IcePak close Atlantics with 0-4 record

The Central AAA IcePak were 20 minutes away from advancing to the bronze medal game last weekend at the 2010 Atlantic Midget Female Hockey Championships, but a late rally by Hockey P.E.I. Western Wind spoiled the home team's party.

Both teams entered the contest with identical 0-3 records. The winner would move to play Hockey Newfoundland and Labrador Western Region for the bronze, while the losing squad was eliminated.

With a pair of goals from Demi Pelley, along with singles from Angela Mackey and Natasha Rideout, the IcePak were up 4-2 early in the third period. However, the girls could only watch as HPEI scored five straight to finish the period, and win the game 7-4.

HNL went on to defeat HPEI 4-2 to capture the bronze, while the Hockey New Brunswick Moncton Office Interiors Ricoh Rockets defeated Hockey Nova Scotia Metro Boston Pizza 4-1 to capture the gold.

"We had the lead...but I think it just came down to conditioning and being mentally prepared for games," said a raspy-voiced IcePak head coach Sandy Crawford following the P.E.I. game. "We have a very young team, so I'm looking at this tournament as a building block toward next season."

It was an emotional scene outside the IcePak dressing room following the loss to HPEI. The girls shared hugs, and most fought to hold back tears. Although it was hard to see his girls in such an emotional state, Crawford said his team wanted to represent themselves well at the event, and after going 0-4, the girls couldn't help but wear their hearts on their sleeves.

"It shows that they wanted it...they just fell short," said Crawford. "I hope they take what they feel right now and use it constructively towards next season."

At the tournament award's banquet Saturday night, defenceman Samantha Clark and goaltender Brenda Jacobs were thinking similar thoughts. Although the Atlantic tournament never went as planned, the IcePak players were still smiling, and are already looking forward to coming years.

"We definitely didn't play our best, and the whole teams knows that," said Clark, who recorded an assist to go with 14 penalty minutes. "We're only losing five players next year, and we have a few strong years ahead, so we'll have another opportunity to show everyone what we're actually made of."

And when next season rolls around, Jacobs said the girls that participated in the 2010 Atlantic tournament won't forget how it felt to lose, and will use it as momentum when the girls come together again.

"We'll definitely use that feeling as momentum," said Jacobs, who turned away 89 of 111 shots she faced in the tournament. "We came together as a team as the year went on, and since we're only losing a few girls next year, I have no doubt that we'll come back stronger and more prepared."

Despite the losses, Crawford was very positive following the HPEI game. He said everybody learned something about themselves throughout the weekend, as well as something about the competition the girls have to face if they ever get another shot to compete for an Atlantic title.

"The main positive out of all this is that the girls have now seen the competition in Atlantic Canada. They know what they have to improve and they know what it takes to compete against the best team in Atlantic Canada," said Crawford. "We had a lot of fan support, and a lot of parents were able to make it and watch their daughters play in an Atlantic tournament, which is great. Overall, it was a great learning experience for us.

"We definitely want to make it back here next year, and get another crack at this. I don't want to come back as a host team, though, we want to win provincials."

Pelley led the IcePak in scoring with four goals and an assist in four games, while alternate captain Natasha Rideout and Jade Rodriguez tied for second for four points each. Rideout scored a pair and added two assists, while Rodriguez tallied four assists. Alternate captain Mackey scored twice and added a helper, while Jayna Clarke scored a single and added two assists.

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