Morning Star Staff
Coach Ian Hawes calls it the longest road trip of the ringette season.
Sightseeing and exhibition games in Stockholm, tournament play in Finland and tickets to both the World Junior Hockey and World Ringette championships made for a non-stop Euro experience.
Coached by Vernon ringette product Paige Powls, and bringing together players from four different teams from both the Kelowna and Vernon ringette associations, the U16A Okanagan Fusion battled hard in five games over two days at the Ringette Winter Festival in Helsinki.
Running into stiff competition from several very talented Finnish teams, the Fusion went 2-3.
“The level of play of the Finnish teams was amazing,” said Hawes. “This trip has been a great experience for all the girls. I can’t believe how many kids from the Okanagan were here in Europe to play ringette.”
There were Under 19 and U16 entries featuring 13 Vernon girls 21 from Kelowna and seven from the Vancouver region. The Lions Cup is part of the Ringette Winter Festival.
Kelowna was also represented by a U14 team with one local player in their lineup, while Vernon and Kelowna had six players apiece on the U12 team. Prince George, Calgary and Whitby, Ont. also had entries in Helsinki.
Goalies Hannah Skwarczynski and Georgia Gregory shared time between the pipes, each making big saves at crucial times, keeping the Fusion in the game.
Maddie Fox, Wynter Vanderveen, Bryn Taylor-Hawes, Hailey McRae and Makaila Bowes turned in strong performances handling the defence against several fast skating teams in the tourney, especially the Finns. Both Vanderveen and Fox took advantage of opportunities to jump into the attacking zone to score pretty goals.
Up front, centres Chelsea Christofoli and Nicole Amaral led fellow forwards Amanda Wasylyshyn, Hailey Quiring, Chelsea Statham, Amanda Rizzo and Shay-Lynn Dyck in an evenly shared goal scoring attack. Statham was a well deserved MVP recipient in the Fusion’s last game.
Team favourite Courtney Bacon was unfortunately injured in the exhibition game in Stockholm, Sweden and did not see any action in Finland.
“In the end, it was an experience of a lifetime for the 15 young ladies who carried the banner for this team.”
The U19 Sutco B.C. Fusion Too (Vernon/Fraser Valley) iced Luki 3-2 in a thrilling four-player shootout Sunday morning aided by a shootout goal by Maddie Powls.
Aly Carter missed her shootout attempt, trying her tricky forehead fake/backhand roof maneuver which narrowly went over the crossbar.
The Carter, Racine and Williamson sisters all performed strongly, as did Powls and Emily Williams, who was a speedster devil playing defence all weekend.
The Fusion lost the game for fifth and sixth 8- to a very powerful Finnish side.
The U19 Fusion got goals from Williams (2), Emma Carter (1+3) and Alyssa Racine in a 7-5 win over Whitby Saturday. Abby and Bailey Williamson each counted a pair of assists
Earlier Saturday, the Fusion fell 5-3 to Haukat of Finland with Racine and Powls supplying goals and assists.
Abby Williamson earned one of the Fusion goals in a 9-3 loss to Helsinki.
Kendra Racine was the other Vernon product with the Fusion.
“We were the only Canadian team to defeat a Finland team and finished sixth in our 12-team tournament,” said Fusion coach Warren Carter.
“The girls were from three different associations so many had never played together before and were a mix of U16 and U19 players in a U19 tournament but came together very quickly to do themselves, and B.C. and Vernon ringette proud.”
We are thankful for our Vernon area sponsors. The girls were very thankful for a once-in-a-lifetime trip playing a sport they love.”
Mackenzie Gilman, Rhys Taylor Hawes, Kail Summerfeld, Makenna Jackson, Kristin Francks and Hilary Quiring played for the U12s, coached by Darcy Quiring and Mike Gilman, while Jordan Tung skated with the U14 Kelowna entry.
Vernon area platinum sponsors behind the trek were: Sutco Contracting (based in Salmo but haul chips and lumber, all around B.C., including Vernon, and Ron Racine’s chips in Merritt); Gold sponsors were Vernon’s DCT Chambers and bronze sponsors from Vernon were Parnell’s Appliances, Cookson Idealease and Telus.