LLOYDMINSTER -- The Saskatoon Stars are coming home with the silver medal from the Esso Cup female U18 AAA national hockey championship.
The Stars ran into a juggernaut in the Edmonton Jr, Oilers in the gold medal game on Saturday and would give up three goals in the first period and four more in the second on their way to dropping a 7-3 decision in Lloydminster.
There was little question who was the favourite going into the contest, and Edmonton lived up to expectations quickly.
The Jr. Oilers hadn’t allowed a goal in their previous three games -- including a 1-0 overtime win over the host Lloydminster Steelers in the semifinal -- and it didn’t take long for their offence to give their stellar defence some support.
Edmonton’s Paige Smith opened scoring only 2:04 into the game when her shot from the high left circle found the back of the net blocker side on Stars goaltender Tarynn Sutter.
Smith had been named the Esso Cup most valuable player earlier in the day and scored her third goal and seventh point with the marker.
Evie Hanson then made it a two-goal lead with 6:14 gone in the period as she broke in on her wing and put home a shot from the right face-off circle.
Saskatoon had a chance to get one back when they went on their first power play of the game with 8:16 to play in the period, but Edmonton would kill the man advantage off to remain a perfect 21-for-21 on the penalty kill at that point of the tournament.
Edmonton’s Keira Grant then made it a 3-0 contest when she put home a rebound in close with 6:24 remaining in the period.
The Stars had a bit more pressure as the period progressed and became the first team to find a way to score on Edmonton in nearly 200 minutes of game time when Halle Duchene scored her sixth goal and 11 point of the tournament with 4:07 to play in the first.
Saskatoon then made things plenty interesting to start the second period, getting back to within a single goal within the first minute of the period.
Ayla Anderson did the honours, taking a pass from Duchene from the corner and finding herself all alone in front of the net before putting home a shot only 38 seconds into the frame.
Edmonton quickly regained their two-goal edge thanks to their second power play and second goal on the man advantage when Ciara Lang scored on a shot from the point with 5:10 gone in the second.
The Oilers continued to carry the play after that goal and were eventually rewarded once again, with Caidence Richards scoring on a shot through traffic from the high slot with 6:12 remaining in the second.
That was briefly the end of the game for Sutter, who allowed five goals on 20 shots in 32 minutes of play.
Little changed when Adriana Bashnick took over in goal, though, as Edmonton didn’t let up on their pressure at all. That led to Daniella Martorna scoring on a rebound with 3:08 remaining in the period and Madison Stark then banging home a puck in the crease 32 seconds later for a 7-2 Edmonton lead.
Sutter returned to the Saskatoon crease after Edmonton’s seventh goal, with Bashnick having allowed two goals on three shots in four minutes.
Saskatoon got back within four goals with 5:14 gone in the third period when Avery Barry scored her first of the tournament on a shot from the high slot.
That would be the final goal of the game, though, and Edmonton capped off their stellar campaign with their first-ever Esso Cup national title.
Sutter finished with 25 saves in her 55 minutes of work, while Ella Dunham-Fox stopped 11 shots over the first two periods before Taya Christie took over in the third and stopped five shots
Duchene and Anderson each had two points for Saskatoon, Grant and Lang had two points each for Edmonton.
