Woodstock CI Red Devils, Ingersoll DCI Blue Bombers contesting WOSSAA A/AA girls’ hockey title

Ingersoll Blue Bombers goalie Jolene Allair (left) denies WCI’s Annika Beaton (right) during their TVRA Southeast final series opener. (Jeff Tribe Photo)

Jeff Tribe, Echo Correspondent

The best-of-three Thames Valley Regional Athletics Southeast championship series between the Woodstock CI Red Devils and the Ingersoll DCI Blue Bombers was not the girls hockey equivalent of a soccer friendly.

But it was friendly enough.

“All these girls play together, so it’s like friends versus friends out there,” said Red Devils assistant coach Martha Trepanier on Feb. 23 at the Woodstock Community Complex Arena.

Both teams had already achieved success, earning Southeast finalist status, and have qualified for the Western Ontario Secondary Schools Athletic Association (WOSSAA) A/AA tournament on March 10 at London’s Stronach Arena.

Getting to WOSSAA was a big goal, said Blue Bomber Brooklyn Janzen.

“The first time in around ten years,” added teammate Charlotte DeWit.

The Red Devils are scheduled to open their WOSSAA A/AA draw at 9 a.m. against the TVRA Central champion, the Blue Bombers, and at 9:15 against the Huron-Perth representative. The gold medal game is set to face off at 1:30 p.m., the bronze a half-hour earlier.

But as friendly as the rivalry may be, both TVRA Southeast teams have aspirations of going further; the reality being that only one Ontario Federation of School Athletic Association (OFSAA) berth exists for those four contending teams.

“This is what the girls are playing for,” said Red Devils head coach Lindsay McCoy, who oversees a veteran-laden roster she calls WCI’s ‘best in years.’

The Blue Bombers fired the first scoring shot in the ‘friendly enough’ opening battle of the TVRA Southeast, Janzen redirecting a Reece Ellery blast home during four-on-four action at the 5:44 mark of the 15-minute second period.

She was providing her own screen on the play, said Janzen.

“And tipped it in.”

“With a goalie like that, the only way we’re going to be able to score is to take away her eyes,” added DeWit.

The lead was short-lived, WCI’s Emma Holme answering with an unassisted shot to the top corner, squaring accounts just 15 seconds later. Forty-one seconds after that, while still playing four-on-four, Jillian Trepanier scored what would stand as the game-winner, driving to the net on an assist from Holme.

The narrow one-goal lead stood until the 5:21 mark of the third period, Grade 9 rookie Whitney Fraser extending the Red Devils advantage to two. The Red Devils were on a power play at the time, Fraser teeing up a slapshot from the high slot on the rush.

“I think she was screened,” said Fraser, who was assisted by Trepanier on the play. “I kind of just shot it.”

“It was scary there for a while,” said her Grade 11 sister, defender Eden Fraser. “Especially four-on-four. But we pulled it back, got the two goals, and it was nice to get the lead. Less nerve-wracking, especially on D.”

The Red Devils wrapped up the TVRA Southeast championship two days later inside the Ingersoll District Memorial Centre, sweeping the best-of-three final series by an identical 3-1 score.

The Woodstock Huron Park Huskies took the TVRA Southeast B Pool championship by a 2-1 margin over the St. Thomas Parkside Stampeders on March 5 inside the Joe Thornton Arena in St. Thomas. The Huskies earned their way into the final with a high-scoring 7-5 win over the Woodstock St. Mary’s CHS Warriors on Feb. 26. The Stampeders took their B Pool semi-final by a narrow 1-0 margin over the Lord Dorchester Beavers.