After sweeping the Greater Vancouver Comets in the best-of-three series for the Female Midget AAA Championship in Coquitlam on March 18-20, the Northern Capitals had their eyes set on Regional Finals.
Lone Butte resident Caily Mellott, who plays centre for the Prince George-based Northern Capitals, was looking forward to taking on the Alberta Major Midget Female Hockey League champions in the Pacific Midget Female Regionals, April 1-3, for the right to represent the Pacific region at the 2016 ESSO Cup.
The Northern Capitals hosted the best-of-three series against the Rocky Mountain Raiders at the Rolling Mix Concrete Arena in Prince George.
The first game didn’t go well for the Capitals as the Raiders came out with a determined charge and out-played the host team.
“They outplayed us, but we gave them a good game,” says Mellott.
“We did what we could to hold them back, but they beat us on the scoreboard and we couldn’t put pucks in the net. We had no lucky bounces at all.”
Capitals goalie Kelsey Roberts made 38 saves in the Raiders 3-0 shutout.
While the outcome for the Raiders was the same as the first game, the flow of the second game was very different.
The Alberta champs had a 1-0 through two periods and added two empty-netters late in the third for another 3-0 shutout.
It was a high-intensity, back-and-forth game, but the Capitals couldn’t buy a goal despite outshooting the Raiders 29-19 overall.
“In the second game, we definitely outplayed them and we should have won that game, but again, we couldn’t get any good bounces. Nothing was going in the net for us.”
Meanwhile, Mellott was in Kelowna last week for the Pursuit of Excellence showcase for college players.
“A whole bunch of girls got together in a jamboree style on six teams and played. There were a bunch of scouts and coaches watching the players.”
Noting nine of 17 Capitals players will be graduating next year, Mellott says she still has another year of eligibility.
“So, we’re going to be rebuilding next year for sure. We should have a good group of girls coming up.
“It will take a bit for them to adjust, but I’m sure we’ll be in the game and just as good as the rest of the teams in no time.”
After next year, Mellott says she is looking to make a college or university team, and while she would like to go to the University of British Columbia, which has the only female team in the province, she will also look at getting on a team in Alberta.
