Saskatoon opens Esso Cup with 2-0 win over
Weyburn
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| Anna Leschyshyn, centre, celebrates scoring for the Stars. |
WEYBURN, Sask. - Anna Leschyshyn is making an ever
increasing number of plays when the Saskatoon Stars need them the most.
In their opening match at the Esso Cup female midget AAA
hockey championship tournament on Sunday, the Stars were firing everything including
the kitchen sink at Weyburn Southern Range Gold Wings goaltender Chantal Burke.
With 26.6 seconds to play in the second period, Leschyshyn gathered a rebound
during a net scramble and fired the puck five-hole on Burke for a power-play goal
while being taken down on the ice.
Leschyshyn’s goal gave the Stars a 1-0 lead over the Gold
Wings, who are the tournament’s host team. Saskatoon added another goal late in
the third to skate away with a 2-0 victory at Crescent Point Place.
“I didn’t really know it went in,” said Leschyshyn. “I was
just kind of getting pucks to the net and trying to bang in the rebound and it
went in. I was just really excited.”
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| Anna Leschyshyn (#7) is stopped by goalie Chantal Burke. |
In 28 regular season games for the Stars, Leschyshyn netted
15 goals and 11 assists to finished third in team scoring in her first full
season in the midget AAA ranks. She added another six goals and four assists in
11 games in the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League playoffs.
Back on March 26, Leschyshyn potted the equalizer that
forced overtime in the Stars 4-3 SFMAAAHL championship series clinching victory
against the Diamond Energy Wildcats in Swift Current.
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| Anna Leschyshyn charges up ice on a rush for the Stars. |
Against the Gold Wings on Sunday, Leschyshyn said her side
never got discouraged, when Burke kept making save after save. Burke finished
the contest turning away 38 shots.
“We just had to keep getting pucks to the net,” said
Leschyshyn. “She (Burke) gives up a lot of rebounds.
“We just have to crash the net and put those rebounds in.”
Despite Leschyshyn’s goal, the Gold Wings did push back in
the third. Stars standout goaltender Emma Johnson came up with a big 22-save
effort to record her fifth shutout of the post-season.
Saskatoon netted a key insurance goal at the 16:50 mark of
the third, when Joelle Fiala and Grace Shirley combined to set up Abby Shirley
off a hard rush into the offensive zone.
While the Stars had the majority of the scoring chances, the
Gold Wings had a number of opportunities of their own to steal victory. Gold
Wings star left-winger Bailee Bourassa, who has committed to joining the
University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s team in the fall, was robbed by
Johnson on three different breakaway chances, which included two short-handed
opportunities in the second period.
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| Emma Johnson makes one of her 22 stops for the Stars. |
When the dust settled, Leschyshyn said her team was pleased
with their tournament opening victory noting the experience of playing at last
year’s Esso Cup in Red Deer, where the Stars won a bronze medal, was a big help
as well.
“We are really happy to get the tournament started off with
a good win,” said Leschyshyn. “I think we knew what was coming.
“We had to get the first win out of the way and have a good
start to the first game.”
The Stars return to action on Monday, when they face the
Express du Richelieu from Quebec at 3:30 p.m. The host Gold Wings take on the
Brantford Ice Cats from Ontario at 7 p.m. All Esso Cup games are being played
at Crescent Point Place.
In other Esso Cup action from Sunday, the Express downed the
Bedford, N.S., based Metro Boston Pizza 1-0, and the De Winton, Alta., based
Rocky Mountain Raiders slipped past the Ice Cats 2-1.
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