U14 A Snipers emerge as silver medalists of Kitchener tournament

The A.N.A.F.-St. Marys Rotary Club U14 A St. Marys Snipers left the Kitchener Golden Ring Tournament Jan. 30 to Feb. 1 with the silver medals. Pictured in front is Anna Hogan. Pictured in the middle row, from left to right, are Meredith Stokes, Olivia McCutcheon, Mary McCutcheon, Rachel Mabon, Kyla Graham, Madi McCutcheon, Samantha Hamilton, Kim Garniss, Natalie Reay and Kacey Graham. In the back row, from left, are Laurie McCutcheon, Christen Graham, Jordyn Schellenberger, Hadley Bolinger, Lily Johnston, Scarlett Gloor, Lilly Garniss and Kenzie Shackleton.

By Spencer Seymour

The A.N.A.F.-St. Marys Rotary Club U14 A St. Marys Snipers claimed the silver medals at the Kitchener Golden Ring Tournament Jan. 30 to Feb. 1.

Head coach Kim Garniss described the team’s consistently energetic play as a major factor in coming away with the second-place prize.

“One of the biggest keys to our success all weekend was maintaining a high tempo for a full 30 minutes,” said Garniss. “When we keep our pace up and stay loud on the bench – cheering for each other and supporting our goalie – it really feeds into our game, and that energy often becomes a turning point. One especially memorable moment was a round-robin shutout by our goalie, Anna (Hogan), which gave the group a lot of confidence and set the tone moving forward.”

Assistant coaches Natalie Reay and Christen Graham also spoke on the team’s silver medal finish and the team’s strong play that led to it.

“The team turned in a solid performance at the tournament, battling in every matchup and supporting one another from start to finish,” Graham told the Independent. “The weekend was a positive reflection of the group’s continued growth this season.”

“Watching this group over the weekend was rewarding. As the games went on, their confidence built, the energy stayed high and the bench was always loud with encouragement,” added Reay. “They supported one another through every shift, and that connection carried them to win against some really competitive teams.”

Winning all four round-robin games set the Snipers up to battle Forest in the semi-final. After less than nine minutes into the game, St. Marys jumped out to a 4-0 lead with goals by Jordy Schellenberger, Rachel Mabon, Lily Johnston and Samantha Hamilton. Forest scored the next three goals, but Schellenberger added her second of the game before an insurance marker by Lilly Garniss secured the 6-4 victory for the Snipers and earned the team a spot in the championship contest.

“The semi-final was an intense, fast-paced game, and the girls brought the heat right from the opening whistle,” Kim Garniss said. “It was a tight battle throughout, and our goalie, Anna (Hogan), came up huge when we needed her most, including an unbelievable toe save that kept us in the game and gave us momentum.

“Offensively, we had contributions from all over the lineup. Lily (Johnston) stepped up with a key goal, while Sam (Hamilton) and Rachel (Macon) found ways to capitalize and get on the scoresheet. Jordy (Schellenberger) led the charge offensively with a hat trick. It was a true team effort, and that combination of pressure, timely scoring and clutch goaltending is what earned us the win and sent us to the finals.”

The head coach noted numerous “standout individual performances” throughout the tournament.

“Kyla (Graham) led the way with seven points over the tournament and did a great job keeping the group focused and on track,” said Kim Garniss. “Kenzie (Shackleton) contributed five goals at key moments, while our defensive unit was outstanding as well. Mary (McCutcheon) and Meredith (Stokes) came up big, shutting down multiple two-on-three situations and making smart, composed plays in our end. Those kinds of efforts don’t always show up on the scoresheet, but they were critical to our success.”

Additional bright spots, both individually and as a team, came in the form of the team’s excellent defensive tenacity.

“One thing that really came together for us this weekend was our backchecking,” Kim Garniss said. “It’s something we’ve been stressing in practice all season, and the girls executed it extremely well. Lilly (Garniss), Kyla (Graham) and Madi (McCutcheon) in particular were outstanding. They worked hard tracking back, created a lot of turnovers and helped us regain possession of the ring consistently. That effort made a big difference for us throughout the weekend.

“We also had some really strong individual performances overall with Hadley (Bolinger), Olivia (McCutcheon) and Scarlett (Gloor) all having great weekends and making a big impact for our team in key moments.”

While the Snipers came up short in the gold-medal game, Kim Garniss explained finishing with silver will hopefully allow the team to finish in the top three provincially.

“Our main focus heading into each ranking tournament was to win our round-robin games and put ourselves in the best possible position for provincials. Winning 11 of our 12 round-robin games this season is an incredible accomplishment, and we’re hopeful we can hold onto our third spot in the province as we wait for the final ranking tournaments to wrap up.”