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2014 Esso Cup Begins

When the Road to the Esso Cup started back on Feb. 14, 103 teams had visions of spending the end of April in Stoney Creek. Only half a dozen navigated their way to southern Ontario and a place in Canada’s National Female Midget Championship.

Here’s how they got there:

HOST TEAM – STONEY CREEK SABRES

If the results of their 2013-14 season are any indication, the Sabres will be anything but a gracious host in their first appearance at the Esso Cup. The Sabres finished atop the Central Division in the Lower Lakes Female Hockey League (LLFHL) with a 19-2-1 record. Dominating? Yes, especially when you consider the team scored 80 more goals than it allowed (93-13). Goaltenders Hannah Miller (seven) and Serena D’Angelo (five) combined to shut out opposing shooters in more than half the team’s games.

The Sabres rolled through their regional playdowns (7-0-1) to advance to provincials. At the Ontario Women’s Hockey Association (OWHA) championship, Stoney Creek swept aside the Scarborough Sharks, Aurora Panthers and Ottawa Ice on its way to claiming the No. 1 seed for the playoffs. There, it defeated Clarington in the quarter-finals and Thunder Bay in the semifinals. (Historical side note: Thunder Bay defeated Stoney Creek in the 2010 OWHA final, en route to winning the Esso Cup). In the final, the Sabres fell 3-0 to the Sudbury Lady Wolves. With Sudbury now in town as the Ontario representatives, the rematch awaits.

ATLANTIC REGION – MONCTON ROCKETS

“Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night” – and might we add ice – would keep the Moncton Rockets from traveling the Road to the Esso Cup. On the trip to the Atlantic Region championship in Deer Lake, N.L., the ferry carrying the team – as well as the P.E.I. and Nova Scotia reps – got caught in ice and delayed the teams’ arrivals by a day. The Rockets finished the preliminary round with three wins and one tie to earn a spot in the final. Moncton found itself trailing the East Hants Penguins 1-0 after the first period, but would tie things up against the Nova Scotia champs in the second, and Brooke Murphy scored the game-winner 6:38 into the third. Player of the game Hayley Reid was with the team when it made its only other trip to the Esso Cup. That 2010 team finished fifth.

This year’s team handily won the NBFMAAAHL regular season title with a 15-1-1 record. When your team features seven of the league’s top 10 point-getters, games are bound to go your way. The Rockets swept the Fredericton V-Reds in the playoffs, outscoring them 18-4 over three games to book their ticket to Deer Lake and, now, Stoney Creek.

ONTARIO REGION – SUDBURY LADY WOLVES

The Sudbury Lady Wolves may not have had to travel as far as other teams to get to Stoney Creek, but
their players are true road warriors. In its first year in the LLFHL, Sudbury played its home games in Parry Sound, Ont., a two-hour drive south. Playing in the Central East Division, the team finished with a mark of 18-2-2, good for second place behind the Whitby Wolves.

In the regional playdowns to advance to the OWHA championship, Sudbury got by a second Lady Wolves team, as well as long-time nemesis the North Bay Ice Boltz, last year’s Esso Cup runner-up. It was Sudbury’s first trip to provincials since 2010.

The long-awaited journey was worth it, as Sudbury posted a perfect 6-0 record. It easily beat the St. Catharines Chaos, Hearst Voyageuses and Kanata Ottawa Senators in the round robin. The Lady Wolves shut out the Scarborough Sharks 2-0 in the quarter-finals and took down the Wolves of Whitby 1-0 in overtime in the semifinals. A 3-0 win in the final over the Stoney Creek Sabres gave the team the OWHA title.

PACIFIC-ALBERTA – EDMONTON THUNDER

You know you’re good when your team has two players making their fourth appearances at the Esso Cup. Both Amy Boucher and Brett Campbell came to the 2011 Esso Cup in St. Albert, Alta., as affiliated players. The Thunder is making its sixth straight trip to nationals. It has four medals (one silver; three bronze) and a 20-14 record to show so far.

Edmonton led the AMMFHL in both goals for and goal against on its way to finishing first in the North Division and claiming another regular season title. In the playoffs the Thunder swept the St. Albert Slash in three games and beat the Lloydminster Steelers in four. The South Division champ Highwood Raiders awaited in the final. Averaging nearly five goals a game, the Thunder turned aside the Raiders in four games.

The offence is led by Alexandra Poznikoff, who, along with finishing fourth in league scoring (27 goals, 28 assists), was also named the AMMFHL’s most sportsmanlike player. The leader on the blue line is Jessica Healey, who recently won a gold medal with Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team at the 2014 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 Women’s World Championship and was named the league’s top defenceman.

PACIFIC-BRITISH COLUMBIA – FRASER VALLEY PHANTOM

The Fraser Valley Phantom is making its second straight appearance at the Esso Cup, having hosted last year’s event in Burnaby, B.C. The team finished 1-4, good for fifth.

The Phantom finished atop the BCFMAAAL (22-1-7), its only loss a 1-0 setback to the West Coast Avalanche. Forwards Shannon Morris-Reade (38 points) and Kristen Martin (35 points) paced the league’s most potent offence, which also featured the top-scoring defenceman, Michelle Toor (24 points).

In the semifinals, West Coast once again took a 1-0 game from Fraser Valley; however, the Phantom would win the other two games by a combined 11-3 to move on to the final. Goaltender Valencia Yordanov backstopped two straight shutouts over the Thompson-Okanagan Rockets to send the Phantom back to nationals.

WEST – WEYBURN GOLD WINGS

For the fourth time in six years, the West Region will be represented by a team from Saskatchewan. The Weyburn Gold Wings join the Notre Dame Hounds (2010, 2011) and Regina Rebels (2013) in representing its province at Canada’s National Female Midget Championship.

The Gold Wings come to Stoney Creek on a roll. The team won eight straight games to close out the SFMAAAHL regular season, good for second behind the Rebels. In the playoffs, Weyburn swept the Melville Prairie Fire in three games and knocked out the Prince Albert Bears in four. Weyburn met Regina in the finals, and proving that regular season results don’t always matter – the Gold Wings finished 16 points back of the Rebels – the team won the championship, and its first Fedoruk Cup, in four games.

The Gold Wings then hosted the Pembina Valley Hawks, the Manitoba champs, in a three-game series to see who would be going east to be West. After dropping the opener, 3-2, Weyburn would win the next two, 4-1 and 3-0, to book its ticket to Stoney Creek. Weyburn’s roster includes the youngest player at this year’s Esso Cup; forward Raine Smith won’t turn 14 until July.

 
 

News

Calgary North Wins 2014 ATB Alberta Cup | Canmore Announced As 2015 ATB Alberta Host

Calgary North defeated Northeast 5-4 on Sunday at the Strathmore Family Centre to capture the 2014 ATB Alberta Cup.

Calgary North allowed the opening goal just 11 seconds into the game, but were able to escape without damage, as the teams skated to a 2-2 ties after the first period.

In the second period, Calgary North opened up a two goal lead on goals from Akito Hirose and Christopher Monden, even though they were outshot by Northeast 11-9 in the frame.

The first half of the third went by without any scoring, it wasn’t until Jaxan Kaluski (Lloydminster, AB) scored with 8:34 left in the game to pull Northeast to within one goal.

Monden would score his second goal of the game on the empty net to give Calgary North an insurance goal with just over a minute left to play. The goal would prove to be the difference-maker.

Zane Franklin (Marwayne, AB) scored for Northeast with eight seconds left in the game, but the team wasn’t able to complete the comeback

It’s the first Alberta Cup championship for Calgary North since 2005, when the tournament was held in Edson, AB.

FINAL RESULTS – SUNDAY, APRIL 27, 2014

DATE

FINAL

TEAM

SCORE

TEAM

SCORE

April 27

A Final

Calgary North

5

Northeast

4

April 27

B Final

Edmonton North

0

Edmonton South

4

April 27

C Final

Central

4

Calgary South

3

April 27

D Final

South

2

Northwest

5

2014 ATB ALBERTA CUP ALL-STARS

NAME

POSITION

TEAM

HOMETOWN

Matt Armitage Goal Calgary North Calgary
Ian Mitchell Defense Northwest Calahoo
Dominic Schmiemann Defense Central James River Bridge
Parker Kelly Forward Northeast Camrose
Kyle Olson Forward Calgary South Calgary
James Hamblin Forward Edmonton South Edmonton

**All-stars were selected by WHL scouts and Team Alberta staff**

The 2014 Source for Sports Play SMART Award was handed out to Team Central for their exceptional sportsmanship, respect and attitudes both on and off the ice throughout the tournament. This award is voted on by each team, the officials and staff at the ATB Alberta Cup.

Hockey Alberta officially announced Sunday that Canmore, Alberta will host the 2015 ATB Alberta Cup. The Canmore hosting group is made up of Tourism Canmore/Kananaskis, the Canmore Eagles, the Town of Canmore and Canmore Minor Hockey. The 2015 ATB Alberta Cup will take place at the Canmore Recreation Centre, April 29 – May 3, 2015.

“We look forward to welcoming the top hockey players in the province for next year’s ATB Alberta Cup,” said John Borrowman, Mayor of Canmore. “Strathmore has done a wonderful job hosting the tournament this year and we know that the experience in Canmore will be just as memorable and meaningful for all participants.”

Hockey Alberta is proud to have the Western Hockey League, Reebok/CCM, Source for Sports, Alberta Sport Connection and Gatorade as event sponsors.

The ATB Alberta Cup Program begins in March each year with close to 800 players trying out at their respective zone camps. Each of the 160 athletes playing in the ATB Alberta Cup is competing for one of eighty invites to the U16 Male Provincial Camp in July. The U16 Male Provincial Camp is the final stage in the first year of the Team Alberta Program. The 1999-born athletes will also be the group that will represent Team Alberta at the 2015 Canada Winter Games in Prince George, BC.

The ATB Alberta Cup is the premier event in the province that helps identify the top male players in Alberta. It is well attended by scouts as they prepare for the Western Hockey League’s bantam draft. In addition to player evaluations, the competition is also an opportunity for administrators, coaches, trainers and referees to be evaluated for future positions with the Team Alberta Program.

Former ATB Alberta Cup graduates include such players as Jordan Eberle, Devan Dubnyk, Dany Heatley, Jay Bouwmeester, Dion Phaneuf, Scott Hartnell and Devin Setoguchi.

ATB Financial is the title sponsor of all Team Alberta programs, including the ATB Alberta Cup and the ATB Alberta Challenge. The Team Alberta Male Program is a two year progression for elite athletes that begins at the ATB Alberta Cup, a U15 age level event, and progresses to the U17 age level. The Team Alberta Female Program is a four year progression for elite athletes that begins at the ATB Alberta Challenge, a U16 age level event, and progresses to the U18 age level. Team Alberta programs feed into Hockey Canada’s Program of Excellence.

News

Results - Final Provincial Weekend And Regional Championship

Hockey Alberta is pleased to announce the championship results from the 2014 Investors Group Hockey Alberta Provincials through April 06, 2014.

2014 INVESTORS GROUP HOCKEY ALBERTA PROVINCIAL TOURNAMENTS

Junior B – Grande Prairie

Gold Medal Game: Grande Prairie JDA Kings (0) at Blackfalds Wranglers (6)

The Blackfalds Wranglers will represent Alberta at the 2014 Keystone Cup in Abbotsford, April 17-20, 2014.

REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

MIDGET AAA – Pacific Regional Championship – Red Deer Optimist Chiefs VS. Okanagan Rockets

Apr. 4 Okanagan (3) at Red Deer (1)

Apr. 5 Okanagan (1) at Red Deer (7)

Apr. 6 Okanagan (3) at Red Deer (2) OT

Okanagan Rockets advance to the Telus Cup

Telus Cup – April 21-27, 2014 – Moose Jaw, SK

BANTAM AAA – Western Canada Bantam Championship – Lloydminster Universal Heat

Apr. 3 Yorkton Terriers (1) at Lloydminster Heat (12)

Apr. 4 Lloydminster Heat (3) at North Shore Winter Club (4)

Apr. 4 Lloydminster Heat (8) at Kelowna Rockets (0)

Apr. 5 Winnipeg Monarchs (1) at Lloydminster Heat (3)

Apr. 6 | Gold Medal Game

Lloydminster Heat (3) at North Shore Winter Club (4) 2OT

SENIOR AAA – McKenzie Cup – Bentley Generals VS. Powell River Regals

Apr. 3 Powell River (0) at Bentley (5)

Apr. 4 Powell River (1) at Bentley (5)

Apr. 5 Powell River (5) at Bentley (6) OT

Bentley Generals advance to the Allan Cup

Allan Cup – April 14-19, 2014 – Dundas, ON

News

Hockey Alberta Announces 2014 Alberta Cup Rosters

Hockey Alberta announced Wednesday the rosters for the eight zone teams that will compete at the 2014 ATB Alberta Cup set for April 24-27 in Strathmore, Alberta.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE ATB ALBERTA CUP ROSTERS

Eight zone teams from across the province - South, Calgary South, Calgary North, Central, Edmonton South, Edmonton North, Northeast and Northwest - will be competing at the 2014 ATB Alberta Cup. The rosters are made up of 20 athletes, three coaches, one trainer and one Director of Operations from each zone.

“The ATB Alberta Cup is always an exciting event, especially since this is the last chance for these players to impress ahead of the WHL Bantam Draft,” said Michael Kraichy, manager of hockey development with Hockey Alberta. “These athletes competed hard last weekend at zone camps and it seems like the 1999-born players are going to give everyone quite a show in Strathmore.”

The eight zone teams will play in a four day, tournament format competition while also taking part in an education seminar put on by the Western Hockey League (WHL). All tournament games will take place at the Strathmore Family Centre in Strathmore.


The ATB Alberta Cup program begins in March each year with over 800 players trying out at their respective zone camp. Each of the 160 athletes playing in the ATB Alberta Cup are competing for one of eighty invites to the U16 Male Provincial Camp in July. The U16 Male Provincial Camp is the final stage in the first year of the Team Alberta Program.

The ATB Alberta Cup is the premier event in the province that helps identify the top male players in Alberta. It is well attended by scouts as they prepare for the WHL’s bantam draft. In addition to player evaluations, the competition is also an opportunity for administrators, coaches, trainers and officials to be evaluated for future positions with the Team Alberta Program.

The ATB Alberta Cup began back in 1986 as a program for midget hockey players. It was held again in 1987 and 1988 then it disappeared until 1993 when it re-emerged as a bantam level competition. The ATB Alberta Cup aids in the preparation, evaluation and identification of potential players for Hockey Alberta’s Team Alberta Program.

Former ATB Alberta Cup graduates include current NHLers Braden Holtby, Devin Setoguchi, Zach Boychuk, Kyle Brodziak, Dany Heatley, Jay Bouwmeester, Dion Phaneuf, Scott Hartnell, Jordan Eberle, Devan Dubnyk, Andrew Ference and Chris Phillips.

ATB Financial is the title sponsor of all Team Alberta programs, including the ATB Alberta Cup and the ATB Alberta Challenge. The Team Alberta Male Program is a two year progression for elite athletes that begins at the ATB Alberta Cup, a U15 age level event, and progresses to the U17 age level. The Team Alberta Female Program is a two year progression for elite athletes that begins at the ATB Alberta Challenge, a U16 age level event, and progresses to the U18 age level. Team Alberta programs feed into Hockey Canada’s Program of Excellence.