U12 B Snipers capture silver at Kitchener tournament

The Hubbard’s Pharmacy-Frayne’s Custom Cabinets U12 B St. Marys Snipers earned the silver medal at the Kitchener Golden Ring Tournament Jan. 30 to Feb. 1. Pictured in the front, from left to right, are Evelyn Parsons, Aubrey Feltz, Natalia Mattucci and Suzie McCutcheon. In the middle row, from left, are Brooklyn Meta, Ellie Beech and Peyton Foley. In the back row, from left, are Brent Foley, Natalie McCorquodale, Kelsey Pickel, Jordyn Rasenberg, Hannah Pickel, Briella Graham, Harper Buck, Chelsea Hughes, Courtney Beech and Kendra McCorquodale.

By Spencer Seymour

The Hubbard’s Pharmacy-Frayne’s Custom Cabinets U12 B St. Marys Snipers brought home the silver medal from the Kitchener Golden Ring Tournament Jan. 30 to Feb. 1.

Head coach Courtney Beech was impressed by the team’s resilience throughout the tournament.

“The team played with heart and gave their all,” Beech told the Independent. “We met the team we played in the finals in our very first game and lost 8-2. We played hard but were outmatched against St. Thomas. The final was the strongest game I’ve seen the girls play in recent weeks despite the score, and we were so proud of how they hung in there.”

According to Beech, there were significant contributions made from players up and down the lineup.

“Natalie (McQuorcodale) scored a few decisive goals over the weekend that kept us in the tournament, and she was dominant in our second game against Caledonia. Our defence played strong and several of our defenders, including Harper (Buck), Isabelle (Feltz) and Jordyn (Rosenberg), scored goals cycling in and out of the offensive zone, a skill we are getting pretty good at.

“Our centres played a lot and skated hard all weekend,” Beech continued. “Our forwards did what we asked. They took hard shots, got open to break out of the defensive end and took short shifts to keep our skates and legs moving. We had very solid goaltending from Evelyn (Parsons) and Suzie (McCutcheon), likely the strongest we have seen all year.”

The Snipers advanced to the finals based on plus-minus after a 7-7 tie in their third game of the tournament. Though St. Thomas defeated St. Marys in the gold-medal game, Beech was thrilled with the team’s performance in the final.

“Overall, we learned a lot and I think it has prepared us well for provincials coming up in April. We learned a lot about perseverance. We lost 8-2 in the first game against St. Thomas, and it was a decisive win from the start on their part. Our kids stepped up their game so much when we met them again in the final, and even though we lost, it looked like a much more evenly matched game. Our team never gave up.”

Beech added the silver-medal finish should inject more belief in the group.

“This result gave us more confidence and the time together helped us continue to build a strong bond,” said Beech. “This is a really amazing group of kids who get along well, support each other and have lots of fun. We are so proud of their progress so far this season.”