Written By Shannon Busby
Another gold medal for Larsens!!! The Walkerton Capitals Larsen Bantam B girls gathered up their team to compete in the Guelph Thunderstorm tournament recently. The tournament opener took place on Jan 7th against the host team. The caps soon showed the thunder that lightning had struck.
Four goals were recorded for the Caps and a single marker for the opposition. Goal getters were Nicole Osborne, Joelle Busby, Kailee Liesemer, and Julie Thomson. Shelby Fortney, defenseman assisted on two as did Thomson.
The Mount Forest Rams were the next up and this game was a real test for the Caps. They know the opposition well and were aware of the great ability of the Rams goalie. Close to the end of the first period, Busby was able to beat the netminder on a beautiful pass from linemate Madison Wright. The remainder of the game was scoreless thanks to Alyssa Inglis who earned the shut out. Defense was strong for the Caps as Emily Daurio moved the puck well as did linemate Monica Fritz. Fortney and Alyssa Becker made some excellent heads up plays to aid Inglis in the shut out.
With almost 24 hours off, the Caps entered game number three looking for the win, but had to settle for a tie. The game was back and forth and the team from Carelton Place was just as determined as the Caps. Faith Yensen was able to sneak a goal in after receiving passes from Leah Kittel and Osborne. Carleton Place, not to be outdone , soon returned the puck into the back of our net. Periods two and three saw lots of good hockey but the scoring was complete for both teams. The Carleton Place coaching staff commended our coaches on the team’s ability to control the play in the opponents end. Way to go girls!
The Caps now entered semi- final play on the Guelph Storm home ice. The large ice surface proved to be challenging for the Caps. Toronto Leaside allowed little opportunity for the girls to pass and control the play. The Caps scored first at the end of the opening period. Kittel popped the goal as hardworking Destiny Berberich assisted. The remainder of the game was somewhat disorganized until Leaside capitalized in the third period. Neither team was able to break the tie, which meant that sudden death overtime would ensue.
Five minutes of four on four was on the clock. The tired group of Capitals had several scoring opportunities, but were matched by Leaside’s inablity to score. Inglis, once again kept the Caps in the game by defending the twine.
Five minutes of three on three was now posted on the clock, and the Caps pressed on until an energized Kittel sealed the deal for the Caps. Kittel fought off two opponents and beautifully deked the defending goalie! The fans and coaches could sigh some relief as this challenging win sent the Caps to the finals.
The undefeated Caps were prepared for the challenge and rose to the occasion. With a tie against Carleton Place previously, there was a little nervous energy among the squad from Walkerton to face them again. The Caps soon dispelled that nervousness as they convincingly took the gold medal with a 4-0 win. Linemates Busby, Thomson, and Wright were unstoppable this game as they collectively acquired eleven points. Yensen assisted also. Contributing to the victory with strong play in the tournament was winger Carlee Beitz
Coaching staff consisting of Jamie Stark, Tom Kittel,and Brian Busby are commended for leading the girls to victory! Trainers Cheryl Kuntz and Janet Wright are applauded for their commitment to our girls and their welfare.