The St. Albert Slash are playing for medals today at the ninth annual Esso Cup midget AAA female nationals in Morden, Man.
Friday’s semifinal against the Durham West (Ontario) Lightning determined if the Slash are in the gold or bronze playoff against Harfangs du Triolet (Quebec) of Sherbrooke or the host Pembina Valley Hawks.
The score was unavailable at press time.
The third-place game is 1 p.m. and the championship final is 7 p.m. Central Daylight Time.
Visit www.hockeycanada.ca for more information.
The Slash finished the six-team round robin with five wins.
Scores were 6-0 against the Mid Isle Wildcats (Atlantic) of Summerside, P.E.I. (0-5), 2-1 against Pembina Valley (3-2), 4-3 against Harfangs du Triolet (3-2), 4-0 against the Prince Albert (West) Bears (2-3) and 7-3 against Durham West (2-3).
Camryn Drever of Edmonton posted both shutouts for the Pacific regional reps.
Madison Willan of Edmonton led the Slash in scoring during the round robin with four goals and eight points.
Cassidy Maplethorpe of Wetaskiwin, Stephanie Markowski of Edmonton and Tyra Meropoulis of Edson recorded seven points apiece.
Maplethorpe, Markowski and Kaylee Vader of Sherwood Park also had three goals each.
Local players on the Slash roster include Isabelle Lajoie and Makenna Schuttler, a pair of Grade 10 Bellerose Composite High School students, MacKenzie Reynolds, a Grade 12 student at Sturgeon Composite High School, and Jayme Doyle of Calahoo.
Reynolds, a third-year Slash forward, is the only returning player from last year’s team in the Alberta Major Midget Female Hockey League.
The nine-team AMMFHL was replaced by the six-team Alberta Female Hockey League this season. The Slash were No.1 in league play at 27-2-1 before going 2-2 as winners of the AFHL provincials and in the national qualifier swept the best-of-three Pacific series against the visiting Greater Vancouver Comets.
The Slash are competing in their second Esso Cup but first as the Pacific champions. The St. Albert Raiders Hockey Club team hosted the 2011 nationals and placed fifth overall.
