Mar 10, 2025 | Daryll Smith | 53 views
No Provincial Repeat
The closeness of the regular season division games would continue into playdowns and unfortunately there would be no Provincial repeat this season.
Game one saw the Lady Rangers taking on the Roadrunners at home. A good start had the Lady’s outshooting and out chancing the Roadrunners early on. Killing off an early 5 v. 3 PK, the Lady’s were not able to capitalize on any of their own PP opportunities. With some frustration and losing a bit of aggressiveness as the game went on, an unfortunate lapse with a late third period line change provided the Roadrunners with all the opportunity they needed, giving the Lady’s their first loss of the playdowns.
Game two saw the Lady’s travel to Brantford to face the Ice Cats. The Lady’s opened the scoring just over halfway through the second however several goal mouth scrambles without tying up the stick gave the Ice Cats back-to-back goals in just three minutes, taking a 2 – 1 lead into the third. With the goalie pulled for the extra attacker, the Lady’s were able to tie it late in the third and pick up their first point of playdowns.
Game three had the Lady’s in Waterloo at the Columbia Ice Fields facing the Ravens. In a recurring theme throughout the season, the Lady’s out shot and out chanced the Ravens but cross bars, missed nets and too much time spent in the box would again be the team’s demise. The only scoring would come on a Waterloo PP early in the second and would seal the Lady’s “no Provincial repeat” season.
Game four rounded out playdowns with a final home game against the Woolwich Wild. Exchanging third period goals, the Lady’s would finish their playdown round robin with an 0-2-2 record.
The division was tight, the games were close, and every chance mattered. Despite out shooting your opponents 95 to 40 over those four games, the many missed opportunities would prove to be costly. The importance of doing things “correctly” in practice should not be lost. If you can’t do (insert whatever skill here – I’m thinking hitting the net) in practice, chances are you won’t be able to do it in the game.
On behalf of the Kitchener Lady Rangers players, staff and parents, we would like to congratulate the Cambridge Roadrunners and the Waterloo Ravens on their “M” Region provincial qualifiers. We wish you both the best of luck and will be cheering you on at your provincial weekend!