MORDEN, Man. – The St. Albert Slash claimed Alberta’s first Esso Cup on Saturday night with a 1-0 overtime win against the Harfangs du Triolet. Tyra Meropoulis (Edson, Alta.) netted the only goal of the game with five minutes remaining in the extra period.

“It was nerve-wracking going into overtime; being on the penalty-kill, we had to stay defensive and then worry about getting shots on the net,” said Meropoulis. “We were on a two-on-two and Madison [Willan] dropped the puck back for me to pick up and I toe-dragged around their defenceman to go top shelf; it was an amazing feeling.”

Throughout the week, games remained close, with the majority of match-ups being decided by one or two goals, including the gold-medal game. The St. Albert Slash are the first team to have a perfect 7-0 record since the tournament’s inception in 2009.

“The kids played incredible all week. Camryn Drever was on top her game with two straight shutouts,” said Slash head coach, Dan Auchenburg. “This is a great tournament and the top teams were here. We’ve been really impressed with how the whole event was run. It was unbelievable.”

Harfangs du Triolet goaltender Michelle Thibault was named player of the game, after facing 45 shots through 75 minutes of play.

Durham West Lightning claim bronze medal over Pembina Valley Hawks

Durham West Lightning upped the host team, the Pembina Valley Hawks, 4-1 in the Esso Cup bronze-medal game. Chavonne Truter (Uxbridge, Ont.) posted a three-point game, notching two goals plus an assist on Brooklyn Donaldson’s (Oshawa, Ont.) game-opener.

“We were the underdogs coming into the game and we came out and gave them all we could,” said Truter. “We played our game the entire 60 minutes and there’s nothing to describe the feeling of winning a medal.”

Rebounding from a loss in the semifinals, Durham West sought redemption against Pembina Valley from a 4-1 loss earlier in round-robin play.

Though the Hawks outshot Durham West 29-24, the Hawks’ lone goal was scored shorthanded by Mackenzie McCallum (Morden, Man.).

For more information on the 2017 Esso Cup, please visit Hockey Canada, or follow along via social media on Facebook and Twitter.