News

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.

WILDCATS 1-2-1 RECORD AT THOROUGHBREDS TOURNAMENT

The Wildcats travelled to Minneapolis this past weekend to participate in the annual Thoroughbred tourney with 16 teams participating from across Canada and the U.S.A.  The Wildcats first action put them up against Alaska on Friday night and this game ended up in a 0 - 0 draw although Westman outshot their opposition 28 - 7 they couldn't find the back of the net.  Allison Rothwell got the shutout in the Wildcat net.

Saturday had the Wildcats playing Thunder Bay, the 2010 Esso Cup National Champions in the morning contest and Notre Dame, the 2010 Esso Cup finalists in the afternoon.  Both of these proved to be very tough tests for the young Wildcats.  The morning contest saw the Wildcats lose to Thunder Bay with a 7 - 1 score, Amanda Coey getting the lone Wildcat marker and Darby Peaslee making her first appearance in net after sitting out for 2 months with an injury.

The second game had the Wildcats play the Notre Dame Hounds and again the Wildcats lost by a 7 - 1 score with Karissa Kirkup scoring the only goal with Allison Rothwell in between the pipes for the Cats.

With the tie and 2 losses that put Westman up against the Yellowhead Chiefs for their final game.  Westman came out to start the game very slowly and found themselves down 2 - 0 early in the second.  The Wildcats scored a goal at the midpoint of the second period and dominated the game from this point on, scoring 2 more unanswered goals for the victory and a 3 - 2 final score.  Goal scorers for Westman were Kiara DeKezel with 2 goals and Karissa Kirkup with a single marker.  Darby Peaslee was solid in net for the Cats.

The Westman Wildcats have 3 games this upcoming week with 2 league games, the first in Elkhorn against Yellowhead on Wednesday December 1, a home game in Hartney on Friday, December 3 at 8:00 p.m. against Pembina Valley and then an exhibition game on Sunday, December 5 at 5:30 p.m. in Melita against the Westman Senior Ladies team.

TOUGH LOSS IN EASTMAN

  The Westman Wildcats travelled to Ste. Anne on Saturday to play the Eastman Selects and came out on the short end of a 4-1 score. In a game that had very little flow to it due to numerous penalties, both teams saw their special teams play a ton.

  Eastman scored the only goal in the first period on a powerplay. The Wildcats replied with the only goal scored in the second period on a short handed goal scored by Kiara Dekezel unassisted.

  The Wildcats were forced to work on their 5on3 penalty kill a couple of different times in the third period which proved to be their undoing as the Selects scored 3 unanswered goals in the third period to ice the victory. Allison Rothwell was between the pipes for Westman.

  The Cats now practice twice this week in preparation for the Thoroughbred Tournament this upcoming weekend in Minneapolis where the Wildcats will play Alaska, ThunderBay and Notre Dame in round robin play.

WESTMAN AND YELLOWHEAD IN CLOSE CONTEST

  Tuesday evening saw the Westman Wildcats host the Yellowhead Chiefs inMFMHL league play. The teams traded goals in the first period with Yellowhead getting the first goal only to have the Wildcats tie it up before the end of the period on a goal by Amanda Coey, assists going to Dekezel and Whaley.

  Both teams were held scoreless in the second period with the Wildcats getting the go ahead goal at the 13 minute mark in the third period by Kiara Dekezel assist going to Gina Williams. Yellowhead stormed back to tie it up a minute later and then with 5 minutes remaining in third Karissa Kirkup put Westman up for good with assists going to Magwood and Whaley. The Cats put the final nail in the coffin with an empty net goal by Amanda Coey with an assist going to Jessica Vallotton.

  Rachelle Lougheed was in net for the Westman Wildcats and faced 17 shots while the Cats directed 40 shots at the Yellowhead goaltender.

  The Wildcats head off to Ste. Anne on Saturday evening to take on their eastern rival the Eastman Selects, game time is 5:30.

WILDCATS OVER CAPITALS

   Saturday, November 13 saw the Wildcats host the Central Plains Capitals in MFMHL action. The first period was scoreless as both teams felt each other out with the Wildcats coming to life in the second period scoring 4 unanswered goals. Both teams traded goals in the third period for a final score of Westman 5 Central Plains 1. Goal scorers for Westman were Karissa Kirkup with the hat trick, Melissa Hunt and Amanda Coey with singles.

   Rachelle Lougheed was in net for the Cats and shots on net were 37-11 in favor of the Westman Wildcats. Next action for the Wildcats will be on Tuesday November 16 @ 8:00 at the Hartney Arena when they host the Yellowhead Chiefs.

WILDCATS AT MINNESOTA CRUNCH SHOWCASE

The Westman Wildcats travelled to Thief River Falls, Minnesota this past weekend to participate in the Minnesota Crunch Showcase Tournament with 8 teams coming from Minnesota, Ontario and Manitoba. Friday night saw the Wildcats playing against the host Crunch and after 2 periods of play found themselves down 3 – 0. Karissa Kirkup found the back of the net early in the third only to have the Crunch reply with 3 more of their own for a 6 – 1 victory. Shots were 39 – 30 in favor of Minnesota with Allison Rothwell in between the pipes for Westman.

Saturday morning’s game saw the Cats up against the Hawks from Pembina Valley and this was a close game with all the scoring done in the first two periods. Pembina Valley scored the lone goal in the first period and then added their second goal early in the second period. Westman stormed back to tie the game up with 2 goals of their own and then the Hawks scored 2 more to win the game by a 4 – 2 score. Wildcat goals were scored by Teagan Pringle and Kiara De Kezel and shots on net were 34 – 16 in favor of Pembina Valley with Allison Rothwll in net for the Cats.

The Saturday evening game saw Westman’s last round robin game against the Eastman Selects and again this was a close game between these provinicial rivals. The Wildcats opened up the scoring early in the first period only to be followed by 3 goals by the Selects. Westman was able to score late in the second period to bring them to within one and had numerous chances in the third but couldn’t find the twine. Westman pulled their goalie for an extra attacker and Eastman were able to score an empty net goal for a 4 – 2 final. Both of the Wildcat goals came off the hot stick of Elise Badiou. Shots were 27 – 25 in favor of Westman with Rachelle Lougheed in the Wildcat net.

Sunday morning had Westman’s final game against the Central Plains Capitals and again Westman had plenty of scoring opportunities registering 39 shots while Allison Rothwell faced 20 in the Wildcat net. The score was 1 – 1 after 60 minutes, and Westman finally solved the Capitals goaltender in overtime for the 2 -1 victory. Goal scorers for Westman were Elise Badiou and the overtime winner from Amanda Coey.

Final roster announced for Under 18 Team Manitoba
by Judy Wells (Reprinted with permission from Deloraine Times & Star)

Hockey Manitoba recently announced the Under 18 Female Team Manitoba roster for the 2011 Canada Winter Games in Halifax. Included on the roster are two athletes from Deloraine, namely Jennifer More and Kiara De Kezel. Also from the Westman area are Skye Kelly, Brandon; Halli Krzyzaniak, Neepawa and Ashleigh Brykaliuk, Brandon.

The selection process is done through the Hockey Manitoba Program of Excellence (POE) and actually started back in February 2010 with regional selections. Three more steps including the POE Spring tournament, POE summer camp and most recently a final exhibition tournament in Regina.

Team Manitoba welcomes back nine returning players form 2009 and ten new members. The team won't meet again to play until December for a tournament at the University of Manitoba. "We hope to practice a couple times and will play a couple of exhibition games versus university teams," said head coach Tony Franklin. Two years ago, Franklin was the assistant coach of the Under 18 team who competed in Napanee for the national championships and came home with the bronze. He applied to coach this year's Under 18 Canada Games team. Following an interview process, Franklin was offered the position. It's important to note here that the players underwent the evaluation process (mentioned earlier) which involved 10 people from across the province (not the coaching staff). It was that panel that selected the top 24. From there the coaches trimmed the roster to 20 and each athlete is definitely there on their own merit including the Deloraine girls.

As a coach, Franklin thinks it's great to have More and De Kezel on the roster as he knows their background and what they can bring to the team. "More importantly, though, this is a feather in the cap of the coaches that worked with these girls during their development years.” "And it's a great example for our local female youth players of what can be accomplished with hard work and dedication!" he added. Both girls offer valuable contributions to the team. "Kiara has size, strength and solid skating skills. She is very good in the defensive zone but also has an offensive upside and an excellent shot," said Franklin. Having been to a national championship with the Westman Wildcats (and won), she will be able to draw on that experience. "Kiara puts the team ahead of herself and leads by example. . she quietly  goes about her work. She's best described as someone who's 'tough' to play against, so we're very happy she'll be wearing a Manitoba sweater," said Franklin. Jennifer More was with the Under 18  tam last year and attended the national championships in Surrey, BC. "The experience she gained from that experience will be invaluable for Halifax. Jenny brings outstanding skill and hockey sense to our team. She will be looked upon to create chances at the offensive end as well as attacking with speed through the neutral zone.

"Both Jenny and Kiara are fierce competitors and above all else - they are quality people. . .and I firmly believe that you win with good people!" added Franklin. The goal of the team is to finish in the top three. Franklin says many things must go their way for this to happen. It's a short term competition and many things can go wrong when playing six or seven games in seven days. "But, with our team speed and personnel, we feel that we can challenge for a medal," concluded Franklin.