SUMMERSIDE – It was a golden weekend for a Prince Edward Island ringette team.
The P.E.I. Wave went undefeated – 4-0-1 (won-lost-tied) – en route to capturing the 2018 Atlantic ringette championship at Credit Union Place on Sunday afternoon.
The P.E.I. Wave won the Under-14 Division at the 2018 Atlantic ringette championships in Summerside on Sunday afternoon. Team members are, front row, from left: Sarah Bain, Keera Vos, Sophia Jeffery, Olivia Devine, Ella MacPherson, Mia MacAdam, Nellie Campbell and Janika Godin. Back row: Jamie Jeffery (coach), Madison James (coach), Avery Neale, Lily MacPhee, Dana Carmichael, Grace Potter, Tori-Jayne Chapman, Amelia Murphy, Bethany McClane, Karyss MacDonald, Emily Peters, Brianne Curley (coach) and Mike Devine (coach).
Click here for story on P.E.I. Wave under-16 team earning silver:
“It’s the first time in history, from what I’m aware of, that P.E.I. under-14 team has won this tournament,” said Wave head coach Jamie Jeffery, who was born and raised in Summerside and now lives and works in Charlottetown. “It’s a pretty big milestone for the girls to win this, it’s important.”
The Wave defeated New Brunswick’s Beausejour Hot Shots 4-1 in the gold-medal game.
Amelia Murphy of the P.E.I. Wave makes a pass during the under-14 championship game at the 2018 Atlantic ringette championships in Summerside on Sunday afternoon. The Wave earned a 4-1 win over New Brunswick’s Beausejour Hot Shots.
Click here for story following Friday's opening day of play:
Sophia Jeffery scored two goals while Nellie Campbell had a goal and two helpers. Tori-Jayne Chapman had a goal and an assist to round out the Wave scoring while Olivia Devine, Lily MacPhee and Keera Vos added assists.
Janelle Hebert (1-1) and Nadia LeBlanc (1-1) replied for the Hot Shots, who never led in the game.
“We knew we had to come out and push the pace early,” said Jamie Jeffery. “We are a very good and fast-skating team, so we wanted to play our game.
“We figured if we could push the pace, forecheck really hard and turn over the ring, get a couple early, which we did, we could rock them back on their heels.”
Click here for preview story of Atlantic ringette championships:
Winning goaltender Sarah Bain turned in some key saves at opportune times to prevent the Hot Shots from getting back in the game.
“She was phenomenal,” said Coach Jeffery in assessing Bain’s play. “She stood on her head today.”
Semifinal
The Wave advanced to the final with a 3-1 win over the Codiac Stingers AA team from New Brunswick in one semifinal. The Hot Shots outscored the Southeast Fusion 5-3 in the other semifinal.
Devine, Karyss MacDonald and Ella MacPherson scored for the Wave. Assists were credited to Jeffery, Campbell and Grace Potter.
The Stingers defeated the Fusion 5-3 in the bronze-medal game.
The P.E.I. Edge finished under-14 play with a 1-3 record.
Roster
The Wave roster is comprised of 17 players from the Rustico, Souris, Montague and Charlottetown associations.
Tryouts for the team began in the middle of September, and the roster was finalized in October. Along with practising, the Wave played teams from across the Maritimes and attended a tournament in Montreal to prepare for the Atlantic championships.
But there’s still one more major competition ahead.
“The next step is gearing up for the Eastern Canadians, which is going to be in Halifax in April,” said Jamie Jeffery. “That’s the next test.”
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