The Soo U18 AA Greyhounds travelled south of the border from October 2nd to 4th to take part in the 2026 Wisconsin Showcase in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, facing a challenging field of girls hockey programs from across the region.
The Greyhounds were one of 16 teams participating in the showcase, with the field consisting of eight 19U programs and eight U16 teams. The weekend provided the Soo squad with four opportunities to compete against different styles of hockey and gain valuable experience against teams they don’t normally see during the regular season.
The Greyhounds finished the weekend with a 1-2-1 record, scoring 10 goals while allowing nine.
Greyhounds Explode Offensively in Tournament Opener
The Soo opened the tournament against the Glenview Stars and wasted little time establishing themselves offensively.
The Greyhounds jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the opening period.
Meadow Woods opened the scoring with 11:37 remaining in the first, with Avery Atkinson picking up the assist. Woods would strike again just over three minutes later, scoring an unassisted goal to make it 2-0.
Harley Cote then made it 3-0 with an unassisted goal before Atkinson added a fourth with just 1:29 remaining in the period.
With less than a minute left in the opening frame, Ava Mount found the back of the net, assisted by Drew Rousselle, giving the Greyhounds a commanding 5-0 advantage.
Glenview finally got on the board early in the second period when Layla Belton scored to make it 5-1.
The Greyhounds answered just 21 seconds later, with Kaia Boissonneau scoring an unassisted goal to restore the five-goal advantage.
The Soo held on for a 6-1 victory.
Liberty McAlpine had a relatively quiet afternoon in the Soo net, stopping all four shots she faced. Glenview goaltender Tessa Corey was busy throughout the contest, making 53 saves on 59 shots.
Badger City Hands Greyhounds First Loss
Game two saw the Greyhounds face Badger City U19, providing the Soo with another opportunity to test themselves against older competition.
Badger City opened the scoring at 14:27 of the first period, with Anjali Ballweg finding the back of the net, assisted by Kinley Irwin and Sydney Cowan.
The score remained 1-0 until the third period, when Badger City added three more goals.
Evelyn Bahe scored at 11:28, assisted by Kinley Irwin, before adding another goal at 5:14 with Natalia Gesicki picking up the assist.
The Greyhounds finally broke through with 9:55 remaining when Keeley Brown scored, with Lucy Curran and Meadow Woods earning assists.
Badger City responded shortly afterward, with Azella White scoring at 9:24, assisted by Haley Roster and Bahe.
The goal would complete the scoring as Badger City earned a 4-1 victory.
Cassidy Cooke faced a steady workload in the Soo crease, stopping 27 of 31 shots, while Badger City goaltender Isabelle Kline made 25 saves on 26 Soo shots.
Greyhounds Rally to Earn Draw Against Northshore
The Greyhounds returned to the ice October 3rd looking to bounce back against the Northshore Warhawks.
Neither team was able to find the back of the net in the opening period, but Northshore broke through in the second.
Brooklyn Ozem opened the scoring with 8:17 remaining in the period, assisted by Bridget Olsen.
The Warhawks doubled their lead with just 23 seconds remaining in the second when Helen Cammady scored an unassisted goal.
Facing a two-goal deficit heading into the final frame, the Greyhounds responded.
With 13:45 remaining in the third, Zoli Ciotti cut the Northshore lead to 2-1, with Ava Nolan recording the assist.
The Soo continued to push and eventually found the equalizer with 7:48 remaining. Dana Fitzsimmons scored to make it 2-2, with Charlotte Nicholson picking up the assist.
Neither team could find the go-ahead goal during the remainder of the contest, resulting in a 2-2 draw.
McAlpine was once again strong in the Soo net, stopping 37 of 39 shots. Northshore goaltender Courtney Wiegel made 42 saves on 44 shots.
Wisconsin Select Edges Greyhounds in Tournament Finale
The Greyhounds closed out the showcase on October 4th against Wisconsin Select.
Wisconsin Select opened the scoring with 12:38 remaining in the first period when Dana Jacobson found the back of the net, assisted by Penny Loeffleholz and Paislee Lystig.
The Soo answered just over a minute later.
Avery Atkinson scored an unassisted goal with 13:52 remaining in the period to tie the game at 1-1.
Wisconsin Select regained the lead with 2:41 remaining in the opening frame when Kennedy Bystol scored, assisted by Gabriella Webb.
Neither team was able to score again, giving Wisconsin Select a 2-1 victory and sending the Greyhounds home with a 1-2-1 record for the weekend.
Cassidy Cooke made 36 saves on 38 shots for the Soo, while Wisconsin Select goaltender Anika Mueller stopped 20 of 21 Greyhounds shots.
Valuable Weekend of Competition
While the Greyhounds were unable to come away with a winning record, the Wisconsin Showcase provided the team with four valuable games against unfamiliar opponents and, in several cases, older players.
The weekend also demonstrated the team’s ability to respond to adversity.
After opening the tournament with a dominant 6-1 victory, the Greyhounds faced a tough Badger City U19 squad before rallying from a two-goal deficit against Northshore to earn a 2-2 draw.
The Soo then finished the weekend with a hard-fought 2-1 loss to Wisconsin Select.
The Greyhounds’ goaltending was also a major part of their weekend, with both Liberty McAlpine and Cassidy Cooke facing significant workloads against some of the showcase’s strongest offensive teams.
Most importantly, the Wisconsin trip gave the U18 AA Greyhounds an opportunity to compete outside their normal environment, experience different styles of play and identify areas they can continue to build on as the season progresses.
For a young team looking to develop and compete at a high level, the Wisconsin Showcase was another important step in the 2026-27 season.
