WESTVILLE ROAD – In the back of their minds, the Northern Subway Selects female Midget AAAs want another shot at an Atlantic hockey title.
But first they must deal with their opponent from Cape Breton.
“You don’t like to talk about that stuff too early, but at the same time, you’re going in with one purpose,” said Selects coach Troy Reid.
“And that’s to take it to the next step. But we’re not looking any further than Cape Breton right now.”
The Selects went 18-0-5 in the Nova Scotia AAA Midget Hockey League standings in the regular season, captured the league championship earlier this month and are one win away from a second straight trip to Atlantics.
Up 2-0 in the series after two home wins last weekend (4-1 and 4-3), they hope to finish off the Cape Breton MacIntyre Chevy Panthers in the best-of-five on Friday night in Cape Breton.
“We expected a big push from them at the start of (Game 2), said Selects captain Sophia Wornell, a New Glasgow resident who is in her third season of Midget hockey.
“But we just kept working and playing our game. All we’ve got to do is just stay disciplined, keep our feet moving and we should be ready to go.”
If a fourth game is necessary, it would be played Saturday in Membertou, and a fifth game would be Sunday at the Pictou County Wellness Centre (11:30 a.m.).
Reid said a notable strength on his team is the depth, which gives him flexibility in terms of rolling out multiple lines that can be effective – a luxury that not all teams have.
“A lot of times, you have one or two players you need to key on, but on any given night, we have kids who can make a difference for us.”
The Selects fell agonizingly short in the championship game a year ago at Atlantics, losing on a goal late in regulation and an empty-netter.
This year’s Atlantic tournament will take place early next month in St. John’s, N.L.
Notes:
• Goaltenders Jenna Landry (1.86 in goals against average per game) and Lily Currie (1.91) were one and two respectively in that category during the regular season.
• Top 5 Selects scorers after five playoff games: Kara MacLean (6G, 5A), KJ Emery (4G, 5A), Maria Linehan (2G, 7A), Camryn Halliday (4G, 4A), Sophia Wornell (2G, 5A).
