Friday Dec 5/14
Friday, Dec 5th, saw the Pembina Valley Hawks take on the Norman Wild in game one of a three game series as the Wild travelled to Manitou on one of their southern road trips. The Hawks were looking to start the series off right, wanting to win all three games, and work on overtaking the Chiefs in the MFMHL standings. The game saw some shuffling of lines, with Alyssa missing this game with an upper body injury, and the bold move of having defenseman Megan Neduzak move up to play the left wing. This game also marked the very welcome return of Brooklyn Major, who has battled through some health issues and was excited to finally return to the line up after missing a number of games. The Hawks were skating hard, and were certainly getting their chances, but the Wild goaltending was certainly up for the task. With only 31 seconds left in the first though, it would be the visiting team finding the back of the net, when a shot beat Taylor late in the frame. The Hawks would find a way to battle through this early deficit, when the newly minted forward, Megan, took a beautiful pass from the returning Brooklyn Major, sending her in on the goalie, and making no mistake as she deposited her first of the game, 2:49 into the period. There was more back and forth action in the period, and with only 1:58 left in the second, the Wild scored again, seemingly taking a one goal lead into the second intermission. This aforementioned line juggling seemed to work well though as only 53 seconds later, it would be Sage McElroy-Scott evening it up, with assists going to the two blueliners, Kate Friesen and Jenai Buchanan. Going into the second intermission, the shots favoured the home team, 33-18. Wanting very much to take the lead early, the girls game out firing in the third period. Not that Taylor had played poorly, but perhaps spark the girls, Corinne skated into the crease to start the final frame. Only 45 seconds after the puck dropped to start the period, Megan scored her second of the game, with assists awarded to the two Kates, Friesen and Heppner. Not giving into the pressure from the home team, the Wild kept pressing, and on a broken play, managed to send a winger on a breakaway, who made a nifty move freezing Corinne with a fake shot and deking right depositing a backhand shot into the net. With things all tied up and less than ten minutes to play, the girls sensed some urgency, knowing an unlucky bounce could send this spirited affair in the wrong direction. Pressing on, the girls responded when Kate Friesen blasted a shot from the point and with some scrambled play in front of the net, Brooklyn Major pounced on the loose puck and buried her first goal since returning, capping off a stellar game by the hardworking centre. Having to kill off a late penalty the girls found the will to win, and although they weren't able to find the back of the empty net, they controlled the play at the end, sealing the 4-3 victory. Getting the win was Corinne having to make only 3 saves, this was a collective team effort as Taylor turned aside 16 shots in the first two periods. The final shots on goal were 49-22 in the Hawks' favour.
Toy Drive Game Sat Dec 6/14
Saturday's game had the aura of a feel good game, as the lady Hawks' were hosting a toy drive, with all of toys collected being distrubuted to various organizations within the Pembina Valley region. The spirit of giving was definitely in the air as both teams and fans contributed to this noble cause which will allow many young people in our area to receive something special this Christmas. A very sincere thank you to everyone who contributed to make this a resounding success. And there was a game played as well....
Getting the start in net was Taylor, looking to build on the solid start from the day before. This game may not have had the same degree of excitement of the day before, but it was nevertheless an important game in the MFMHL standings. The tables were turned today, as it was the Wild who came out swinging. They managed to throw 10 shots on Taylor, who handily turned aside every shot she faced. At 9:48 of the first though, it would be the Hawks who would strike first, as Mackenzie put a pass up to Megan who walked in and let a hard slap shot go, finding the top left corner of the net and tallying her third goal of the series. That would be the only scoring of the first, with the shots favouring the home team 18-10. In the second there would be a lot more defensive hockey from both sides, which limited the shots to 10-9. Again, Taylor stood tall, turning away all Wild opportunities. Then with 6:10 left in the second, the Hawks would add an insurance marker when Ginny scored her first of the weekend after Chloe fed Katie, who fired a shot on net that the goalie saved, but Ginny snapped the rebound into the back of the Wild net. There would be no more scoring in the second. The third period saw the Hawks clamp down defensively doing their best to ensure another shutout for Taylor. There would be no scoring from either camp, ending the game with a 2-0 shutout victory for home team. With the big win, the girls secured at least a temporary grasp on first overall in the league, after the Caps narrowly defeated the Chiefs on Friday night.
Sunday Dec 6/14
Bright and early Sunday morning, the Hawks descended on the Manitou and Community Arena to take on the Norman Wild one last time for the season. Having taken the two previous days' meetings, the Hawks were ready to soar to victory once again. The 10:00 am start time provided the visiting Wild to make it home as early as possible, and the sub-$1.00/ltr gas prices probably made the road trip down to Southern Manitoba more bearable. Ready to come out firing, the Hawks knew they would have to play aggressive and launch as many shots at the Norman net as possible. Kerigan Dowhy is a great goaltender who faces a lot of rubber and has been stingy all year long. On the very first shift of the game she would allow a goal however, when the puck found it's way to the point where Jenai fired a slapshot on net, that may have been partially screed, that found the short side just over the goalie's left pad. Drawing the assists on the goal were Megan and Ginny. The play for the rest of the period was pretty much back and forth, until late in the first, when on another turnover just inside the Hawks zone, the Wild were able to capitlize on the play when the a shot beat Corinne five hole, knotting the score at one each. That's the way the first would end, with the home side barely coming out on top of the shots on goal department, 10-9. The second period saw a fairly steady parade to the penalty box, with the Wild earning five trips to the sin bin, while Pembina Valley saw two of their own girls sit for various infractions. All told there were 16 minutes of penalties handed out in the frame, with neither team being able to capitalize on their respective opportunities. When the dust settled on the second period, the Hawks had once again outshot their opponent 12-7, but were unable to solve Dowhy. As the third period got underway, the fans became a little restless as wave after wave of Hawks attack produced no futher goals. The girls were definitely outskating the Wild in this period, and although they managed a bunch of quality scoring chances, the Norman netminder thwarted each attack. The one real scare the home team had, was a shot on Corinne that got deflected up and came down behind her. Luckily a very alert Abbey Bridges, swooped the puck off of the goal line and into Corinne's pads, drawing a collective gasp from both sides. The referee was in great position to make the no-goal call, and the game would remain tied. As time wound down the Hawks made a hard push to win in regulation, and with only a few seconds left, Katie skated down the left side and whistled a shot just over the crossbar. This game would need overtime to reveal a winner. To start the five minute four-on-four extra frame, Coach Jeff sent out some his hottest hands in an effort to end it quickly. This move paid dividends, as the puck movement and great skating line of Jenai, Kate, Brooklyn Major and Megan controlled the puck extremely well in the attacking zone. After Megan picked up the puck on the left side boards, she skated behind the net, where she saw an open Brooklyn Major. Major alertly pushed the puck back to an oncoming Kate who ripped a shot short side ending the game, and giving the Hawks the weekend series sweep they were looking for. In the end the Hawks had outshot the Wild 36-24 in this game, with Corinne coming out on top of the duelling goaltenders. Although it wasn't a regulation time three point win, the two points that came with it were sweet nonetheless. The Hawks wish the Norman team safe travels on their long trip home, and thank them for their support in Saturday's toy drive.
Mandi Schwartz Memorial Tournament, Wilcox Sk - Dec 6-10/14
Game 1 of the Notre Dame Hounds tournament had Pembina Valley pitted up against the Notre Dame AAA Hounds. The game was played in Rouleau, aka Dog River, SK. With the very small ice surface it would become apparent that the game would need to played in tight spaces. Even with the small surface, the girls adapted well and played a smart tape to tape passing game. At 10:53 in the first period, the Hawks would strike first, with a point shot from Jenai Buchanan found its way to the net, where the goaltender mishandled it leading to a scrum. In the middle of that fray was Sage who managed to control the puck and sweep it into the back of the net for her first of the tournament. There would be no other scoring in the first and the shots heavily favored the Hawks, 11 - 5. In the second period the girls really came alive. The Hawks skated the Hounds into the ground, wearing them down with a relentless attack. However it would be the Hounds who would respond when an errant pass from the Pembina Valley defense landed on the stick of a pinching Hound defenseman who wristed a shot on net and as play continued, the puck found its way to Taylor's left where a wide open Hound tapped the loose puck behind her. Undaunted, the Hawks kept pressing pushing their opponent back on their heels. The girls seemed to take the lead when after the Notre Dame goalie was down and out, one of the Hawks forwards pushed the puck into the net, but the referee couldn't make it down low in time and before she realized the puck was in the back of the net, she blew the play dead. Despite outshooting their opponent 25-6 in the frame, they would have to retreat to the dressing room knowing the third period would have to be won to skate away with the "W". Coming out strong in the third, Pembina Valley was determined to tilt the scoresheet back in their favour. Wave after wave of forechecked produced many opportunities, but that elusive go-ahead could not be found. The game would end in a 1-1 tie, with no overtime and no shootout, even though the girls outshot their foes 50-17 in the game.
Game 2 of the tournament saw the Hawks find themselves facing Weyburn Gold Wings, in a rematch of last season's Western's. The game was played in the Notre Dame rink in Wilcox. Looking at the larger ice surface, the coaches were thinking there would be more opportunity for their skilled players to skate and handle the puck. The first shift of the game saw the starting line come out with a lot of intensity, with aggressive forechecking. The second line came out next and took advantage of that momentum and when Brooklyn Platt interecepted a pass and skating into the Gold Wings zone with no defender in sight. Moving in with time to spare, she deked back and forth, pulling the goalie out of position and deposting the puck into the net with ease. Not long after that, Katie took a pass in the neutral zone, went one on one with the Weyburn defenseman, deked through her and skated in on the netminder, roofing the puck over her blocker for the Hawks' second of the game. Drawing the assists on the play were Burgandy and Chelsea. The rest of the period would see a lot of defensive hockey, with not many scoring opportunities. The shots in the first were 6-5 in favour of the Hawks. To start the second, both teams started a little slow, although when Weyburn started to pick up the pace, the Hawks couldn't match their opponents intensity. The shots would tell the story, in that the girls would be outshot 11-5. Only two minutes and three seconds into the second frame, a strong pass off the boards eluded the Hawks defender and reading the play well the right winger jumped in and skated in alone on Corinne's right and firing it at point blank range, beat her high over the blocker. Pembina Valley was able to weather the rest of the storm in the second, looking to get back on track after the second intermission. Unfortunately, the long day and bus travel seemed to take a toll on the girls legs, as they seemed to be running on fumes for most of the third. They dug deep and managed to stave off the Weyburn team, while Corinne made some timely saves, keeping the Hawks on top, finishing off the 2-1 victory. The final shots were Hawks 22, Weyburn 26.
Game 3 saw the Pembina Valley Hawks take on the Southeast Tigers, another team they hadn't seen this year. All the girls met in the lobby and walked across the parking lot to Tim Hortons, as it was too early for the hotel breakfast. What would normally be a quiet Tim Hortons breakfast for some at 5:30 am, this turned out to be noisy one as the Hawks and another team bombarded the staff with a bunch of breakfast orders. By 6:00 everyone was on the bus as they rolled out of town towards Avonlea. Getting to the rink just as it opened, the girls were raring to go. The early night seemed to help as the girls took to the ice with a determination to make their mark on this game. Within half a minute of the puck drop it was clear who was going to win this game. The Hawks pounced on their opponent, hemming them in their own end for minutes at a time. I don't think the Tigers know what hit them, as the Hawks kept the pedal to the floor, shift after shift. The Southeast goaltender made save after save, trying to keep the Hawks off the scoreboard. Everyone knew it was only a matter of time before the Hawks would score, and with 6:55 left in the first, the first goal came off the stick of Megan. Meg had just come onto the ice as Ginny and Brooklyn Platt had been forcing the play deep. When Platt fed a pass to Ginny, Ginny ripped one on net, with the rebound jumping out to the top of the high slot, exactly where Megan was skating. Megan made no attempt to stickhandle rather leaning into a one-timer, crushing a shot high and over the goalie's blocker to break the deadlock. Not be be outdone, 75 seconds later, on almost a carbon copy play, Chelsea Dearsley skated into the high slot where a juicy rebound ended up, she corralled the puck and wristed a laser shot in the same exact spot that Megan had scored. Getting the helpers on Chelsea's goal were Sage and Brooklyn Major. Although there would be more opportunities, no further scoring would happen, and the shots wound up 12-2 in favour of the visiting Hawks. As if the intensity of the girls' play in the first wasn't enough, they poured it on in the second. The Hawks were looking to add to their lead, and that's just what they did. Working the play down low, Chelsea, Katie and Burgandy did an excellent job cycling the puck in the corner. When Burg spotted an open Kate at the blue line, she snapped a sharp pass to the point, and doing what she's been doing all season long, Kate blasted a shot through a great screen by Chelsea, scoring her team-leading 15th goal on the year. Drawing the lone assist was Burgandy. Had it not been for the crossbar and posts, the score would have easily been six or seven to zero, as in the third Ginny and Sage seemed to take turns ringing pucks off the iron. There would be no more scoring in the game as the Hawks continued to press, but not for lack of trying. The final shots on goal were 43-10, and Taylor, although not tested often, was alert and up to the task, turning away every chance, definitely earning her shutout.
Game 4 - Friday afternoon the girls headed back to Rouleau to face what would likely be their toughest opponent so far in the tournament, the Northern Cougars. For those that were in attendance, they would be treated to a spirited, high intensity affair that would pit two very determined teams against each other, on a very small ice surface. The first period would tilt heavily in the Cougars favour, as the Hawks seemed to have trouble getting the puck out of the zone facing constant forechecking and timely pinching by the d-men. The Cougars proved they belonged in this tournament, with high energy and steely focus. They played a tight checking system that seemed well suited for the smaller rink. Pembina Valley would weather the storm and get through the first unscathed, thanks in large part to the stellar play of Corinne Schroeder in net. The coaches must've said something inspiring in the first intermission, because a completely different team came out of the dressing room to start period two. The girls came out flying in the second, completely dominating the play. With 16:24 left in the second, Ginny blocked a clearing attempt at the Cougar's blue line, and without hesitation, jumped into the zone, and wired a shot on net the Northern goalie mishandled, letting it trickle over the goal line, giving the Hawks the lead. This seemed to spark the girls even more, and although they found themselves in a little penalty trouble, they continued to press and forecheck effectively. Being outshot 12-4 in the first, the table was turned and by the time the buzzer had sounded to end the second, the girls had outshot the Cougars 14-6. If it had not been for the strong play of the Northern netminder, the deficit could have grown. Instead, protecting the lead became the focus as the Hawks as they started the third. There were some outstanding offensive plays in the Cougar's zone, but the Northern goalie would not be beat. She made some repeatedly strong saves, robbing some of the Hawks in tight. The Hawks extremely viligent team defense kept the Cougars to only two shots in the third and final frame, but those two chances were high quality shots and she kept them out of her net. With the Cougar goalie called to the bench for the extra skater, the play was deep in the Hawks zone, but just before time expired, the puck left the zone, and you could almost hear the collective sigh of relief from the Hawks bench. Corinne would earn the well deserved shutout, but there was no doubt that this was a team win. The game was a physical match from the start, with some questionable calls, and some that maybe both teams got away with. In the end, those penalties and non-penalties weren't a factor and the five on five play dictated the outcome of the game. Final shots were 28-20 in the Hawks favour, but one stat that doesn't get a lot of attention was a big factor - 50 of the 68 face-offs were won by the Hawks centres. Again, hats off to a gutsy performance from all of the girls, skating away with another victory, this time with a 1-0 score.
Game 5 - Saturday, the girls were able to sleep in and get themselves ready for an afternoon tilt against the Regina Rebels. Unfortunately, Captain Kate came down with a nasty flu during the night, which would leave the girls even more shorthanded, but a game time decision saw Brooklyn Platt return to the lineup despite battling discomfort with her lower body injury. With the drop of the puck, the Hawks started pressing and forced the play deep in the Rebels zone. The girls pressured their opponents looking for the early lead, but the Regina goalie was steadfast in net, keeping the Hawks off of the scoresheet. The Rebels weren't able to generate much offense against the tight checking Hawks D. The score remained tied at zero after one period of play with the Hawks carrying the bulk of the play, and leading the shots on goal 11-6. The second period saw Brooklyn Platt sit out, with her nagging injury causing her too much discomfort. This shortened the bench even more, forcing the coaches to run with only four defenseman. A few penalties called against the lady Hawks made for some defensive minded play, taking some wind out of their offensive sails. The girls were able to weather the penalty trouble though and were unable to capitalize on the one powerplay opportunity they were afforded. There would be no scoring thanks in part to some timely saves in close by Corinne, who was equal to the task. The Hawks were outshot 9-8 in the second frame. In the third period, the girls once again turned their attention to the offensive side of the game, engaging both the forwards and defensemen. With the larger ice surface of the Wilcox arena, there were a number of opportunities for long, cross ice passes and skating lanes. The Hawks seemed to get that critical first goal when a shot from the point went off the goalie's chest, and fell to the ice. Katie was right there to pull the puck to her forehand and sweep it around the sprawling goalie, but the referee thought the puck was covered and waived the goal off. Frustrated, the girls didn't give up. The ladies really did a great job looking for their teammates and making tape to tape passes. The Hawks stingy defense did a great job without the services of their captain, but everyone pulled together and made sure that dug deep when they needed to. With 53 seconds left in the third period the Rebels were called for an interference penalty, giving the Hawks a chance to get that elusive goal. With intense play there was a few close chances as time dwindled, but that all important goal would not come in regulation. With the tournament rules of a 10 minute extra frame, and four on four action, that penalty loomed large. Starting the overtime with a four on three situation, the coaches were looking for the girls to really take advantage of the open ice. Getting control of the puck was easy and the Hawks carried the play into the Rebel's zone. Chelsea and Katie cycled the puck down low, and when Jenai crept in from the line, Katie fed a pass to Jenai's forehand. Having only a small area of exposed net to shoot at, Jenai rifled a shot high blocker, just inside the post, and the game was over, 29 seconds into the extra frame. Preserving the shutout was Corinne who did an awesome job keeping the quick Rebel skaters completely off of the scoreboard stopping all 19 shots she faced. The Hawks in return, fired 33 on the Regina netminder. This was another complete team win, sending the Hawks to the tournament final tomorrow afternoon at 2:00 against the Warner Warriors, a fast skating and very skilled team from Calgary.
Game 6 would see the Hawks take on the Warner Warriors in the championship game of the Mandi Schwartz Memorial Tournament. Warner would prove to be a very talented team, a team that very much deserved to be in the final. The Hawks knew that they would have to bring their best game to this match up. The early play definitely favoured the Warriors as they skated circles around our girls to start. They cycled the puck down low, they pinched on the blue line, doing everything right. Before Pembina Valley would even get a shot on net, Warner would get on the scoreboard when a play in front of the net saw the puck bounce free and end up on a Warrior blade. The girl made no mistake snapping it past a helpless Corinne. Determined to ge that one back, the Hawks started an offensive attack of their own. The Thiessen, Dearsley, Heppner line started the push and had a couple of scoring opportunities, which carried over to the other line as well. On a puck that was shot down the ice from the Hawks zone, Chelsea raced down to retrieve it, only to have the Warner goalie reach there first. The goalie made an attempt to shoot the puck but shot it into Chels who then had a wide open net. The puck just rolled up on her blade, causing her to shoot it wide. Another play had Kate slide in from the point on a scrum in front of the net, where a puck glidedo out to her. She stepped into the rolling puck and she fired it just over the crossbar. Then, with only 27 seconds left in the frame, Warner scored another goal, on another scrum in front of the net. Shots were 13-11 in favour of the Warriors. The second period started again deep in the Hawks zone. This pressure caused another defensive zone breakdown, and with a Warrior player skating to Corinne's right, slid a sharp angle backhand through the five hole, which just crossed the goal line, 29 seconds into the period. That would be all for Corinne as the coaches motioned to Taylor to get herself ready. The Hawks couldn't muster a lot of offense against the very skilled and fast skating Warner squad. There were a couple of chances in tight, as the Hawks tried to stay resilient. On one play Autumn waited in the slot and one-timed a shot that somehow the Warrior goalie got in front of. Lindsay also had a glorious chance to poke a loose puck into the open net, but a timely stick check changed the course of the shot, right into the arm of the outstreched goalie. Trying to stay composed, the Hawks kept rallying, but an interference penalty was called against Pembina Valley, which sent the dangerous powerplay unit of the Warriors onto the ice. The Hawks did an amazing job of keeping the play to the outside, not letting their opponent get any quality scoring chances. Then, with a little opening, the Warner defenseman saw a slim opening and fired it on net, through a screen and seemingly through Taylor. There would be no more scoring in the second, and the Warriors took the 4-0 lead into the second break. Shots on goal after two still favoured the Calgary prep team, 24-21. The third period started on ice that hadn't been cleaned after the zamboni broke down. The girls were determined and tried to muster the strength to compete and try and finish strong. The girls were finally able to get a goal against the tough Warrior goalie when a point shot from Kate was neatly deflected right in front of the net by a well positioned Megan, at the top of the crease. Assists on the play were awarded to Kate and Chelsea. Taylor made some really strong saves late in the period, including a breakaway with seconds left in the third, but this day belonged to Warner who skated to victory with a 4-1 defeat of the Pembina Valley squad. Final shots on goal were 32-30 for Warner. Congrats to the Warner Warriors, winners of the 2014 Mandi Schwartz Memorial Tournament. The Hawks played a really strong tourmanent, and should have no regrets as they deserved their second place showing. Time for some pizza a long ride home...
Friday Dec 18/14
On Friday, Dec 18th, the Hawks took to the ice in a home game in Holland to take on a surging Westman team, in a battle that put the winner in sole possession of first place in the MFMHL. Still bitten by the injury bug, the Hawks would have to do without the services of the offensively gifted Brooklyn Platt, and this year's most dangerous centre in the face off circle, Burgandy Thiessen. Staying with the club for now was centre Autumn DeGraeve, who has fit in nicely since being called up. The game started with Westman dictating the majority of the play, using their notorious speed and physicality. This hard work was rewarded with a goal halfway through the first when the Wildcat captain, Jaycee Magwood beat Taylor for the first goal of the game. Then with time winding down, on a defensive miscue, the Wildcats struck again, allowing them the cushion of a two goal lead heading into the first intermission. The Hawks were unabel to capitalize on a couple of powerplay chances, including a five minute major. The shots on net heavily favoured the visitors by a 15-8 margin. The second period saw a lot more aggression, with a total of 14 minutes in penalties assessed in total to both teams. Westman provided the only scoring, taking a three goal lead only 1:18 into the second, although that would be the only scoring the frame. The Hawks managed to outshoot the Wildcats, 11-5, but were unable to solve the Wildcat goalie, Jenna Marshall. With a lot at stake with loss, the Hawks were determined to break the goose egg, and with 7:40 left in the third, it would be veteran Ginny Grenier taking a pass from Megan, who made no mistake on a hard shot that been the Westman tender. Unfortunately that's as close as they would come as they would fall short, and lose their grip on first place in the league.
Saturday Dec 19/14
On Saturday, Dec 19th, the Hawks would travel to St. Adolphe to square off against a plucky Eastman team. Although they sit at the bottom of the standings, the Selects have played hard and have had some success against their rivals. Not wanting to take anything for granted, the girls would be looking to press early and often, and set the tone for the game. With Corinne Schroeder on holidays, Taylor would once again get the nod in net. The Hawks would also be without the services of their captain, as well as Burgandy, Brooklyn Platt, and Brooklyn Major. Joining Autumn from the AA squad would be Toni Conrad, making her debut with the AAA team. The Hawks seemed to take the early lead, when Katie Heppner ripped a shot that went in and out, but despite both linesmen seeing it, the referee decided to not award the goal, which would end up being a costly decision for the Hawks. Instead of playing with the lead, the girls would surrender the first goal at 6:49 of the first, which would be the only goal of the period. The shots were even after one period of play, 13-13. In the second it would be all Hawks, with wave after wave of pressure, but the Eastman goalie, Makenna Wild, would not be beat. There would be no scoring in the second, despite the visiting Pembina Valley team badly outshooting their opponent, 12-4. Knowing that they would need a win to stay within striking distance of first place in the league, the girls dug deep and battled hard in the third. 3:58 into the third, the Hawks would finally solve Wild, when Sage beat her on a nice passing play from Chelsea and Megan. Then, on a powerplay, the Selects would strike back and restore the one goal lead, with 7:52 left in regulation. Desperate for another goal, Taylor would be pulled for the extra attacker, and with 25 seconds left in the game, Sage took a great pass from Katie, and making no mistake, buried her second of the game, to even the score and send this to overtime. Four on four OT would solve nothing, so the shootout would have to settle this affair. With only one goal apiece from the first three shooters a side, it would take the ninth round before someone would score, and unfortunately for the Hawks, it would be Eastman coming out on top. The final shots on goal favoured the Hawks by a margin of 39-22/ This proved to be a tough loss, with a feeling of what could have been...
Sunday Dec 20/14
Taking on the Winnipeg Avros one last time before the Christmas break, the Hawks met their opponents at the Pilot Mound Millenium Rec Complex on Sunday, Dec 20th. Coming off a frustrating loss against the Selects, the girls felt the pressure of having to come through with a win and salvage some missing points from the weekend's games. Having had success of the Notre Dame tournament was nice, but winning league games is high on the priority list now. As the puck was dropped at centre ice, it would be the Hawks who would take the early control of the game pushing the pace and firing shots on goal. Even though not all of the shots were quality scoring chances, they were shots and shots can always be dangerous. With 2:29 left in the period, Kate Friesen would get the scoring started taking a feed from Sage and Chelsea. With a late powerplay a minute later, the Avros would respond with a blast from the point that would find its way through traffic and into the back of the net. The shots on goal heavily favoured the Hawks by a 19-5 margin. Hoping to continue the dominating play, the Hawks came out of the intermission ready to continue their strong play. However it would be Winnipeg coming strong out of the gate, and 3:52 into the second frame they would score again, breaking the tie. The second featured some back and forth action, with both goalies playing well, but it would be the Hawks captain coming through in the clutch, with 2:34 left, with a shot in the high slot followed by a little unscripted pirouette for a celebration? Drawing the assist on Kate's second goal were Sage and Jenai. There would be no more scoring in the second, with the visiting Avros edging our girls 9-8 in shots. The third period saw a lot more back and forth action, but with little result. The shots ended up even 11-11 for the frame, but there would be no scoring. Four on four overtime settled nothing, despite a late penalty called against the Hawks. The girls did an awesome job fighting that big penalty off, limiting the Avro's chances. This game would need a shootout to decide a winner. The Avros sent the first shooter, which Taylor stopped with ease. Sage was first Hawk up, but was unable to score on her attempt. Taylor calmly made the second save, so it was Mac's time to put the girls up. She made no mistake as she faked going forehand, drawing it to her backhand and lifting it high over the sprawled Avro netminder. This placed the pressure squarely on Winnipeg to score, and with ease, Taylor made the final stop of the game, sealing the victory. The Hawks would skate away
Following Sunday's game, the girls and parents held their annual Christmas potluck dinner and party. The girls did a secret Santa gift exchange and shared many laughs over the various gifts. The Christmas party album is in the photo gallery tab.
(missing from the picture is Chloe Penner)
On behalf of the whole Hawks family, we'd like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas!!
Congrats to Ginny, the MFMHL player of the week!! Great job Ginny, we're proud of you. See the link below:
Forward Ginny Grenier of the Pembina Valley Hawks is the Selkirk Source for Sports-Reebok MFMHL Player of the Week. Grenier a Grade 11 student in her third season was an impact player for the Hawks as she scored 3 goals in the only MFMHL game of the week helping her team to a 6-3 win vs. the Westman Wildcats to move back into first place in the tight MFMHL standings. To date Grenier has 8 points in 17 MFMHL games and for the season has 13 goals and 11 assists for 24 points in 42 games with the Hawks.
CONGRATS Ginny
Tuesday Dec 23/14
Playing their last game before the Christmas break, the girls reluctantly took the road for a long road trip to Hartney to face off against the Westman Wild. Hoping to survive the game without any further injuries and with a severely limited bench, the Hawks braved the slippery roads and made it to the Westman's home barn, with 12 skaters and only one goalie. With the depleted troops the parents and fans of the Hawks were hoping that they girls would play smart hockey, limiting the Wildcat's chances and play tough defensive hockey. Pembina Valley worked hard in the first, playing a hard nosed style of hockey, matching the physical brand of hockey that the home team is known for. Although it was Westman who was outshooting the Hawks, it would be the visitors who would strike first. With 3:35 left in the first, Ginny would tally her first of the game on the powerplay, after Katie snapped a shot from a bad angle that was slapped at by Alyssa at the side of the net. From there, the puck was deflected into the open crease where Ginny-on-the-spot slid it past the Wildcat goalie, giving the Hawks the lead. Getting the helpers were Alyssa and Katie. Going into the first intermission, the Hawks had been outshot 11-8, but managed to hold the lead. What happened in the second, this writer cannot do justice, only to say that the floodgates opened and the home crowd sat stunned. 3:30 into the first, Jenai fired a shot from the point that found it's way through traffic and into the back of the net. Drawing the assist was Chelsea. Just over three and a half minutes later, it would be Ginny again, who took a pass from Mackenzie and made no mistake burying the puck for her second of the night. That would do it for the Westman goaltender, who allowed three goals on nine shots. Exactly two minutes after that, at 10:51, Ginny would complete the hat trick on yet another powerplay, when Mac teed up a shot from the point that got caught in some traffic up front. Chelsea managed a few whacks at it, and as it came free, Ginny pushed it over the goal line to pad the girls' lead. With no lead being safe, and facing a Westman team that would not back down, the girls knew that they had to keep their foot on the gas. With 7:21 left in the second frame, it would be Kate Friesen picking up the puck on a broken play and walking to the middle of the ice from the bench side boards, wired a shot over the Wildcat goalie, making the score 5-0. With all the fans from both sides looking on in disbelief, the lady Hawks would continue to fight off every Westman offensive and with Taylor playing as well as she was, with thanks to some shots that would rang off the posts. Not satisfied with a six goal cushion, the Hawks would strike again, with Lindsay getting in on the scoring action, with the assist going to Chelsea, her third helper on the night. It would take until the 3:54 mark of the second before Westman was able to find the back of the net, when Jaycee Magwood beat Taylor for the first time. This would be all of the scoring in the second, and when the dust settled on the frame, the Hawks would have five goals on 12 shots in the frame, compared to Westman's one goal on 19 shots. Knowing all they would have to do is protect the lead in the third, the girls turned their attention to keeping the Wildcats at bay. The Hawks would not find the back of the net, but Jaycee Magwood would complete the hat trick herself, scoring at the 18:01 and :51 mark of the third. The final score would be a more respectible 6-3 total, but the Hawks proved that that they could win with a shortened bench, and a gutsy team performance. With no games scheduled until Jan 7th, the girls will have plenty of time to rest their weary bodies and nurse some nagging injuries. With four games in five days starting on the 7th of January, two of those games against a tough Central Plains team who has three games in hand over us and sit just three points back, it will be important for the Hawks to be at their best. With 47 games under their belt before the Christmas break, it's been a tough schedule on the girls, and they want to make sure that they can finish the season strong. Enjoy the Christmas break everyone, and we'll see you January 7th as the girls host the Central Plains Capitals at the Access Event Centre in Morden.
