PICTOU – They’ve won almost everything in front of them this season.
The Fundy Highland Subway Selects PeeWee AAs will be hosting provincials this weekend at Hector Arena in Pictou, and the team that has lost just a single game all season is hoping home ice advantage will be just that: to their advantage.
“They won every tournament they went to. The (Nova Scotia) league, they won Wickfest, the Subway Cup and they won the Sweetheart Tournament,” in Prince Edward Island, head coach Craig Clarke said.
“They’ve had an exceptional year, but this weekend, that doesn’t mean a thing.”
The coach said one of the keys to their success throughout the season has been a team-first mentality, from the parents right on down to the players.
Early in the year, when he was still trying to decide who would be named captain and the assistant captains, Clarke identified so many leaders in his group that he didn’t put letters on any jersey: the Selects are rolling as a unified force.
“I probably could have put (the C) on seven or eight different kids on this team,” he added.
Comprised of players from Pictou, Colchester and Antigonish counties, the team is hoping to get some good fan support this weekend. Their first game is Friday at 11 a.m. against Metro West Inferno.
Whether a hockey player is 12 years old or 28, Clarke said, they get an emotional boost when they play in front of a crowd.
“It’s a huge lift of energy for them, when they have a lot of people watching. That whole sixth man thing is real.”
Peewee AA Subway Selects Roster
#1: Jorja Burrows
#2: Erin MacNeil
#3: Olivia Marks
#4: Lily Leblanc
#5: Baillie Griffon
#6: Grace MacDougall
#7: Ellie Clarke
#8: Lauren Smith
#9: Sarah Fraser
#10: Rylan Biron
#11: Elisabeth MacEachern
#12: Willa Evans
#14: Kenzie Greencorn
#15: Josie Dunn
#16: Maddie Beson
#17: Julia MacDonald
#31: Gabby Arsenault
Selects schedule this weekend:
FRIDAY
11 a.m.: Selects vs. Metro East Inferno
5 p.m.: Selects vs. Metro West Blue
SATURDAY
8:30 a.m.: Selects vs. Metro West Force White
2:30 p.m.: Skills Competition featuring all teams
* The top two teams from the Round Robin will play the championship game on Sunday at 11 a.m.
