Blackhawks make history with consecutive wins

Head coach Phil Jordan and his Mid-Island Blackhawks went 2-0 over the weekend for the first time in team history, posting a pair of solid wins over SFU in South Coast Female Amateur Hockey League action.

Josey Watson may be only 15 but the Blackhawks’ rookie goalie is showing she can hold her own.               James Clarke photo

Josey Watson may be only 15 but the Blackhawks’ rookie goalie is showing she can hold her own. James Clarke photo

Head coach Phil Jordan and his Mid-Island Blackhawks went 2-0 over the weekend for the first time in team history, posting a pair of solid wins over SFU in South Coast Female Amateur Hockey League action.

The Blackhawks won game one of the home-and-home at Frank Crane Arena in Nanaimo last Saturday 4-3, then blasted the visitors 7-2 at Oceanside Place Sunday afternoon during the minor hockey jamboree.

It was the largest margin of victory in the second year squad’s young history.

A fast-paced, well-played, entertaining hockey game between two determined teams, the Blackhawks opened the scoring and led 4-1 after 20 minutes in that one.

The two teams traded goals in the second to make it 5-2 after two, and the Mid-Island ladies iced the win with two unanswered gaols in the third.

Team captain, co-founder and leading scorer Marissa Jordan, Kristie Keller and Kourtney Langlois led the ‘Hawks with two goals apiece, and rookie Sara Grover added a single.  

  The Blackhawks took six penalties to SFU’s one.

Down Island the day before, local centre Tessa Lawson staked the Blackhawks to an early lead 6:43 into the game, but SFU replied seven-seconds later for a 1-1 tie after 20 minutes.

In the second, Jordan and Keller scored for the ‘Hawks and SFU countered with two of their own to make it 3-3 when Langlois buried what would hold up to be the game winner with 4:17 left in the frame.

Neither team scored in the third. 

 Tessa, 19, from Parksville, “has really been playing well for us,” said Phil adding “she’s very strong on her skates and its tough to knock her off the puck.”

 “It’s the first time we’ve won back-to-back games so that’s a great boost for the girls to feel that taste of winning,” Phil said this week “and hopefully we can carry that with us into Vancouver when we go there for a three game series (Feb. 4-6).”

Also earning props for her play since joint the team is home grown rookie goalie Josey Watson. Josey, 15, has only been playing net for two years, and backstopped the ‘Hawks in net both games with solid play and clutch saves.

“She’s playing fantastic. Josey’s playing in a league where most of the players are 9, 10 years older than she is,” said her coach, adding “she’s really trying to make herself into a competitive goalie; she’s showing great patience, she listens to what we tell her, and her enthusiasm has been an inspiration to her teammates.”

GAME ON

Now 4-6-1 on the season and sitting 5th in  the six team Single-A league, the Blackhawks are back in action at Meeker Arena Jan. 30 at 4 p.m. when they clash with the AA first place 10-1-1- Killarney Knights.

Parksville Qualicum Beach News