The Kingston Bantam BB Ice Wolves look forward to doing some howling at the Ontario Women’s Hockey Association provincial championships in Mississauga April 5-7.
The 13- and 14-year-old girls coached by Randy Richardson punched their ticket to the big show with a regional playoff win over the Smiths Falls Bearcats.
“It’s going to be a lot of fun and a great experience,” said Ice Wolves forward Kaitlyn Robinson.
“We’re playing some of our best hockey at the right time,” she added.
“It’s been an up-and-down season but we’re peaking at the right time. We’ve been practising a lot in preparation for the provincials, working on our passing and shooting and just working as a team.”
Ice Wolves defenceman Taaliyah Francis says goaltending and defence will be the key to success in Mississauga.
“We’re cracking down on defence and it really showed in the playoff win over Smiths Falls,” said Francis.
“I think our worst games are behind us. We’re going there to have fun, gain some experience and hopefully win a medal. Our goal is to work as hard in the first period as we do in the third. Consistency is what we’re striving for.”
Defence wins championships but centre Jaidyn Manion says you have to score goals as well.
“We know the competition we’re up against,” said Manion.
“We know we can beat the teams we’re about to play. We just have to show up and play as hard as we can. If we’re able to do that, we should do well.”
Coach Richardson says it’s been a great group of girls this season and they’ve come a long way in a short period of time.
“They’re getting better every game, they truly are,” said the long-time Ice Wolves bench boss.
“We need to be more consistent in everything we do. These girls have worked hard to get to this point and qualifying for the provincials was a big step. Now it’s time to take it one step further and hopefully win a medal.”