The girls on the North Island Edge hockey team are the queens of Midget B hockey in B.C.
The Bantam A team competed in the Richmond Ice Classic last weekend and came home with the title.
Edge goalies Shaylene Gjesdal and Taylor Buell led the way, allowing just three goals in five games.
In game one against the Surrey Falcons, North Island opened the scoring in the second period when Taylor Rose stepped out of the penalty box, took a pass from Julia Wing and potted the team’s first goal. Sarah Kendall earned the second assist.
The Edge then went up 2-0 on a top-shelf goal by Danielle Poirier. The Falcons scored later in the period, but that was it as the Edge won 2-1.
The following day, the Edge played in another tight contest and tied the Kamloops Hellcats 1-1. Poirier scored the team’s lone goal from Kendall and Wing, while Gillian Ellsay and peewee affiliate Lisa Lloyd also played a strong game for North Island.
In the North Island’s second game of the day, against the Vancouver Angels, the local girls opened the scoring in the first period on Kendall’s deflection of Briana Vandenberg’s one-timer from the blue line.
The score remained 1-0 heading into the third when the Angels tied the game. But the goal inspired the Edge offence which broke loose for four straight goals en route to an impressive 5-1 victory.
Goal scorers were Tara Dickson, Kendall, Wing and peewee affiliate Cassidy Bellavance, with assists to Rose, Elaina Drewry, Kendall and Wing respectively.
In the final game of the round-robin, the Edge faced the host team and undefeated Richmond Ravens. In a rough contest, North Island stood up to the older girls and held on for a 1-0 victory with Gjesdal earning the shutout.
The victory gave North Island first overall, with Richmond placing second, and the two teams faced off again in the final.
The championship match was scoreless through the first period. Midway through the second, Taylor Rose put the Edge on the scoreboard with a wrap-around goal from Talia Boschman. Then, with 12 seconds left in the game, birthday girl Emily Yates scored into an empty net for a 2-0 victory and a provincial championship. Gjesdal was in net and earned her second shutout of the day.
As the team posed for celebratory photos, coach Dave Wing thanked all the girls for their hard work in the finals and throughout the season.