John Wilmshurst | Special to the 51暗网
Hockey is a numbers game: 200 feet, 60 minutes, three periods, two hands on the stick, $5 for 50/50 tickets and 20 players on a hockey team.
But this weekend, as the Jasper U18 Grizzlies were hosting their annual Hockey in the Rockies tournament, it was just 10 players that took to the ice in this three-day extravaganza.
The Grizzlies鈥� four-game weekend started early with a game Friday afternoon, against the Leduc Roughnecks to kick off the tournament. The stands were filled with enthusiastic parents playing hooky from work to watch these girls give 110 per cent.
The Grizzlies were dominant in the first period, keeping puck possession for 75 per cent of the play and holding the fast break Roughneck offence to a 1鈥�1 tie after 20 minutes. Molly McGown was between the pipes (of which there are two) and didn鈥檛 get a ton of work but was stellar when called upon.
Leduc found their legs after the first intermission, tilting the ice in their favour and scoring the only goal in the middle frame. But in the third, the effects of playing with three defense and two forward shifts started to show for the Grizzlies as they struggled to find any offence and gave up two more goals to lose their opening game four to one despite a 100 per cent effort.
Centre Iz McArthur got the nod for her Heart & Hustle while blue liner, and part-time goalie, Georgia Bell was recognized as game MVP for the Grizzlies.
Saturday was all about the 10 large hearts on the Grizzly bench. Outnumbered almost two to one by the Wetaskiwin Queens at this 8 a.m. game, Jasper held their own for a period and a half.
Down by a goal, with a couple of minutes left in the first, the Queens took an undisciplined penalty giving the Grizzlies a chance to equalize on the power play. It didn鈥檛 take long as Brooke Hartery鈥檚 absolute bomb from the point took the net off its moorings to tie the game only 10 seconds into the advantage.
Then Hartery鈥檚 sometime defensive partner and team captain, Bella Kovacs brought the Grizzlies鈥� sparse bench to their feet with the go-ahead goal barely a minute later.
The Queens would equalize before the period was out, and Grizzlies winger Maddy Radoff almost regained Jasper鈥檚 lead in the dying seconds of the opening frame with a hard wrister from the dots that was blocked.
When you鈥檙e rolling two forward lines and three defence, you have to make the first 40 minutes count before the legs give out. In the middle frame, Jasper was truly charging. Iz McArthur showed off her skating skills to get through the Wetaskiwin defense in the early going but couldn鈥檛 convert. McGown, playing wing for this game centred by Annika Oeggerli and linemate Radoff had a half-dozen grade A chances, all of them seemingly 80 mph slappers that couldn鈥檛 find their way to the back of the net.
Grizzlies鈥� other line, centred by McArthur with the smooth skating Daisy McLeod and the gritty Sahara Harvey on her wings, also had their fair share of chances but also couldn鈥檛 light the lamp. Credit the Wetaskiwin netminder for an incredible game.
And although Georgia Bell was herself stellar between the Jasper pipes this game, helped by some phenomenal shot blocking by the Grizzlies鈥� towering defender, Janelle Tank, the Queens snipers found the back of the net enough to put the game out of reach after 40 minutes.
Wetaskiwin skated to a 7-2 victory in this one. Hats off to Harvey for her Heart & Hustle, and Hartery as the game鈥檚 MVP.
Saturday鈥檚 second game was against the St. Albert Rush, boasting a full roster and a ton of playing experience. Against all odds, Jasper pulled out a victory on the strength of goals from Bell, McArthur and Oeggerli. McLeod and Kovacs picked up Heart & Hustle and MVP honours respectively.
Against this same Rush side in Sunday鈥檚 C-final, Jasper pushed the home ice advantage early, taking a one-goal lead, five-minutes in with Oeggerli scoring on a breakaway. But that was all our Grizzlies could muster, eventually going down 1鈥�4 to St. Albert.
Congratulations to Leduc for winning the A-final against the Edmonton Mighty Ducks and B-final victors Sherwood Park Fusion over Wetaskiwin.
At the end of the day, the only numbers that don鈥檛 really matter in the Hockey in the Rockies tournament are the final scores. They are quickly forgotten. What matters are the minutes spent with your friends, the effort you give for the team and the countless appreciative fans who have gone away thrilled to watch this fabulous hockey. Only 365 days to the next Hockey in the Rockies U18 tournament!
