FUN3 Snipers Vergeer take silver at Kitchener tourney

The Synterra FUN3 St. Marys Snipers earned the silver medal at the Kitchener Golden Ring Tournament Jan. 30 to Feb. 1. Pictured laying in front is Annie Simons. Pictured in the first row, from left to right, are Lenny Vergeer, Charlie Sharp, Ali Harrigan, Jolee Beech, Briar Corneil and Ruby Kissler. In the second row, from left, are Emerson Muir, Natalie Kittmer, Keira Pfister, Elizabeth Robinson, Adelia Verbaan, Kinsley Buck and Janette Whaling. In the third row, from left, are Michelle Robinson, Cheryl Harrigan, Tanya Buck and Kerry Vergeer.

By Spencer Seymour

The Synterra FUN3 St. Marys Snipers captured the silver medal at the Kitchener Golden Ring Tournament Jan. 30 to Feb. 1

Head coach Kerry Vergeer told the Independent the team’s strong play as a united group was a throughline over the weekend.

“The running theme was, again, teamwork and positivity,” said Vergeer. “Every player found their name on the scoresheets again for our third tournament in a row. They always felt like they could do it and success was in reach. They played super smart, worked as a team and they had beautiful passing and hustle. Five different players found the back of the net in the finals, which reflects on this team’s overall strength of teamwork and working together.”

The Snipers went undefeated in the round-robin play, which clinched them a berth in the gold-medal game. Vergeer cited a tightly contested opening game of the round robin against their eventual opponent in the finals, the Cambridge Turbos, which St. Marys won 9-8, setting the tone for the rest of the tournament.

“We had a close, back-and-forth battle with Cambridge in our first game of the tournament,” Vergeer said. “Cambridge tied it up with 1:20 left on the clock. Emerson (Muir) scored with less than a minute left to edge us ahead, and we made some smart defensive plays to count down the clock. After that game, we knew we might see Cambridge again in the finals.”

Their teamwork became more important after their first round-robin game, when Vergeer noted the roster was notably depleted.

“We had injury and illness plague us in the first game, which left us shorthanded in our next game against St. Thomas. The players stepped up. We got strong performances from them all, which made that game smooth sailing. Their grit and endurance came into play to succeed shorthanded, and they again worked hard as a team and tried hard to have everyone on the scoresheet again.”

One of the biggest bright spots of the tournament came in between the pipes with Annie Simons stepping up to fill in as the team’s goaltender with their main goalie away. Vergeer praised Simons, who has been gearing up for several weeks to fill in as the netminder.

“Our goalie was away on vacation, so for weeks leading up to the tournament, we were training Annie who showed interest in the position and a natural talent. She practiced and played a few league games and stepped up to the tough role. She played incredible all tournament for us. She always played with a smile and determination.

“In the finals, we had a similar back-and-forth game with Cambridge,” Vergeer continued. “Annie remained calm and focused and played her heart out that game against a few extremely tough and talented girls on the other team who had the ability to push through and always be in position to score. She made some huge, timely saves to keep the game in reach.”

Vergeer also raved about the team’s strong structure in their own end and the execution of their zone-defence gameplan.

“Triangle defence has been a skill we have put a lot of effort and focus on in the second half of the season at practice,” Vergeer said. “Our defence was incredible this weekend. They couldn’t have played better. They remained calm and stayed tight in formation to push the other teams out of the scoring zone in front of the net. It takes a lot of discipline to stay in the triangle and not panic and chase, and they have really got that part of the game down pat.

“As they grow and age in the sport, that becomes the most important part of playing defence, and we have definitely laid the groundwork this season in practice for their success in that skill. Seeing triangle defence executed so well made us as coaches so proud, as their hard work at practice is paying off. Coach Cheryl (Harrigan) has been an integral part of our success in that skill. She is still a defensive player in her own league, and she has helped to tighten and perfect that for us.”

Though the team narrowly fell in the final game to come away with the silver medal, dropping the game to Cambridge 11-10, Vergeer was thrilled with the result of the tournament for her group.

“We truly are the little engine that could as a team. We’re a primarily first-year team that is really coming into its own and finding the positions that work best for everyone. This result for us shows us that we have what it takes to succeed if we continue to play as a team and believe in each other’s skills when we pass and make plays. The friendships that have formed on this squad this season are woven into how they play and focus on teamwork. They have so much respect and trust for each other as teammates. With regionals approaching, we are going to continue to focus on passing, teamwork, strong defence and, most of all, laughing and having fun, which this team does best.”