Apr 01, 2019 | Jon Fleming | 764 views
Lady Rangers Intermediate A Take Home Bronze at Lower Lakes Final Four
The Kitchener Lady Rangers Intermediate A team finished off the season this past weekend taking home a bronze medal at the Lower Lakes final four to add to their medal collection of Gold as league champions and silver at Provincials.
The final four weekend started off against Peterborough. We came out strong but Peterborough scored two quick goals mid way through the first period and we couldn't recover as they rolled to a 5-1 victory. We definitely were off our game and Peterborough used their strong offensive game to keep us on our heels.
Next up was Whitby and we seemed to regain our form and scored first and had control of the game. Whitby however, managed to aggravate us into penalty trouble and eventually were able to go up in the third to take the win, 2-1. This was the first time since early in the regular season that we had lost two straight. However, we did play well against Whitby and we had our confidence back.
Sunday morning we were up against Guelph, our division rivals. Guelph had played well against us all season and finished just two points behind us for second. However, we match up well against them with our speed and offensive pressure and we were confident we would win. We were in top form with excellent speed and passing through the whole game. Christy Fleming started the scoring early in the second with a spectacular end to end rush finishing with a shot to the top corner. Ashley Armstrong added another late in the second and Meg Thring scored with a laser shot off the post in the third to finish off Guelph 3-0 for a confident win. Unfortunately, with the two losses, we were unable to repeat as gold medal game finalists and were again up against Whitby for the Bronze medal.
Going into the bronze medal game, we had our confidence back and we had a focused game plan on how to beat Whitby. We started fast and took a 2-0 lead with goals by Ashley Armstrong and Kras. However, Whitby fought back hard to tie it up mid way through the second period. Both teams were battling hard and we sustained some injuries including a scary high stick to the throat of Hunter Lee. Hunter had just regrouped in our own end when the Whitby player swung her stick and caught Hunter in the throat. Hunter came right to the bench and was attended to by our training staff and a fire fighter that was in the crowd. An ambulance was called and Hunter was take to hospital during the break between the second and third periods. We were all very concerned for Hunter but this also gave the team the resolve we needed to win.
We were all over Whitby at the start of the third and we went ahead mid way through the period on a great shot by Brooke Nunnikhoven. However, Whitby didn't give up and quickly responded with a goal to tie it up again. Regulation ended in a 3-3 deadlock and we were headed for overtime. The tie breaker format was a 4 on 4 10 minute OT sudden victory followed by a shootout if needed. Hunter's jersey hung on the back of the bench for inspiration.
In the overtime period the play went back and forth and both teams had great chances. We made life even more difficult when late in the period we took some penalties putting us down two players. The PK was solid and we held our ground. So it was to come down to a shootout.
Whitby elected to shoot first and Brittney Crawford stayed with their shooter and made a great pad save. Then Kristen Dahmann was up as our first shooter. Kristen made her patented move on their goalie and had her beat but the shot just hit the top of her pad. Brittney stoned the next Whitby shooter with another great pad save. Tori Waite was our next shooter. Tori picked up the puck at center and accelerated to the goal where she perfectly executed her famous 10-puck fake and shake move. The goalie bit hard on the fake shot, Tori shifted quickly to her left and buried the puck past the sprawling netminder. Whitby's next shooter had to score to keep them alive and once again Brittney held her ground on the deke to go a perfect 3-0 in the shootout for the win. A fitting way for Brittney to finish off her Intermediate A hockey career.
Overall, a great recovery to what had been a shaky start to the weekend. The team pulled together and rallied for a great team victory. Hunter survived her scare with a bruised throat which is a relief for everyone.
Another great season has come to and end for the Kitchener Lady Rangers Intermediate A Hockey team. A gold as league champions, silver at Provincials and Bronze at Lower Lakes final four rounds out the medal haul along with two tournament silvers. Overall, we finished with an impressive record of 39-12-3.
Our success this year is due to the hard work and dedication of the girls and coaching staff. Everyone worked hard to achieve the success we enjoyed and we worked together to overcome adversity as well. I would like to once again thank my excellent coaching staff of Ted, Darlene, George, Megan and Cam. I'd also like to thank Bob Nunnikhoven for the team photos that you will see arriving into the summer (he took a lot of photos) and Ron Dahmann for once again doing an awesome job on the team stats. Also, thanks to our awesome fan base of dedicated parents and partners who supported the girls the whole season.
Most of all, I'd like to thank the players for making this season so memorable. You all worked hard, worked together and most of all had fun. It was a true team. Congratulation and always remember the 90/10 rule.
Jon