The North West U15 AA Sharks got first place at the Westridge Female Hockey Challenge in Regina this past weekend. (North West U15 AA Sharks/Facebook)
North West U15 AA Sharks

AA Sharks continue success with tournament win in Regina

Nov 14, 2024 | 12:32 PM

The North West U15 AA Sharks were in Regina this past weekend for the Westridge Female Hockey Challenge and after winning two games and tying one in the round robin, they went on to win the tournament and bring home the gold.

Things kicked off on Friday morning when the Sharks took on the Regina Rebels Black. After trailing 5-4 going into the third, the Sharks were able to bounce back and get two goals in the final period to make it a 6-6 and get the tie for one point in the standings.

Later that day, the Sharks played again, this time against the St.Vital Victorias from Winnipeg. In the matchup the Sharks absolutely dominated their opponent, winning with a final score of 12-2.

On Saturday afternoon, the Sharks played their final round-robin game against the North Island Impact from Vancouver Island. It was a tough game, but after exploding with four goals in the third period, the Sharks ended up winning the game 8-4 to advance to the playoffs.

There, the Sharks got matched up with Swift Current Wildcats. It was an exciting game and the team came out strong, leading 4-2 after the first period. They were able to hold on to the lead until the end and won the game 6-4 to move on to the finals.

For the finals, it was the Sharks versus the Western Prairie Fire out of Kindersley. To start, the Fire had the edge, leading 1-0 after the first period. But coming out hot in the second and the third, the Sharks got three unanswered goals to win the game 3-1 and take home the gold.

“I am really proud of the effort they’ve been putting in on and off the ice and at practice. They’re doing really well. I couldn’t be happier with what they’ve been doing so far. It’s nice to see their hard work pay off,” said Head Coach of the Sharks, Kim Kramer.

By the end of the tournament, the Sharks had five players in the top 10 in points and also had forward Brooke Weber leading the competition in points with 22 goals and five assists in just 5 games.

In their league, the Sharks currently hold a record of 6-0 and are in first place in the North standings with 12 points. Overall, including all the tournaments, they are 19-2-1 and are ranked 16th in the country according to myhockeyranking.com.

The reason for their success has been the all-around skill of the girls on the team, but they still need to continue to improve since they are now a top team, Kramer said.

“Our goaltending has been consistent, consistently strong. We also have some very good offensive players. And then when we get into some tight games the girls are solid on defense too and they don’t really give up a lot when they play their game the right way, making them hard to play against. But they’re going to continue to work and improve because as the year goes on, every team gets better and when you’re at where they are, everybody always brings their best game to play against you.”

The next game for the North West U15 AA Sharks is this Saturday, Nov. 16 against the Saskatoon Comet Impact at 1:00 p.m. at the Battleford Arena.

Austin.mattes@pattisonmedia.com

On X: @AustinMattes

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