Apr 17, 2025 | Brent Thede | 202 views
Saugeen Shores U15B Girls Capture Bronze at Provincials
Determination. Disbelief. Positivity. Perseverance. Heartbreak. Vindication.
The U15B Storm girls went through the full range of emotions while dominating the competition at the Provincial Championship in Etobicoke this past weekend. While it may not be the gold medal they felt they deserved, it was certainly one for our girls to be proud of.
Out of the 74 U15B teams in Ontario, only 32 qualified for the Provincial tournament. Teams were divided into 8 groups of 4. Only the 8 group winners would make the quarterfinals. There was no room for error. Every game a must win. The Storm drew a tough grouping that included the powerhouse Collingwood Lightning – one of the top teams in the province all season – as well as the pesky Woolwich Wild and Scarborough Sharks.
The girls had to be up bright and early Friday morning for an 8:15 AM start as they suited up as underdogs against Collingwood.
From the first drop of the puck to the final buzzer the girls put on a clinic, smothering the Collingwood team with an aggressive style of play that created turnovers and stifled their opponents from breaking out. Two first period goals of their own put the girls out in front and the Lightning never stood a chance as the Storm skated to a 2-0 win. Determination.
Game #2 on Friday afternoon had the girls facing the Woolwich Wild. The Storm had faced this team twice previously in prior tournaments, and were shut out 1-0 both times, despite our girls carrying the play in each game. However, there would be no Woolwich shutout on this day, as our girls had a 2-0 lead after two periods. With just under 4 minutes left in the game, the Wild got within one with a power play marker. Then with only 3 seconds left and their net empty, the Wild got the equalizer in unbelievable fashion. Just before time expired the puck deflected high above the net, landing behind the Storm goaltender and trickled across the line. The air got sucked out of the building. A 2-2 tie. Disbelief.
The Storm stayed positive, as they still controlled their own destiny. A win against Scarborough would clinch first in the pool. In a game that was never in doubt, Saugeen Shores skated past the Sharks 5-0. This clinched the top spot and a place in the quarterfinals with a 2-0-1 record.
Our girls faced another unbeaten team in the quarters. The St. Thomas Panthers were next. It only took 12 seconds for our girls to take the lead, and they never looked back. The girls were able to take advantage of some undisciplined play by the opposition to score 2 powerplay goals, and the Panthers couldn’t match the intensity of the Storm as they were outmatched all game. The Storm persevered 3-0, bruised but victorious. On to the semi-finals!
The Kanata Rangers came into the tournament ranked #2 in the province with a record of 45 wins and only 3 losses, not having lost a game in over 3 months. They had steamrolled their competition so far this weekend. But they had never played Saugeen Shores before. Our girls controlled the play right from the start, peppering the Rangers’ goaltender with shot after shot. Mid-way through the second period the Storm scored to take what they believed was a 1-0 lead. However, the referee ruled it no goal. It was a frustrating result, but the Storm raged on, with countless grade A chances only to come up empty. Regulation time ended in no score, so it was sudden death overtime to decide the finalist.
Again and again the Storm battered the Rangers with numerous breakaways and close range shots in the extra frame, but the Kanata goalie heroically turned them all away. In the end it was a bad bounce that resulted in one of the only Rangers’ chances in the game and they capitalized to book their ticket to the final, 1-0. Heartbreak.
After the game the Kanata coach called Saugeen Shores the “best team they had played all season” and congratulated the girls on how hard and clean they played the game. Kanata would go on to win provincial gold with a convincing 5-1 win over Wilmot in the final.
Emotions remained high, but there was another game to be played. With gold now out of reach the girls refocused their sights on bronze. They were matched up against the Ennismore Eagles who had also lost their semifinal in overtime. Parents, still feeling the disappointment, wondered how their girls would respond.
Any doubts were erased immediately as the girls picked up right where they left off in their game against Kanata. The Storm controlled all facets of the game from beginning to end, blowing the doors off the Eagles team by a 3-0 score that didn’t reflect how much Saugeen Shores outplayed the competition. Vindication!
In the end the Storm played their best hockey of the season this weekend and ended the season on a positive note. They played a dominating and inspiring brand of hockey scoring 15 goals and allowing only 3, with shutouts in 4 of the 6 games. They didn’t back down and showed their true character by bouncing back when they could have easily packed it in. The coaches and parents are so proud of how hard this amazing collection of girls worked, and the example they set. Special thanks to the coaching staff for the amazing job they did with the girls all season.
U15B Storm Roster
#1 Lacey Crowe
#2 Chloe Connolly
#3 Khloe Bermanschlager
#5 Keagan Kruse
#7 Eve Lawrence
#8 Claire Parker
#9 Isabella Kuss
#11 Tori Gruberbauer
#13 Cameron Desormeaux
#14 Brooke Lamont
#15 Janey Harris
#16 Madeline Thede
#17 Peyton Myatt
#19 Chloe McKinnon
Head Coach: Darryl McKinnon
Assistants: Shawn Desormeaux, Mel Harris, Matt Lamont
Trainer: Rebecca Johnson Manager, Leigh Parker