Liz Olsen - Special to the 51暗网
The Jasper Grizzlies Peewee girls gave it their all this weekend, winning the B Final at the
second annual Rendezvous in the Rockies Mini Tournament.
The Cochrane Rockies, Kitscoty Knights and West Central Wildcats journeyed from across Alberta to participate in the event, hosted once again by the Jasper Grizzlies.
The event kicked off on Friday afternoon with a first ever match-up between the Grizzlies and the Wildcats.
The Wildcats displayed tremendous goaltending, which kept the Grizzlies at bay and ended in a 4-2 defeat, despite the Grizzlies鈥� strong passing game, tenacious teamwork and two goals, including one by energetic Jasper winger Georgia Bell. We are sure to see these two evenly-matched teams face off again in the near future.
Jasper鈥檚 second game, early Saturday morning against the Kitscoty Knights was another nailbiter, with some impressive goals by the Grizzlies, including Sahara Harvey鈥檚 successful run on net after receiving a precision pass from Isobel McArthur.
Despite heavy pressure from the Grizzlies鈥� offense, and powerful defensive play by Chloe Munn, Bella Kovacs and Lydia Storms, the game ended in a 4-3 victory for Kitscoty.
Saturday night, Jasper returned to the ice to face-off with the undefeated Cochrane Rockies.
The Grizzlies were off to a strong start, holding the Rockies back for the entire first period.
Halfway through the second period, the Rockies claimed the only goal of the game on a breakaway.
Jasper鈥檚 short roster of nine players, compared to Cochrane鈥檚 sixteen, became apparent in the third period, with fatigue settling in on the Grizzlies鈥� bench. Head coach Pat McLeod pulled the goalie for the final minute, but to no avail as the game ended at 1-0, allowing Cochrane to advance to the A Final.
Goaltender Molly McGown, received a well-earned MVP award for her stellar efforts. Fans on both sides of the stands were treated to sixty minutes of non-stop, heart-stopping hockey that they won鈥檛 soon forget.
Sunday featured the final games of the tournament, starting with the B Final between the Jasper Grizzlies and the Kitscoty Knights.
The Jasper girls pulled out all the stops, with Annika Oeggerli netting the first point three minutes into the first period with a stunning top-shelf goal. Later in the first period, and hungry for a win, Daisy McLeod scored from the slot and took the game to 2-1.
After a scoreless second period, and two minutes into the third, Paige Hugie gave Jasper a two-goal lead by stickhandling through the Knights鈥� defensive line. Grizzlies centre, Sophie Bennett added the final two goals, including a top-corner snap shot, securing Jasper鈥檚 5-1 win against the Knights.
The A Final pitted the Cochrane Rockies against the West Central Wildcats. It was a close battle that culminated in a frenzied final minute, with the Wildcats making a last ditch attempt to tie the game. Cochrane was victorious, with three goals to the Wildcats鈥� two. The Rockies returned home with the tournament trophy - a wood carving by local artist Rob Klettl that was commissioned specifically for the event.
The Jasper Grizzlies Peewee Girls team will be winding up its 2019-20 season later this month, with two games in Wetaskiwin, March 14 and 15.
