Hockey runs in the blood of Northern Selects forward Megan Smith. Both of her grandfathers played the game; her father, Bryan, played and is the coach of St. Francis Xavier University women’s hockey team.

With a love of the game generations deep in her family, Megan knew she wanted follow in their footsteps and laced up her skates at five years old.

“It’s like a legacy,” the now 18-year-old says. “My family has played hockey and my brother [Oliver] just loved the sport so much.”

Megan’s younger brother, Oliver, would tag along to watch her games when she began her hockey journey. Soon enough, he followed his sister and began playing hockey when he turned five years old.

“He was so antsy in the stands. He just wanted to be on the ice,” Megan says. “He was so eager to get on the ice and the minute you could put skates on his feet, he was off, he was going. He had so much energy.”

Together with their older sister Emma, all three Smith siblings were very close growing up in Antigonish, N.S.

“We were so competitive,” Megan says. “We were always playing mini-sticks together, shooting basketballs outside, going hiking and fishing and camping. We’ve always been so close. So even when Oliver got sick, we were there to support him. We couldn’t be as active, but we made up for it playing video games, watching movies and playing board games.”

When Oliver began his first year playing U11, his father Bryan noticed that something seemed off while he was on the ice.

“He wasn’t as fast,” Bryan says. “He was very quick, very agile. Then when the fall came for tryouts, he just didn’t have that same flexibility, agility.”

Oliver was complaining about his leg and groin being sore, so he began physiotherapy to try to strengthen his leg. Along with the pain, he started to feel unwell. That brought Oliver back to his doctor in February of 2017, when he was officially diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma in his left hip, a rare type of cancer that occurs in bones or soft tissue.

With his mobility limited and Oliver spending more time at home as he underwent treatment, the Smiths brainstormed what activities he could do to pass the time. Bryan had some woodworking experience, so he thought of creating a robot out of wood and hockey laces. Nicknamed the “Olliebot,” Oliver worked with his family to make more of the wooden robots to give to friends.

It wasn’t until Bruce MacPherson, the father of Megan’s teammates Bree MacPherson and Mairead MacPherson, asked to buy an Olliebot that they realized this fun family activity would be a great way to give back to the community.

“We were like, ‘Wow, we could sell these,’” Bryan says. “We knew that Oliver’s cancer, Ewings cancer, there wasn’t a lot of fundraising for it. It’s very rare, and there isn’t a lot of fundraising for childhood cancer in general. … We knew we had to direct it to that.”

The Smiths launched Olliebots for public sales in the middle of November 2017. By Dec. 23 of that year, they had sold 273 unique Olliebots. Proceeds go to the Ewings Cancer Foundation of Canada and support other families in Nova Scotia who have been affected by childhood cancer.

“Each one comes with a little tag and then hockey laces and wooden blocks, and then there’s customizable stickers and googly eyes,” Megan explains. “Each Olliebot is actually signed with a heart inside an O. It’s on the left hip, which is where Oliver’s cancer was.”

There are quite a few notable members of the hockey community that own an Olliebot. Pittsburgh Penguins captain and Nova Scotia native Sidney Crosby has one, plus he signed an Olliebot for Oliver to keep. Toronto Maple Leafs star Mitch Marner, Mike Babcock, Darryl Sittler, Ron MacLean and Don Cherry each have an Olliebot. Blayre Turnbull, Jill Saulnier and Troy Ryan of Canada’s National Women’s Team also have their own.

With time, the Olliebot project became a community fundraising effort. Schools in Antigonish have helped to prepare wood for the Smiths or host Olliebot nights where teachers and students help to create the wooden robots. Megan’s teammates on the Selects also helped in gathering supplies.

“The girls that are playing on my current team, I played with them all the way up in Selects. Some years, we get to the end of the season and the coaches will be like, ‘OK girls, untie your skates, take the laces out and pass them to the Smiths,’ and we make Olliebots out of skate laces right from my teammates’ skates,” Megan says. “I mean, I’m watching people undo their skates to give to my family so we can give money to research for cancer. It’s just unbelievable the support that you can get from a group of 20 girls.”

Unfortunately, Oliver lost his battle with cancer in June 2019, one day after his 12th birthday. Just as the hockey community rallied around the Smith family when Oliver was diagnosed, the community continues to provide them with support and love since his passing.

“I’ve been with [my teammates] since Oliver got diagnosed all the way up until he died in 2019, and they all came to his funeral, they were in the front row at his funeral,” Megan says. “They were all around, and even the coaches too.”

  

There are good days and bad days when grieving the loss of a loved one, but Megan has shown resilience and perseverance. Her love of the game has also helped her over the past few years.

“Hockey has been the one place where I feel I can go and that [it’s] just a positive outlet,” she says. “Nobody meets you with a frown face, everyone meets you with a smile and they ask you how you’re doing, and they talk about Oliver in the most positive ways. They tell you just how great of a sister or mother or father you are to him and how proud you should be just to carry on his legacy.”

Almost three years later, there continues to be signs and tributes to Oliver in the Nova Scotia hockey community. Megan switched her jersey to Oliver’s No. 2 to continue to carry on his legacy—plus Oliver’s two best friends wear No. 2 and No. 22 to remember him. The Selects also have decals on the back of their helmets that feature an O, a heart and a No. 2.

In honour of Oliver, the Smith family continues to make Olliebots and donate their proceeds to the Ewings Cancer Foundation of Canada. While Oliver used to sign each Olliebot with his signature O and heart, Megan now continues that tradition. Each member of the Selects has their own Olliebot that sits in their dressing room stalls. There’s even an Olliebot sitting outside on their local arena sign.

“It’s not glued there, it just sits there and it has sat there for like three years,” Megan says. “Nobody takes it. Everyone knows what it is and it’s totally amazing.”

Overall, the Smiths have made over 4,500 Olliebots and have raised more than $100,000.

“With Oliver losing his battle, you never want to see another kid go through what he has went through,” Megan says. “Just with the lack of fundraising and research for pediatric cancer, I think it’s important that we keep up his legacy.

“I think Oliver would be really honoured to know that we carried on his legacy and that there’s still hope for other children.”

Something Oliver would always say is, “Be the hardest worker.” It’s a motto the Smith family used throughout Oliver’s life and after his death. With Olliebots tucked into their suitcases for the Esso Cup, Megan and the Selects plan to embody that motto on the ice in Okotoks.

“Whenever I play, I try to be the hardest worker and it brings me so much joy to be able to do that and honour his legacy,” she says. “Everyone on my team knows the ‘Be the hardest worker,’ and we truly live by it. We are the hardest workers in practice, off ice, during games. We live by it, and it means so much that the girls support me and my family.”

Fraser Valley Rush 5, Northern Selects 4 (SO) 

• Game stats available here 

Durham West Lightning 9, Remparts du Richelieu 3

• Game stats available here

Notre Dame Hounds 4, Prince Albert Bears 2  

• Game stats available here

Next games - Friday, May 20: 

• Fraser Valley Rush vs. Durham West Lightning (12 p.m. ET/9 a.m. PT) 
• Notre Dame Hounds vs. Remparts du Richelieu (3:30 p.m. ET/12:30 p.m. PT) 
• Prince Albert Bears vs. Northern Selects (7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT) 

TSN and RDS, the official broadcast partners of Hockey Canada, will broadcast the championship game on May 22; please check local listings for details. All preliminary-round games and the semifinals will be livestreamed at HockeyCanada.ca/EssoCup.

Quotes: 

“We left it all out there today and earned this win. I’m proud of this group and what we’ve been able to accomplish. We didn’t even know if we would win our province and here we are now. We’ve got one more tomorrow and we’re not done yet.”

- Vienna Rubin (Fraser Valley Rush) on the shootout victory on Thursday

“This is the best hockey we’ve played all season. We came here to compete and win. The competition here is tough, but we need to keep doing what we have been doing to be successful.”

- Sadie Hotles (Durham West Lightning) on the Lightning mindset heading into Friday 

“To get the win here tonight feels great. We’ve been working hard but haven’t been rewarded. To beat our rivals from Saskatchewan makes it even sweeter. The pressure is on us now heading into the last day. I think this team is built for this moment and I know we will push forward.”

- Ryann Perrett (Notre Dame Hounds) on Hounds’ first regulation victory

For more information on the 2022 Esso Cup, please visit HockeyCanada.ca or follow along via social media on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Northern Selects 6, Remparts du Richelieu 2

• Game stats available here 

Prince Albert Bears 6, Fraser Valley Rush 5

• Game stats available here

Durham West Lightning 4, Notre Dame Hounds 3

• Game stats available here

Next games - Thursday, May 19: 

• Northern Selects vs. Fraser Valley Rush (12 p.m. ET/9 a.m. PT) 
• Remparts du Richelieu vs. Durham West Lightning (3:30 p.m. ET/12:30 p.m. PT) 
• Prince Albert Bears vs. Notre Dame Hounds (7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT) 

TSN and RDS, the official broadcast partners of Hockey Canada, will broadcast the championship game on May 22; please check local listings for details. All preliminary-round games and the semifinals will be livestreamed at HockeyCanada.ca/EssoCup.

Quotes: 

“We have a tired group for sure. We knew today was going to be a grind and it was. We’ve been in tight games all week and we knew we needed to elevate our game to the next level, today we did that, and it helped get us the win.”

- Sara Stewart (Northern Selects) on playing with a short bench due to injuries.  

“It doesn’t matter how we got here and now we’re in it just like everyone else. The girls in that room are hungry and we came here to win. We can’t soak this in for too long, we have to get right back to work here and finish the right way.”

- Sophia Zuck (Prince Albert Bears) on the Bears’ mindset after back-to-back victories. 

“As a group we are happy with the win tonight. This was a hard-fought, tight game and we played well. We are a confident group right now and the mood is high heading into tomorrow.”

- Zoe Ziotas (Durham West Lightning) on the confidence in the Lightning locker room.

For more information on the 2022 Esso Cup, please visit HockeyCanada.ca or follow along via social media on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Durham West Lightning 3, Northern Selects 1  

• Game stats available here 

Prince Albert Bears 9, Remparts du Richelieu 4

• Game stats available here

Fraser Valley Rush 2, Notre Dame Hounds 0

• Game stats available here

Next games - Wednesday, May 18 (All games at Scott Seaman Sports Rink): 

• Northern Selects vs. Remparts du Richelieu(12 p.m. ET/9 a.m. PT)
• Fraser Valley Rush vs. Prince Albert Bears (4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT)
• Notre Dame Hounds vs. Durham West Lightning (8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT) 

TSN and RDS, the official broadcast partners of Hockey Canada, will broadcast the championship game on May 22; please check local listings for details. All preliminary-round games and the semifinals will be livestreamed at HockeyCanada.ca/EssoCup.

Quotes: 

“We had to deal with some adversity today. The Selects are highly ranked, and they showed it. Our girls had to deal with some adversity and learn how to fight through it. It was a big confidence boost to finish off the game the way we did.”

- Durham head coach Patrick Teggart on his team bearing down and remaining undefeated  

“We have a happy room right now. This was a long time coming, and a great feeling to pick up the win. We’ve said all year that we can’t get too high or low and today we showed that.”

- Brooklin Fry (Prince Albert Bears) on her team picking up its first win of the tournament 

“We played a heavy game tonight, and it was really intense. Our team likes to play that way, we wanted to compete hard against a big Notre Dame team and we did that tonight.”

- Aynsley D’Ottavio (Fraser Valley Rush) on a 2-0 win over Notre Dame

For more information on the 2022 Esso Cup, please visit HockeyCanada.ca or follow along via social media on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

 

When Aynsley D’Ottavio left her home in Chilliwack, B.C., to tour Quinnipac University in November, she never imagined how difficult it would be to get back home.

The Fraser Valley Rush defenceman and her mother made the trip to Connecticut with the intent of touring the university for one day before returning home.

“We got in [to Connecticut] that night and my dad texted my mom and said that a storm was going on [back home],” D’Ottavio says. “It didn’t really affect us too much because we do live in B.C. and there’s a lot of rain.”

Not thinking much of the precipitation, they went to sleep after the long travel day in preparation for the tour in the morning. The next day, they continued to receive updates about the unprecedented amount of rain they were getting back home.

“I toured the school all day, and kind of was hearing about everything as the day went on,” D’Ottavio says. “And then flying home that night, [that’s when we] found out that it got really bad.”

A historic rainstorm brought some B.C. communities nearly a month’s worth of rain within the span of 48 hours. The storm broke dozens of rainfall records and caused devastating landslides that closed almost every major highway in southern B.C.

After an already rain-filled September and October in the Fraser Valley, the latest dump overwhelmed creeks and rivers that wouldn’t normally be flood risks. Entire regions of the Fraser Valley became ingulfed by floodwaters. About 20,000 people were forced to flee their homes due to the storm.

The original plan was for D’Ottavio’s father to pick her and her mother up at the airport to drive the 16-year-old to Langley so she could join the Rush to face the Northern Capitals. While laid over in Toronto, D’Ottavio found out that the storm ruined that plan.

“We were kind of at a loss as to what to do because my dad couldn’t get through the flooding to pick us up,” she says. “We got into Vancouver, and my mom’s boss generously got us a hotel in Vancouver. We stayed there for a night and just kind of assessed the situation.”

D’Ottavio was not the only member of the Rush that was impacted by the floods. Forward Hannah Dods was at home in Chilliwack when the storm began. At first, the 15-year-old didn’t think too much about the incoming storm, but hearing about the beginning of the flooding and the height of the water in the rivers grabbed her attention.

“The night before I remember I was with my friend and we were talking about how much it was raining and we’re like, ‘Do you think school might be closed?’ But we were completely doubting it,” she says. “The next thing you know, school’s closed.”

Thankfully, both Dods and D’Ottavio’s family homes were not affected by the flooding in Chilliwack. Dods’ school would end up staying closed for an entire week and became a refuge for people affected by the flooding. Although Dods’ home was unaffected, she did witness the effects of her hometown being cut off by the natural disaster.

“Literally any kind of resources you would usually get, we’re not getting fed with any new supplies or anything,” she says. “We can’t waste the fuel we have because we can’t get more. We can’t eat all our groceries because if we go to the store, there’s no groceries because no supplies are getting in and out of Chilliwack.”

With the highways blocked by debris and water, there was no way for Dods to get to Rush practices or games. It did offer a silver lining, though—the 15-year-old was able to participate more on her basketball team.

“It was good to have chill time, but probably the one thing that disappointed me the most was definitely missing out on my hockey,” Dods says. “I think I missed a game and a couple practices, and not seeing my teammates for a week was like, ‘I can’t wait to get back out there.’”

Back in Vancouver, D’Ottavio was making calls to her teammates to see what she could do for their upcoming games against the Capitals.

“We had a game the next day in the morning, so we got a hold of some teammates and kind of just saw if we could put together a ride to even watch the game,” D’Ottavio explains.

With plans underway to try to get herself to Langley, she thought of an idea. Many of her teammates have old hockey gear in their homes. If she was unable to have her own equipment with her due to the flooding, what if her teammates could piece together a set for her?

“It was great,” she says. “I brought up the idea of getting some gear and everybody was just so on board with it and really wanted to see me on the ice, which was great because I really wanted to be on the ice and play with everybody. It was really awesome.”

Decked out in a set of hockey gear cobbled together from several teammates, the practicality of the idea hit when she stepped out on the ice.

“It was so awkward, and it was so weird,” D’Ottavio says. “Skating at first, I didn’t think I was going to be able to do it. Different skates are so tough to get used to just to begin with, but ones that are already broken in and old skates, it was so tough.”

Despite the discomfort, she recorded an assist in the Rush’s 3-2 overtime win. With the game complete, the next challenge was how to return home. D’Ottavio and her mother joined her defence partner Jade Lore and Lore’s mother to see if they could find a way home without using the closed roads.

Their first thought was to drive to Pitt Meadows Airport, a regional airport about 32 kilometres from Vancouver International Airport, to see if they could find a small plane that could fly them home, but there was no availability.

“We didn’t even have it in mind, but we saw the helicopter service across the street and asked them if they had any availability,” she says. “It turned out that somebody had cancelled, or they just had room and they were generous enough to give us a ride.”

In her first helicopter ride, D’Ottavio had a birds-eye view to see devastating flooding in her community first-hand.

“It was crazy. I couldn’t even recognize roads. There’s a highway that cuts right through, we couldn’t even make out where the highway was. It was worse than I would have imagined,” she says.

Although the circumstances surrounding the historic storm were difficult, the generosity of those willing to help in the community was always present. Several hockey associations in surrounding areas helped those affected by the natural disaster. Dods says her family assisted with filling up sandbags at a nearby park.

“It felt cool seeing all these people coming together,” Dods says.

D’Ottavio is thankful for all the generous acts that helped her and her mother return home. As the city worked to repair the damages, she remembers the positivity the community had for those most affected.

“Everybody was rallying around the farmers and the people living in the floodplains that were affected and had to leave their homes,” D’Ottavio adds. “The pilot told us that a bunch of plane and helicopter services were giving people free rides across the water to get them home to their families or people that had just left for work in the morning and just couldn’t get home. It was really awesome to see.”

Although lots of the infrastructure damaged by the storm has been repaired, there are still signs of the flooding six months later. Once the roads in and out of town re-opened, D’Ottavio and Dods were happy to be back with the Rush on their road to the Esso Cup.

Durham West Lightning 6, Prince Albert Bears 2

• Game stats available here

Notre Dame Hounds 2, Northern Selects 1 (OT)

• Game stats available here

Fraser Valley Rush 4, Remparts du Richelieu 1

• Game stats available here

Next games - Tuesday, May 17:

• Durham West Lightning vs. Northern Selects (1:30 p.m. ET/10:30 a.m. PT)
• Prince Albert Bears vs. Remparts du Richelieu (5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT)
• Fraser Valley Rush vs. Notre Dame Hounds (8:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. PT)

TSN and RDS, the official broadcast partners of Hockey Canada, will broadcast the championship game on May 22; please check local listings for details. All preliminary-round games and the semifinals will be livestreamed at HockeyCanada.ca/EssoCup.

Quotes:

“We have carried a ton of energy with us all season, and we brought it here again today. It was a long journey to get here, but to open this tournament with a victory is huge and gets the experience off on the right foot. It felt nice to score today, but the win is more important.”

- Jessica Pellerin (Durham West Lightning) on her two-goal performance and a tournament-opening victory.

“The first period was a bit scrambly for sure, but we’ve been practicing hard for the last three weeks and knew this was going to be a challenge. We had some nerves late, but to get this win in front of all our family and friends is a great start to the week.”

- Kaitlyn Gilroy (Notre Dame Hounds) on returning to game action after a long layoff.

“This was a heavy game tonight. Everyone was pulling in the right direction, worked well together, and picked up the win. This was a great way to start off this tournament.”

- Katie Leroux (Fraser Valley Rush) on a hard-fought victory over Richelieu.

For more information on the 2022 Esso Cup, please visit HockeyCanada.ca or follow along via social media on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

OKOTOKS, Alta. – The Town of Okotoks will be a hub of hockey activity as the host community of the 2022 Esso Cup and TELUS Cup, with the top men’s and women’s U18 club teams from across Canada converging on Central Alberta to compete for a pair of national championships, May 16-22.

In the Esso Cup, five regional champions will join the host, Prince Albert Bears for Canada’s National Women’s U18 Club Championship. Competing teams include the Fraser Valley Rush (Pacific), Durham West Lightning (Ontario), Northern Selects (Atlantic), Notre Dame Hounds (West), and Remparts du Richelieu (Quebec).

“We cannot wait to drop the puck at two Hockey Canada national championships in Okotoks this week,” said Dean McIntosh, vice-president of events and properties for Hockey Canada. “For the first time, fans will be able to experience the Esso Cup and TELUS Cup in one centralized location, bringing the excitement of Canada’s U18 Club Championships to Foothills County.

“On May 22 we will crown champions at both events for the first time since 2019, and are thrilled that Canadian hockey fans can watch the best U18 club teams in the country compete for a national championship once again.”

The TELUS Cup, Canada’s National Men’s U18 Club Championship, will see the host Sydney Rush take on five regional champions including the Cantonniers de Magog (Quebec), Moncton Flyers (Atlantic), Mississauga Reps (Central), Notre Dame Hounds (West) and Vancouver NE Chiefs (Pacific).

“To have the Esso Cup and TELUS Cup in Okotoks has created a buzz around town and the entire community is excited to have these events in our own backyard,” said Geoff Stewart, President of Okotoks Minor Hockey Association. “Usually, our association slows down at this time of year, and it has been incredible to see and hear the local response from not only the association, but the community. The passion and love of the game in Okotoks is truly unique and having the opportunity to host both tournaments has not been taken for granted.”

Opening ceremonies will take place prior to the evening games on May 16, while the presentation of the tournament awards as well as both the regional and national TELUS and Esso scholarships will be made at the conclusion of the preliminary round.

The tournaments conclude May 22 with Championship Sunday broadcast nationally on TSN and RDS, Hockey Canada’s official broadcast partners, starting with the Esso Cup finale at 5:30 p.m. ET/2:30 p.m. PT, and the TELUS Cup championship game at 9:30 p.m. ET/6:30 p.m. PT.

Fans looking to attend the national U18 club championships, supported by Tourism Calgary, can purchase their tickets now at HockeyCanada.ca/Tickets. Event packages begin at $70 plus fees, while single-game tickets are available for as low as $10 for preliminary-round games.

For more information on the 2022 Esso Cup and 2022 TELUS Cup, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow along via social media on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. 

The bonds between teammates on the Northern Selects goes much deeper than just the beginning of this season.

With the team based out of the small community of Pictou, N.S., everyone knows everyone. In fact, one third of the team has been playing together since they were about eight years old. Over half the Selects have played spring hockey together since U11.

The familiarity has helped to foster a selfless team environment where everyone is consistently looking to improve their game.

“We have leadership, and we obviously have some very elite players,” says head coach Craig Clarke. “They push each other and challenge each other very hard at practices. But they celebrate each other’s successes. We don’t have any of those ‘me, me, me’ people.”

On the ice, look for Northern to play a very structured and responsible game at the Esso Cup.

“I think our strength would be defence,” Clarke says. “We did put a lot of pucks in the net at Atlantics, but if you look at our overall statistics for the year, it’s more about defensive structure and being responsible. That would be something that we take, as a group, a lot of pride in.”

That defensive structure has led to great success. The Selects only dropped two games this season and have not lost since Oct. 17, finishing the Maritime Major Female Hockey League season on a 17-game win streak. They swept the Halifax Western Capitals in the Nova Scotia semifinals and faced the East Hants Penguins for the provincial championship.

“We were playing a very good team that has played us hard all year, and we had a bit of a blip [in Game 2],” Clarke explains. “We went from being up 2-0 to down 5-2 in the span of eight minutes. We came all the way back in the third period and won 6-5. That was a belief moment. We can come from behind, we can hold a lead, we can come back. We can do this.”

The momentum continued as the Selects swept the Penguins to win their fourth provincial title. At the Atlantic Regional, they had an incredible offensive performance, scoring 38 goals—and only allowing three—on their way to the regional title and a spot in Okotoks.

“They’re excited,” Clarke says of his team qualifying for the Esso Cup. “It was earned over almost, for some of them, for three years. A lot of hard work.”

Earning a spot at Canada’s National Women’s U18 Club Championship does not mean the job is done for the Selects, however. The team is eager to make an impact in its second Esso Cup appearance.

“You cannot go to the Esso Cup being satisfied to just go to the Esso Cup,” he says. “You’re there to compete. And regardless of what the result is game from game, you go and you empty it.”

The Selects are also drawing inspiration from the Cape Breton West Islanders for what Nova Scotian teams can accomplish at national championships. In 2017, the Islanders became the first Atlantic team to win the TELUS Cup, Canada’s National Men’s U18 Club Championship. Three players on the Selects—Bree MacPherson, Mairead MacPherson and Sara Stewart—had brothers that played on that Cape Breton West team.

“I mean, it was like a Disney story. A little place smaller than us and they went to the TELUS Cup and they won the thing,” Clarke says. “And it’s not that you have expectations for that. You just have expectations that every game you play, you are going to absolutely do everything you can for your teammates to compete all the way through it. Then, whatever the result is, you can hold your head high.”

HOW THEY GOT TO OKOTOKS

Maritime Major Female Hockey League
Nova Scotia semifinal: defeated Halifax Western Capitals 3-0 (3-0, 3-1, 3-1)
Nova Scotia final: defeated East Hants Penguins 3-0 (2-0, 6-5, 6-0)

Atlantic Regional
Preliminary round: 4-0-0 – first place (defeated Eastern Icebreakers 10-1, defeated Western Wind 9-1, defeated EDZA West Reds 9-0, defeated Central Storm 8-0)
Championship: defeated EDZA West Reds 2-1

REGULAR SEASON

Record (W-L-T): 22-2-0 (1st in MMFHL)
Goals for: 78 (1st in MMFHL)
Goals against: 19 (1st in MMFHL)
Longest winning streak: 17 (Oct. 17-March 5)
Top 3 scorers:
- Sara Stewart – 17G 11A 28P (1st in MMFHL)
- Brooke Thomson – 15G 7A 22P (3rd in MMFHL)
- Jaylen Langille – 6G 11A 17P (7th in MMFHL)

PLAYOFFS

Record: 11-0
Goals for: 61
Goals against: 10
Top 3 scorers:
- Sara Stewart – 17G 15A 32P
- Brooke Thomson – 13G 11A 24P
- Olivia Marks – 5G 14A 19P

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY

2018 – Northern Selects | fifth place | 1-4 | 12GF 19GA

PLAYERS TO WATCH

GABBY ARSENAULT
undefeated in regular season … very calm in net … doesn’t get rattled easily … uses her size to her advantage

BREE MACPHERSON
excellent hockey IQ … incredibly fast … defenceman with great size and strength … plays a lot of minutes

SARA STEWART
captain clutch … incredibly dynamic ... great leadership … responsible on both ends of the ice

UNIVERSITY COMMITMENTS

Megan Smith – St. Francis Xavier University
Sara Stewart – Colgate University

CALGARY, Alta. – Hockey Canada has announced the dates and host communities for six events taking place during the 2022-23 season, including the return of the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, Canadian Tire Para Hockey Cup and World Junior A Challenge for the first time since 2019.

The communities of Langley and Delta, B.C., will host the 2022 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge from Nov. 5-12, bringing some of the top young players in the world to Metro Vancouver.

The 2022 Canadian Tire Para Hockey Cup will run from Nov. 27-Dec. 3 in Bridgewater, N.S., marking the first time that the event has been held in the Maritimes since 2016.

A showcase of Canadian and international Junior A talent, the 2022 World Junior A Challenge will take place in Cornwall, Ont., from Dec. 11-18.

Two of Hockey Canada’s national championships will return to their typical April schedule in 2023, with the puck dropping at the Esso Cup in Prince Albert, Sask., on April 23 and the TELUS Cup beginning April 24 in Saint-Hyacinthe, Que.

The Centennial Cup, presented by Tim Hortons, will be hosted in Portage la Prairie, Man., in May 2023, bringing Canada’s National Junior A Championship to Manitoba for a fourth time.

“We are excited to announce the host communities for six events taking place in 2022-23, and we cannot wait to bring some of the top hockey events in the world to fans across Canada,” said Dean McIntosh, vice-president of events and properties for Hockey Canada. “Hosting events of this magnitude would not be possible without our incredible local partners, and we are very grateful for their support as we count down to puck drop.”

Tickets are available now for the 2022 World Junior A Challenge in Cornwall, Ont., at HockeyCanada.ca/Tickets, while on-sale dates for the remaining events will be announced at a later date.

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If you watch the Notre Dame Hounds on the ice, you’ll notice several things.

They have a relentless puck pursuit. They go hard on the forecheck and backcheck. They play a fast-paced and aggressive style of hockey. The Hounds also have strong goaltending, with Eva Filippova (1.33 GAA) and Bailey Lindsay (1.37 GAA) finishing with the top two goals-against averages in the Saskatchewan Female U18 AAA Hockey League (SFU18AAAHL) during the regular season.

But one of the most unique things about this team is that every player has bought in on the same mindset of what it takes to be successful.

“Our team doesn’t stray a whole lot,” says head coach Craig Perrett. “They know what it means to be successful, and they tend to stay that track. We’ve kind of had ups and downs to the season or gone away from that, but I think it’s formed into everybody pulling the rope in the same direction by understanding what their jobs are.”

That mentality led to an excellent season for the Hounds, with Notre Dame boasting a 24-2-2-2 record in the regular season to finish atop the SFU18AAAHL. Three of its four losses came at the hands of the Regina Rebels, who the Hounds faced off against in the league final.

In the series, the Hounds dropped a close Game 1 when Megan Hayhurst scored for the Rebels less than 90 seconds into double overtime. But Notre Dame bounced back, winning the next two games 2-1 and finishing the series with an extra-time win of their own, where Kyra Anderson scored the only goal of the game in double overtime.

“It was a pretty happy situation,” Perrett says. “Regina is one of our biggest rivals, but the sense of accomplishment wasn’t done as we’ve been talking about the Esso Cup since October.”

With a league title under their belts, the only thing that stood between the Hounds and a spot in the Canada’s National Women’s U18 Club Championship was the Westman Wildcats in the West Regional. Notre Dame got to work and earned a pair of 4-1 victories to book its ticket to the Esso Cup.

“Going into playing Westman, we were really motivated and winning that, we actually celebrated that as a group with pictures and things like that a little bit harder than winning our own league,” Perrett says.

Notre Dame will face five teams in Okotoks, but there is already a sense of familiarity with one—the Prince Albert Bears, this year’s tournament hosts. The Hounds won all five of its games against the Bears this season, including a close battle in November where Notre Dame won in double overtime. However, with a new head coach for the Bears and more practice time ahead of the tournament, Perrett knows they will not face the same team they saw in the regular season.

“I’m expecting to see a little bit of a different team, but also a team that is ready and hungry to go play the game a long time,” he says. “From a Saskatchewan point, I think it’s great for our league [to have two teams from the province in the Esso Cup]. We have some really good hockey players out here in Saskatchewan.”

The last time Notre Dame was in the Esso Cup, they won it all. Now over a decade later, the Hounds are prepared to do the exact same thing.

“They’re pretty motivated and they’re really proud to be representing Notre Dame for the first time in [11] years,” Perrett says.

HOW THEY GOT TO OKOTOKS

Saskatchewan Female U18 AAA Hockey League
Semifinal: defeated Saskatoon Stars 3-1 (4-0, 3-2, 3-4, 4-2)
Final: defeated Regina Rebels 3-1 (3-4 2OT, 2-1, 2-1, 1-0 2OT)

West Regional
Championship: defeated Westman Wildcats 2-0 (4-1, 4-1)

REGULAR SEASON

Record (W-OTW-OTL-L): 24-2-2-2 (1st in SFU18AAAHL)
Goals for: 114 (2nd in SFU18AAAHL)
Goals against: 42 (1st in SFU18AAAHL)
Longest winning streak: 11 (Dec. 2-Feb. 13)
Top 3 scorers:
- Ryann Perrett – 16G 30A 46P (3rd in SFU18AAAHL)
- Keana McKibbin – 16G 23A 39P (6th in SFU18AAAHL)
- Kyra Anderson –16G 15A 31P (10th in SFU18AAAHL)

PLAYOFFS

Record: 8-2
Goals for: 30
Goals against: 16
Top 3 scorers:
- Kyra Anderson – 5G 4A 9P
- Ryann Perrett – 3G 6A 9P
- Kaitlyn Gilroy – 5G 2A 7P

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY

2010 – Notre Dame Hounds | silver medal | 5-2 | 28GF 19GA
2011 – Notre Dame Hounds | gold medal | 6-1 | 38GF 11GA

PLAYERS TO WATCH

PAYTEN EVANS
strong, powerful skater … uses her feet to dominate games … dynamic on the ice … physical player

EVA FILIPPOVA
quick with excellent rebound control … plays very well in traffic ... extremely competitive … gives team extra confidence

RYANN PERRETT
power forward … great vision on the ice … excellent hockey IQ … plays a 200-foot game

UNIVERSITY COMMITMENTS

Amy Dvernichuk – St. Thomas University
Payten Evans – Merrimack College
Ellie Gauvin – Brown University
Kaitlyn Gilroy – University of Regina
Tessa Henry – Ana Marie College
Bailey Lindsay – Jamestown University
Keana McKibbin – University of Windsor
Ryann Perrett – Lindenwood University