The JP Uniac Insurance Atom Girls finished a strong weekend
of hockey with silver medals as they fell to North Middlesex in an exciting
final of the Mitchell Minor Hockey Girls Tournament.
Opening game Thursday night saw the Meteors take a 2-0 win over Lucan-Ilderton. Brooklyn French scored both Meteor goals in the third period with Andrea Kelly earning assists on both goals and Rylee Kipfer adding a single assist.
Friday morning saw the ladies battle North Middlesex in a round robin preview of the final. Both teams exchanged chances, but in the end the defence for both teams would prevail in a 0-0 tie. Goaltender Ally Vogels earned her second straight shutout of the tournament. A strong game from the defence consisting of Hayden Uniac, Peyton Vanderkuylen, Addy Wolfe and Kipfer kept the opposing scores quiet all game.
Mitchell hosted Walkerton in their final round-robin game, looking to gain a spot in Sunday’s finals. The Meteors didn’t disappoint as the offence struck early and often. The line of Andrea Kelly (3 goals 1 assist), Rachel Haefling (1 goal and 2 assists) and Haileigh Templeman (3 assists) led the way offensively collecting 10 points. Tegan Mace and Alissa Insley both had a goal and an assist each as the girls powered their way to a 7 to 1 win.
Sunday’s final would feature the two undefeated teams as the Meteors would face off against North Middlesex. This game featured two very evenly matched teams from opening puck drop to the final buzzer. After exchanging scoring oppurtunities with each other, North Middlesex opened the scoring midway through the first. Determined to battle back, Insley got Mitchell on the board with a beautiful goal early in the second assisted by Vanderkuylen. Under a minute later, Kelly would find the back of the net to give the girls the lead, Wolfe would gain the lone assist on the goal. Templeman opened up the third period with a goal as she buried an Insley rebound. Vanderkuylen would add her second assist of the night. The lead was short lived as North Middlesex tied it at 3-3 with a pair of goals over a two minute span. Both teams battled back and forth with end to end action as this fast paced and entertaining final showcased some great atom girls hockey. With just under 10 seconds left, North Middlesex snuck a loose puck by a sprawling Vogels to complete the comeback win.
A great opening tournament for the Mitchell girls who all contributed to the team’s success with hard work, determination and great sportsmanship.
