U16A Lightning Strike Gold in Oshawa / Nov 1-2 wknd summary
With three wins and one tie to finish tied for first in the round robin portion of the tournament, the Lightning went on to beat Ottawa 4-3 in a semi-final match-up before beating a strong West Ferris team 2-1 for the gold medal. All 13 positional players registered at least one point on the score sheets with goals coming off the sticks of nine different players. Brianna Cake closed the door in net allowing only 9 goals in 6 games including a much needed 1-0 shut out to knock out pre-tournament favourite Glouchester from medal match play.
Coaches Brian and Kristin McKnight, Judy Sandiford, Valerie Howse and Manager Phil Thorpe are proud of the total team effort put together by Brooke Thomson, Kara Cseh, Amanda Cuthbert, Megan Malapitan, Julia West, Isabel Boni, Jackie Schulz, Alice Sandiford, Zoe Rodney, Laura Chow, Kassandra Trianni, Brooke Franklin, Charlotte Thorpe, and Brianna Cake.
In other action, the U9-Applebaum team got that elusive first win on the tail end of back-to-back weekend games. The coaches could see the team starting to come together in a 5-3 loss Saturday, before getting their first win in an absolute heart-stopper in defeating the Newmarket Rays 9-8 on Sunday. Natalie Applebaum scored the game winner, and her third of the game, with 6 min left. Kamalini Vundemodalu making her goaltending debut shut the door the rest of the way aided by the defensive tenacity of Isabel Ianni, Hannah Weaver and Nicole Pham. Tremendous offensive pressure came from Carlyn Joy, Aaliyah Natsheh and Sabah Esmail's 6 goals.
In the first of two weekend games, the U10-Harling team was up against a much more experienced team from Mississauga but didn’t let that prevent them from turning in an excellent performance led by stellar goaltending from Ashley Haji, and solid defensive play by Michelle Pham and Katherine Harling. Goals came from Taryn Joy with 2, Mary Rose Batthish and Alexia Himelfarb, but in the end it wasn’t enough as the team succumb 7-4. In their second weekend game, the U10-Harling team outgunned the U10-Laughlin team 12-7.
In U12 action, the U12P-Ianni team had an explosive offensive output led by Sydney Stabler with 5goals; Haleigh Beam with 3 goals; Caroline Routledge with 2 goals, and singles coming from Ava Ianni and Camilla Kernohan as they downed Markham 12-2. The U12-Chamandy team dropped a 6-3 decision to Whitby.
In U14 action, the U14A-West team split a pair of one goal games on the road dropping a 4-3 decision to Mississauga before besting Burlington 3-2 thanks to goals by Amber Guido, Erin O'Connor and Meera Sayal. The U14AA-Roman team tied the Guelph Predators 1-1 thanks to a goal scored by Kyra Smelser on a set-up from Julia Roman. The U14B-Giordan played host to the Sunderland Stingerz in their home opener and took an early lead on goals by Jasmine Hamilton and Gabriella Damien. Despite a wonderful display of goaltending by Haley Zanon, and numerous offensive chances late in the game, the Stingerz slowly chipped away and took the lead mid-way through the final period in dealing the Lightning their first loss of the season by a 5-3 score.
The U16B-Thompson team faced their toughest test in league play against the Whitby Wild in the first of their two weekend games. In a see-saw battle, goaltender Erica Siow was equal to the solid performance of her Whitby counterpart. Buoyed by a pair of goals from Alessandra Tuzi and a single from Bianca Isidoro; it was a tally by Amy Thompson with 20 seconds remaining on the clock that secured the 4-3 win for the Lightning. The team continued their winning ways with a road victory over West Muskoka 7-2.
In U19 Action, the U19A-File team has now won three games in a row after dropping their first two games of the season. A solid team effort allowed the team to defeat the Ayr Ice Cats 4-3 on goals by Jessica Dickie, Lisette Schulz, Meg Casbourn and Jacqueline Badgery. The team followed up with a resounding 7-0 win over Newmarket when seven different scorers lit the red light. Scoring for the Lightning were Jacqueline Badgery, Madeline Boyle, Lisette Schulz, Meg Casbourn, Dylan Kenny, Jenny Bedard and Talia Brock. Erica Priolo recorded her first shut out of the season. The U19AA suffered a 6-5 loss to the St. Clements Comets when the Lightning couldn't capitalize on its many chances. Hitting the crossbars/posts five times and combined with a few penalties in the second period, the team couldn't build any momentum to overtake St. Clements before time ran out. Scoring for the Lightning were Sarah Esmail and Madison Sandercock recording a pair of goals each with Mackenzie Craig netting the other.
In other ringette action, the Open B team dropped a 5-2 decision to the Pickering Shooting Stars, while the NRL Lightning took down Bourassa Royal 6-2.