The team to beat at the 10th annual Esso Cup welcomes the challenge of repeating as the Canadian champions.
“The mental and emotional toughness is often more important than physical ability when it comes to competing to win a national championship and it really exhibited that last year and if we carried that mentally into this year I think we have a very good chance of winning again,” said right-winger Madison Willan, one of 10 players on the Slash roster that celebrated the first midget AAA female national triumph by an Alberta team at the Esso Cup as the first team to finish 7-0.
The glare of the spotlight after last year’s brilliance hasn’t blinded the Slash.
“Everyone wants the satisfaction of beating the national champs,” said Willan of the 28-10-1 Slash after going 38-4-1 overall last season. “We’ve always had a mark on our back ever since the year started and we’ve all been preparing for this moment. We persevered through a lot of adversity this year and it’s led to us going back to nationals and I think that's awesome for all of us.
“We have an opportunity to create a dynasty here in St. Albert and winning back to back national championships has never been done so the opportunity is really special,” Willan added. “It’s been an unreal experience with these girls this year and I can’t wait to see nationals held.”
The Esso Cup starts Sunday in Bridgewater, N.S., and the Slash are the lone team from last year’s nationals in Morden, Man., returning to the championship tournament.
“It does kind of give us that advantage because we have 10 players that have been there before so we know what it takes to win,” Willan said.
The Northern Selects (Atlantic), Saskatoon Stars (West), Brampton Canadettes (Ontario), Pionnieres de Lanaudiere (Quebec) and the host Metro Boston Pizza of Bedford, N.S. will battle the Slash for national honours.
Visit www.hockeycanada.ca for the Esso Cup schedule.
The Slash games are also listed in Scoreboard on page 56.
Coming through in the clutch is a Slash trademark that started at last year’s Esso Cup with Tyra Meropoulis' electrifying golden goal at the 14:41 mark of overtime in the 1-0 too close to call final against Harfangs du Triolet of Sherbrooke, Que.
This year the Slash yanked victory from the jaws of defeat in dramatic style against the Rocky Mountain Raiders in the Final Frozen Four provincial final as Willan netted the equalizer with seven seconds remaining in regulation time and in sudden-death, after the St. Albert squad killed off a two-minute five-on-three power play, McKenzie Hewett struck with the man advantage at 11:05 of OT for her second goal of the game in the 3-2 thriller.
Willan also punched the Slash’s ticket to nationals with the only goal in the third and deciding game of the Pacific Regional against the Greater Vancouver Comets in Richmond, B.C.
“We always have that never give up mentality especially in provincials. It’s never over until it’s over,” Willan said. “Clutching up and coming together in those key situations has benefited us this whole year.”
Willan, 17, established herself as a prime-time scorer last year as the AFHL’s rookie of the year with a league-best 25 goals and 50 points in 28 games and at the Esso finished tied for the tournament lead in points with 10 while scoring a team-high five goals. The biggest goal at nationals for the diminutive sniper was deposited 57 seconds into the semifinal, a 1-0 decision against the Durham West (Ont.) Lightning. She also assisted on the championship winner by Meropoulis.
“If I remember correctly I kind of got it off a battle in the corner and just walked to the net and I just tucked it in around the goalie,” Willan said. “It kind of gave us some momentum as well so after that goal we played more on the defensive side just to make sure they didn’t score."
Willan’s fifth goal in four provincial games was beyond belief with the season seven seconds way from an unexpected early ending.
“The puck was bouncing all over the place and I think Taylor (Anker) hit it to the net and it somehow got to me and I was able to bang in the rebound,” said the Grade 12 St. Francis Xavier High School student who compiled a team-high 13 goals and 26 points in 29 league games.
“That was just an unforgettable experience the way we came back in that game,” Willan said. “That really was a big turning point for us.”
At the Pacific Regional, game three was scoreless until Willan took a slap pass from Anker and deflected it under the goalie’s glove.
“We had been dominating most of the game, we were in control, and it was more of a big relief point we scored because there were still 10 minutes left in the third,” said Willan, a second-year midget who plans on returning to the Slash next season.
