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Atom AA Islanders edge Blizzard 2-1 for provincial gold

Top defenceman of provincials, Danni Rae MacInnis, of the Cape Breton West Islanders, makes sure Cape Breton Blizzards captain Vada Kennedy (Donald and Nya’s daughter) doesn’t gain control of the puck during Sunday’s Atom Female AA championship game.


Atom AA Islanders edge Blizzard 2-1 for provincial gold

-by Bill Dunphy

    The least-penalized team in the provincial Atom Female AA tournament wore the most smiles following Sunday’s championship game in New Glasgow.
    The Quad Counties (Cape Breton West) Islanders defeated the Cape Breton Blizzard 2-1 in a thrilling finish to the weekend.
    Both teams had 2-1 won-lost records after round-robin play, with the Blizzard blanking the Islanders 2-0 on Saturday.
    But Sunday was a new day and the Islanders hit the ice as a determined group, outshooting the Blizzard 6-1 in the first period and taking a 1-0 lead.
    Digging for the puck in the corner, Layla Austen came out with it and cut through the slot, firing a shot over the shoulder of the Blizzard netminder.
    But 22 seconds into the second period, Blizzard captain Vada Kennedy tied the game, putting one past Katie Margaret MacIntyre on a rush down the left wing.
    The score remained tied until 11:06 of the third period when the Islanders scored off a faceoff in the Blizzard zone. Sidnee Wood won the draw back to Mary Margaret MacLean, who passed across the blueline to Ainslee Connolly. Her shot was on goal, where Wood banged the rebound home for the score.
    Blizzard coach Donald Kennedy pulled his goalie with two minutes left but MacIntyre held the fort for the 2-1 win.
    Shots were 21-9 in favour of the Islanders.
    “Our 2-0 loss to Sydney was a very balanced game so our approach to this game was not a whole lot different than what we’ve been doing,” said Islanders’ coach Ryan Beaton.
    “We attacked the puck all weekend and our defence was solid. We told them to control the blue paint, get pucks to the net, and stay the course.”


    The Islanders opened the tournament on Friday with a 6-2 win over the Metro West Force.
    Floragael MacNeil led the attack with four goals. Scotia Van den Heuval had a goal and two assists and Aurora MacLean scored the other single.
    On Saturday, the Islanders clinched a berth in the championship game with an 8-3 win over the Metro East Inferno.
    MacNeil and MacLean each notched a hat trick, with singles from Violet MacDonald and Wood.
    The game also featured the Islanders’ only penalty over all four games.
    “They are a terrific group of girls,” said Beaton. “Everyone came to practice and worked hard all season to get better. And they really came together all weekend. I’m very proud of all of them.”
    The team also did well at Saturday’s awards banquet.
    The Islanders were awarded the Hockey Nova Scotia Fair Play award and three players picked up individual awards, including: Floragael MacNeil, top scorer; Danni Rae MacInnis, top defence; and Sidnee Wood, all-star forward.

 


   


 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 


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