U18 Aces compete at the Provincials

The Stratford Humphrey Fleet Service U18 AA Aces competed in the U18 OWHA Provincials, held in Etibicoke and Mississauga from April 9-12. They competed in Group E, facing the Durham West Lightning, Sudbury Lady Wolves and Ancaster Avalanche in the two-day preliminary round.

With only the top finisher in each group advancing to the next round, there is minimal margin for mistakes. As the team got ready for the tournament at William Allman Memorial Arena, head coach Sean Cameron reflected on the family-like environment fostered since August and expressed pride in how much the team has improved, especially considering their solid finish and provincial qualification.

“Pretty special. I mean, we've been together since August, and that's what we talked about in our closing circle, which we do every practice. It's amazing how long you spend with these girls to become part of your family, and we have a very family atmosphere here,” Sean said.

“It's a bit sad, but you know what? We've worked really hard to get here. It would have been a lot worse if we weren't in provincials, but it's a pretty sweet opportunity for us, especially how we started our year out. We've really finished off strong, and I'm proud of the 17 girls tonight.”

The final practice of the season at the Allman was heartfelt for Stratford’s Sloan Cameron. Meanwhile, Kylin Wilson, Brooklynn Ahrens and Meghan Graham reflected on the bittersweet emotions connected to their accomplishments and team development. They highlighted the significance of family, teamwork and playing with passion as they prepare for the upcoming provincial competition.

“It's kind of a surreal moment to have the last practice at the Allman Arena. I'm one of two on the team who is from Stratford. It's my hometown. It's my last year, and stepping on the ice with these girls for the last time in an Aces jersey is hard. So I'm really happy with the season, and I'm just so excited for provincials and hopefully to get a medal. That's the goal,” Sloan said.

“The game plan is to go in and do our job every time we have 17 girls on our team who know what it takes to get a win. And you know, also going into this … it's all about family. We're a family here. We get it done together. We win together. We lose together. We're hoping to get a medal together and finish off our season strong. So it means everything to us.”

“It feels really great, like we've been working hard at practice and the efforts there, and it is sad for our graduating players, and our team is going to be broken up, but honestly, we just go out there in provincials and give it all we've got and hopefully bring home a W,” Ahrens said.

“Honestly, we just have to play with the logo on the front of our jersey and not the name on the back of our jersey, and we just have to come together as a team, and the effort just has to be there. We just have to play with our hearts.”

“For me, it's a bittersweet feeling like this team has come so far from the start of the season, and I'm so unbelievably proud of all the effort and work that's been put in. And I think we can go out and make a pretty good run at provincials if we keep working hard,” Wilson said.

“Play with our hearts on our sleeves. Come out. Work hard. You win or lose as a team. So as long as you come out as a group, we'll be good to go.“

“Yeah. I mean, this arena is pretty special. The first goal I ever scored as an Ace was here against Waterloo. It was pretty sick. So, I mean, it's a little sad, it's a little bittersweet to be finishing the season, but I have another one, and I'm looking forward to coming back here next season with that in mind,” Graham said.

“We all have a job on this team. We're playing some fast, younger teams, and I think we can catch them off guard. We have experience on our side; if we just come out, we play hard and do the things we know how to do, I think we have a real shot.”

Ranked 35th in the province according to My Hockey Rankings, Stratford opened their tournament play against Ontario’s 5th-ranked Durham West Lightning on April 9.

Josephine Binning scored first for the Aces 6:03 into the first period. Later, with 5:30 remaining in the opening frame, the Lightning equalized with a shot that just slipped past the Aces' netminder Callie Aldridge's glove side.

Stratford’s major chance to take the lead in the second period came with just over three minutes remaining when Macey Fischer received a breakaway pass, but she couldn't score. After a scoreless second period, the Lightning finally took the lead for good 97 seconds into the third. The Aces pulled goalie Aldridge for an extra skater with 1:55 remaining, but they couldn't score the tying goal.

After the game, coach Sean praised his team's effort despite losing to Ontario's top-five-ranked team. He highlighted effective forechecking and the need for more shots and said they are prepared for upcoming games against Sudbury and Ancaster while maintaining a positive atmosphere.

“I'm just so proud of those girls. You know what? I'm not gonna lie. That game hurt. That is the number four team in Ontario, and we're number 33, and at the end of the day, we were that close. I thought we played a great game. Forecheck was working. Would have liked to see a little more pucks on net, but ultimately, I'm very proud of the way the girls played. We gave it everything we could,” Sean said.

“You know what? It's a great start. We just talked about turning the page and getting ready for Sudbury tomorrow, then Ancaster in the afternoon. So not the outcome we wanted. But, man, very close game. Well played. Durham West, the credit to them, they got us tonight.”

On the afternoon of April 10, the Aces played their second round robin game against the 13th-ranked Sudbury Lady Wolves. Both teams, initially winless in the tournament, aimed to stay in contention for the provincial title with a victory.

The Aces took control of the game with first-period goals from Isabelle Pruim and Kylin Wilson and overcame a controversial no-goal call and rough ice playing surface to shut out the Lady Wolves 3-0 to improve their tournament record to 1-1. Stratford netminder Cameron picked up the shutout in the victory.

Sean spoke to the Times after the afternoon game about the big win to keep their tournament aspirations alive.

“That's what we had to do. That's exactly what we talked to our team about, coming back and coming out with a big win, winning three nothing, especially in game two, is important for us. Jobs not done, though. We got to go play Ancaster. They're gonna be a tough battle tonight,” Sean said.

Wilson and Pruim commented on the key win and pointed out that the team was particularly motivated for the important game in the evening against the Ancaster Avalanche, which could determine their quarter-final birth.

“It's honestly such a great feeling. We knew they were going to be a hard team coming out. We had a tough loss yesterday, two, one, but to come out and score three goals today just felt great,” Wilson said.

“Got to go between games and get good fuel, good sleep, good hydration and then next game, you just gotta go out and give it everything you got, leave it all on the ice and play with your heart on the sleeve.”

“It was definitely what we needed coming up after that loss, and we're going to make sure that we go out and beat that next game (against Ancaster),” Pruim said.

“Yeah, the preparation in between games is super important. We've got to make sure we're putting everything out there, because it could be Sloan, Bronwyn (Hawkins) and my last game with this team. So we've got to make sure that we're putting all of our effort out there and scoring as many goals as we can.”

After Durham West secured a point against Sudbury in their early game and moved into first place, the Aces aimed to conclude their season positively against the Ancaster Avalanche in the evening match. Aldridge played the first two periods, with Sloan taking over for the final period.

Despite their efforts, the Aces couldn’t beat the Avalanche and lost their final game 3-0. Stratford finished third in Group E with a 1-2 record, ending the season with an overall 21-28-11 record.

Sean looked back on the season, highlighting his pride in the team's development and the strong bond they shared.

“From where we started to where we are today, leaps and bounds better than what we thought,” Sean said. “I'm so proud of this crew. We've definitely gone through a little bit of a marathon here, but at the end of the day I'm lucky. I get to coach a fantastic team, and that's all that's important to me, and that dressing room is very special. It hurts because you just want the best for them, and we got the best out of them, and I'm just proud of that crew, to say the least.”