By Victoria Klassen
They may only be 9 and 10 years old now, but with the kind of finish the Ottawa Ice Atom ‘B’ girls experienced at the Ontario Women’s Hockey Association Provincial Championships, it created a memory that will surely last a lifetime.
Down 3-1 in the 3rd period to the Flamborough Falcons in the championship game, the Ice managed to force overtime and then scored the gold medal-winning goal in the 2nd OT session.
“It was very nerve-racking,” recounts Ottawa forward Olwen Jones. “It was really crazy because it was high tension and we were all tired.”
Appropriately, the Ice’s miracle victory featured a coach Brooks behind the bench.
“My whole philosophy was that it doesn’t matter if you win or lose, as long as you’re trying your hardest every game, and every one of you is trying your hardest,” indicates Brad Brooks. “When these girls tried their hardest, they succeeded.”
The Atom ‘B’ Ice were one of six Ottawa teams to bring home provincial medals from the Apr. 7-10 provincials around Toronto.
The Ice Bantam ‘AA’ team earned the lone local medal at the top level of play, taking silver behind the Saugeen-Maitland Lightning in a 1-0 final.
Champions earlier this season at the Whitby Tournament of Heroes and the Ottawa Lady Sens tournament, the Ice “had a 50-win season, which is really difficult in girls’ hockey,” underlines coach Nick Pora, whose team played the final few games of provincials with eight forwards and four defence due to injuries and illnesses.
“(The final) was a great game,” Pora adds. “It really highlighted the sportsmanship of the whole season, because both teams were able to take pictures together after, which is something that usually isn’t done – most teams, usually, at that point, can’t stand each other.”
“The whole tournament was one giant amazing moment that I will remember for the rest of my life,” echoes 15-year-old assistant captain Jade Todd. “I loved the adrenaline rush that I got before every game and you could feel everyone on the team feeding off of each other’s excitement.”
Team captain Jaidynn Forrest will be playing with the Ottawa Lady 67’s Intermediate ‘AA’ team next season, but agrees that her team’s run this year is a memory that is guaranteed to linger.
“This has been one of my favourite seasons,” notes Forrest. “Right from the first practice, our team bonded like a family.”
Nepean Wildcats teams claimed both the silver and bronze medal positions in the Bantam ‘B’ division.
Five of the silver medal-winning Wildcats’ six games were decided by one goal, including a triple-overtime quarter-final with Timmins and the 1-0 final against Lindsay.
“The provincial weekend is full of ups and downs. It’s like a psychological roller coaster,” indicates 14-year-old Nepean goalie Bailey O’Brien. “Playing goalie at provincials was one of the most emotional weekends of my life. Throughout the whole weekend thousands of emotions run through your mind and I find being a goalie you have a little bit more pressure.”
For head coach Dean O’Brien, Bailey’s father, it’s the triple-OT triumph that sticks out most in his mind.
“Amazing game from all the girls,” he highlights. “This was easily one of the best in all my years of coaching sports. The girls were unbelievable on and off the ice.”
The Wildcats also collected bronze medals in the Midget ‘A’ and Bantam ‘A’ divisions.