The Black Gold Rush is making strides toward a winning season in the National Ringette League.
The Rush lineup of predominately St. Albert Ringette Association graduates is 5-8-3 and within striking distance of qualifying for the NRL nationals in April at London, Ont.
“So far it’s been a great season. It’s definitely surpassed my expectations right off the bat,” said captain Nikki Andruchow of St. Albert. “I thought it would be a really big developmental year and it still is but while we’re developing we’re still in the mix, which is awesome.
“We worked hard at the beginning and now everything is starting to show up on the ice.”
The Rush are three points behind the Calgary RATH (8-8) and BC Thunder (8-10) with seven games remaining in the race for second place in the western conference and a berth at nationals. Three teams in the west advance to nationals and a playoff between the No. 3 and No. 4 finishers will determine the last qualifier.
“We’re pushing to finish second so we can have a good break to get ready for nationals,” said Andruchow, a high-scoring forward with 11 goals and 22 points. “We really need to make sure these next few games we get the points we need. We want to pass Calgary, that’s the goal so that we can sit back and watch the third and fourth place teams battle it out for that last third spot but if we end up in that last spot then we’ll battle it out and I know we’ll come out on top because we’re so determined.”
The Rush are locked in and focused on nationals.
“We had a good team meeting about a week ago and we decided we want to make it so we’re making sure that everybody is at practices and we’re working really hard. Everyone has stopped partying and we’re ready to go,” said Andruchow, 25. “We’re really working on our systems and controlling the ring in the offensive zone before we get our shots off instead of rushing it. We really want to work on moving the ring around and capitalizing on good opportunities rather than forcing bad opportunities.
“We also want to be more disciplined and stay out of the penalty box. Early in the season penalties were a big problem for us,” added the Alexander First Nations School physed teacher. “We’re having some good team bonding moments too. The team is becoming a family and it’s starting to show on the ice so I think it’s going to be a really good second half of the season.”
The Rush host the RATH in a must-win doubleheader Saturday. Game times are 11:30 a.m. at Mark Messier Arena and 5:45 p.m. at Riviere Qui Barre Arena.
“They’re probably two of the biggest games of the year because they are the people we want to pass in the standings,” said Andruchow, who sniped the first goal in Rush history in the team’s inaugural NRL game, a shorthanded effort to open the scoring in the 6-3 win Oct. 18 in Strathmore.
“There is a lot of tension between the two teams, especially on the ice. In the last game it got very intense,” said the Paul Kane High School alumna of the 8-4 loss and 5-3 win in the Nov. 28 doubleheader in Calgary. “It’s a lot of fun playing them because the two teams butt heads a lot so those two games are going to be very intense. It’s going to be fast, the emotions are going to be going and the speed is going to be going. We just have to make sure we come out on top because those four points are going to be huge for us.”
The Rush collected only one point in Saturday’s doubleheader against the Montreal Mission (18-3-2). The eastern conference leaders and the top team in the NRL’s Elite Eight rankings won 6-5 in St. Albert and 9-8 in a shootout in Riviere Qui Barre.
Danielle Pronovost of Stony Plain led the Rush in scoring with five goals and two assists. Her 20 goals and 34 points are team highs.
Lauren Henderson of St. Albert posted three goals and two assists and Andruchow recorded three goals and one assist.
The Montreal lineup featured four of the top five NRL scorers, with captain Julie Blanchette leading the way with a Gretzky-like 106 points in 23 games. The prolific centre, who wears No. 99, is also fourth in goals with 38.
“My teammates and linemates are amazing. They make my job a bit easy. They set me up for pretty sweet goals but our team success is obviously part of my success. If our team wasn’t so successful this season then obviously I would be less successful,” Blanchette said. “But I’m never satisfied after a game. It’s like, OK, I did this offensively, I did this defensively, let’s correct this and this and let’s go to the next one. I’m always looking to do more.”
Blanchette, 39, is among a handful of players still in the NRL after making their league debuts in the inaugural 2004 season. Montreal is also one of the original 10 NRL teams, along with the RATH, Edmonton WAM!, Cambridge Turbos, Gloucester Devils, Richmond Hill Lightning, Waterloo Wildfire, Le Royal de Bourassa (formerly BLL), Lac St. Louis Adrenaline (Lac St. Louis) and Rive-Sud Revolution (Rive-Sud).
The Team Canada player at multiple worlds, including the recent championship in Finland, weighed in on the changes the NRL has undergone since 2004.
“We’re travelling across the country to play league games now, which was never seen back in the beginning. We would meet at nationals and that’s it. Personally, I find travelling during the season very exciting. The only challenge we have is raising the money of course for the flights, but it’s very fun for us. Our goal is to win our games and the goal at the end (of the trip) is to go home winners so it’s like a mini nationals for us with a little vacation and the bonding,” said Blanchette of the weekend trip that included losses of 14-3 and 8-6 to the WAM! on Sunday.
“There are more teams (15) than at the very, very beginning so that’s fun. You don’t always play against the same teams.
“It’s also more competitive. Girls are faster. The young ones coming up are super fast and it’s making the game even better for the spectators to watch I find.
“We now have 13-minute periods and yes, it’s a longer game than forty, 52 versus 40, but it’s giving us a little break to regroup (during the flood) and talk more in the room on how to continue the strategy.”
There are also differences between teams in the east and west.
“I’ve always noticed the west is more physical in general, like not physical dirty, physical like aggressiveness. The east I find it more finesse, more playmaking and there is less contact,” said Blanchette, a cash services employee when she is not lighting up the ice.
