Taking care of unfinished business

Tyler Lowey
Times Reporter

 

The Mac’s Cup will be coming to Strathmore as the Rocky Mountain Raiders of the Alberta Female Hockey League (AFHL) stuffed the Saskatoon Stars 5-4 in an overtime thriller to wrap up the female division at the Mac’s Midget AAA World Invitational Tournament Jan. 1 at the Scotiabank Saddledome.
After a wild third period that saw four lead changes, the Raiders took a penalty with 35.4 seconds remaining in the third, nine seconds after relinquishing the lead.
“We had to keep our heads in the game, had to keep our defence tight and our offensive pressure up,” said Hailey McCallum, who plays with the Raiders and attends Strathmore High School.
Killing the 1:25 of Stars power play in the extra frame, the Raiders were rewarded with their own power play minutes later.
That is when Rachel Weiss etched her name into Mac’s tournament lore.
Taking a feed from leading scorer Nicole Fry, Weiss picked the top corner from two feet out as her bench poured out onto the ice forming a giant purple dog pile.
For Langdon product Emma Borbandy and McCallum, revenge never tasted sweeter.
Both members of last year’s squad that was on the other side of the dog pile in the championship game, it was extra special to be on the winning side this time around.
“Surreal moment, I can’t believe it happened. We know what it felt like to be on the short end of the stick last year,” said McCallum.
The Raiders are used to the big stage by now: along with their second-place showing last year, they also placed third at last year’s Esso Cup in Weyburn, Sask.
“I think that was a huge tournament. It was good to learn what it takes to be one of the top teams in the country. Some of our girls believe that there was some unfinished business carrying over from last year that we needed to take care of,” said Raiders head coach Paul Pozzi.
Sitting 11-5-2 in the AFHL, the Raiders began rounding into form as the holiday break approached.
“We’ve been doing a lot better since the end of November, since we came back from the Notre Dame tournament,” said Raiders head coach Paul Pozzi. “We were playing against a lot of tougher teams and playing up to their level.”
The Raiders were waxing teams en route to the tourney title. Finishing the round robin 3-0-1, they stomped the Kootenay Wild 5-1, blanked the Vancouver Island Seals 9-0, smacked the Westman Wildcats 5-1 and skated to a 1-1 tie with the Melville Prarie Fire. They also doused league-rival Calgary Fire 5-0 in the semifinal on New Year’s Eve at the Max Bell Centre #2.
“We are experienced now and know what to expect,” said Borbandy. “We learned that you have to come prepared in every game.”
McCallum finished the tourney with one goal and four assists, while Borbandy chipped in with three helpers.
“Emma is a second-year on defence and she’s really smart,” said Pozzi. “She sees the ice really well, gets pucks through and is really physical in her own end. Hailey is a really good skater and has a great shot. They’re great to watch and easy to coach.”
The Mac’s provided a chance to feel like a star, playing in front of crowds exponentially larger than their home crowd, and getting to share the same ice surface as the Calgary Flames.
“It’s pretty motivating and I enjoy playing in front of lots of fans. Most times, we play in the middle of nowhere and it’s just parents at our games,” said McCallum.
McCallum earned some big-league bragging rights in the cafeteria when school resumes. She attends the same school as the Foothills CFR Chemicals Bisons players. The Bisons were ousted from their Mac’s tournament in the semifinals to the Saskatoon Contacts.
“We have been following each other [so] it was nice to see them do good and have success,” said McCallum.