The bantam female Cowichan Valley Capitals played in a pair of hockey tournaments over the winter break, winning one and finishing second in the other.
Between Christmas and New Year’s, the team travelled to Langley for the Angels on Ice Tournament, where they went undefeated to reach the final against Abbotsford. Cowichan had beaten Abbotsford 2-1 in round-robin play, so they expected another close one in the championship game.
“We knew it would be a tight game,” coach Darrin St. Amand recalled. “And it definitely was.”
Camryn Waldron opened the scoring on an excellent feed from Malleia Gray. Abbotsford managed to tie the score in the third period, sending the game to overtime, and then to a shootout. Taylor Svendson put Cowichan up with a backhand goal, but Abbotsford’s first shooter tied it up. Kaliyah St. Amand scored on Cowichan’s next attempt, and Mackenna Tew-Hansen stoned the next four Abbotsford shooters to secure the victory.
Cowichan kicked off the round robin with a 5-0 win over Rose City from Portland, led by a goal and an assist from Waldron, who was named game MVP. Aran Mills earned MVP honours in the 2-1 win over Abbotsford, potting the winner on a wraparound. Svendson scored four times to get the MVP nod in Cowichan’s 7-0 win over Richmond.
The crossover semifinal saw Cowichan beat Langley 2-1 thanks to a third-period goal by St. Amand and some brilliant work in goal by Tew-Hansen.
Emma Kruk played a strong two-way game all tournament, while underage defender Olivia Wing also had a solid weekend. Bronwyn Lee, normally a goalie, brought both sets of gear and ended up playing well at forward all weekend.
Cowichan hosted their own tournament in early January, coming second to a strong Ridge Meadows team.
The Capitals opened the tournament with a 5-0 win over Oceanside. Ella Stone was named MVP, with Dakota Tew-Hansen taking the Heart and Hustle Award.
Next up was a 3-2 loss to the quick Ridge Meadows club. Mackenna Tew-Hansen was named MVP, while Tianna Marleau collected the Heart and Hustle Award, and Bianca Steele had a strong game on defence and chipped in with a goal.
Marleau was picked as MVP in Cowichan’s last round-robin game, a 14-0 win over Vancouver, and Janea Weir claimed Heart and Hustle honours.
Ridge Meadows prevailed 6-1 over a worn-out Cowichan team in the final.
“Having played nine games in nine days over the Christmas break, the team could just not generate much offence,” coach St. Amand said.
Since the tournament, the Capitals have learned that Elisabetta Relova-Clegg is sidelined for the rest of the season with a concussion.
“She was our second-line centre who created a lot of turmoil on the ice for the other team with her tenacious forecheck,” St. Amand said.
The team expressed thanks to sponsors Scotiabank and Duncan Paving.
