WOSSAA A/AA bronze medals welcome part of ‘new experiences’ for WCI girls hockey

The Woodstock CI Red Devils girls’ hockey team captured what is unofficially their first WOSSAA A/AA medal Tuesday in Tillsonburg, skating to a 3-2 win over London Clarke Road in the bronze final. (Jeff Tribe Photo)

Jeff Tribe, Echo Correspondent

A set of ‘new experiences’ Western Ontario Secondary Schools Athletics Association A/AA bronze medals still shone brightly for the Woodstock CI (WCI) Red Devils girls’ hockey team.

“We definitely were hoping for a bit better, but we’re all satisfied,” said Red Devil Dakota Thomson following a 3-2 victory over the London Clarke Road Trojans Tuesday, March 4th inside Tillsonburg’s Colin Campbell Arena.

“From the beginning, we never expected to get so far,” said WCI’s Annika Beaton.

Thomson broke a 2-2 tie with 7:07 left in the second period, scoring what would stand as the game-winner, shorthanded. Teammate Sierra Irwin set up the goal on a pass back to the blueline, Thomson accepting it near the middle of the ice and getting a shot off slightly ahead of an onrushing Trojans’ defender.

“I just tried to avoid her shin pads and it happened to go in, I guess,” smiled Thomson, whose view of the play was blocked.

The Red Devils would carry the balance of play through the balance of the period and through the third, however, Clarke Road had illustrated its ability to come back, overcoming a 2-0 deficit to square accounts at two.

“They kept us on our toes, we had to be sharp all game,” said WCI coach Anakin McMahon. “Another close game. It could have been anyone’s game, really.”

Ultimate responsibility for holding the fort fell to Red Devils goalie Nicole Whetren, a centre with her Woodstock Wildcats U18 team and throughout her hockey career who volunteered to try goalie this year for a high school squad in need of one.

“She took one for the team,” smiled Beaton.

Whetren’s brother plays goalie and it’s a thing she always wanted to try. Apart from stopping pucks, her learning curve has included staying positive and keeping her head up even when a goal gets behind her.

“And try and save the next one,” said Whetren, who found a certain but not universal level of comfort - particularly in a one-goal bronze medal game, although she had perfect faith in her teammates’ support. “Sometimes when I’m out there, I’m like oh my gosh,” she laughed.

Woodstock CI opened WOSSAA A/AA play that morning with a 3-2 loss to the Lord Dorchester Beavers. Hallie Turpin, assisted by Eden Fraser and Emma Holm, with help from Jillian Trepanier, scored for the Red Devils. Stratford St. Mikes, which downed Clarke Road 5-0 in their semi-final, captured the gold with a similar 5-0 win over Dorchester.

Beaton opened scoring in the bronze final with 5:36 remaining in the first period, assisted by Holm. Irwin upped the lead to 2-0 3:23 later with help from Paige Kilgour.

Holding onto a one-goal lead through the entire final period was a little stressful, admitted Thomson. Clarke Road had its chances, and one particularly dangerous rushing defender in particular, but WCI kept skating hard, a strong offence leading quality defence.

“The team definitely kept us in and dominated,” credited Whetren.

“Very good communication on the ice,” agreed Thomson. “A fast-paced game.”

The Red Devils finished their Thames Valley Regional Athletics (TVRA) South East regular season with a 5-2 won/lost record, opening playoffs against the 6-1 St. Thomas St. Joe’s Rams.

The Red Devils opened with a 4-2 win over the Rams, dropping game two 3-2 before clinching the best-of-three series with a 3-2 road victory Monday, February 24. The Red Devils then took the TVRA South East title with a 5-0 shutout win over Dorchester Wednesday, February 26. The Beavers qualified for the final by eliminating St. Thomas Parkside Stampeders 1-0, 3-4 and 4-3.

The WOSSAA medal was a new experience for the Red Devils girls hockey team, in recent memory, if not historically.

“We don’t know the last time we made it to WOSSAA,” said Beaton.

“If we did,” added Thomson.

Coach McMahon was pleased at how a variety of players from a variety of teams had both played and gotten along so well together.

“It’s easy to coach a team like this,” she summed up, calling a WOSSAA A/AA bronze medal the cherry on top to a great season. “It was a blast.”