The Parkland Lions, a team that is a member of the Midget AA Division of the South Saskatchewan Female Hockey League (SSFHL), hosted the Notre Dame Hounds January 9 and 10 in Springside.
Looking to rebound from a disappointing 4-2 loss to Estevan on January 7, the Lions skated off with 1-0 and 3-1 wins against the Hounds to sweep the weekend double-header.
“I was very disappointed in the effort we showed Thursday, so the challenge we set before the girls on the weekend was to come out and compete,” said Chad Holinaty, coach. “They definitely came out with more energy and a higher effort level.
“Even though we’re having a hard time finishing opportunities, we’re making the right plays and putting ourselves in better positions,” Holinaty said. “The girls have to be patient, trust in the process, and the results will come.”
In Game 1, the Lions dominated on the shot clock, putting 56 shots on the Notre Dame net.
“We controlled the majority of the play, and had good puck possession in their zone,” said Coach Tim Davis. “But we just had a hard time finding the open net. We have to create more traffic in front of the net and battle to finish rebounds.
“The goal we did get from Olivia (Gordon) was exactly that – a shot that she tracked down the rebound for and buried.”
Defensively, the Lions limited the Hounds to 16 shots on goaltender Taylor Nagy.
“Against Estevan, we were backing up and playing too passive” said Coach Kim Pennell. “This weekend, we did a better job of challenging the play at the blue line and when it did get into our zone, exiting our zone cleaner.”
Sunday’s contest saw the Lions again strike first on an end-to-end rush from defenseman Hannah Pennell. Defenseman Cassidy Entz buried a slap shot from the point in the second period to give the Lions a 2-0 lead after two periods.
The third period saw the teams trade power play markers; the Lions’ goal from Sidney Shyiak to give the Lions a 3-1 win.
“Hopefully, this weekend gave the team some confidence and the kind of work ethic we need to bring to the rink to be successful,” said Coach Dean Shyiak. “We head to Estevan January 16 and 17, so it will be a chance to see if we can earn back the points we gave up to them last week.”
