Bishop Allen Varsity Girls Make Hockey History
It was an epic season for the Bishop Allen Varsity Girls hockey team as they won the A division TDCAA championship for the first time in school history and were the first Cardinal hockey team (male or female) to ever advance to OFSAA.
Belief among the players began to grow after a 10-2 record in the regular season propelled the girls to a first place finish. Strong goaltending from Paloma DeMonte and Steph Ancimar and a tight defense anchored by Julia Manarin separated us from the pack. In the playoffs the team showed no mercy in defeating Father John Redmond by scores of 5-1 and 6-1 in the semi-finals. That set-up a re-match of the 2015 final against arch rivals Michael Power. A year ago our girls lost a tough one by a score of 1-0. With that learning experience still fresh in their minds the girls exploded out of the gates in this year’s match by scoring three times in the first five minutes of play. Versatile forward Claire Hryciw potted the first two goals and gave the team the confidence to soundly defeat their opponents by a final score of 4-1.
Two weeks later in the bustling city of Stratford, the puck squad found themselves ranked 5th in the province. A tough opening day saw them narrowly lose to Cobourg Collegiate 3-2 and then tie eventual gold medalists Lawrence Park 2-2. After a solid nights rest the team bounced back on day two with a 7-3 victory against Marymount and a 4-2 win versus Grimsby. Unfortunately they suffered three debilitating injuries in that last game including having Captain and heart and soul Jax Colle carried off on a stretcher with a partially torn MCL. Grade 12 sniper Taylor Jackson was also taken out of the tournament after receiving a vicious spear and leading scorer Claire Dalton broke her finger blocking a shot. Ever the warrior, Dalton would still suit-up on the final day and score a hat trick in a 5-3 loss to St. Joan of Arc.
Coaches Grant, MacDonald and McIntyre were extremely proud of the sensational season the girls put forth. The team went a combined 19-7-2 and has certainly made it known across the province that they are a hockey force to be reckoned with. In closing we would like to single-out graduating students and four year team members Annika Gray and Kyra McKinnon who have battled hard for the team each and every of their four years at BA. Good luck in the future girls, you will be missed.
Photo credit: Mr. McIntyre