That’s what they heard on Sunday after earning silver medals in the Atlantic championship, following a match-up with Team P.E.I. that ended 2-0 for the island.
“We reinforced they had a fantastic season,” assistant coach Steve Halliday said coaches told the team afterwards. He added the Selects proudly represented Nova Scotia.
This was the team’s first time advancing to Atlantics, winning the Nova Scotia Female Midget AAA Hockey League championship over Metro Boston Pizza on March 18 at the Pictou County Wellness Centre.
During Atlantics, the Selects went 4-0 in the round robin and got “better as the weekend went on,” Halliday said.
They opened the tournament with a 3-2 win over Team P.E.I. on Thursday, and kept New Brunswick representative Moncton Rockets at bay on Friday morning with a 5-3 win.
They defeated host team Pro Cresting Penguins 7-2 Friday night before out-scoring Team Newfoundland and Labrador 6-4 on Saturday.
While Halliday said the team came ready to play, they were on the wrong side of the bounces on Sunday.
The gold medal game at the East Hants Sportsplex was scoreless until the final minutes when Keiran Andrews got a goal for the Mid-Isle Wildcats, who were representing Prince Edward Island, with 1:49 remaining in the third period. Taylor Gillis added an empty-netter 50 seconds later.
“We were feeling confident and great the entire game,” Halliday said, adding that the hockey players were “executing exactly as asked.”
They had scoring opportunities that didn’t go in, he said, and had some penalty trouble that hurt their momentum.
Halliday said the coaching staff appreciates all of the people who supported the team during Atlantics and the season, noting the fans who drove to Lantz for the tournament.
