2015 Esso Cup

SHELL LEADS ONTARIO CHAMPS TO OPENING DAY WIN

WENDY GRAVES

RED DEER, Alta. – Karli Shell (Sudbury, Ont.) had a goal and an assist, Taylor McGaughey (Sudbury, Ont.) and Melisa Kingsley (Sudbury, Ont.) added a goal each and Danika Ranger (North Bay, Ont.) made 26 saves as the Sudbury Lady Wolves defeated the Saskatoon Stars 3-2 in the opening game of the 2015 Esso Cup.

Meagan McGaughey (Sudbury, Ont.), Alexie Legault (Sudbury, Ont.) and Sydney Walker (Sudbury, Ont.) each had an assist for the Ontario champions.

Sophie Shirley (Saskatoon, Sask.) scored both goals for the Stars.

Emma Johnson (Saskatoon, Sask.) stopped 29 shots in the loss. It was the 15-year-old’s first setback of the season; through the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League regular season and playoffs, Johnson had compiled a record of 22-0.

The first of 19 games to come this week in Red Deer was a match-up between the youngest team at the event and the defending bronze medallists. The Lady Wolves return 10 players from the team that finished third a year ago.

One of those returnees, Shell had been the tournament’s Top Forward and Top Scorer. Now wearing the captain’s C, Shell led her team to an early lead.

After Meagan McGaughey (Sudbury, Ont.) drove behind the net but was stopped by a Stars’ defender, Shell followed her linemate, picked up the loose puck and wrapped it around Johnson just inside the far post 7:35 into the game.

Only a series of kick saves from Johnson kept Sudbury from building a bigger lead. The opening 20 saw Johnson stop a partial breakaway, turn aside a wide open shot from the slot after a defensive give-away and redirect another shot wide enough to go off the post and keep the clock moving.

The Stars had more jump coming out of the first intermission and were rewarded for their assertive play 3:41 into the second period. Nara Elia’s (Saskatoon, Sask.) shot from the high slot was stopped, but linemates Shirley and Julia Rongve (Saskatoon, Sask.) applied pressure down low, with Shirley eventually putting the puck in the net.

The momentum was short-lived. Only 1:18 later McGaughey kept the puck on the two-on-one and finished top shelf short side.

Sudbury went up two early in the third on only its second power play opportunity, Kingsley winning the battle for the puck in the midst of a goal-mouth scramble.

Shirley pulled her team within one with less than four to play with a highlight-reel goal. The forward did a toe drag around her defender, then roofed a backhand on Ranger.

The Stars pulled their goalie with 1:45 to go in the third but couldn’t find the late equalizer.