It may have been a tough year results-wise, but goaltender Sarah MacDonald stood tall for the B.C. Thunder, earning a nomination as one of four finalists for the National Ringette League rookie of the year award.
The winner will be announced on April 1.
The Thunder struggled this past season, finishing in last place in the Western Conference with a record of 2-22-0-0.
But that didn’t stop MacDonald from having a stellar individual season. The 19-year-old was 2-14-0-0 with a 5.57 goals against average and a .890 save percentage. She was tied for fifth overall in that latter category.
Her play also earned her the Thunder team most valuable player award.
The Thunder were the youngest team in the league this past season, and the second youngest ever in the 13-history of the NRL, said general manager and assistant coach Chris Wakefield.
“We knew results-wise would be a challenge, but we were competitive in almost all our games,” he said.
The fact MacDonald did so well was little surprise to Wakefield — four years ago, the goaltender backstopped her U16 AA team to the gold medal at the national championships.
While this was her first actual season with the team, the goaltender played one game two years ago and then twice more last year as an affiliate player.
And in that first game, MacDonald delivered a 52-save performance in a 2-1 victory against one of the top teams in the league.
Up until the latter stages of this season, the goaltender was up near the top of several of the goaltending statistical categories.
“It was definitely a learning year and hopefully it goes up from here,” she said. “I just tried to give (the team) the best chance to win every game.”
“She is a very committed, very competitive, just a great athlete and overall, her love and drive of ringette is second to none,” Wakefield said.
“There are other players who are in the same group as her, but I don’t think I have seen a player who has more love or drive or commitment for the game.”
The jump from playing AA with the U19 Lower Mainland squad was an adjustment.
“There are a lot of great players in the league so you really had to up your game and train a lot harder so you can compete with them,” MacDonald said.
NRL games are also four quarters instead of two periods. That meant having to learn to stay focused and mentally prepared with the half-time break.
The 2016 Mountain graduate also juggled working and school alongside her time with the Thunder.
@garyahuja1 @bcthundernrl I love her! Coached her in high school basketball! Great athlete and person! Congrats Sarah!
— Elsabee Lyon (@ElsabeeLyon) March 31, 2017
She is studying nursing at the University of the Fraser Valley and working for the Township of Langley, teaching skating lessons as well as at sports activities and camps.
