Ringette Ontario hosted the 2024 Provincial Championships February 29th to March 3rd, in Waterloo Region. Entering the tournament, the Laurier ringette team knew it would be a tough battle - with five round robin games to try to secure a spot in the semi-finals on Sunday.
Thursday presented two tough games, versus the Brock Badgers, and reigning champs the Western Mustangs. The first game, against Brock, ended in a 3-3 tie. The Golden Hawks battled hard all game, and although they hoped to come out with a win, they were still happy to earn a point for the tie. Rookies Jordan McClement (center) and Rachel Bettke (goalie) were highly valued in this game, with Jordan scoring two goals, and Rachel standing on her head in net to make some amazing saves. Western presented a larger challenge, as no Ontario team has beat them all season. The Hawks came out ready to go and scored the first goal of the game. By halftime, the score was tied at 2-2. Although the game ended up in a 5-3 loss for Laurier, the girls were incredibly proud of their performance. Third year forward, Erin Fegan, earned two of the team's three goals of the game, and Laurier's strong defense along with second year goalie Emma Stewart's goaltending was essential to keeping the game close.
Moving into Friday with one point, the team knew they would have to not only get a win, but also create a large goal spread to increase chances of moving on to Sunday. The Golden Hawks did just that, with an 11-0 win over the McMaster Marauders. The entire team had a strong game from start to finish, but Jordan McClement and fourth year Kaylyn Downer (center) truly shone with three and four goals, respectively. The fourth game of the tournament was against the Ottawa Gee-Gees. Resulting in a 7-5 loss, the Hawks proved their perseverance and determination by battling back from being down 6-1. Fourth year defenseman Julia Harmer had a strong game at both ends of the ice, earning an assist as well as a goal.
Going into Saturday's game versus Nipissing, the team knew they'd have to maintain the skill and determination they had shown all weekend. Both teams had to win this game for a chance to play on Sunday. The Hawks came out on top with a 6-0 win, but unfortunately did not make it to semi-finals due to a win from the Guelph Gryphons over Brock. Rookie forward, Abbey McColgan, demonstrated a true golden effort by battling all over the ice, even entering Laurier's defensive zone to stay hands-on and fight for the ring.
The Hawks ended up placing fifth in the province, although the effort, determination, and ability to come together as a team that the girls demonstrated over the weekend and entire season should make them proud.
The team will be back with tryouts in September and is looking forward to competing next season in the 2024 University Challenge Cup in Lethbridge, Alberta. If you're interested in supporting the team, you can donate here through the Adopt-A-Hawk program.
Written by Sarah Oozeer
