News

The Westman Wildcats played two games at home this weekend with the visting teams from the league. First up were the Pembina Valley Hawks, this game started fast and saw a 0-0 score at the end of the first and remained that way until 8 minutes into the second when PV beat Rachelle Lougheed on a man advantage, then scored another 3 minutes later. The Cats replied shortly after then each scored another before the end of the 2nd period which ended in a 3-2 score. The third saw the Wildcats give up two more as they let PV take over the game and were unable to pick up the play which had created more success earlier. the game ended 5-2 in favor of the Hawks, they also held a slight shot advantage 34-28. Goal scorers in this game for the Wildcats  were Teagan Pringle and Melissa Hunt.

The second game took place Saturday evening against  the Estman Selects, the Cats came out firing as they had rededicated themselves to work hard for 60 minutes. Two goals were scored in the 1st and both were by the Cats, Haney and Badiou both scored as the Cats outshot  the visitors 9-3. The second saw more of the same with shots being 15-5,the only goal was  Kesia Robertson picking up her 1st goal of the year. The third witnessed only one goal as Magwood scored at the 14 minute mark to finish out the scoring, final score 4-0 Cats with shots being in their favor 35- 14. Rachelle Lougheed picked up her second shutout of the year.

Next action is at the Notre Dame Hounds showcase Dec. 8th to the 11th.

The Wildcat program rings in the Xmas holidays with the help of their alumni.  The wildcats will once again  host their annual

Wildcats Alumni vs Westman Wildcats game  

Hartney Arena

Wednesday, December 21^st

7:45pm.

Whether you are still actively playing the game or not we hope you are able to join us.  With many of the Alumni returning from their university/college teams for the holidays it is a good way to get old and new together to catch up on everyone’s activities for the first half of the season or for the opportunity to reconnect with some of those old teammates/coaches you have not seen for years.

 We hope you are able to join us on December 21.  We have tried to connect with all former Wildcats but please pass this on as we do not have all addresses for former Wildcat players.  If you could let us know if you will be attending and what you have been doing since graduating that would be appreciated.

You can respond to us at svrc@mymts.net or mhunt@westman.wave.ca

Hope to see you at the rink on December 21st. 

    A Memorable Weekend

The Westman Wildcats and the Pembina Valley Hawks played a home and home exhibition series this past weekend. Game 1 took place in Hartney friday afternoon with PV drawing first blood 12 seconds into the game. The cats taken by surprise at the quick start were able to battle back and scored a goal at 2:10 of the first by Karrisa Haney. PV once again jumped out in front at 16:08 0f the second and held the lead until 14:06 of the third when Jessica Vallotton tied the game, the rest of the game was an end to end battle with neither team able to score and ended in a 2-2 tie with Kristen Campbell playing solid in the net.

The second game of the series took place in Holland with  the Wildcats playing a solid game. The first was similiar to the previous game with the Cats breaking out with 2 goals in a span 60 seconds on goals from Magwood and Hunt at the end of the first.The Hawks came back with a goal partway through the second with the Cats replying shortly after on a goal by Kirkup, who also added an empty net goal late in the third to cap the win. Rachelle Lougheed played a sound game in net.

The third game of the weekend was against the Winnipeg Avros at the MTS Center. The Cats once again gave up a goal before getting one of their own  when Kirkup redirected a point shot to tie the game in the first. No one from either team was able to score with multiable chances at each end of the ice until Whaley fired a puck past the Avros goalie with 43 seconds remaining, Kriten Campbell got a well deserved win in net. 

                             Cats 2 for 2 This Past Week

The Wildcats played two league games this past week and came out the winner in both. Wednesday saw the cats playing Yellowhead in Hartney, with Yellowhead coming out hard in the first and keeping the Wildcats off balance even while outshooting the Chiefs'. After regrouping the cats came out and played a good aggressive 2nd and third to take the game 10-0 and putting 47 shots on net. Goaltender Kristen Campbell got the shutout facing only 5 shots.

Sunday found the Wildcats in Gilbert Plains to take on the newly formed Parkland squad. Parkland battled hard but were unable to overcome the Wildcats attack, Parkland was able to score 3 goals on Rachelle Loughheed who had 20 saves in 23 shots, thge Parkland tender made 55 saves while allowing 8 goals. Wildcat scoring was spread around with all lines contributing.

The Westman Wildcats travelled south to play the Wisconsin Superior Yellowjackets on October 22 and the College of St. Scholastica on October 23. The coaches in the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association (NCHA) announced their annual coaches poll and the Yellowjacket women find themselves in the same place as the men, picked to finish as the league runner-up in the conference for 2011-112. Only UW-River Falls was picked ahead of the Yellowjackets. Current Yellowjackets who are alumni of the Westman program include Sheryl Kaskiw (Souris, Manitoba), Teal Crosson (Alexander, Manitoba) and Kiara De Kezel (Deloraine, Manitoba).

2011-12 NCHA Women's Coaches Poll
1) River Falls (10)
2) YELLOWJACKETS (1)
3) Adrian
4) St. Norbert
5) Stevens Point
6) Lake Forest
7) Eau Claire
8) ST. SCHOLASTICA

9) Concordia-Wisconsin
10) Finlandia
11) Marian

The Westman Wildcats were up against a very strong Yellowjacket team and had difficulty adjusting to the tempo and the intensity of the game and ended up with a score of 9 – 0. Following a tour of the University the Wildcats had an opportunity to watch UMD vs Wisconsin. Brigette Lacquette a former Westman Wildcat now suits up for UMD. The UMD and Wisconsin women’s ice hockey programs are aligned with the revered Western Collegiate Hockey Association, a NCAA Division I circuit.

On Sunday the Westman Wildcats were up against St. Scholastica. The College of St. Scholastica  upgraded women's hockey to varsity status, beginning with the 2010-11 school year and is part of the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association (NCHA). Again the Wildcats found themselves up against a very strong team but were able to play with much more intensity than in the previous game. The score in this game ended up 5 to 1 with the lone goal scorer being Teagan Pringle with an assist to Megan Robertson. The weekend was a great opportunity for the girls to see the level of play at the University and College level and the chance to talk with former teammates. The team now looks forward to their next league game which will be played Wednesday, October 26 , at 8:00pm in the Hartney arena against Yellowhead.

                                                         Kirkup and Vallotton

Congratulations from all the Wildcats to Karissa and Jessica on successfully earning a spot on Team Manitoba  U18 team. They will be taking part in a national tournament from November 2nd to the 6th in Quebec. We all wish them and Team Manitoba good luck.

The Westman Wildcats would like to say a big thank you to all the participants in our Jamboree this past weekend.  The response to the weekend was fantastic and we hope that you enjoyed the day with the Wildcats.  The Westman Wildcat Players enjoyed the opportunity to meet so many hockey players in the region. 

 If you have any comments or suggestions regarding the day please feel free to drop us a quick note as we appreciate your comments when we are planning for future clinics. 

 We had 5 participants that did not receive a  t-shirt and they will be filling that order asap.  We will contact you as soon as they come in and make arrangements to get the t-shirts to you.

A flash card for a camera was turned in from the Saturday and we believe it belongs to one of the participants.  Please let us know if this may be yours and we will get it returned to you. 

 Again, thanks for participating and the Westman Wildcats wish you all the best in your  upcoming hockey season.

Jamboree Schedule – October 15, 2011

Group 1

1:00pm                Registration

1:30 – 2:15pm       On Ice                  

2:45– 3:30pm        Dryland                               

4:00pm                 Meal

5:10 – 5:50pm      On Ice                         

7:00 – 7:30          Scrimmage

8:00pm   Westman Wildcats vs Balmoral Hall Blazers

GROUP 1

Group 2

1:30pm                Registration

2:15 – 3:00pm       On Ice

3:30 – 4:15pm       Dryland

4:30pm                 Meal

5:50 – 6:45pm       On Ice

7:00 – 7:30pm       Scrimmage

8:00pm    Westman Wildcats vs Balmoral Hall Blazers

GROUP 2