U13 BB Girls qualify for OWHA provincials

The Cascades U13 BB Girls St. Marys Rock will compete at the Ontario Women’s Hockey Association (OWHA) Provincial Championship April 9-12 in Brampton and Etobicoke. Pictured in the front row, from left to right, are Kylie Blake, Cassie Adams, Alex Harlton and Jaynie Johnston. In the middle row, from left, are Jessica Zwambag, Charlotte Heinbuck, Addison Hudson, Amelia Falkiner, Charlotte Jeffreys and Evelyn McAllister. In the back row, from left, are Emily Chateauvert, Sam Matheson, Jaelyn Seok, Lauren Masellis and Camille Crummer.

By Spencer Seymour

The Cascades U13 BB Girls St. Marys Rock have punched their ticket to the Ontario Women’s Hockey Association (OWHA) Provincial Championship April 9-12 in Brampton and Etobicoke.

According to head coach Jamie Matheson, reaching the all-Ontario championship tournament checks the team’s big goal for the season off their list.

“For many of these girls, it is their third time going to provincials, but for a few of these girls, it is their first time making it to provincials, so it will be a special weekend for the team,” Matheson said. “At the beginning of the year, the girls set a goal to make it to provincials, and they have reached their goal. It shifts the motivation from just winning a medal to doing it for each other, which usually makes a team much harder to beat under pressure. You can really feel the confidence coming from these girls.”

Matheson detailed how the team has developed on the road to provincials.

“The girls have grown a lot as a team,” Matheson said. “They were always great at skating and forechecking, but now they have fine-tuned those skills and expanded their hockey IQ. They’ve moved past just relying on raw athleticism and hustle to actually manipulating the game to their benefit.

“That shift toward patience and communication is usually the hardest hurdle for youth teams. Once they realize they don’t have to get rid of the puck the second they feel pressure, the whole ice opens up. It’s the difference between playing hard and playing smart.”

To reach provincials, the Rock had to come out on the winning end of a three-game series against the South Huron Sabres, which the Rock swept to earn their trip to the Greater Toronto Area in April.

“In the first game against South Huron, we only had nine skaters due to injuries and holidays,” said Matheson. “The girls showed so much grit and determination in the game and came out with a 2-2 tie, which made it a first-to-four-points series. In Game 2, we had a couple more players back and played one of our best games in a while, and came away with a 6-1 victory. In Game 3, South Huron came out playing hard, and our girls kept right with them and eventually came away with a 2-0 victory to seal the deal and make it to provincials.”

Matheson credited the group for their commitment to winning, not just for themselves, but for one another.

“The drive to win and their determination to battle to win for each other is what makes these girls special. In years past, we have asked the girls to just work hard every single game, but this year, we wanted to bring the winning culture to the team, and the girls have bought into it very well.

“In January, we lost two players to injuries and then lost another one in February,” Matheson continued. “These girls have never looked back, even with a shortened team. They just kept on competing game in and game out.”

Looking ahead to provincials, Matheson said the team doesn’t need to change anything about their belief and motivation to find success.

“These girls just need to bring their game and confidence every single game and they will have success at provincials. The girls have developed that winning culture and atmosphere, and moving up to the BB level has helped boost their confidence.”