Zone 5 Grit won the U19 bronze medal at the Canadian Ringette Championships with nine St. Albert players in the line-up.
Janelle Wilk opened the scoring and Molly Chorney netted the insurance marker in the 5-3 decision against the Bonivital Angels of Manitoba in Saturday’s bronze-medal final in Fredericton, N.B.
Anj Grewal also stopped 21 shots as the Grit finished 6-3 overall as the top Alberta team out of four from the province in the 20-team draw. The Grit were the third Alberta seeds in the tournament.
The St. Albert connection on the Grit included defencemen Simran Grewal, Molly Clark, Lauren MacBeath and Hannah Marthinsen and forwards Alyssa Ricioppo and Brittany Kraychy.
In the semifinals the Grit lost 6-3 to the Winnipeg Magic as Grewal faced 27 shots. The Magic went on to lose the gold-medal final 5-4 to the undefeated Nepean Ravens of Ontario.
The Grit advanced to the championship round with first place 2-1 records in rounds one (pool E) and two (pool G) for a quarter-final berth against Rive-Sud of Quebec. Wilk potted a pair, Chorney also scored and Grewal made 22 saves in the 6-4 victory.
Winning the futsal provincial championship was a step in the right direction for 10 players on the St. Albert Impact U14 Tier 1 (1999) girls’ soccer team for the outdoor season.
The Impact finished the three-team double round-robin against SW United and Rangers FC undefeated last weekend at Edmonton Garrison.
The Impact line-up featured Kiera Brown, Samantha Bourbonnais, Renee Chattargoon, Erika Ippolito, Madison Pilon, Sarah Romaniuk, Mackenzie Sharun, Kaila Wirth and twins Cara and Brook Lang.
Visit www.stalbertgazette.com for the team picture at provincials.
Futsal is played between two teams of four players and one goalkeeper each. Unlimited substitutions are permitted. The game is played on a hard court surface without lines. Walls or boards are not used. The ball is smaller but with less bounce than a regulation soccer ball.
At provincials Chattargoon was stellar in net and co-captain Ippolito stepped up with a timely goal in the tournament opener against SW United that set the tone for victory. The Lang twins were also a constant force throughout the weekend and in the last match Cara scored four times against Rangers FC.
A pair of St. Albert Nordic Ski Club alumni competed at the recent national cross-country ski championships in Callahan Valley at Whistler Olympic Park.
Joel Gervais raced in the open/senior men’s category against Canada’s top 20- to 29-year-olds and a number of skiers from the United States and Europe. The University of Alberta Nordic Club member placed 63rd in the 50-kilometre skate on a course gaining more than 2,000 metres of vertical elevation over seven laps with a time in less than 2.5 hours. He finished 20 minutes behind the leader. The lead pack was comprised of Olympians and regulars on the World Cup circuit.
The coach of the STANSKI youth race team also served as a guide for an Ontario blind para-Nordic skier. In one race, the duo beat a Canadian Paralympian team for first place.
Anders Cowpar raced in the junior male category against the best 16- and 17-year-olds in the country and his best finish was sixth in the 7.5-km classic technique event.
Cowpar trains and races for the Rocky Mountain Racers in Canmore.
Members of the St. Albert and Road Runners Triathlon Club swam and ran their way to podium finishes at the recent Alberta aquathlon series championships at the Edmonton Kinsmen Sports Centre.
Placing first overall in their age categories were Richard Roberts (70-plus male), Catherine Roberts (65 to 69 female), David Livingstone (50 to 55 male) and Mike Gerencser (45 to 49 male).
Finishing second was John O’Kelly (65 to 69 male) and in third place was Kelly Carter (45 to 49 male).
St. Albert athletes also swept the 13 to 15 male category, with Sean Livingstone, James Thomson and Eric Rolheiser placing first, second and third, respectively.
Aquathlon is a recognized sport in triathlon and has been part a part of the International Triathlon Union race series since 1998.
The race combines an open water-style triathlon swim around four buoys at all four corners of an Olympic-sized 50-metre pool. The athletes then come out of the water, jump into their running shoes and do laps around an indoor running track.
