Lady Wolves clinch Stoney Creek tourney

The graduation of sniper Karli Shell to the post-secondary ranks was going to have an impact on the attack of the Sudbury Midget "AA" Lady Wolves, no doubt. Thankfully, the local ladies have found a couple of ways to counteract that.

Benefitting from a balanced offense that would see a dozen different players light the lamp, and a stifling defense that produced no less than shutouts in no less than five of seven games over the weekend, the defending national champs claimed the prestigious Stoney Creek Midget "AA" Showcase Tournament, edging the Oakville Hornets 1-0 in the final.

The results reflected an equal balance of dominating efforts, mixed in nicely with that key ability to win the close ones as coach Mike McGaughey and company ran the table with seven straight wins.

The streak began early, as Sudbury bounced the North Halton Twisters 5-0, with Brooke Kennedy, Madison Laberge, Meagan McGaughey, Kiana Verbiwski and Mélisa Kingsley scoring once each in support of Loryn Pearson between the pipes.

The locals improved to 2-0 with a 4-1 win over the Chicago Young Americans, as Taylor McGaughey paced the attack with a two goal effort, and defensemen Jamie Ricci and Kailey Lapensee scored once each.

Pearson, a native of North Bay, enjoyed her second straight shutout later in the day, as the Lady Wolves blanked the New Jersey Colonials 4-0. Tayler Murphy, Makayla Gratton, Meagan McGaughey and Verbiwski all notched their names on the scoresheet, as Sudbury advanced comfortably through to the round of 16.

Waiting there was a very talented young team representing the North Bay Ice Boltz organization. The Lady Wolves escaped with a 2-1 win, as Myla McCormick and Laberge pulled the trigger in the all Northern Ontario tête a tête.

Quarter-final action pitted the Sudbury ladies against the Whitby Wolves, a matchup that has produced countless tight defensive battles over the years. This one was no different, as McCormick scored in overtime, and Pearson stretched her flawless slate to three games in a 1-0 win for the northern Wolves.

With a berth in the finals on the line, the Midget "AA" girls took no prisoners, trashing the Brantford Ice Cats 6-0 as netminder Trystan Elford recorded her first shutout of the weekend.

Offensive support was plentiful, with Kingsley (2), Kennedy, McCormick, Verbiwski and Mylène Lefebvre all finding the back of the net. In an early look at two of the favourites to capture the provincial crown come next April, Sudbury and the Oakville Hornets hooked up in a dandy gold medal affair.

Pearson was the story, racking up her fourth consecutive whitewash, with Meagan McGaughey providing just enough scoring to secure the Lady Wolves a 1-0 win. Following a hectic schedule to begin September, the team will now focus heavily on practice sessions, with an exhibition game against the Scarborough Sharks next Saturday in Chelmsford mixed in for good measure.

The 2015-2016 edition of the Sudbury Midget "AA" Lady Wolves features Joelle Belanger, Taylor McGaughey, Jamie Ricci, Kiana Verbiwski, Alexie Legault, Myla McCormick, Madison Laberge, Mélisa Kingsley, Brooke Kennedy, Tayler Murphy,Makayla Blanchard, Meagan McGaughey, Kailey Lapensée, Logan Duffy, Megan Potvin, goaltenders Loryn Pearson and Trystan Elford, and call-ups Mylène Lefebvre and Makayla Gratton.