The girls’ hockey team traveled to Detroit, Michigan recently to compete in the Detroit 2 Nations tournament. The girls got 2nd place in the tournament, ending the weekend with a 3-1-1 record. The loss and tie were the first two blemishes in the girls’ season, which started better than any other season in the history of girls’ hockey at Northwood School.
Ashlyn McGrath ‘ 21 (Photo: Mr. Michael Aldridge).
The first game of the weekend was another battle against the Philadelphia Jr. Flyers. From the opening faceoff, the play was evenly-matched between the two teams. The first period had no goals but lots of effort from the Huskies. In the second stanza, the Flyers got on the scoreboard first and took the lead 1-0 into the third period. The Huskies weren’t going to back down as Margot Rouquette (Forward, 2020) scored to tie the game at 1. The final score was a 1-1 tie. Rachel Hinkley (Goaltender, 2021) saved 11 out of 12 shots on net.
That evening, the Huskies faced off against the Minnesota Ice Cougars and the game was heavily dominated by the Huskies. The game ended in a 6-0 Husky victory with goals from Ella Fesette (Forward, 2022), Kira Cook (Forward, 2023), Hadley Swedlund (Forward, 2020), Iliana Smith (Forward, 2022), and two from Mackenzie Hull (Forward, 2021). Emilie Venne (Goaltender, 2020) saved all 14 shots on net for the shutout.
The next day, the Huskies faced the San Jose Jr. Sharks and, just like the previous game, Northwood dominated play. The final score was 7-0 for the Huskies with goals from Madison Novotny (Defense, 2020), Magdalena Erbenova (Defense, 2020), Marina Alvarez (Defense, 2021), Hull, Smith, and two from Ashlyn McGrath (Forward, 2021). Hinkley and Courtney Fairchild (Goaltender, 2020) split for the shutout in net.
Later that night, the Huskies played the Brampton Jr. Canadettes and play was feisty. The final score was a 5-2 Husky win with goals scored by McGrath, Alvarez, 2 from Fesette and an empty netter from Anna Pavlasova (Forward, 2023). Venne saved 20 out of 22 goals on net.
Sunday morning, the Huskies woke bright and early to play the Oakville Hornets in the championship game. All their hard work and effort led the Huskies to the final game of the tournament with a chance to win some hardware and remain unbeaten. The game was filled with many power-play opportunities for the girls; however, they couldn’t finish. Likewise, there were many power-plays for the hornets with the Huskies killing off most. However, the hornets capitalized on one of the power-plays and scored off a shot from the slot to take the lead 1-0. This ended up being the final score and the Huskies’ first loss of the season. Even though the girls didn’t maintain their record unbeaten streak, it was a great game with a solid effort from all the players.
The Huskies are now 20-1-1 on the season. Next up for the squad is a tournament in Massachusetts. Follow the Northwood Girls’ Hockey team on Twitter (@nwgirlshockey) and Instagram (@northwood.girlshockey) for live play-by-play and updates year-round.
