The Halifax Fire is making its first appearance as a club at the Esso Cup
in Sudbury, but some of the players are quite familiar with Canada’s
National Female Midget Championship.
Nine members of the Fire played with the Metro Boston Pizza team that
hosted the Esso Cup in Bridgewater, N.S., last year. This veteran
experience, combined with the skills and enthusiasm of the younger players
on this team, generated 22 wins in 24 games for the Fire in their debut
season in the NSFMHL.
Strong goaltending, a daunting offence and a tight defence kept Halifax
humming the entire season. Head coach Lou Lanceleve said his squad rounded
into playoff form at the Tournoi de hockey féminin de Québec in early
February, going a solid 3-1-2 against competition from Ontario and the host
province.
Exposure to fierce out-of-province competition prepared the Fire for the
highs and lows that come with the postseason. While the Fire easily
outscored their semifinal opponent, the Cape Breton Panthers, 19-4 in a
three-game sweep, they fell behind 2-0 to the Northern Selects in the
best-of-three NSFMHL final. However, Halifax rallied with three straight
wins to defeat the defending Nova Scotia and Atlantic Region champions.
Not one opponent at regionals could douse the Fire. Halifax won all five of
its games, capped off with a 5-2 triumph over the Northern Lightning to
book its spot at the Esso Cup.
Lanceleve has a clear idea of what his players need to do to achieve
success in Sudbury.
“Success for us is respecting the opposition but not over-respecting them,”
he says. “I find that a lot of times teams come from this region and pay
too much attention to who they’re playing instead of playing their own
game. To me, if you accept that someone is going to beat you, you give them
that extra step. I’m not willing to do that.”
HOW THEY GOT TO SUDBURY
Nova Scotia Female Midget Hockey League
Semifinal: defeated Cape Breton Panthers 3-0 (7-1, 6-1, 6-2)
NSFMHL championship: defeated Northern Selects 3-2 (4-5, 1-2, 6-3, 3-2 SO,
2-0)
Atlantic Regional
Preliminary round: 4-0 – first place (defeated Western Wind 5-1, defeated
Eastern Ice Breakers 8-1, defeated Fundy Nationals 9-1, defeated Northern
Lightning 5-4 SO)
Championship game: defeated Northern Lightning 5-2
REGULAR SEASON
Record (W-OTW-OTL-L): 18-4-0-2 (2nd in NSFMHL)
Goals for: 135 (2nd in NSFMHL)
Goals against: 38 (1st in NSFMHL)
Longest winning streak: 9 (Dec. 15 -Feb. 17)
Top 3 scorers:
- Ellen Laurence – 46G 24 70P (1st in NSFMHL)
- Jillian Duggan – 23G 26A 49P (5th in NSFMHL)
- Hannah MacNeil – 14G 20A 34P (8th in NSFMHL)
PLAYOFFS
Record: 10-3
Goals for: 67
Goals against: 25
Top 3 scorers:
- Ellen Laurence – 12G 20A 32P
- Jillian Duggan – 13G 9A 22P
- Chloe Delano – 10G 8A 18P
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY
First appearance
PLAYERS TO WATCH
AMELIA AWAD
plays with intensity … big-game goaltender … solid technical ability …
finds a way to make the save
MADISON GRAY
Swiss army knife … plays a strong 200-foot game … plays tough minutes …
calm and patient on the PP
ELLEN LAURENCE
dynamic forward … gifted goal scorer … has a nose for the net … tenacious
checker … plays with confidence