Game One was played on Monday against Team Ontario, and it seemed like this might be one of those games where it could get away from Manitoba quickly. Team Ontario, you see, boasts a pile of players who played on the gold medal-winning U18 Canada Women's World Championship team, so Manitoba was in tough against a very talented squad. At the end of the first game, Manitoba found itself on the wrong side of a 7-0 score against Ontario.
Manitoba would need to regroup quickly with a game against a talented Alberta team on Tuesday. We saw a number of their players on the various Alberta teams that played at the Female World Sport School Challenge, so this game should be a little more even between these two teams. While the score wasn't as lopsided, Team Alberta earned a 3-0 win over Team Manitoba in their game to push Manitoba to 0-2 in the pool.
Game Three on Wednesday saw Manitoba matchup with Nova Scotia who had defeated Alberta 3-2 in overtime on Monday. Needless to say, a regulation win by Manitoba would vault them ahead of Nova Scotia in the standings, so this game was important to both teams when it came to placement in the pool. At the final horn, it was another 3-0 final, but it was Nova Scotia who picked up points while Manitoba was left searching for answers.
Frankly, I'm flabbergasted. Manitoba has a pile of talent that can score, and they have yet to dent twine in the tournament. They did play their final pool game without St. Mary's Academy Flames forward Charlotte Buffie and Rink Kelowna's Callie Rice who were both suspended, but the remaining players shouldn't be struggling to find the back of the net as much as they are. I simply have no explanation for this considering how many goals this team had scored collectively in their respective leagues.
Manitoba will now have to make their way into the quarterfinal by defeating PEI in the qualification round on Thursday. PEI was the top team in Pool C which featured the four teams trying to play their way into the medal round - PEI, Newfoundland, Yukon Territory, and Northwest Territories - so Manitoba will tangle with the 3-0 Prince Edward Island squad. If they win, there's no rest for the Manitobans as they'll play Pool B's top team in BC on Friday. Needless to say, the kids from the Keystone Province have themselves a big mountain to climb if they want to come home with hardware.
The game against PEI won't be some sort of mismatch either. PEI gave up just three goals in three preliminary games, and they won a tough final game against Newfoundland in overtime to push them to their first-place finish in the pool. Brooke Walsh and Emily Gardiner both finished with three goals and one helper, Petra Klimes had a goal and three assists, and Megan Mossey had four assists in helping PEI go 3-0 in their pool play. Of course, I can't compare those stats to what Manitoba has done because three zeroes on the Manitoba ledger is hard to ignore.
The good news is that none of what happened in the preliminary round matters now. If the road to redemption goes through PEI and BC, that's the path that Manitoba will need to take. As those who beat the odds will tell you, if you want to dance, you have to make the dance. Manitoba has their dancing shoes ready, so now it's time for them to show that the previous three games weren't indicative of how well Team Manitoba can dominate on the ice. The slate is wiped clean, so make the most of it!
Gear up, Manitoba, and win against PEI. Heck, just score a goal and build from there. I have a feeling that once one goes in, the dam will burst and the goals will be frequent. As I said before, though, there's simply too much talent on Team Manitoba for them to be shutout in a fourth-straight game at this tournament. One win, though, will send the Manitobans to the quarterfinals, and there's a whole province cheering for you back home!
It starts against the hosts tomorrow. Show no mercy, Manitoba!
Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!
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