Over the December 9th to December 11th weekend, the U11 Soo Jr. Greyhounds Girls hockey team won the Sudbury Snowflake tournament on Sunday with a thrilling 2-1 overtime victory against the Sudbury Lady Wolves.
Lily Sims clinched the win for the Hounds just 38 seconds into the extra frame, chipping the puck out of the defensive zone past the Sudbury defender and streaking up ice for the breakaway game- and championship-winner.
The Hounds were under attack early from the Lady Wolves, who have dominated the season series between the two teams with a perfect 4-0 record against the Soo squad coming into the finals. The Soo weathered the early storm with some outstanding goaltending from keeper Nilahna Neveau, who turned away all but one Sudbury shot in the win. Neveau was outstanding all weekend, giving up only four goals in five games.
After a scoreless first period, Sault Ste. Marie opened the scoring 2:00 into the second when Sienna Crosby fed a streaking Laila Perry who found the back of the net with a beautiful high shot over the Sudbury goaltender.Sudbury tied it up in the last minute of the second, when Alison Davies went end-to-end before beating Neveau. Madison Mercer and Sienna Bender had assists on the tying goal.
A tense third period saw both teams held off the scoreboard, including a clutch penalty-kill by the Hounds with under three minutes to play in the game, before Sims’ overtime winner clinched it for the Soo.
Coach Jay Labbe was thrilled with the way his team performed over the weekend, coming together as a team at the perfect time. “The messaging to the girls has been consistent,” he said. “We are as talented as any of the teams we play, and when we work together, we control the outcome.” He believes that some recent lineup changes had an impact: “We have some girls playing in new positions and four or five girls really found their spots over the weekend,” he said. “Early in the season we were relying on a few players for offensive output, but this weekend our secondary scoring was key.” Seven of the Hounds’ thirteen skaters lit the lamp in Sudbury, including Kyle Hemsworth, Lucy Labbe, Aislynn Wieczor, Zen Zavoral, Lexi Finn, Sienna Crosby, Perry, and Sims, who had four goals in the tournament.
Earlier Sunday the Hounds earned their spot in the finals with a 3-0 win over the Timmins Falcons. Finn (Crosby), Sims (Blake Palahnuk), and Crosby (Finn, Hemsworth) were the goal scorers for the Soo.
The Round Robin results were as follows:
Game 1: Hounds 2, Kanata Rangers 0
Soo: Hemsworth (Sims), Sims (Perry)
Game 2: Hearst Ice Cats 2, Hounds 1
Hearst: Mitron (Roy, Nadeau), Mercier (Picard)
Soo: Sims (unassisted)
Game 3: Hounds 3, Timmins Falcons 1
Soo: Labbe (Finn, Wieczor), Wieczor (Lucy Webb), Zavoral (Labbe, Perry)
The U11 Jr. Greyhounds players, coaches, and parents would like to thank all of their sponsors, friends, fans, and those cheering them on at the rink and on SaultSports YouTube channel this weekend for their support.
