking, low scoring games, no one was quite prepared for what would turn out to be a high scoring back-and-forth affair. With Coach Jeff unavailable for the trip, the coaching duties fell on the shoulders of all three assistants, who filled in admirably. With the early momentum, Yellowhead applied their trademark hard forechecking and timely pinching from their d-men, pinning the girls deep in the defending zone for the first few minutes of the first period. After finding their legs around the five minute mark, the Hawks pressed back applying an equal amount of pressure to the Chiefs. Although the reward wouldn't come in the form of a goal, Pembina Valley proved that they would bend but not break. Just about 12 minutes into the first period, the home team would get on the board first, when the right side defenseman made a good move at the blueline and walked in and roofed a shot over Corinne's left shoulder. The Hawks would not go down quietly on this night, as without getting frustrated, and with time winding down in the first, Megan Neduzak would knot the score at one with only 2:43 left on the clock. Megan, who had been deep in the Chief's zone, picked up the loose puck in the neutral zone, walked in on Emma Greenwood and wristed a shot high on the glove side. Even though Emma got a piece of it, it wasn't enough and it deflected into the top right corner of the net. The end of the first saw the scoreboard display a goal for each team, and the shots registered at 10-5 in favour of the visitors. With that confidence that they had outplayed their opponents, the girls were looking to build on that positive note. Unfortunately, one minute and 15 seconds into the first, a shot from the point was deflected off of a Hawk forward in front of the net, and found it's way past Corinne, giving Yellowhead a 2-1 lead. The visiting crowd was a little dejected that the home team was able to respond so quickly, but that was very short lived as less than three minutes later, Katie Heppner drew a couple of Chiefs in, and then fed a dandy cross ice pass to Alyssa Alderson, who turned on the jets, and with her speed, went in on a partial breakaway, and beat the Chiefs goalie five-hole, knotting the game at two a piece. Not to be outdone, exactly two minutes later, at 13:44, Katie picked up the puck to Greenwood's right, and when almost at the goal line, gave a look high slot, and then lifted it up over the goalie's shoulder and off the cross bar and in. The onslaught would continue when at the 9:01 mark, Katie would tally her second of the period, when Sage battled behind the net and Brooklyn Platt would pick up the puck and fed a beauty to the front of the net, where Katie snapped a quick shot past Emma once again. With the score now 4-2 and Hawks still completely dominating the play, it would be Burgandy who would find herself on the score sheet, when she deflected a hard shot from the point by Abbey Bridges past the frustrated Chiefs netminder. That would be all the rubber that Greenwood would see as she was lifted for Cook, who would finish off the game. Perhaps that sparked the Chiefs though as they roared back with two quick goals of their own at 5:59 and 2:29 of the second, at which time the coaching staff called on Taylor to step in and try to stop the home team's offensive show. The Hawks managed to stave off the pressure in the final two minutes, but as buzzer went to end the second, a bulk of the night's damage had been done as the scoreboard now showed 5-4 for the visiting Hawks, and the shots on goal were 21-15 for the Hawks. Rejuvenated after that offensive outburst, the Hawks faithful settled into their seats for the third period hoping that more of the same was to come. A one goal lead is never safe in Shoal Lake, so an insurance marker was what we were all hoping for. The home team had other intentions, when at 8:29 of the third, they managed to find the back of the net on yet another deflected shot, eliciting a loud cheer from the home crowd. After 52 mintues of back and forth play, we were right back where we started, hoping the next goal would favour the visitors. 50 seconds after the equalizing goal, Jenai capitalized on a great shift by the Hawks who had hemmed the Chiefs in thier own zone, by unloading a slapshop low along the ice that just found the inside of the post, and lifting the Hawks into a frenzy. All they had to do now was play a great team defense and the game would be theirs. A late time out by Yellowhead and a faceoff deep in the Hawks zone allowed the home team to stack their line up and with time running out, Kate Friesen dug out a tied up puck and putting her head down, skated for the far side of the ice, looking to gain the red line. As she reached the midway point of the ice, she flung a backhanded shot down towards the net, and with 36 seconds left in the game, she gave the Hawks bench the much leaded lift, sealing the road victory. After the dust finally settled, Pembina Valley had outshot the home team 28-22, and had scored 7 goals in the process. The proof of the great team effort is that 11 different players were responsible for the 15 points (goals and assists) that were on the game sheet. Taylor did a fantastic job coming in for Corinne, who despite her best effort, was responsible for four of the goals on 13 shots, many of which were deflections. Taylor allowed one goal on 9 shots.
Grand Forks Exhibition Games at UND - Nov 22-23/14
With a two game exhibition set against the Minnesota Revolution at the Ralph Englestad arena, the Pembina Valley Hawks would experience playing an experienced high-level team, while bonding over a weekend away from home. The Minnesota Revolution is an elite, regional tier 1 AAA U19 team, that according to myhockeyrankings.com, is rated as the 11th best 19U Tier 1 girls team in the USA.
Game one was played on the Olympic sized ice surface, Saturday morning, which would allow the faster, more skilled players a chance to really shine. On the other hand, it would also give both team opportunities to move the puck and provide an up-tempo game for the fans. No one was disappointed with the effort of this morning's game. The game was fast, the passes were crisp and the effort was all out. One minute and 30 seconds into the game, Linsday Michiels would get the Hawks on the board first, giving the Pembina Valley fans some early optimism. With a scrum in front of the net, Ginny shot the puck on the net, and the rebound bouced to Brooklyn Platt who tapped it over to Lindsay who slapped it past the Revolution goaltender. This would be the only scoring in the first, with the shots favouring the home team (Minnesota), 9-6. The larger ice surface came more into play in the second period, as both teams found there to be more open ice and more skating than what they are used to playing on. There was a lot of back and forth action, and the Revolution were playing the typical more physical American style of game. Although there was only two penalties in the first frame (one apiece), there seemed to be more and more pushing and shoving, especially around both goalie's creases. There was no scoring in the second period, and the shots on goal were 11-7 in favour of the Hawks, with an overall shot total of 17-16 in the visiting team's favour. With both goaltenders making some terrific saves, it would look like it would come down to a battle of who would blink first. 29 seconds into the third period, Minnesota would take the lead on a shot that Taylor just couldn't get a handle on, and the Hawks would have to find a way to even the score. This would prove daunting, as the home team would really seem to find ways pin the Hawks deep in their own defensive zone with some startling pressure. The lady Hawks were being worn down with wave after wave of Revolution pressure, but the team's defensive effort was matched with Taylor's unwavering determination to keep the attack fruitless. Then, with time winding down, Pembina Valley managed a spark of their own, and were finally rewarded with the equalizer. Ginny managed to snap one past the Minnesota keeper, with only 3:53 left in the third. Katie had been taken down behind the net, and while on her back she slid the puck up front to Brooklyn Platt, who drew her second helper of the game, when she made a great pass to Ginny who has proven herself very dangerous in the slot. There would be no other goals scored in the third so overtime would have to settle this one. Ten minutes was put on the board, and there would be no flood. The action went end to end to start, but before long it would be all Revolution. Even though the shots ended up 9-1 in favour of Minnesota in the fourth frame, Taylor refused to give them that deciding goal. With no scoring in the extra period, another ten minutes was put on the board. The girls from both teams were exhausted, having skated for 61 minutes on the large ice surface. Each team was rewarded with a powerplay opportunity, the Revolution getting theirs in the first OT and the Hawks benefitting from one in the second OT frame, but neither team could muster much offense. Then, six minutes and 32 seconds into the fifth period, a slightly deflected point shot just squeaked past Taylor's left side, finding the back of the net, and ending the marathon. The final shots on net were 38-28 for Minnesota.
The early game meant the girls were able to go for a team lunch, and then head back to the hotel to get ready for the UND female hockey game at 4:00. The girls were grateful for the opportunity to see Division I hockey up close as the Sioux took on Ohio State. After the Sioux victory, the girls were off to the Columbia Mall to take part in a team building activity, a mall scavenger hunt. This turned out to be an exercise in laughter and humility, but all the girls were rewarded with funny and embarrassing memories and a great time was had by all.
Sunday morning, the girls would take their turn as the home team, as they suited up against the Revolution again, this time in "The Ralph". Playing in UND's own rink is always a special treat and this would be no exception. Eager to turn the tables and end the trip on a high note, the girls came out ready for action in this one. The smaller ice seemed to favour the Hawks as they made good passes, and carried the play well. Much like the first game, it would be Pembina Valley opening the scoring, when Katie Heppner scored on a broken play in front of the net. Unfortunately, there was no game sheet afforded the Hawks, so none of the assists were recorded by the writer, nor where the shots on net. The score after one period of play was 1-0 for the Hawks. A good portion of the play was dictated by the Hawks, but when the visitors did reply, Corinne stood tall and kept them off of the scoresheet. Much like the first game, the penalties were few and far between, but the physicality was certainly there. Some of the play involved a lot of pushing and shoving, but what we would normally see as roughing calls weren't being assessed as such here. The Revolution had no real momentum, until late in the second when they managed to score three unanswered goals in the span of about a minute and a half. For the first 30 or so minutes the Hawks played outstanding team hockey, and in the course of two shifts, very late in the second period, they found themselves down 3-1. Early in the third the Hawks managed to get one back when Jenai beat the goalie from the blueline, cutting the deficit to one goal, but seemingly the very next shift, we had another turnover at our own blue line, and before we knew it, a shot from the Minnesota defender was deflected five hole on Corinne, and the two goal lead was again restored. The bench bosses for Pembina Valley urged the girls to not give up and keep pressuring, and on a great forecheck by the Hawks, the Revolution netminder skated way out of her crease to clear the puck, but it was deflected onto Ginny's stick just inside the Minnesota zone and Ginny made no mistake, firing the puck into the yawning cage, cutting the lead back to one. With Corinne called to the bench for the extra attacker, and the draw deep in Minnesota territory, the girls tried throwing everything at the net, but to no avail. They would come up short for a second consecutive day, finding out the hard way that 58 good minutes of hockey doesn't always win you 60 minute hockey games. Holding the edge on shots on goal (26-24) served as little consolation as the Hawks would lose both games, each game being decided by one goal.
After the game both the girls and their parents were taken on a guided tour by Erik Fabian, one of UND's female assistant coaches, who showed off the university's world class facility, including the girl's dressing room, training and workout facility, as well as their player's lounge. A big thank you goes out to Head Coach Brian Idalski, and assistant coaches Peter Elander and Erik Fabian who hosted the girls and shared their facility with us. Good luck and enjoy the rest of your season. Go Sioux!!
Minneapolis Two Nations Tournament Nov 28-30/14
Heading down to Minneapolis to take on both Black Friday sales and some American competition, the Pembina Valley Hawks were looking forward to seeing some teams that they don't normally see. First up on Friday night was the Thunder Bay Queens at the Charles M. Shultz Highland arena, in St. Paul, MN. Some of the girls got into town early Thursday, some late Thursday, and still others showing up Friday morning, there was some concern that "travel legs" or the shopping excursions might come back to haunt the girls in their tournament opener, but those fears were quickly relieved as the girls came out flying against their Southern Ontario counterpart. The first few shifts saw a dominant performance of high pressure forechecking and great pinching by the defense. Only 1:10 into the first, the Hawks got on the scoreboard when after some great puck movement in the attacking zone, Jenai continued her strong play since coming back from a concussion, and netted her first of the game, with blast from the point. Drawing the assist on the play was her D partner, Kate Friesen. With the forechecking game firmly established, the Hawks kept pressing, pushing the Queens back on their heels. At the 11:32 mark of the first, the girls were rewarded with thier second goal, when a pass from Katie to Kate allowed the captain to find a lane and her wrist shot found the back of net. After establishing thier game plan early, the girls started to let their foot off the gas which led to some tough turnovers just inside of their own blue line. One of these turnovers would lead to Thunder Bay's first and only goal of the match. An ill-advised pass up the near side boards was picked up by the Queens defender, who shot it at the Hawks net. The puck was batted down by the Hawks defender just as Taylor was sliding across to make the save. The puck sat on the doorstep of the net, and the open forward poked it into the open net, with 4:08 left in period. Wanting to learn from some of the late first period let down, the lady Hawks came out strong again to start the second. During the last play of the first, the Queens were called for a penalty. Only 52 seconds into the ensuing powerplay in the second period, and after some fantastic passing around the Thunder Bay net, Jenai took a pass deep to the right of the Queens netminder, walked in and roofed the puck top shelf, restoring the two goal lead. The assists were awarded to Kate, her third point of the contest and Brooklyn Platt. There was a lot of back and forth action in the second period although there wasn't many scoring opporunities. Three Hawks penalties in the second, took a lot of the momentum out the period. The start of the third period was much like the first two with the Hawks carrying the majority of the play. With the clock showing 17:46, Mackenzie fired a shot on net, which handcuffed the Queens' goalie, and the puck dropped to Ginny's left. Ginny spun around and fired the puck off the short side post and in. Mac was credited with the assist. The rest of the game saw more see-saw action, but there would be no more scoring. Taylor was outstanding in net, never letting the Queens get a second chance opportunity, smothering each of the rebounds. Next up, the Hawks take on their last weekend's competition, the Minnesota Revolution's U19 team.
Game 2 - Game 2 saw a rematch against the Minnesota Revolution U19 team, a team which took both games in a two game set last weekend in Grand Forks. Playing on ice that is flooded every other period, the girls were aware that good puck movement would be key since the ice they were starting had already been used for the last game's third period and their warmup. The fast skating, hard forechecking Revolution team would be eager to carry on their winning ways against the Hawks. The game was fairly tight for most of the first period, and both goalies were up to the task, as Corinne was determined to avenge the loss from the previous week. 13:16 into the frame, Minnesota scored on the powerplay, as they used the open ice, passing well from the defenseman to the forwards, and Corinne had no chance on the play. The Revolution kept up the physicality that they displayed last week, although it was the Hawks that found themselves on the penalty kill on two occasions. Frustrated with the lack of calls, the girls kept focused and let their play do the talking. The shots in the first were dead even at five a piece. Determined to not have a repeat of their previous outing, Pembina Valley dug in thier heels in the second and came out firing on all cylinders to start the second. Unfortunately only 47 seconds into the second stanza, the Revolution scored their second goal of the game, when a deflected puck snuck past Corinne, leaving the Hawks with another deficit to overcome. Not backing down and with the new found intensity, came success. On some sustained pressure in the attacking zone, the puck came back to the point, where Mackenzie teed it up and rocketed a shot on net that was deflected in at the top of the crease by a very astute Brooklyn Platt, eight minutes and 26 seconds into the second. The second period was one of the best periods the Hawks have played this season, as they outshot Minnesota 9-6, which didn't include about 12 shots that were shot wide or high of the net. The only thing keeping the score at 2-1 was the crossbar, as Sage wired a beauty of shot that beat the goalie, but not the iron. There would be no more scoring in the second, but the tone had been set. Keeping up the uptempo game, the Hawks continued to dominate the third, but were unable to have success in tying up the game. The momentum had shifted, not only in play, but also with the parade to the penalty box. After the two first period penalties, the Hawks wouldn't find themselves penalized again, and the Revolution were called for the next five infractions. This gave the the Hawks a moral boost, and they kept forcing the play deep in the Minnesota end. With time winding down in the final frame, Corinne was again called to the bench in favour of the extra skater. The play was down in the Minnesota zone for the better part of the last couple of minutes, when a scramble ensued in front the Revolution netminder, and after a stopped attempt from the stick of Burgandy, new call up Autumn DeGraeve swiped at the puck and got just enough of it at the side of the crease, sending it into the back of the net and the Manitoba crowd into a loud cheer. Looking up at the clock, everyone realized that the Hawks were only 16 seconds away from another very disappointing loss. Instead, they would settle for the tie, with no overtime or shootout in this tournament. The third period shots favoured the Hawks 15-7, with the game ending up 29-18 in favour of Pembina Valley.
Game 3 - The Hawks took on the Madison Capitols in Saturday's game two. The Hawks lost the game 6-1, with everyone looking to Sunday morning's game and a different result.
Game 4- Initially the Hawks were told they were going to play the team from Illinois, but when they got to the rink, the draw had been changed to accomodate Illinois' travel schedule. Instead the girls were to play the Revolution 16U team. There was some hesitation, as the fans were wondering which Hawks team would show up for this game, but Jeff and his coaches put their faith in the Hawks and they were determined to put that last game behind them. The start of the game featured three line changes in the first minute alone, with the girls keeping their legs fresh and wearing down their opponent. The strategy seemed to work early, as the Hawks were able to sustained longer periods of attack in Revolution's zone. The first goal of the game would start by an alert Sage chipping the puck up off the boards past a pinching left d-man, where Lindsay picked up the loose puck and with a burst of speed created a two on one with Burgandy. While closing in the net, she looked at across at Burg, and elected to shoot and sniped it bar down over the Minnesota goalie at 11:02. Although the period was dominated by the lady Hawks (the shots on goal favoured the Hawks 7-3 in the first), the score would remain 1-0. The second period showed the same degree of success, with Pembina Valley pressing early and often, pinning their oppponent in the attacking zone, with crisp passing, and a good cycling of the puck down low. Just before the 12 minute mark of the second, as the Revolution's penalty kill had just ended, Chelsea had the puck down low, right of the goal mouth, when she fed the puck to the point where Kate Friesen looked to shoot. Instead of firing into the oncoming defender, she feathered a pass to the left point where Jenai unloaded a cannon of a shot, which found it's way through traffic and rippling the twine behind a screened Minnesota netminder. Since coming back from her concussion, Jenai has provided a heavy dose of offensive spark to go along with her ever steady defensive contribution. Not settling for only one goal this period, the Platt, Grenier, Dearsley line would get in on the scoring when they put on a clinic on puck possession, and with all three of them in front of the net, they swung away at the puck mercilessly until Brooklyn was able to bang in another goal, her seventh of the season. Credited with the helpers were Ginny and Chelsea. Shots in the second frame again favoured the home team Hawks, by a 12-5 margin. Going into the third period, the only concern was whether complacency would set in, and if they would be able to keep the Revolution off of the scoresheet. Corinne was tested early in the frame, when the Revolution decided that enough was enough and they had to get more shots on net. Corinne was easily up to the task, turning aside any chances that were presented, and the team-first defense helped in every way they could. Although they did give up some scoring opportunities while they let their foot off the gas, the coaches urged the girls to keep pressuring, which the ended up doing successfully. With a good chunk of the play being in the Minnesota zone, the clock wouldn't stop often, not allowing much of a reprieve to the Revolution faithful. On one great play, Megan kept the puck in the zone on a well timed pinch, ringing the puck around the boards to an open Burgandy behind the net. Burg then looked up and saw an open Sage at the top left hand side of the crease, slid a beautiful pass to Sage who one-timed a laser off the far side post and in, allowing the Hawks to skate away with a 4-0 victory. The final shots really told the story of the game, with the Hawks outshooting their opponent 30-16, with Corinne earning her third shutout of the year. This game was a great team effort from the stingy defense to the hard working forwards, and solid netminding, making the trip home that much more relaxed. The girls ended the tournament with a 2-1-1 record, and some great memories, playing some teams that they wouldn't normally see. Kudos to the Shaftesbury Titans for winning the Minnesota Mayhem tournament and Two Nations Female Hockey organizers for hosting this great event.
Next up for the Hawks is a three game weekend set where they host the Norman Wild in Manitou, Dec 5th, 6th and 7th.
