Showing posts with label Isobel Gathorne-Hardy Award. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Isobel Gathorne-Hardy Award. Show all posts

Thursday, 26 April 2018

Stars roll to 5-0 at Esso Cup, will face Pionnieres in semifinal

Grace Shirley has four goals and two assists for the Stars at Esso Cup.
    It seemed like everyone was pitching in for the Saskatoon Stars in their final round robin game at the Esso Cup.
    On Thursday at the Lunenburg County Lifestyle Centre in Bridgewater, N.S., five different players scored for the Stars as they rolled past the Northern Subway Selects from New Glasgow, N.S. 5-2. Saskatoon built a 5-0 lead after 40 minutes, and the Selects scored twice inside of the final three minutes of the third period to round out the contest’s scoring at the female midget AAA hockey national championship tournament.
    The Stars finished play in the preliminary round with a perfect 5-0 record, and they became the fourth team in the history of the Esso Cup, which is being contested for the 10th time this year, to win all of their round robin games in regulation. The defending Esso Cup champion St. Albert Slash from Alberta are the last team to win all their preliminary round games in regulation pulling off that feat last year, when the Esso Cup was held in Morden, Man.
    Saskatoon will face the Pionnieres de Lanaudiere (2-2-1) from Quebec in Friday’s early semifinal set for 1 p.m. Saskatchewan time. The Slash (4-1) take on the Brampton Canadettes (3-2) from Ontario in Friday’s late semifinal set for 4:30 p.m. Saskatchewan time. The Selects (1-3-1) and host Metro Boston Pizza (0-4-1) were eliminated from playoff round contention with Thursday’s results.
Kaitlin Jockims scored for the Stars on Thursday.
    In Thursday’s encounter between the Stars and Selects, the Stars jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first 20 minutes getting goals from standout centre Grace Shirley, superstar captain Mackenna Parker and right-winger Jayda Sachs. Sachs tipped home a point shot from rookie 15-year-old defender Emily Holmes right before the first period buzzer went.
    Holmes had two assists in the contest.
    Just 2:17 into the second, the Stars went ahead 4-0, when veteran right-winger Kianna Dietz, who turned 18 in January, netted her second goal of the tournament. With 81 seconds remaining in the second, Kaitlin Jockims potted her third goal of the event to give the Stars a 5-0 advantage.
    Inside of the final three minutes of the third, Maddie Quinn and Kara MacLean scored singles for the Selects.
    Jordan Ivanco stopped 14 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Stars. Jenna Landry turned away 27 shots to take the setback in goal for the Selects.
    The Stars currently have five players averaging a point or more per game so far at the Esso Cup. Parker leads all players in tournament scoring with five goals and six assists for 11 points. Centre Joelle Fiala has seven points coming off three goals and four assists.
    Shirley, right-winger Anna Leschyshyn and defender Ashley Messier all have six points each. Shirley has four goals and two assists, Leschyshyn had two goals and four assists, and Messier has one goal and five assists.
Emily Holmes had two assists for the Stars on Thursday.
    The Pionnieres have two players who are averaging a point or more per game in the Esso Cup. Centre Ann-Frederik Naud has seven points coming off three goals and four assists. Her linemate and left-winger Megane Quirion has six points coming off six assists.
    The Stars are 13-0 in this year’s post-season. They will be looking to earn their first semifinal win ever at the Esso Cup on Friday.
    At the 2015 tournament in Red Deer, Alta., the Stars fell 2-1 after a tiebreaking shootout to the host Chiefs. At the 2016 Esso Cup in Weyburn, Sask., the Stars fell 4-0 to the Brantford Ice Cats from Ontario, who moved on to win the event’s championship game.
    The Stars are trying to become the first Saskatchewan based team since the Weyburn Gold Wings in 2014 to win the Esso Cup.
    The tournament’s bronze and gold medal games are slated for Saturday, and the gold medal final will be shown live at 4 p.m. Saskatchewan time on TSN.

Parker officially receives Isobel Gathorne-Hardy Award


    On Thursday, Saskatoon Stars captain Mackenna Parker officially received this year’s Isobel Gathorne-Hardy Female-Player-of-the-Year Award from Hockey Canada.
    The award is given annually to a player that most demonstrates good values, leadership and strong community involvement. Hockey Canada named Parker the winner of the Isobel Gathorne-Hardy Award back on April 5.
    Parker topped the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League in regular season scoring with 33 goals and 27 assists in 23 regular season games. She was named the winner of the SFMAAAHL’s most valuable player award and a first-team all-star.
    In the process, she equaled the Stars team record for most points in one regular season also set by Emily Clark, who is a member of Canada’s senior national women’s hockey team. Clark piled up 60 points in 26 regular season games in the 2011-12 campaign with the Stars coming off 26 goals and 34 assists.
    Parker is completing her final season of midget AAA eligibility and will graduate sitting second on the SFMAAAHL’s all-time regular season scoring list with 82 goals and 76 assists in 104 regular season games.
    In January, Parker helped Canada win bronze at the under-18 women’s world championship, which was held in Dmitrov, Russia.

    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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Thursday, 5 April 2018

Stars look to halt Selects’ “Cinderella” playoff run

The Stars are looking to advance to the Esso Cup.
    It will be a classic David versus Goliath matchup when the Saskatoon Stars tangle with the Ste. Anne, Man., based Eastman Selects in a best-of-three Western regional female midget AAA hockey playdown series.
    The two clubs open the best-of-three set on Friday at 3 p.m. Manitoba time at the T.G. Smith Centre in Steinbach, Man. Game 2 is set for Saturday at 5 p.m. local time and Game 3, if necessary, will be held Sunday at 12:30 p.m. local time. Both of those contests will also be at the T.G. Smith Centre.
    The series winner advances to the Esso Cup national female midget AAA championship tournament, which runs April 22 to 28 in Bridgewater, N.S. Saskatoon earned a berth in the Esso Cup in 2015 and 2016.
    The Stars play the role of Goliath posting a 24-3-1 regular season record to finish first in the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League for a fourth straight year. They advanced through the SFMAAAHL playoffs with a 6-0 record and won the SFMAAAHL title sweeping the Prince Albert Northern Bears 3-0 in a best-of-five series. The Bears won the SFMAAAHL title, the Western regional series and advanced to the Esso Cup last year.
    The Selects play the role of David posting a 13-12-5 regular season record to finish fifth in the seven-team Manitoba Female AAA Midget Hockey League. They proceeded to roll off three upset best-of-five series victories to capture the MFMHL title.
    In quarter-final series, the Selects swept the Shoal Lake based Yellowhead Chiefs 3-0, and the Chiefs were 14-10-6 in regular season play. In a semifinal series, the Selects got past the Winnipeg Avros 3-1, and the Avros topped the MFMHL standings with a 25-5 record.
Joelle Fiala piled up 40 points in regular season play for the Stars.
    In the MFMHL finals, the Selects faced the defending league champion Pembina Valley Hawks, who are based out of Morden. The Hawks finished second in the MFMHL with a 20-8-2 record. On the strength of a pair of overtime victories to close out the series, the Selects prevailed 3-1 to capture the Manitoba championship.
    Stars captain Mackenna Parker topped the SFMAAAHL in scoring with 33 goals and 27 assists in 23 regular season games. She equaled the Stars team record for most points scored in one regular season at 60 first set by Emily Clark, who is a member of Canada’s senior national team, in the 2011-12 campaign.
    Stars forward Anna Leschyshyn finished second in SFMAAAHL scoring with 24 goals and 29 assists appearing in all 28 regular season games. Skilled centre Grace Shirley was fourth in SFMAAAHL scoring recording 30 goals and 18 assists in 23 regular season games with the Stars.
Parker and Shirley were members of Canada’s under-18 women’s hockey team.
    Winger Joelle Fiala piled up 18 goals and 22 assists to finish seventh in league scoring appearing in all 28 regular season games for the Stars.
    Sophomore defender Ashley Messier, who turned 16 in late March, was the Stars power-play quarterback leading all the team’s rearguards in scoring with three goals and 23 assists.
    The Stars have been rotating both of their goalies this season. Jordan Ivanco, who is the team’s 17-year-old veteran, posted a 12-1-1 record, a 1.76 goals against average, a .917 save percentage and one shutout in 14 regular season appearances. Arden Kliewer, a sophomore who turned 16 in early February, posted a 12-2 record, a 2.08 goals against average, a .906 save percentage and one shutout in 14 regular season appearances.
Ashley Messier quarterbacks the power play for the Stars.
    Centre Kylie Lesuk topped the selects in scoring with 12 goals and 10 assists in 29 regular season games. Left-winger Chelsea Dinnin was second in team scoring with seven goals and 11 assists in 24 regular season games.
    Defender Breanna McLennan was the power-play quarterback topping all Selects blue-liners in scoring with two goals and 15 assists appearing in all 30 of her team’s regular season games.
    Raygan Kirk is the Selects starter in goal, and she posted a 6-6-2 record, a 1.81 goals against average, a .937 save percentage and two shutouts in 14 regular season appearances.
    The last time a club from Manitoba claimed the Lanchbery Family Trophy as the Western regional playdown series winner was the Hawks in 2012.

Parker wins big Hockey Canada award


    On Thursday, Hockey Canada named Saskatoon Stars captain Mackenna Parker as this year’s winner of the Isobel Gathorne-Hardy Female-Player-of-the-Year Award.
    The award is given annually to a player that most demonstrates good values, leadership and strong community involvement.
    Of course, Parker topped the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League in regular season scoring with 33 goals and 27 assists in 23 regular season games. She was named the winner of the SFMAAAHL’s most valuable player award and a first-team all-star.
    Parker is completing her final season of midget AAA eligibility and will graduate sitting second on the SFMAAAHL’s all-time regular season scoring list with 82 goals and 76 assists in 104 regular season games.
    In January, Parker helped Canada win bronze at the under-18 women’s world championship, which was held in Dmitrov, Russia.

Blades continue coaching makeover, release Thoma

Assistant coach Bryce Thoma addresses the Blades players during a practice.
    The Saskatoon Blades continued to makeover their coaching staff releasing assistant coach Bryce Thoma on Wednesday.
    Thoma, 35, joined the Blades in July of 2016 as a member of the coaching staff led by head coach Dean Brockman. Brockman was released by the Blades on March 18, which came one day after the club concluded the regular season missing the WHL playoffs finishing sixth in the East Division with a 35-33-3-1 record.
    Before joining the Blades, Thoma was a head coach and general manager in the junior A ranks with Weyburn Red Wings of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League. From 2008 to 2013, he served as an assistant coach with the WHL’s Red Deer Rebels under Jesse Wallin for most of that stint before working under team owner Brent Sutter, who reassumed the head coach position in November of 2012.
    Thoma, who is a Saskatoon product, is best remembered for playing four seasons with the Rebels as a defenceman from 1999 to 2003 collecting 15 goals and 49 assists in 261 regular season games. He was a member of the Rebels WHL and Memorial Cup championship team in the 2000-01 campaign.
    Following the conclusion of his WHL playing career, Thoma played three seasons for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey team from 2003 to 2006 collecting seven goals and 24 assists in 69 regular season games.
    Like Brockman, Thoma had signed a contract extension with the Blades last August that was slated to expire at the end of the 2019-20 campaign.
    Besides working with the Blades, Thoma is on the staff of Sadoway Conditioning in Saskatoon.
    On Thursday, a trio of players from the Blades including centre Kirby Dach and Chase Wouters along with netminder Nolan Maier were named to Canada’s men’s team for the under-18 world championships, which are slated to be held April 19 to 29 in Chelyabinsk and Magnitogorsk, Russia.
    They will be joined on the Canadian team by winger Cole Fonstad of the Prince Albert Raiders.
    The Canadian team will begin to assemble in Etobicoke, Ont., for practices starting on Sunday before departing to Russia on April 10.

Back in the Express with Rush comic book story

James Zintel shows off the Saskatchewan Rush comic book.
    I was back in the pages of the Saskatoon Express this week with a story on a comic book about the National Lacrosse League’s Saskatchewan Rush.
    The Rush had Saskatoon-based comic book creator James Zintel create a comic book about the team. It was sold as part of the Rush home game against the Rochester Knighthawks on March 24 at the SaskTel Centre, which the Rush marketed as their superheroes night.
    Zintel created a product that featured the Rush players, the Original 16 Crush Dance Team, Grandma Rush, Bruiser the Bulldog and the Rush Hulk.
    The Rush return to action on Saturday in a heavyweight clash against the Colorado Mammoth that is set for 7:30 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre. The Rush sit first overall in the NLL with an 11-3 record, while the Mammoth are second overall with a 10-5 mark.
    The story on the Rush comic book can be round right here.

    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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