聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 A young Kamsack hockey player has helped Team Saskatchewan鈥檚 female Under 18 team place higher in national competition this month than it has ever placed before.
Hannah Pennell of Kamsack was one of 20 players who were selected for Team Saskatchewan that competed in Quebec City at the National Women鈥檚 U18 Championship November 1 to 5.
鈥淗annah was a big part of our success,鈥� Joel Houseman of Regina, the team鈥檚 manager and director of operations, said last week. 鈥淥ur team did very well. We placed fourth, which is the highest that the Saskatchewan U18 has placed in national competition.
鈥淗annah鈥檚 a great team player and was able to shoot down lots of top players,鈥� Houseman said.
鈥淚t was a great team, a great group of kids who executed the game to full potential.鈥�
鈥淧laying in Quebec was an amazing experience that I gained so much from and I will carry that with me throughout the rest of my hockey career,鈥� Hannah said last week. 鈥淚 am very thankful to have earned the opportunity to do so.
鈥淥ur team performed and placed better than any other Saskatchewan team has ever done in the past,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 will be trying out for the U18 team in 2019, I hope to make it and represent our province once again.鈥�
A series of firsts were accomplished for Team Saskatchewan, both during the preliminaries and the medal round at Quebec City, said the website. From the outset, Team Saskatchewan found itself in Group B which was comprised of Team Manitoba, Team B.C. and the hosts, Team Quebec.
On day one of the tournament, Team Saskatchewan took on Team B.C. It would be Team B.C. prevailing by a score of 2-0 in a tightly defended contest. Goaltender Jordan Ivanco of Saskatoon was credited with 30 saves in the losing cause.
The following day, Team Saskatchewan played the host Team Quebec, it said. This game was kicked off with Taylor Kirwan of Gull Lake scoring the opening goal 4:37 into the first period of play. Goals from Joelle Fiala of Clavet and Jordyn Holmes of Saskatoon solidified a 3-2 victory for the prairie province. The victory also was the first for the team against Team Quebec at this tournament.
The final preliminary game was a border battle versus Team Manitoba. A win would increase Team Saskatchewan's chances of a semi-final matchup and the opportunity to play for a medal.
The two teams played a scoreless first period before Kennedy Bobyck of Regina got the green-and-white on the board at the 1:49 mark of the second period. Another goal by Bobyck, also Miranda Hatt of Regina and Allison Hayhurst of Wapella finished the scoring as Team Saskatchewan blanked Team Manitoba with a score of 4-0. At the conclusion of the round-robin, Team Saskatchewan finished 2-0-1, which was strong enough for second in Group B and a berth in the semi-finals.
The matchup for the semi-final put Team Saskatchewan up against the first-place Team Ontario Blue from Group A. The offensive fire power for Team Ontario Blue was a difficult task to manage, as Team Sask. dropped a 6-2 decision. Grace Shirley of Saskatoon picked up the two markers for Team Sask. during the game.
In the other semi-final, Team Ontario Red prevailed over Team B.C., setting up an all-Ontario final. With Team B.C.鈥檚 loss, it was a rematch of Team Saskatchewan's opening game versus Team B.C. with the bronze medal on the line.
A classic game ensued as Team B.C. opened the scoring nine minutes into the second frame. Just before the period ended, Team Saskatchewan's Miranda Hatt of Regina answered with only 18 seconds remaining in the period.
A scoreless third period ultimately led to 4-on-4 overtime to decide third place in the tournament.
With teams trading chances early, Team Saskatchewan found itself shorthanded in the extra frame which led to the eventual overtime goal by Team B.C. and the west coast province 小蓝视频 awarded the bronze medal. Team Saskatchewan's Jordan Ivanco of Saskatoon stopped 48 shots and was awarded the game鈥檚 top player for Team Sask.
With the overtime loss, Team Saskatchewan placed fourth in the tournament resulting in the team鈥檚 best finish at the National Women鈥檚 Under 18 Championship, dating back to 2005.
After the gold medal game, Team Saskatchewan's captain Taylor Kirwan of Gull Lake was named the most sportsmanlike player for the tournament.
A daughter of Colleen and Kim Pennell of Kamsack, Hannah, 16, attends Grade 11 at Melville Comprehensive School because this is the second year that she has been playing with the Melville-based Prairie Fire AAA team, which is in the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League.
鈥淗annah started playing hockey at age four in Kamsack,鈥� her mother said. She played hockey with Kamsack teams until four years ago when she became a member of the Parkland Lions AA team which was based in Springside.
Colleen said that her daughter is following in the steps of her siblings, all three of which had distinguished careers in the sport.
Although, her sister Jessica had made it to the top 25 females, she did not end up 小蓝视频 on Team Saskatchewan like Hannah did, but did play hockey at university.
Her brother Connor, a forward, played with several Junior A teams and at Concordia University in Wisconsin, while her brother Eric played AAA hockey and was with the Regina Pat C鈥檚.
The SaskFirst High Performance Program begins in February with regional camps held across the province which are open to all players within the specific age divisions, a release said. From there, the top players are invited to take part in the SaskFirst Tournament held in April and some are then selected to attend camps held in the summer and fall as the final step in the selection process.
Because of the Canada Games in 2018, there will be no national U18 competition, but Houseman said that Hannah will still qualify for the U18 in 2019, which will be played in Red Deer, Alta.
