CANORA — The Prairie Ice Female U15A hockey team ended the regular season on a roll, with decisive wins over the Weyburn Creekside Carwash Gold Wings on February 19 and the Regina Rebels Gold on February 20. The Ice finished third in the South East Division of the Saskatchewan Female Hockey League with a record of 12 wins, five losses and three ties, only three points out of first place.
February 19 was the final Ice home game of the regular season against Weyburn in Canora and the Ice made it memorable, scoring an 11 to 1 win. With period scores of 3 to 1 and 7 to 1, the Ice were dominant throughout the game.
Camryn Nelson of Preeceville led the way among the shooters with four goals, as well as an assist. Jessica Madsen of Theodore was all over the score sheet with two goals and seven assists. Emery Rodgers of Foam Lake also had a strong game, contributing a goal and four assists, while Jordyn Severson of Pelly added two goals. Single goals came from Jesse Kopelchuk of Canora and Haven Krawetz of Kamsack. Other assists were by: Cassidy Wolkowski and Makayla Heshka of Canora, and Jenaya Stevenson of Cote First Nation.
The next day, the Ice made the road trip to Regina and came away with a 10 to 6 win. It was a back-and-forth affair for 40 minutes, with the Ice leading by period scores of 3 to 2 and 5 to 3. But the visitors had a big five-goal third period to ice the victory.
Jessica Madsen had another big game with four goals and two assists. Camryn Nelson continued to find the net with two more goals and an assist. Jordyn Severson continued her consistent play with two more goals. Marlee Sedor of Yorkton had a goal and two assists, while Jessee Kopelchuk was the other goal scorer. Additional assists came from: Kopelchuk, Katherine Hauber of Canora and Emery Rodgers.
Brooke Taylor of Kamsack put in a strong effort for the Ice and was the winning goalie in both games
Prairie Ice Manager Meridee Kopelchuk of Canora said that even with playoff positioning decided, the whole team played well in the final two games of the regular season.
“On the scoresheet Jessica Madsen, Jordyn Severson, and Camryn Nelson stood out,” said Kopelchuk. “Nelson had a good game on Saturday. She’s a very smart player, very good at reading the play. Madsen and Severson always work hard.”
Despite having to overcome significant obstacles, the Ice are definitely on a roll heading into the playoffs.
“The regular season was really good,” shared Kopelchuk. “We lost some momentum when one of our centers was injured. But overall we are happy with the how the girls have played, and are absolutely looking forward to the playoffs. These girls play best when they are under pressure.”
The success of the Prairie Ice is being noticed around the province. Madsen, Rogers and Kopelchuk have successfully tried out for Sask First, and were selected among the top 68 players for the south region.
According to information from their website, “The Sask First program was designed to provide a better understanding of the game as well as to promote the development of quality players, coaches, trainers, officials and administrators. The participants are enriched as individuals and can achieve self-satisfaction and enjoyment as part of the hockey community.”
