After five hard-fought battles on the ice, the U18 Female Timberwolves claimed bronze at the Kamloops River City Face Off female hockey tournament Jan. 12-14.
The lakecity hockey team, made up of 17 players, competed against four teams from B.C. and Alberta before the final match-up, held over three days.
Friday night the T-Wolves edged Alberta’s Okotoks Oilers 4-2. Reese Overton scored a goal assisted by Johana Ketter and Payton Beaudry. Beaudry also scored a goal, unassisted. Poppy Watson added a third goal unassisted and an empty netter in the final moments, assisted by Emma Koster, to solidify the win. Kaitlyn Brown was in net.
Saturday morning saw the girls take to the ice against the Okanagan Hockey Academy (OHA) at Kamloops Memorial Arena. The game was originally booked for the Valleyview Arena, however, extreme cold forced the closure of the arena after pipes burst. In that game, Overton scored with an assist from Watson. Final score 4-1 for OHA with Brown in net.
Saturday night the T-Wolves battled against Meadow Ridge in a physical, penalty-filled affair. Izzabella Smith Forzzani scored two goals, assisted by Kali Matter in one and Jacy Gilbert Louie in another. Matter scored the third goal assisted by Smith Forzzani. A shutout by goalie Victoria Preston secured a place in the semi-finals for team.
Game 4 Sunday morning saw a great effort by the whole team competing against a team from Sherwood Park, Alberta, but they ended up taking a 4-0 loss to the team, which went on to win gold. Preston was the netminder.
The T-Wolves were given the chance for redemption in the bronze medal finals against Penticton’s OHA team and they took it.
With Brown in net, Overton, fresh after serving a one-game suspension from Saturday night’s game, took charge of the game, scoring three goals with assists from Ketter, Brown and Watson. Jacy Gilbert-Louie also notched a goal after a battle in front of the net with an assist from Smith Forzzani. Fans were on the edge of their seats as the team held on to secure the win, 4-3, despite intense pressure from OHA.
Head coach Tyler Perry said the game was truly a team effort and will serve as a great confidence booster as they push ahead in their season with their sights set on making provincials in March.
“It was a team effort,” said Perry after the game. “It’s so nice for these girls to see some success.”
Along with Perry, the team has assistant coaches Gerald Overton, Rick Skerry and Dave Beaudry, who added the players have been working hard to improve their play.
“They deserved that win. And, like the coaches have been saying all year, if they can beat a team of that calibre they can beat any team they play for the rest of the year.”
The T-Wolves are hosting north super league games in Williams Lake Jan. 19-21 where they will face off in four match-ups; two games against Prince George, and one game each against teams from the northwest and northeast. Games are Friday night at 6:45 p.m., Saturday at 9:30 a.m. and 4:15 p.m., and Sunday at 9:15 a.m.
