Ice win west to reach U18 nationals

History wasn’t on their side, and yet, the Winnipeg Ice AAA U18 female hockey team sensed they were hours away from punching their ticket to nationals.

“I’ve definitely had feelings throughout my career where I’ve been in (a series deciding game) and you can just feel that the season is coming to an end,” said Ice defenceman Aliyah Teixeira.

“But there was no feeling like that in our dressing room. Even the next day, I texted (forward) Chloe Nicolas and said ‘I couldn’t imagine our season ending last night’ and she said it was so weird because she felt the same way.”

Their confidence paid off. This past Sunday, the Ice outlasted Saskatchewan’s Battlefords Sharks 4-3 in a winner-take-all Game 3 inside the Varsity View Sportsplex to claim the Esso Cup West Regionals crown.

The last time a Manitoba team won the Western Regionals was back in 2012. That year, the Pembina Valley Hawks went on to win the Canadian championship.

“I knew it had been quite some time, but I didn’t realize it was that long. I thought it had maybe been seven or eight years,” said Ice forward Cassandra Carvalho.

“I lost the regional with a few girls on the team two years ago so getting to redeem ourselves there and finally getting Manitoba the recognition it deserves at nationals now is an honour.”

The Ice topped the Manitoba Female Hockey League with a 25-2-0-1 record en route to winning the provincial title. Sunday’s victory will now send them to the Esso Cup — the Canadian U18 Club Championship — in Dieppe, New Brunswick (April 19-25).

“We went up against the Winnipeg Avros, the Eastman Selects, the Battlefords Sharks and they are all teams that legitimately could’ve been at the Esso Cup. They’re all very good teams,” said Ice head coach Eugene Kaminsky.

“So, we know the teams we’re going up against are of a similar calibre so we don’t feel we’re in over our head.”

The Ice captured the opening game of the series 4-2 before the Sharks bounced back in a big way in Game 2 with a 4-1 win. In Game 3, the score was tied 3-3 with six minutes left in the third when Winnipeg forward Callie Adams achieved hero status and scored the series winner.

“It was such a relief. It was a really huge moment for Callie Adams,” said Carvalho, who will play hockey at the University of British Columbia in the fall.

“I just remember jumping on top of her. It was so exciting, and obviously, being in a tight, tight situation is scary. So, getting that helped us seal the deal.”

They did everything in their power to ensure they didn’t surrender an equalizer in the final minutes. Ice goalie Gina Plett did her part by stopping 35 shots to be named the player of the game.

“Not having to go to a three-on-three overtime I think saved all of us as we were dying and trying to catch our breaths,” said Teixeira, who will take her talents to the University of Regina next season.

“Once Callie scored that, I think we were all a little nervous — how could you not be? So, I was just being loud on the bench saying ‘Hey, no one goes out there and plays scared. Don’t take any risks. Go out there and have fun. We have six minutes left until we make history.’”

Battlefords only lost one game in regulation throughout the Saskatchewan Female U18 AAA Hockey League campaign.

“We can go through every series and different players stepped up to be the difference. We didn’t rely on one player, it was a full team effort,” Kaminsky said.

“People would argue that Battlefords probably had some top end players and had some Div. I commits that played for them, but we played as a team… As cliché as it is, we are a full team and that’s what makes them special.”

The Esso Cup features five regional champions from across the country plus the tournament host — the Moncton Rockets. The Ice, who were established in 2018, are the new kids on the block, but they’re hopeful they can make a name for themselves.

“Whatever happens, I’m super proud of this group,” said Teixeira.

“I think we’ve done so much already and proved ourselves, but we’re going to keep striving here at the end of the runway.”

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