WESTVILLE ROAD – They won’t be satisfied with merely showing up – the Northern Subway Selects want to make some noise at the Canadian AAA Midget female hockey championships.
“We’re not happy just being there, we want to go down there and make our mark,” coach Troy Reid said this week, his team in the midst of final preparations for the trip to Bridgewater.
After winning a provincial title, followed by a dominant performance at Atlantics in St. John’s, N.L., late last month (they outscored opponents 35-8 in a five-game romp to the title) the Selects will face the best female midget teams in Canada at the Esso Cup.
“I am extremely proud of the girls, that they’ve got so far, but there’s still a feeling that there’s more to accomplish,” Reid added.
“(And) we want to make sure we’re have some fun, too – it’s a once-in-a-lifetime situation.”
After a round-robin at the six-team event, the top four teams will advance to the medal round and Reid believes his team can make it that far. If that proves to be the case, “we’ll take it from there.”
Selects captain Sophia Wornell said she expected some of the other teams will have a size advantage, but she seems unfazed by that possibility.
“If we play the way we’re used to playing, we’ll have no problem going there to compete,” said the 18-year-old.
The Selects will do some advance scouting on their opponents; they are quite familiar with the host Metro Boston Pizza (MBP), and because the Selects’ tournament-opener against MBP is the third and last game on the schedule Sunday (7 p.m.), Reid and assistant coaches Steve Halliday, Lorne Stiles and Craig Clarke will be able to watch the other four teams (Ontario, Quebec, West and Pacific) earlier in the day.
“It’ll give us a chance to have a look at what we’re dealing with,” Reid said.
Reid said the players are a little worn out (“muscle overuse” he called it), but otherwise, they are ready to roll. “It’s that time of year – you’ve got to fight through all that stuff.”
The Selects have held several practices over the past couple of weeks and have a final workout on Friday at the Pictou County Wellness Centre, before boarding a bus the next day for the trip to Bridgewater.
"Everyone’s definitely excited to go, and experience it all,” Wornell said, “playing hockey and competing with teams at the national level.”
Selects Schedule at Esso Cup:
April 22: 7 p.m. vs. Metro Boston Pizza (Host)
April 23: 3 p.m. vs. Ontario (Brampton Canadettes)
April 24: Noon vs. Lanaudière (Quebec)
April 25: Noon vs. St. Albert Slash (Pacific)
April 25: 3 p.m. vs. Saskatoon Stars (Western Canada)
Notes:
• The Atlantic representative has never medalled at the Esso Cup in the tournament’s nine years of existence.
• St. Albert Slash are the defending national champions.
• All games will be broadcast live on the Hockey Canada livestream, with the April 28 championship game to be televised on TSN.
