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BATTLE OF THE WILDCATS

The Westman Wildcats were scheduled to play 3 games this past weekend but due to bad weather Friday nights game was postponed. That left a two game series against the Swift Current Diamond Energy Wildcats and the first game was played Saturday night in Hartney. Westman took most of the first period to find their legs and the first period score indicated that with a Swift Current lead of 1 – 0 heading into the second. The second period was a much better pace with both teams having scoring chances and Swift Current taking advantage and scoring 2 more for a 3 – 0 lead heading into the third period. The Westman Wildcats threw a barrage of shots at the Swift Current net in the third but were unable to mount a comeback with both teams scoring a goal each to end the game 4 – 1 for Swift Current. Shots on net were 31 – 16 in Westman’s favor and point getters for the Westman Wildcats were Amanda Coey with a goal and Kiara DeKezel an assist.

The second game was Sunday morning at Deloraine and the Westman crew came out going for the win and a split of the series. With a very fast start and a jump in their step the Westman Wildcats closed out the first period with a 2 – 0 lead. Swift Current came out in the second with a very determined effort, pressing Westman all over the ice but unable to score and the second period ended up 2 – 0 Westman. Going into the third Westman knew they had to respond to the pressure from Swift Current and respond they did as they outscored Swift Current in the third period 3 – 1 for a 5 – 1 victory and a split of the 2 game series. Shots were 32 – 21 in favor of Westman and point getters for the Westman Wildcats were Karissa Kirkup with a goal and 2 assists, Kiara DeKezel with 3 assists, Elise Badiou a goal and an assist, Amanda Coey one goal, Teijin Barkley one goal, Jessica Vallotton one goal, and single assists to Megan Robertson and Samantha Dyck.

The Westman Wildcats play 2 MFMHL games this week when they travel to Rivers to play the Yellowhead Chiefs on Wednesday, February 2 at 7:30 p.m. and then host the Pembina Valley Hawks at Hartney Arena on Friday, February 4 at 8:00 p.m.

Many of the Wildcat players will be attending tryouts this week for POE and Bantam Challenge.

WILDCATS BATTLE WITH BALMORAL HALL

The Westman Wildcats were in Winnipeg this weekend to play an exhibition series against the Balmoral Hall Blazers.  Saturday, January 22 was game one of the series and again the Wildcats came out skating hard.  The play was back and forth with both teams scoring goals in the first period to end the period tied 1 - 1 with Elise Badiou scoring on a nice snap shot.  In the second period again the fast pace continued with several good scoring chances at both ends of the rink but the Wildcats came away with the only goal of the second period off of the stick of Karissa Kirkup to end the period up 2 - 1.  The score stayed that way until the 7 minute mark of the third period when the Blazers tied it up.  Both teams battled hard for the remainder of the game with Balmoral Hall getting the go ahead goal with just over a minute remaining and that is how it ended 3 - 2 for Balmoral.  Rachelle Lougheed faced 32 shots in the Westman net and made many great saves throughout the contest.

Game 2 was Sunday afternoon with the Wildcats hoping to get the win and split the series.  Again both teams came out very hard as the game had a very fast pace, with scoring chances at both ends of the ice.  Balmoral scored the lone goal of the opening period and then both teams traded a pair of goals in the second period, with the Wildcats heading into the third period down 3 - 2.  Again both teams battled very hard for every inch on the ice, knowing the next goal was a big one.  Unfortunately the Blazers scored with 6 minutes remaining in the third and this would end up being the final, Balmoral 4, Westman Wildcats 2.  Westman goals came off of the sticks of Karissa Kirkup and Amanda Coey and again Rachelle Lougheed was very strong in net facing 34 shots and making many key saves.

Westman's next action will be this weekend when the Wildcats play host to the Westman Senior Ladies' team on Friday night, January 28 in Hartney at 8:00 p.m.  The Wildcats then play host to the Swift Current Diamond Energy Wildcats Saturday night, January 29 in Hartney at 8:00 p.m. and then finish out the weekend again hosting Swift Currrent on Sunday, January 30 at 11:00 a.m. in Deloraine at the Doc Bonar Memorial Arena.

WILDCATS WIN PAIR ON WEEKEND

Friday night the Westman Wildcats played host to the Norman Wild at the Hartney Arena. The Wildcats came out to start the game at a very quick pace and scored in the first minute to set the tempo for the rest of the game. The first period ended up 3-0 and the shots were 27-3. The second period saw the Wildcats add another goal and they outshot their opposition 15-3. The Wildcats finished out the game very strong and scored 2 more goals in the third for a final score of 6-0. The shots ended up 65-14 in Westmans favor with Rachelle Lougheed picking up the shutout. Goal scorers for the Wildcats were Karissa Kirkup with a pair and singles going to Amanda Coey, Kiara DeKezel, Teagan Pringle and Gina Williams.

   Saturday afternoon saw the Wildcats travel to Portage to take on the Central Plains Capitals and again the Cats had their legs and played a real strong game from start to finish. Westman outshot the Capitals 47-20 in the contest and for the second consecutive game Rachelle Lougheed picked up the shutout.The Wildcats won the game with a final score of 3-0 behind a strong 2 goal effort from Jaycee Magwood and a single goal from Amanda Coey.

   Westman Wildcats next action will be this upcoming weekend when they travel to Winnipeg to play a pair of exhibition games against the Balmoral Hall Blazers.

WESTMAN BATTLE SWIFT CURRENT

Sunday, January 9 in Pierson the Westman Wildcats took to the ice against the Swift Current Diamond Energy Wildcats. The first period was scoreless with both teams getting chances but unable to cash in. The second period saw both teams exchanging goals, with Westmans goal being scored by Jessica Vallotton, to end the second period tied at one apiece. Swift Current grabbed the lead with 13 minutes remaining in the third period with a goal and although the Wildcats had some chances they couldn't find the back of the net. Swift Current added 2 goals with under a minute remaining in the game to put an end to any Wildcat comeback. Rachelle Lougheed was in net for the Cats with the shots being 23-21 in favor of Westman.

The Wildcats play in Hartney on Friday, January 14 @ 8:00 pm against the Norman Wild and then travel to Portage to take on the Central Plains Capitals @ 1:00, Saturday, January 15.

WILDCATS ATTEND MAC'S INTERNATIONAL TOURNAMENT

The Westman Wildcats played in the Mac's tournament in Calgary for the fourth consecutive year and came away with a 1 - 3 record.

Their first round robin game put them up against the hometown Calgary Bruins and this was a fast paced game with plenty of scoring opportunities at both ends.  Calgary opened the scoring 7 minutes into the first period and then Westman's Elise Badiou tied it up at the 10 minute mark of the first period.  This was all the scoring for the opening period.  In the second period Calgary scored the lone goal of the period on the powerplay.  The third period saw the Wildcats with a few good scoring chances but could not find the back of the net.  Calgary scored 3 unanswered goals to finish the third peiod with a final score of 5 - 1.  Rachelle Lougheed was in net for Westman.  Shots on net favored Calgary 26 - 22.

Westman's second game was against the Regina Rebels, a team they always have close games with and this game was no different.  The Wildcats scored the lone goal in the first period off the stick of Jessica Vallotton.  Both teams scored 2 goals in the second period withTeagan Pringle and Amanda Coey scoring goals for the Wildcats.  The third period was another hard fought period with both teams each notching one goal.  Elise Badiou's goal in the third ended up being the game winner.  Final score Westman 4, Regina 3.  Jillian Cowan played a strong game in net for the Cats facing 29 shots.

The Wildcats third game was against a very strong team from Red Deer. At the end of the first period the score was 1 - 1, but things went downhill from there with a final score of 11 - 1 in favor of Red Deer.  Westman's lone goal was scored by Amanda Coey.  Jillian Cowan played the first two periods in net and was replaced in the third by Rachelle Lougheed.

Westman's final game of the tournament was against Okanagan and once again the Cats had trouble putting the puck in the net.  Shots on net were 26 - 18 in favor of Okanagan.  Period scores were 4 - 0 for Okanagan to end the first period, 6 - 1 to end the second and the final score was 6 - 1 in favor of Okanagan.  Rachelle Lougheed started the game for the Wildcats and was replaced by Jillian Cowan for the final two periods.  Karissa Kirkup scored the Wildcats goal.

The Wildcats next action will be an exhibition game against the Swift Current Diamond Energy Wildcats in the Pierson Arena on Sunday, January 9 at 12:00 noon.

WILDCATS PLAY PAIR ON WEEKEND

The Westman Wildcats played a pair of MFMHL games this past weekend.  Friday night in Hartney saw the Wildcats play host to the Eastman Selects and this was a very tight game with period scores of 0 - 0 after the first period, 2 - 2 after two periods and the final score ending in a 2 - 2 tie.  Kiara DeKezel scored both Westman goals.  The shots were very close at 28 - 25 in favor of Eastman and Rachelle Lougheed was in net for the Wildcats.

Saturday night the Cats travelled to Portage to take on the Central Plains Capitals and like the night before came away with a tie.  Period scores were 1 - 0 for Central after the first period, 2 - 1 for Central after the second period and the final score of 3 - 3.  Shots on net were 28 - 27 in favor of the Wildcats with Rachelle Lougheed in between the pipes.  Goal scorers for Westman were Jessica Vallotton, Amanda Coey and Kiara DeKezel.

WILDCATS AT THE 11TH ANNUAL NOTRE DAME SHOWCASE

The Wildcats travelled to Wilcox, Saskatchewan to attend the annual Notre Dame Showcase tournament on the weekend.  Thursday, December 9 saw the Wildcats playing the Highwood Raiders, one of Alberta's top teams, with both teams exchanging goals in the first period.  The second period saw Highwood score 3 goals to end the second period with a 4 - 1 score.  Not to be outdone, the Cats put on relentless pressure in the third period, scoring 2 goals and pulling the goalie for the extra attacker with under a minute left and had many chances but couldn't get the equalizer.  Final score was 4 - 3 for Highwood.  Wildcat goal scorers were Gina Williams, Jaycee Magwood and Karissa Kirkup.  Shots on net were 19 - 17 in favor of Highwood and Rachelle Lougheed was in net for Westman.

Friday morning had the Wildcats up against Melville and they came out very flat in this contest.  Down 2 - 1 after the first, 3 - 1 after two and the final score being 4 - 1 for Melville.  Melissa Hunt was the lone goal scorer with Rachelle Lougheed in net for the Cats.

Friday evening saw our last round robin game against POE from Kelowna and the Cats played a much better game.  Period scores were 2 - 0, 3 - 0, and the final score was 4 - 1 in favor of POE.  Kiara DeKezel got the lone marker for Westman and Cassandra Hickes faced 35 shots in the Wildcat net.

Saturday afternoon had the Wildcats playing a semi-final game against the South Island Breakers from B.C.  The Wildcats started the game slowly but got stronger as the game went on.  Period scores were 2 - 0, 5 - 1, and the final score was 8 - 1.  Goal scorers for the Wildcats were Kiara DeKezel with the hat trick, Karissa Kirkup with a pair and single markers from Amanda Coey, Bailee Goodon, and Karissa Haney.  Shots on net were 39 - 16 in favor of Westman and Cassandra Hickes had another strong game in net for the Cats.

Early Sunday morning the Wildcats played their final game against the Calgary Chaos, and this was a very close game where the Wildcats came out quite slowly the first 10 minutes but played extremely hard the rest of the game.  The final score after 60 minutes was 2 - 2 and eight minutes into overtime Calgary got the winner.  Goal scorers for Westman were Jessica Vallotton and Teagan Pringle.  The shots were 29 - 23 in favour of Calgary.  Cassandra Hickes was in net for the Cats and made many excellent saves in the end to end battle.

WILDCATS PLAY THREE THIS PAST WEEK

December 1 saw the rematch between Westman and Yellowhead in Elkhorn and once again the Wildcats started the game slowly and Yellowhead came out determined to win.  Yellowhead scored the only goal in the first period and then scored 2 more in the second before the Wildcats would get their first goal only to be answered by another Yellowhead goal; 4 - 1 after two periods.  The Wildcats put on the push in the third and scored a goal to bring the score to 4 - 2 and then Yellowhead scored an empty net goal for a 5 - 2 final.  Shots were 34 - 22 in favor of Westman, Darby Peaslee was between the pipes.  Goal scorers for the Wildcats were Kiara DeKezel and Jessica Vallotton.

December 3 Pembina Valley took on the host Wildcats in Hartney and the Cats played very hard but just couldn't keep pace with a very experienced Hawks team that moved the puck well and took advantage of their opportunities, scoring 3 power play goals.  The final score was 7 - 0 for Pembina Valley with the shots in their favor 45 - 21.  Darby Peaslee made many great saves in net.

December 5 in Melita, the Wildcats took to the ice against the Westman Senior Ladies team in an evening exhibition game.  The two teams exchanged goals in the first and second period and the Wildcats scored the lone goal in the third period for the 3 - 2 victory.  Goal scorers for Westman were Melissa Hunt with 2 and Amanda Coey with a single.  Shots were 46 - 7 in favor of the Wildcats and Rachelle Lougheed was in net for the Cats.

The Wildcats head out December 9 - 12 for the annual Notre Dame Tournament in Wilcox, Saskatchewan.  The Cats are in a pool with Melville, Saskatchewan, Highwood, Alberta and POE from Kelowna, BC for 3 great match ups.