The St. Albert Slash are determined to prove they are the real deal at this year's Esso Cup.
"We're the host team and no one is expecting anything from us really so we have to step up and show what we're made of," said goaltender Emily Mitchell. "We have to elevate our game even more. Throughout the whole season we've been working to pick our game up and now this is the time when we need to bring it the most."
The third annual national female midget hockey championship starts Sunday at Performance Arena. Puck drop for the Slash is at 8 p.m. against the Toronto Aeros, the Ontario region champions.
"I've been waiting for it to start ever since we heard the news last year that we're hosting it," Mitchell said. "I'm so excited. I know I'm never going to get an opportunity like this ever again."
The Edmonton Thunder (Pacific), Notre Dame Hounds (West), Kodiacs du Lac St-Louis (Quebec) and the Kings County (PEI) Kings (Atlantic) will also competed for medals.
The five-day round-robin draw features three games per day. The semifinals are April 22 and the two medal games go April 23. The 6 p.m. final will be broadcast by TSN.
The complete schedule is online at www.hockeycanada.ca/essocup.
"Everyone is really excited that we have that hometown advantage as the host team," said Chloe Sanderson, who splits time in the Slash net with Mitchell. "We know we can win it. We've improved a lot this year."
Mitchell, 16, is pumped to face the best of the best in Canada.
"As a goalie I like playing teams that are better than us. I know I'm going to get a lot more shots and my head is always going to be in the game," said the Grade 11 Paul Kane student.
Strong season
In the Alberta Major Midget Female Hockey League the Slash finished second in the north at 23-6-3 and in the best-of-five division final they were eliminated in four games by the Thunder. The three-time reigning league champions and Pacific region qualifiers were national bronze medallists last year.
The first team to beat the Thunder this season was the Slash. After going 27-0-5 in the regular season, followed by three straight playoff wins, the Thunder dropped a 3-2 decision March 6 in game two of the north final.
"They're a tough team, but we can beat them and we have," said Sanderson.
The Grade 10 St. Francis Xavier Hockey Academy student was cut by the Thunder during tryouts last fall before hooking up with the Slash. Naturally, she was over the moon after turning aside 23 Thunder shots in the playoff triumph.
"Yeah, it felt huge."
Sanderson, 16, finished the playoffs with a 2-1 record, 2.00 GAA and .930 save percentage in three starts. In league play she posted five shutouts, while going 10-3-2 with a 1.79 GAA that ranked seventh in the league, plus a .910 save percentage.
"Was I surprised by my season? Yeah, actually I was. I came to tryouts late because I got cut [from the Thunder] so I really had a short time to make the team," said the former ringette player who switched to hockey in her first year of peewee. "I improved a lot, especially playing the puck and being aggressive."
The busier Sanderson is between the pipes, the better she plays.
"I like facing a lot of shots so I don't get cold," she said. "If you're playing a real bad team and only getting 10 shots, you sort of get out of the game."
Sanderson and Mitchell are mirror images of each other.
"We're both hard working and aggressive goalies who like to play the puck. We have the same goalie coach too so we're learning a lot of the same things," Mitchell said.
Sanderson and Mitchell both use a butterfly style to keep pucks out of the net.
"I like to play in my butterfly a lot, with lots of sliding movements," Mitchell said.
"Emily is more technical," added Sanderson. "She is a really aggressive goalie. She can play the puck. She covers it up a lot. She is good."
In the regular season, Mitchell's 13 wins were second best in the league. She lost three and had one tie. She also tied Sanderson for the league lead in shutouts with five. Her GAA was 2.14 and save percentage was .910.
"Overall it was a good season but there were some games that I could've played better when I wasn't at the top of my game," said Mitchell, a third-year Slash goalie who joined the team as an under-age player. "There was definitely some high points in my season where I was on my game but sometimes you would have a few tough games and then you would have to get back into the routine again."
At the Mac's tournament in Calgary, Mitchell was named the top goalie and was selected to the first all-star team.
"That was pretty special to get that award."
Team-wise defensively, the Slash finished second in the north and fourth overall in the league with 64 goals against in 32 games.
"We have strong defence, plus a lot of power forwards who are really good at scoring goals and are also defensively aggressive so that really helps us goalies out," Sanderson said.
ICE CHIPS: The Esso Cup ticket package for general admission to all 19 games, including the semifinals and medal games, can be purchased online for $50 at www.hockeycanada.ca/essocup
Individually priced tickets are expected to go on sale during the tournament.
Games can also be viewed online through hockeycanada.fasthockey.com for $7 per game.
At nationals last year in Regina, the Thunder Bay (Ont.) Queens beat Notre Dame 4-3 for the gold. The Thunder defeated the host Regina Rebels 5-1 for the bronze.
The Esso Cup is presented by Hockey Canada and hosted by the St. Albert Minor Hockey Association and the St. Albert Raiders Hockey Club.
