Ice off to provincials
Mario Prusina
Times Editor
Two fierce ringette rivals are off to the U19 B Belle Provincial Championship this weekend in Fort McMurray.
The Zone Champion Strathmore Ice and the Rockyford Ringers, the highest ranked zone team during the regular season, are in separate pools at the Provincial Championship March 25-27.
The Ice earned a berth in the tournament by winning the zone title, while the Ringers gained entry as a Wild Card.
“It’s a tough test (at) provincials,” said Ice head coach Darin Dunlop. “It always seems like the northern teams are always pretty strong. We played a couple of them in tournaments this year and they’ll be a test. I was looking at our pool – we have a real good shot to make it to the finals on Sunday.
“We just have to keep our heads – we can’t get away from our game plan. On the defensive side, we need to play good body position – don’t be chasing rings and getting beat one-on-one. We need to be patient.”
Both the Ice and the Ringers competed in the Ringette Calgary League during the regular season. However, those two teams, along with Cochrane, break off and compete for the Zone Championship.
The Ringers were the highest ranked zone team and earned a bye in the first round of the playoffs, while the second-ranked Strathmore Ice took on third-ranked Cochrane Rockies.
Strathmore earned a 12-10 win in Game 1 of the series, before a tough 10-9 loss on the road in Game 2. In the third and deciding game, Strathmore used their home ice advantage to post a 10-4 victory and a berth in the final.
The Ice traveled to Rockyford for Game 1 of the Zone Championship Series. Despite falling 3-0 early in the game, the Ice showed tremendous character and came back to win 8-7.
In Game 2 on home ice, Strathmore burst out to a 4-1 lead, en route to a 7-4 win to claim the Zone Championship.
“We started off the first game pretty slow, but (we) called a quick timeout and the girls got going again,” said Dunlop. “Then back at Strathmore we played a full 40 minutes of real good ringette and won 7-4.
“There has been an ongoing rivalry with Rockyford (for years),” said Dunlop. “It always seems like it’s us and Rockyford in the finals – so it makes it a little sweeter.”
According to Dunlop, the defence – consisting of Heather Potter, Kirsten Dunlop, Rebecca Dunlop and Shayna Dunbar (affiliate for injured Caitlyn Woodcock) – were always composed and steady. If they did falter, goalie Brianna Kemble always stood up and elevated her game.
The forwards baffled Rockyford with their quick transition game and timely passing. Madisen Morris, Willow Paxton, Liz Steele, Caitlin Thomas, Bobi Edelemann, Nicole Laursen and Carmen McMurray all played well.
However, despite defeating Rockyford in the Zone Championship, the Ice would love to play the Ringers again this season. For that to happen, both teams would have to make the playoffs at the Provincial Championship.
“A lot of the girls (on both teams) go to school with each other, so it can get intense on the ice sometimes,” offered Dunlop. “For the most part, there are a lot of good friendships after.”
And a lot of bragging rights.