Written by Shannon Busby
The Walkerton Capitals Bantam Rep Girls team competed in the Kitchener Fallfest tourney this past weekend and seized the gold medal. .
In the first game the Caps (who are sponsored by Larsens) stood up the Markham-Stouffville team. Walkerton scored five goals spread throughout the three periods. Scorers were Julie Thomson(2), Joelle Busby, Leah Kittel and Madison Wright. Assists were granted to Kittel(2), Kailee Liesemer, Monica Fritz, Emily Daurio, Thomson, Wright and Busby. Alyssa Inglis recorded the shutout. Caps MVP honours for the game went to Kittel.
Next up the Capitals were drawn into a very rough and edgy game against the Brantford Ice Cats, 24 minutes in penalties were issued during the game. Walkerton held their own and played their usual classy style of play. The girls had many shots on net but were only able to record one lone goal, but that was enough as Inglis once again accepted the shutout. Thomson made an incredible deek to steal the win after nice passes from Alyssa Becker and Wright. Daurio received MVP rights for this game.
The Capitals soon learned that they had earned a bye into semi-final play as a result of finishing first in their pool. The Whitby Wolves were the next competitor for the Larsen girls. The Caps sent them howling home as they eliminated them from further play. This match was a close contest for much of the game as the first two periods were scoreless. Walkerton played their positions well, and the cycle play eventually paid dividends. Thomson found the twine on a pass from Wright and Liesemer. The Wolves were relentless and continued to press hard in all areas of the ice. With ten seconds remaining, Busby won the faceoff, Shelby Fortney moved the puck back to Busby who placed it on the stick of Kittel. Kittel collected the empty net goal to verify the 2-0 win. Thomson was selected MVP of the game. Inglis stood strong in net for her third consecutive shutout. Contributing to the win with solid defensive play were Faith Yensen, Carlee Beitz and Nicole Osborne.
Final game; Caps vs. Sarnia Sting. The Walkerton squad knew that a win would require a top quality game. In regular season play, the Caps have not been able to muster a win against the Sting, recording a tie and loss. The determined Capitals dominated the Sting for a convincing 3-1 win. Thomson took a long shot for the opening goal. She also scored the second goal on a deflected shot into the opposing net, Fortney was the helper. Busby potted the third goal on a pass from Thomson. MVP was awarded to Busby. Way to take the Gold girls!!
This is the second medal for the Caps as they earned a silver in a recent tournament in Mitchell.