Epic comeback caps Bears most memorable night at Hauser

The Bears celebrate clinching a berth to the Esso Cup in 2017.

It was a game where it appeared the Prince Albert Northern Bears were going to have to rely on a second chance to nail down an Esso Cup berth.

After capturing their second Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League title in team history in March of 2017, the Bears hosted the Hartney, Man., based Westman Wildcats in a best-of-three female midget AAA Western regional playdown.

The Bears took Game 1 of the series 6-4 on March 31, 2017 at the Art Hauser Centre.

Brooklyn Anderson (#7) had the late third period winner.

In Game 2 of the series on April 1, 2017, the Bears found themselves down 6-3 with 13:24 remaining in the third period. At that point in time, it appeared the two sides would play in a series deciding Game 3 the next night.

All of a sudden, the Bears made a frantic comeback. With exactly two minutes to play in the third, rookie forward Brooklyn Anderson tipped home a point shot from tough as nails defender Jordan Ashe to give the Bears a 7-6 lead.

Prince Albert held on from there to ensure that score would be the final result in order to capture the Lanchbery Family Trophy. The Bears swept the series 2-0 to qualify for the Esso Cup – the female under-18 AAA championship tournament – for the first time in team history.

The Bears celebrate Brooklyn Anderson’s late third period winner.

“It feels amazing,” said Anderson after the game. “I know the team was really excited to get there.

“We weren’t losing this. We wanted to get there, and we got there, so that is awesome.

“I saw Jordan (Ashe) had it on the point, and I knew that I just needed to get in front of the net. It is exactly what I did, and it just went off my stick and in.”

The Bears in 2016-17 were the carbon copies of the romantic image of their WHL cousins the Prince Albert Raiders, when the Raiders are at their best.

If you wanted to play run and gun, the Bears could run and gun. If you wanted to get down in the trenches, the Bear would get down in the trenches.

Captain Brooke Hobson was the Bears best player.

While fighting is technically banned in the female game of hockey, the Bears had the toughness to take care of things in a flat out brawl, if their opponents chose to play that way. The Bears had a team that was built for any type of game.

Overall, head coach Jeff Willoughby liked the high tempo offensive games the best being a fan of the 1980s NHL’s Edmonton Oilers. It seemed fitting the Bears most memorable home game turned out to be a 7-6 shootout that saw a championship trophy and banner handed out at the end of the contest.

The Bears finished second overall in the SFU18AAAHL with what was at the time the best record in team history at 22-6.

When they got to the best-of-five SFU18AAAHL championship series, the Bears swept away their archrivals the Saskatoon Stars 3-0. The Stars had topped the league standings with a 25-2-1 mark.

Camryn Amundson (#9) jets up ice for the Bears.

The Bears had a well-rounded roster, but their best player was captain and ultra-talented offensive-defender Brooke Hobson. Hobson was a member of Canada’s under-18 national women’s team and turned heads with a shot that seemed to be gifted to her from a Higher Power.

Veteran forward Camryn Amundson skated through an inspired season in 2016-17. She played in 27 regular season games setting career highs in goals (13), assists (14) and points (27).

Her older sister Shaye had passed away tragically in a single-vehicle accident in June of 2016. On the ice, it seemed like Shaye was still there helping her younger sister play.

Abby Soyko had the equalizer for the Bears.

The Bears roster had some classic Prince Albert hockey elements.

 They had the great power forward in Abby Soyko. At age 15 that season, Soyko topped the Bears in scoring with 18 goals and 13 assists for 31 points in 27 regular season games.

The Bears had players that could put up points with a finesse offensive game like Kate Ball, who had 15 goals and 15 assists appearing in all of the Bears 28 regular season games.

They had gritty checkers like centre Ireland South, who also showed some offensive touch netting 11 goals and 10 assists in 26 regular season games.

Finesse defender Hannah Koroll was solid and made the game look easy to play at both ends of the ice.

Of course, the Bears had Ashe on the back end, and she was the Bears version of Raiders legend Dave Manson on defence.

Kate Ball had a big offensive season for the Bears in 2016-17.

In goal, the Bears had the reliable duo of Ryan Fontaine and Brooklyn Elek, and the team couldn’t go wrong playing either in big games.

Overall, the Bears had their own unique collective personality, where it seemed it was always a good day to go to the rink. Ultimately, everyone on the roster stepped up with big performances and moments at different points in the campaign to make it a special one.

When the Bears showed up for Game 2 of their series with the Wildcats, they had an estimated 1,200 supporters waiting for them at the Art Hauser Centre.

A sweep in the short set wasn’t guaranteed as the Wildcats had some star players like forward Ashton Bell, who was the captain of Canada’s under-18 national women’s team.

Hannah Koroll made playing the game look easy.

The Wildcats scored on their first two shots of the game to go ahead 2-0, but the Bears stormed back to take a 3-2 lead early in the second period.

The visitors proceeded to score four straight goals to go ahead 6-3 with 13:24 remaining in the third.

Josee Casavant and Bell had each scored twice for the Wildcats, while Camryn Clyne and Haley Wickham had singles.

Ball, Amundson and Story Navrot replied with singles for the Bears up to that point in time.

With 12:22 remaining in the third, the Bears got traction when forward Miranda Heidt slipped a pass across the front of the Westman goal to Hobson. The Bears captain potted a tally to cut the Wildcats edge to 6-4.

Hobson struck again with 7:54 remaining in the third, when she blew home a point shot to further trim the Wildcats lead to 6-5.

Jordan Ashe brought grit and toughness to the Bears.

Soyko proceeded to even things up at 6-6 with a power-play goal with 3:13 remaining in the frame. That set the stage for dramatics on Anderson’s winner.

Elek made 24 stops to pick up the win in goal. Kaitlyn Slator turned away 19 shots to take the setback in goal for the Wildcats.

“Both teams kind of just let it loose,” said Willoughby after the game. “It was kind of run and gun and fun to play in and fun to coach.

“I’m sure all the fans got more than their money’s worth here. It was incredible to coach in I will say that first of all. There was lots of intensity on the bench.

“The girls didn’t get down too low, didn’t get up too high. It was very good.”

The Bears raise the Lanchbery Family Trophy.

The win marked the first time the Bears accepted a championship trophy and banner on home ice. 

The two times they clinched the SFU18AAAHL title were both on the road.

The Bears on ice celebration with their parents and fans seemed to last a good two hours after their series clinching win ended.

Later that same month, the Bears finished fifth overall in the round robin standings at the Esso Cup tournament, which was held in Morden, Man. They just missed out making the playoff round with a 2-3 record.

The Bears are all smiles after their epic comeback win.

Looking back now, the excitement Prince Albert that season had for the Bears in 2016-17 seemed to be a prelude in “Hockey Town North” for the huge excitement that followed for the Raiders in their special 2018-19 campaign.

Of course in 2018-19, the Raiders topped the WHL standings with a 54-10-2-2 record and went on to win the WHL title thanks to Dante Hannoun’s overtime winner of Game 7 of the league championship series at the Art Hauser Centre.

In 2016-17, it was Anderson’s late third period goal and the Bears that took centre stage at the Art Hauser Centre. Prince Albert rallied around the Bears as they collected championship trophies and banners.

Camryn Amundson enjoys her moment with the trophy.

The Bears crafted a story in 2016-17 which will be passed down through generations in P.A.

That season, the Bears truly embodied the romantic image of “Hockey Town North.”

If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

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Stars power play too hot for Bears in Game 1

Saskatoon downs Prince Albert 5-3 in SFMAAAHL finals opener

Mackenna Parker, right, hugs a teammate after scoring on the power play.

    The Saskatoon Stars power play was on fire, and that spelled trouble for the Prince Albert Northern Bears.

    On Friday night at the ancient Rutherford Rink, the Stars cashed in on all three of their power play opportunities to down the Bears 5-3 in the opening game of the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League championship series. The best-of-five series shifts to Prince Albert for Game 2 on Sunday at 7 p.m. at the Art Hauser Centre.

    In Friday’s encounter, the Stars final three goals all came on the power play with star centre Grace Shirley scoring twice and star captain Mackenna Parker getting the other goal with the numbers advantage.

    “I feel like just going into it we were kind of all on the same page,” said Shirley about the power-play success. “We were talking in between shifts just like making sure that we all knew what we were doing out there.

    “We just worked hard when we were out there, and things went our way.”

Joelle Fiala had the Stars first goal on Friday.

    Joelle Fiala and Anna Leschychyn both scored for the Stars at even strength to give the host side a 2-0 lead in the first period.

    At the 12:13 mark of the second, defender Ashley Messier fed the puck down low to Shirley at the right side of the Prince Albert goal, and she sniped her first marker past Bears netminder Ryan Fontaine.

    After the Bears cut the Stars lead to 3-2, Shirley struck again on the power play at the 3:50 mark of the third taking a beauty feed from Leschyshyn in the left slot and burying her second goal of the contest to give the Stars a 4-2 lead.

    Shirley said the play of her teammates was the reason she was able to score twice.

    “They were both just really good passes,” said Shirley. “The first one Ashley (Messier) just made a really good pass, and I had time to shoot. It was just kind of a lucky goal that went in there.

    “The second one Anna (Leschyshyn) obviously just like made a really nice pass and found me in the slot. It was just great plays.”

Stars captain Mackenna Parker eludes Bears defender Jordan Ashe.

    The Bears, who enter the series as defending SFMAAAHL champions, always kept battling back ensuring no Stars lead was safe.

    After Shirley netted her first goal to give the Stars a 3-0 lead, Bears star winger Abby Soyko responded with a goal just 1:27 later to cut Saskatoon’s lead to 3-1.
    Before the second period ended, the Bears further trimmed to Stars edge to 3-2, when Jadyn Kushniruk passed the puck across the front of the Saskatoon net from the left wing and linemate Camryn Amundson tapped the puck into an empty right side of the goal.

Abby Soyko had the Bears first goal on Friday.

    When Shirley scored her second power-play marker in the third to give the Stars a 4-2 edge, Bears winger Jasper Desmarais responded just 60 second later to trim the Saskatoon lead to 4-3.

    With 5:41 to play in the third, Leschyshyn found Parker with a backdoor feed, and the Stars captain fired home a power-play goal to round out the scoring in the contest. Shirley also picked up an assist on Parker’s goal for a three-point night.

    “Obviously, they are a good team,” said Shirley. “No matter how much you are up, they are always going to go hard.

    “It is important that we play a whole 60 minutes, because we know they are going to do the same.”

    The Bears got on the power play with 1:54 to play in the third, and they pulled Fontaine with a minute to play to get a six-on-four advantage with the number of skaters on the ice. Prince Albert wasn’t able to find any more offence.

    Jordan Ivanco turned away 24 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Stars. Fontaine turned away 30 shots to take the setback in goal for the Bears.

The Stars celebrate their Game 1 series win.

    The Bears failed to score on their two power-play chances.

    While Prince Albert swept last year’s SFMAAAHL championship series 3-0, the Stars won the league title in 2015 and 2016.
    Saskatoon swept Prince Albert 3-0 in the 2015 SFMAAAHL championship series.

    Shirley was pleased her team could take Game 1 this year and against the Bears.

    “It was a good feeling to get the first one,” said Shirley. “We just have to focus on the next game and just keep playing hard.”
    After Game 2 on Sunday in Prince Albert wraps up, the two teams will play in Game 3 on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. at the Agriplace Arena.

Sophie Shirley named CWHL rookie of the year

    Saskatoon Stars alumna Sophie Shirley took home a big honour at the Canadian Women’s Hockey League’s annual awards show on Friday.

    The skilled 18-year-old centre was named the CWHL’s rookie of the year after a solid campaign with the Calgary Inferno. Shirley recorded eight goals and 11 assists in 26 regular season games to help the Inferno finish third in the seven-team league with a 17-7-1-3 mark, while also finishing third in team scoring.

    The Saskatoon product, who has been part of Canada’s under-18 women’s team and Canada’s national women’s development team, has committed to join the University of Wisconsin Badgers women’s hockey team next season. Sophie is Grace Shirley’s older sister.

2018 Rookie of the Year - Sophie Shirley! (@InfernoCWHL) #WeAreTheGame #ClarksonCup2018 pic.twitter.com/3JIZ9dqAZ7

— CWHL (@TheCWHL) March 24, 2018

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

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Adversity will make Slobodzian stronger

Expect Stars grad to “bring it” at Hockey Canada camp

Willow Slobodzian controls the puck at the point for the Stars.

    Over the past 12 months, it seemed like adversity piled up on Willow Slobodzian, but you can expect it to help her in hockey.

    Growing up in Clavet and playing her minor hockey in the Saskatoon area, Slobodzian made the game look easy. The offensive-defender skates beautifully and effortlessly, has vision on the ice to see a game no one else sees and can fire home the puck with a gift of a deadly accurate shot.

    There might not be a sweeter sight than Slobodzian going coast-to-coast and wiring home a goal past a startled netminder.

    As she progressed to play with the Saskatoon Stars of the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League, tales started to rise up from the local rinks about how good Slobodzian was growing up, and you don’t know if they are true or not. There were a number of stories of her going to all-boys hockey camps growing up and coming away with the camps award as the best defender.

Willow Slobodzian looks to make a pass in the offensive zone.

    Slobodzian, who turned 17 in January, never confirmed those stories when asked about them. She would smile, laugh and shy away from the queries.

    Off the ice, Slobodzian was the most perfect well-manner teenager you could ever meet. During interviews and interactions with others, she carried herself in a fashion similar to the way Wayne Gretzky did in his iconic NHL playing days.

    Slobodzian spoke with politeness, insight and class. She always had great things to say about her teammates, coaches and opponents.

    It seemed like she would have a charmed life in hockey.

    Last summer, new doors started opening in the sport for her. In July of 2016, she attended a women’s high-performance camp hosted by the International Ice Hockey Federation in Finland.

    In August of 2016, she took part in Hockey Canada’s under-18 women’s team selection camp. From that camp, Slobodzian was selected to play for Canada in a three-game series against the United States later on that month, but she was left off the roster for the under-18 worlds held in January in the Czech Republic.

Willow Slobodzian gets set to make a pass to her defensive partner.

    That marked the first time Slobodzian, who stands 5-foot-7, had been cut from any hockey team she tried out for. After the initial shock, she didn’t let that get her down.

    She returned to play her third and final season for the Stars and was named the team’s captain for her final campaign. Saskatoon romped through the regular season with a 25-2-1 record and advanced to the SFMAAAHL title series for a third straight year. The Stars won the Fedoruk Cup in 2015 and 2016 and earned a berth in the Esso Cup female midget AAA national championship tournament in both those years.

    This time, the Stars season ended in March after they were swept 3-0 in a best-of-five series by a stellar Prince Albert Northern Bears side.

    Shortly after that series ended, Slobodzian’s life was turned upside down, when she discovered she would have to find a new post-secondary hockey home.

Willow Slobodzian sneaks in from the point.

    She had committed to joining the University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks women’s hockey team in the National Collegiate Athletic Association, but the team was folded in a shocking announcement on March 29.

    Global’s sports department in Saskatoon localized the story, and Slobodzian spoke to them about the situation shortly after it happened. Often in today’s media landscape in Canada, it is starting to be more common place that teenagers in sports are almost viewed as little kids, and they don’t get asked about tough subjects very often.

    The way Slobodzian handled her interview after the Fighting Hawks folded at age 17 showed more maturity than most adults have especially when you consider that tough situation was totally out of her control.

    Slobodzian caught on with the NCAA’s Cornell University Big Red women’s hockey team a short time after the Fighting Hawks women’s team folded and will join the Big Red in Ithaca, New York, for the upcoming season.

    Having graduated from Clavet High School in June, Slobodzian is heading back for a second shot to make Canada’s under-18 women’s team. She will take part in Hockey Canada’s National Teams’ Summer Showcase that runs from Aug. 5 to 13 in Calgary.

    Slobodzian is one of 42 players that are part of the under-18 camp. The invitees include now former Stars teammates and forwards Mackenna Parker and Grace Shirley along with SFMAAAHL defenders Hannah Koroll from the Bears and Taylor Kirwan from the Swift Current Diamond Energy Wildcats.

Willow Slobodzian helped the Stars win two SFMAAAHL titles.

    The players will be dived into two teams that will play two intrasquad games against each other. Each will team will also play two games against an under-18 team from Russia. Besides game action, the players at camp will participate in several practices, off-ice dryland training, fitness testing and classroom sessions.

    From the selection camp, 23 players will be selected to play for Canada’s under-18 team in a three-game series against the United States that runs from Aug. 17 to 20 in Lake Placid, New York. Following the series, Hockey Canada scouts along with the team’s coaching staff will continue to evaluate players to choose Canada’s roster for the 2018 under-18 women’s world championships, which will be held Jan. 6-13 in Dmitrov, Russia.

    Going into this year’s under-18 Hockey Canada camp, Slobodzian will be motivated. In sports, athletes often have to rise past disappointments, and Slobodzian has another golden chance to show she can persevere.

Willow Slobodzian gets set to drive a shot on goal.

    During her three seasons with the Stars, she never missed an SFMAAAHL regular season or post season game. Between the SFMAAAHL regular season and playoffs, Slobodzian appeared in 113 career games collecting 25 goals and 59 assists.

    In the 2015-16 campaign, Slobodzian was named the SFMAAAHL’s top defender and a first team all-star. She was an SFMAAAHL first team all-star this past season.

    She is also physically tough, which might be one of her most underrate traits. One time while playing on Saskatchewan’s provincial team, she was hammered hard into the boards by a member from the University of Regina Cougars women’s hockey team during an exhibition game.

    Slobodzian injured her shoulder, but she played through the injury and was still effective. Besides already being a great player, that moment made her a warrior.

    Slobodzian has always achieved great things, and you can expect she will continue to achieve great things. Her dream and goal is to play for Canada women’s team at the Olympics, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see those hopes become a reality one day.

Shirley, Willoughby and Magwood off to Summer Showcase

Sophie Shirley (#8) helped the Stars win an SFMAAAHL title in 2015.

    Sophie Shirley, Kaitlin Willoughby and Jaycee Magwood will all be participating in Hockey Canada’s National Teams’ Summer Showcase.

    Shirley, who has been part of Canada’s under-18 women’s team for the past two seasons, will be one of 25 players skating as part of Canada’s National Women’s Development Team selection camp. They will be competing for spots on the Canadian team that will compete at the 2018 Nations Cup in Fussen, Germany in January.

    Besides her time with Canada’s under-18 women’s team, Shirley, who is an 18-year-old forward, officially dressed for her first two games with Canada’s Senior National Women’s team in December of 2016 as part of a two-game series in Sarnia, Ont., and Plymouth, Mich., against the United States.

Kaitlin Willoughby gets set to drive a shot on goal.

    The Saskatoon product also played 36 games last season with the Okanagan Hockey Academy’s female prep team based out of Penticton, B.C., collecting 32 goals and 28 assists.

    Shirley helped the Saskatoon Stars win their first SFMAAAHL title in the 2014-15 campaign and earn a bronze medal at the Esso Cup national female midget AAA championship tournament. She was named the SFMAAAHL’s most valuable player that season.

    The players at the development team selection camp will participate in several practices, intrasquad games, off-ice dryland training, fitness testing and classroom sessions.

    They will also play two games against a national team from Japan and two games against a team of all-star players from the U Sports women’s league.

Jaycee Magwood sets to unload a turnaround shot.

    The roster of the U Sports team was announced on Tuesday and it includes Willoughby and Magwood, who both helped Canada win a silver medal at the 2017 Winter Universiade in Almaty, Kazakhstan in February.

    Willoughby is a star centre with the University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s team. She led the Huskies in scoring last season despite missing time due to her Team Canada commitments recording 11 goals, 10 assists and a plus-nine rating in the plus-minus department in 24 regular season games.

    Her goal total and plus-minus rating were both career highs, and in four seasons, the Prince Albert product has piled up 41 goals and 51 assists in 106 regular season games.

    Magwood is a star forward with the University of Regina Cougars women’s team. She led the Cougars in scoring recording 12 goals, 12 assists and a plus-eight rating. In two seasons, the Killarney, Man., product has posted 23 goals and 27 assists in 52 regular season games.

    The U Sports all-star team consists of 21 players, and they will also the national team from Japan twice.

Amundson commits to Mount Royal

Camryn Amundson drives into the offensive zone for the Bears.

    Speedy Prince Albert Northern Bears forward Camryn Amundson has found a post-secondary home following the completion of her midget AAA career.

    On Monday, the Bears set out a tweet that said Amundson had committed to joining the Mount Royal University Cougars women’s hockey team in U Sports. Last season, Amundson piled up 13 goals and 14 assists in 27 regular season games with the Bears.

    She played a key role in helping the Bears win their second league title recording five goals and three assists as Prince Albert rolled through the SFMAAAHL playoffs to capture the Fedoruk Cup with nine straight wins. The Bears swept a best-of-three Western regional playdown series 2-0 against the Hartney, Man., based Westman Wildcats to advance to the Esso Cup national female midget AAA championship tournament for the first time.

    Amundson will play her 17-year-old and final season of midget AAA eligibility with the Bears in the fall.

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

Ball finds home with Northern Bears in Prince Albert

Kate Ball was a perfect fit with the Prince Albert Northern Bears.

    Kate Ball and the Prince Albert Northern Bears ended up being a match made in heaven.

    Before the season started, the 15-year-old Saskatoon product was kicking tires looking for a female midget AAA team where she would have a chance to contribute in an offensive role. On a whim, she decided to attend a tryout camp with the Bears, and head coach Jeff Willoughby asked if she wanted to play.

    Ball had a choice of playing with either the Saskatoon Stars in her hometown and the Bears. With the Stars returning almost all of their key offensive players from the previous campaign, the skilled centre decided to go play for the Bears.

    “It has actually been so exciting,” said Ball. “I love my team. They are just all like really awesome.

    “The room is just filled with like positive. We’re all like really nice to each other. It is just like really great.”

Kate Ball celebrates a goal with Jasper Desmarais and Camryn Amundson.

    With the Bears, Ball, who stands 5-foot-5, had a spectacular rookie season finishing second in team scoring with 15 goals and 15 assists in 28 regular season games. Prince Albert finished with its best record in team history going 22-6.

    In the post-season, the Bears won their first 11 straight contests sweeping the Stars in the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League championship series in three games and taking out Hartney, Man., based Westman Wildcats in a two-game sweep in a Western regional playdown series in Prince Albert.

    Those victories allowed the Bears to earn a berth in the Esso Cup female midget AAA national championship tournament for the first time in team history. The Esso Cup started on Sunday and runs to Saturday in Morden, Man.

Kate Ball (#21) battles for the puck behind the net in the offensive zone.

    While big goals were established on personal and team fronts before the season started, Ball was still a bit awestruck that those goals were realized.

    “I wasn’t expecting myself to do that good,” said Ball. “I guess just really good teammates just helped me a lot.

    “I actually never thought we would like come this far. I am just so proud of my team coming this far. It is just an amazing feeling.”

    Willoughby said the Bears were fortunate Ball decided to come to Prince Albert to play.

    “She’s been playing very consistent for us,” said Willoughby. “We’ve asked her to play an offensive role, and she jumped right into that.

    “She is always around the puck. She definitely knows where the net is. Her effort she has given is second to none.

    “Getting a point a game as a rookie is a pretty outstanding feet.”

Kate Ball, left, enjoys the Bears SFMAAAHL title win.

    Willoughby said it was cool seeing Ball improve on the ice and off the ice. Away from the game, the bench boss was impressed with how quickly Ball found a high comfort level with the rest of her Bears teammate.

    “At the start of the year, I think she was maybe a little bit to herself and shy like a lot of rookies would be,” said Willoughby. “I think she’s come along.

    “She’s really opened up. I think she is no different than the rest of them. They are all such good teammates, and they care about each other, and they care about what the other person is doing.

    “They want to help each other out, and that is exactly what Kate (Ball) has been doing.”

    Ball’s move to the Bears was also made easier by the fact nine other players from the Saskatoon area were also on the team. The Bears roster contains fellow Saskatoon products Jadyn Kushniruk, Kassidy Kicia, Kate Wagner, Sierra Parenteau, Hannah Koroll and Miranda Heidt.

    Also on the team are Warman products Jordan Ashe and Jasper Desmarais and Martensville’s Story Navrot.

Kate Ball cuts into the offensive zone for the Bears.

    Ball said she actually knew more players on the Bears than she did on the Stars due a lot to her experiences playing spring hockey. On the ice, she found magic playing on a line with Desmarais and speedy Debden product Camryn Amundson.

    “I’ve played with Jasper for four years, so we have like good chemistry,” said Ball. “Camryn, me and her just like clicked right away, so it was really great.”

    As for her start in the sport, Ball followed in the footsteps of her two older brothers Daylon and Justin. Daylon, who is now 21, finished his competitive playing days at age 16.

    Justin was with the Saskatoon Contacts last season, who played in the Telus Cup midget AAA national championship tournament, and he recently finished his 18-year-old rookie season in junior A with the Melfort Mustangs of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League.

    Kate’s brothers weren’t her only family members that made waves as competitive athletes. Her uncle Sheldon was a star quarterback first with the Saskatoon Hilltops and then the University of Saskatchewan Huskies. He has been the offensive coordinator of the Hilltops for the past 11 seasons.

Kate Ball piled up 30 points in 28 regular season games with the Bears.

    While she has had a lot of good influences to help her along in hockey, Ball found her own love for the sport.

    “I love skating,” said Ball. “Skating is my passion. I just love it.

    “I like the playmaking. It is just really fun.”

    Ball admitted beating the Stars in the SFMAAAHL championship series was a big highlight this season along with winning the Western regional over the Wildcats with a thrilling come-from-behind 7-6 series clinching victory in Game 2. The Bears were down 6-3 with 13:24 to play in the third period and closed the contest with four unanswered goals.

    She was pumped to go to Esso Cup and is also looking forward to playing two more seasons with the Bears. 

Kate Ball, left, and her teammates enjoy the Bears Western regional win.

    This season she continued to live in Saskatoon, and her parents drove to her to Prince Albert for practices and her games.

    Next season, Ball is planning to live with a billet family in Prince Albert.

    “I’m actually real excited to think about two more years,” said Ball. “I just love this group of girls and just being here. I think it will be good.”

    After her midget AAA playing days are done, Ball has a wish of where she would like to play on the post-secondary front.

    “Hopefully, I get to play with University of Saskatchewan, because it is like a mile from my house,” said Ball. “That would be really convenient.

    “If that doesn’t work out, then NCAA or college in the States that would be really good too.”

Bears pick up first win at Esso Cup

Camryn Amundson (#9) scored twice for the Bears on Tuesday at Esso Cup.

    On Tuesday in Morden, Man., the Bears picked up their first win at Esso Cup dumping the Summerside, P.E.I., based Mid-Isle Wildcats 6-1 at the Access Events Centre.

    Camryn Amundson and Jadyn Kushniruk both scored twice for the Bears, while Story Navrot and Miranda Heidt each netted singles. Ryan Fontaine turned away 13 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Bears.

    Madison Vincent had the lone reply for the Wildcats. Maggie Johnson turned away 57 shots to take the loss in goal for the Wildcats.

    The win allowed the Bears to improve to 1-2, while the Wildcats fell to 0-3.

    The Bears opened the Esso Cup on Sunday falling 2-1 to the host and Manitoba champion Pembina Valley Hawks. On Monday, the Bears dropped a 5-1 decision to the Pickering, Ont., based Durham West Lightning.

    Prince Albert returns to action on Wednesday taking on the Alberta-based St. Albert Slash. The Bears close their round robin schedule at Esso Cup on Thursday, when they face the Sherbrooke, Que., based Harfangs du Triolet.

    The top four teams in the round robin standings qualify for the playoff round. The semifinal round for the Esso Cup is set for Friday. The bronze and gold medal games will be held on Saturday.

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

Northern Bears should let it loose and roll at Esso Cup

Prince Albert enters nationals with tonnes of pluses to lean on

The Prince Albert Northern Bears should play with no fear at Esso Cup.

    When the Prince Albert Northern Bears hit the ice at Esso Cup, they should skate like they have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

    The Bears open play at the female midget AAA national championship tournament on Morden, Man., on Sunday, when they take on the host Pembina Valley Hawks, who are also the Manitoba champs.

    Prince Albert has been in a holding pattern since sweeping a best-of-three Western regional playdown series at the Art Hauser Centre against the Hartney, Man., based Westman Wildcats on April 1. The Bears are heading to the national championship tournament for the first time in team history.

    Pembina Valley clinched the Manitoba title on March 19, and they since participated in a pair of exhibition games against a pair of junior women’s teams that are based out of Winnipeg. The last of those was held on April 14 in Morden, Man., where the Hawks thumped the Manitoba Blizzard 6-0.

    The Esso Cup contains a field of six teams from across Canada. They play each other in a round robin, and the top four teams advance to the playoff round. The semifinals are held on April 28, and the bronze and gold medal games are both slated for April 29.

Brooke Hobson is the Bears fearless leader.

    At last year’s Esso Cup in Weyburn, the Brantford Ice Cats romped over the Express du Richelieu 10-3 in the championship final.

    All the teams at Esso Cup are good, and the squads at this year’s event won’t know how they stack up against each other until they start playing each other.

    Last year, the field was even as all the teams that made the playoff round sported 3-2 records. Out of the 19 games played over seven days, nine were decided by one goal and six had two-goal spreads. In the preliminary round, the Express downed the Ice Cats 5-4 in a contest that required a tiebreaking shootout.

    When the Bears take the ice at this year’s Esso Cup in Morden, Man., they should just go out and rock and roll with no fear. Prince Albert built a 22-6 regular season record and a perfect 11-0 in the post-season by flying at opponents with four lines that all have speed. They also have a solid group of defenders and two goalies that can help transition play up ice or shut things down in the defensive zone.

    The Bears, who are riding a 15-game winning streak, have many huge positives that are on their side. The biggest intangible is their culture is really good.

    When you see the players interact with each other at practice, in games or away from the rink, the family feeling is strong. You can tell the players care for each other a lot, and that aspect alone will win you a lot of games.

    Head coach Jeff Willoughby and his staff done a tremendous job in creating an atmosphere that allows their players to succeed.

    The Bears players are all good and have all contributed to their team’s success. All have grown immensely over the 2016-17 season.

Abby Soyko topped the Bears in regular season scoring.

    In captain Brooke Hobson, you might not find a better leader anywhere. The 17-year-old defender, who was a member of Canada’s under-18 national team, has the maturity of an adult. When you talk to her, you don’t realize you are talking to someone who is 17.

    She also has the right type of confidence in herself and her team. On top of all that, Hobson, who had 11 goals and nine assists in 24 regular season games, is invested emotionally in the Bears program having played five full seasons with the team. The skilled rearguard will move on to play with the Northeastern University Huskies women’s team in Boston, Mass., in the fall.

    The forward line of Kate Ball, Camryn Amundson and Jasper Desmarais have a chemistry that is second to none. Ball finished second in team scoring with 15 goals and 15 assists in 28 regular season games, Amundson was third in team scoring with 13 goals and 14 assists in 27 regular season games, while Desmarais was fourth with nine goals and 15 assists in 26 regular season games.

    Prince Albert product Abby Soyko, who is a 15-year-old forward, topped the Bears in scoring with 18 goals and 13 assists.

Centre Kate Ball piled up the points on a high-scoring line.

    While opponents will focus on shutting down the Bears visible top scorers, you never know when anyone else on the roster could hurt you. The best example of that is underage 14-year-old forward Brooklyn Anderson. The Shellbrook product had four goals and nine assists in 27 regular season games, but she came through with points at key times in the post-season.

    In the Western regional series clinching game, Anderson tipped home a point shot from defender Jordan Ashe with two minutes to play to break a 6-6 tie and deliver the Bears to a 7-6 victory over the Wildcats. The Bears were down 6-3 in that contest in the third period before they rallied back for victory.

    The Bears also have a great double punch in goal with Brooklyn Elek and Ryan Fontaine, and both have rotated starts throughout the regular season and post-season. As teams that make the playoff round will play seven games in seven days at Esso Cup, it is huge asset to have to goalies that can carry the load and rotate starts through the event.

The Bears hope to celebrate a number of goals at Esso Cup.

    When the run ends, the Bears will graduate Hobson and Elek along with forwards Ireland South and Sierra Parenteau. A national championship win would create the ultimate high to leave on.

    With that said, you never know how strong the rest of the field could be.

    Still, the Bears have had a highlight filled season. Sweeping away the Saskatoon Stars in the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League championship series was one highlight, because the Stars had won the SFMAAAHL title the two previous seasons.

    The other highlights were playing in front of an estimated crowd of 1,000 in Prince Albert in their Game 1 win at the Western regional and an estimated crowd of 1,200 in their Game 2 win. Those attendance figures are almost unheard of for female midget AAA hockey.

    They bested the crowds of just under 800 that attended each of the three games of the 2014 Canada West women’s hockey final at the Rutherford Rink, when the University of Saskatchewan Huskies downed the U of Regina Cougars 2-1 in a best-of-three set.

    The Bears have already accomplished a lot, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if they did go all the way.

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

Impressive epic comeback sends Bears to first Esso Cup

Prince Albert erases three-goal deficit in thrilling 7-6 victory

The Prince Albert Northern Bears celebrate their Western regional win.

    PRINCE ALBERT - In a comeback worthy of the Edmonton Oilers teams of the 1980s, the Prince Albert Northern Bears are bound for the Esso Cup for the first time in team history.

    On Saturday night at the Art Hauser Centre, the Bears trailed the Hartney, Man., based Westman Wildcats 6-3 with 13:24 to play in the third period in Game 2 of a female midget AAA Western regional playdown series. It appeared the Wildcats were going to force the best-of-three set to a series deciding Game 3, which would have been played on Sunday.

    Cue the comeback. The Bears rallied back with four straight goals to pull out a 7-6 victory and sweep the series 2-0 to capture The Lanchbery Family Trophy.

Brooklyn Anderson (#7) scored the series winning goal for the Bears.

    Forward Brooklyn Anderson tipped home a point shot from defender Jordan Ashe for the game and series winning tally with two minutes to play in the third.

    With the win, the Bears earned a berth to the Esso Cup female midget AAA national championship tournament, which runs April 23 to 29 in Morden, Man.

    “It feels amazing,” said Anderson. “I know the team was really excited to get there.

    “We weren’t losing this. We wanted to get there, and we got there, so that is awesome.

    “I saw Jordan (Ashe) had it on the point, and I knew that I just needed to get in front of the net. It is exactly what I did, and it just went off my stick and in.”

    Anderson’s goal concluded what was a wild shootout of a contest. The Wildcats scored on their first two shots of the game to go ahead 2-0, but the Bears stormed back to take a 3-2 edge early in the second.

Ashton Bell, right, scored twice for the Wildcats.

    The visitors proceed to score four straight to go ahead 6-3, but the host Bears never gave up.

    At the 7:38 mark of the third, Bears forward Miranda Heidt slipped a pass across the front of the Westman goal to Prince Albert captain Brooke Hobson. Hobson potted the first tally in the rally to cut the Wildcats edge to 6-4.

    With 7:54 to play in the third, Hobson blasted home a point shot for her second goal of the game to pull the Bears to within 6-5. The hosts tied the contest with a power-play goal from star forward Abby Soyko with 3:13 remaining in the third. That set the stage for Anderson’s winner.

    “I just can’t believe the determination of these girls,” said Bears head coach Jeff Willoughby. “That is all it comes down to is their determination and want. It is incredible.”

Kate Ball breaks into the offensive zone for the Bears.

    Kate Ball, Camryn Amundson and Story Navrot also had singles for the Bears, while Brooklyn Elek made 24 stops to pick up the win in goal.

    Josee Casavant and Ashton Bell, who was the captain of Canada’s under-18 national women’s team, each scored twice for the Wildcats, while Camryn Clyne and Haley Wickham had singles. Kaitlyn Slator turned away 19 shots to take the loss in goal for the Wildcats.

    The Bears took Game 1 of the series 6-4 on Friday at the Art Hauser Centre. Willoughby, whose favourite NHL team happens to be the Oilers, was amazed the Bears and Wildcats combined to score 23 goals in two games considering playoff games at the female midget AAA level are usually tight 3-2 or 2-1 contests.

    “Both teams kind of just let it loose,” said Willoughby. “It was kind of run and gun and fun to play in and fun to coach. I’m sure all the fans got more than their money’s worth here.

Captain Brooke Hobson sparked the Bears rally with a pair of goals.

    “It was incredible to coach in I will say that first of all. There was lots of intensity on the bench.

    “The girls didn’t get down too low, didn’t get up too high. It was very good.”

    Hobson, who was also a member of Canada’s under-18 national women’s team, was proud of how her Bears rose to the challenge to rally back in Saturday’s series clincher.
    The 17-year-old defender said she went hard on the celebration of her first goal that started the rally to get her side fired up, and she believed the tactic worked.

    Playing in her final season of midget eligibility, Hobson was elated she will finally get to go to the Esso Cup in her fifth and last trip through the midget AAA post-season.
    Going into Esso Cup, the Bears are a perfect 11-0 in the post-season, and they have won 15 straight including action in the regular season.

The Bears pose for a team picture after winning the Western regional series.

    “It is an unbelievable feeling here we have here tonight,” said Hobson. “We’re definitely going to be looking forward to this in the next couple of weeks.

    “I’ve been waiting for this my whole five years, so now it has finally come, and it is pretty awesome. We have to keep the momentum going, and I think everything should turn out very good.”

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.