CANORA - The host Parkland Prairie Ice battled back to gain a 2-2 tie with the Balcarres Barracudas in the first game of Hockey Day in Saskatchewan at the Canora Civic Centre on Tuesday Jan. 14.
”It was an honor to be the inaugural game to kick off Hockey Day in Saskatchewan week,” said Ice Coach Nicole Korpusik of Norquay. “Canora has been a great support for the growth of female hockey and we were excited to make the most of this opportunity!
Separated by only a single point in the battle for second place in the 麻豆传媒AV East division of the Sask Female Hockey League, Korpusik said the two teams have a healthy rivalry.
“We have always played really well against them, and you just never know who is going to come out on top. I also think these girls know we always have a really great opportunity to beat Balcarres but it's never a cakewalk so they know they have to put in their best effort to make it happen.”
A shorthanded breakaway goal by Elli Vogel of Theodore opened the scoring in the first period while teammate Morgan Olson of Sturgis was serving a body-checking penalty.
“Our girls perform really well on the penalty kill,” said Korpusik. “It's awesome, so when Elli got that break and turned on the jets we knew something great was about to happen! It definitely shifted the girls into the next gear.”
Balcarres tied the score before the end of the first period.
Following a scoreless second period, Balcarres grabbed the lead early in the third, 2-1. After killing off a couple of penalties, the Ice tied the score on a goal by Morgan Olson, assisted by Ryea Harper of Canora.
“I never have to worry about these girls giving up, they work hard until the bitter end but sometimes we just can't find the mesh. Thankfully we finally managed to tie it up,” said Korpusik. “If it weren't for the several posts we hit we would've come away with the win, however we'll take the tie and celebrate the girls’ incredible effort and teamwork!”
Overall, Korpusik said she was pleased with her team’s effort against the Barracudas.
“I think the girls came out confident and were ready to play, the energy in the dressing room was more of excitement than nerves. I think the fun and teambuilding ahead of time energized them and put them in a really great mindset.
“I really loved how the girls showed up. We had tough game on Sunday where we had girls missing and several not feeling great, so this was a night-and-day difference. The girls played smart, made some really great plays and left it all out there!”
The Parkland Prairie Ice team is made up of players from 10 different communities, and their closest road trip for league games is a two-hour drive to Balcarres. This requires a significant commitment from the players and many others as well.
“We are very grateful for the support of our families, friends and communities,” said Korpusik. “We just want to thank everyone for coming out and cheering us on!”
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