Ice compete in Golden Ring tourney

Keith Reynolds

Strathmore Ice

 

The Strathmore Ice were a late entrant into the Calgary Esso Golden Ring tournament from Jan. 16-18. For many of the girls this was their first opportunity to play in this prestigious event. They opened with a game against the Lacombe Edge. A great start saw the team holding a 4-0 lead after the first period. The Edge fought back in the second, but the Ice held on for a 7-5 win. Scoring were Tatum Wathen and Ashley Lecavalier with two each, Brianna Olson, Brooklyn Rienhart and Kaylin Larson with singles. Holland Kelly and Rachel McCollister both had a pair of assists. Next up on Friday night were the Calgary Jets. The team got a 5-0 lead only to see the Jets close to within one early in the second. The Ice responded with three consecutive goals midway in the second and went on to an 8-5 victory. Tatum Wathen had a hat trick, Kaylin Larson and Brooklyn Rienhart with two each and Laura Taplin completed the scoring. The third game of the round robin was against the Rockyford Ringers. The Ice trailed 2-1 after the first but were shutout in the second. The final score was 6-1 for Rockyford. Their first two wins were enough to propel the team into the playoff round. The quarterfinal opponent Saturday night was the Calgary Bold. After an evenly matched first period the score was 2-2. The Ice took a two-goal lead into the final minute only to see the Bold score twice, the second with 16 seconds left on the clock. A shootout would be needed to decide the winner. Ashley Lecavalier put the Ice ahead in the second round and when Erin Reynolds made her second save Jemma Warrack had a chance to end it. She made no mistake, deking the Bold goaltender and giving her team a heart-stopping win. Sunday morning’s semi-final saw the team meet the Beaumont Dusters. The Dusters came out flying and built a 4-0 lead. The Ice came to life and had closed the gap to 4-3 by the end of the first period. They added three more goals to start the second only to see the Dusters score three in a row late in the period. With their goalie out it was the Ice’s turn for some late-game heroics, scoring with eight seconds left. Again a defenseman was the hero, when Rachel McCollister joined the rush and put the ring top shelf to give her team a spot in the final. Ashley Lecavalier had a hat trick, Kierston Gron a pair with Julia Bishop and Tatum Wathen adding singles. The final was a rematch against the Rockyford Ringers. The Ringers came out flying and had a 6-1 lead after the first period. Though playing better in the second the lead was too much to overcome. The final score was 11-5 with Rockyford earning a well-deserved gold medal. Though disappointed in the loss, the team was very proud of their silver medal. Winning two games in overtime to make the final was a great experience.