Female Chiefs take on top U.S. teams
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- Published on Thursday, November 20, 2014
By Eoin Devereux
The Neepawa Banner
The Yellowhead AAA Midget Female Chiefs are very pleased with the results from a recent road trip south of the border.
The team participated in the Shattuck-St. Mary’s Jamboree tournament in Minnesota. Chiefs head coach Derek Tibbatts said the event featured some high quality competition from both the United States and Canada.
“It was the first time we participated in that tournament,” said Tibbatts. “It gave us a different look at some different teams. There were some high caliber teams there as well. We played some under-19 teams, so it just gave us a great test to compete with them.”
Yellowhead went 3-0 in the preliminary round of the tournament to reach the final. The Chiefs started the weekend against a familiar foe, Winnipeg’s St. Mary’s Flames, a team that Yellowhead has faced off against earlier in the year during the Pembina Valley Showcase. The Chiefs were victorious in the first meeting between the pair and were able to duplicate that success on Friday with a 2-1 win.
Hannah Fouillard of St Lazare scored a goal and an assist in the win, while Abby Krzyzaniak and Jalin Adams, both from Neepawa also contributed with assists.
On Saturday, the Chiefs faced the Minnesota Revolution, an under-19 prep school program based out of Minneapolis. Jalyn Elmes, Emma Coulter and Jalin Adams scored in Yellowhead’s 3-0 victory.
The round robin closed out for Yellowhead with a 6-2 win over Shattuck-St. Mary’s under-16 team. Jalin Adam ended the preliminary round with a goal and an assist, while Abby Krzyzaniak scored a goal.
The Chiefs would face a tough challenge in the final against the host team, the Shattuck-St. Mary’s under-19 squad. While Yellowhead did remain competitive, they came up just short, losing the game 2-1 in a shootout.
Sam Geekie of Strathclair scored with 1:16 left in regulation to tie the game and send it into overtime. The Chiefs couldn’t score in extra time and were bested in the shootout. Emma Greenwood of Brandon played a strong game between the pipes for Yellowhead, making 30 saves in regulation and overtime.
Tibbatts said despite the loss, the team was proud of their effort and being able to challenge a strong Shattuck-St Mary’s team.
“The girls were really pumped about [the final]. To be on that same level and to go into overtime and the shootout, they were quite happy with the way they played,” said Tibbatts. “During the weekend, we learned a few things. Some of the player got more involved. It’s something that will be very positive for us as we shift back into the [MFMHL] regular season.”
