Just as frigid temperatures produce ideal conditions for a hockey game to be played upon a frozen pond, the warm weather Mother Nature afforded St. Paul on Sunday at Lions Field was ideal for a competitive Lakeland Cup final game to be staged.
The U12 boys’ final featured two teams from St. Paul, an idyllic championship showdown for the host teams. The St. Paul team in orange coached by Ricardo Williams narrowly edged the team in blue, coached by Randi Drummond, by a 1-0 score in the sixth round of a shootout.
“You couldn’t have asked for a better final,” says Colin Miller, a former local player that coaches with Drummond.
“Our team played with heart and desire through the whole tournament,” says Williams. “I am very proud of what they have done.
This final marked the first occasion these two St. Paul teams had played against each other all season. Expectations for this matchup were high considering how well both teams played coming into the title game.
Williams’ team won all three of its games that it played last Friday, Saturday and Sunday. They outscored their opposition 17 goals to four. The team’s most impressive win was a 7-0 drubbing of Lac La Biche.
After opening the tournament with a 7-1 win over Bonnyville, Drummond’s team used stout defense to tame their opponents. They posted back-to-back wins over Cold Lake and Vermilion.
The final was billed by some as a matchup between offence and defense. Williams’ offence did earn the majority of scoring chances and possessed the ball most of the time, but Drummond’s team made many strong defensive plays to keep this game locked in a 0-0 stalemate.
Drummond’s team built a 3-1 goals lead in the shootout, which put Williams’ goalies and shooters in must-stop and must-score mode. They managed to tie the shootout at three at the end of five rounds. Extra shooters were required to decide the contest. Williams’ team scored the clinching fourth shootout goal to earn the title and a berth at U12 provincials in Vermilion.
A third U12 team, coached by Nikolaj Dumencu finished ninth out of 12 teams. Dumencu said he was pleased with how his team “gave a challenge to some of the top teams in the tournament.”
U12 Girls
Both the U12 girls’ teams that St. Paul entered into the Lakeland Cup were denied of a podium position, but the coaches of both teams were proud nonetheless.
“I am really proud of how the girls on my team grew throughout the year,” said Richard Smyl.
Smyl attributes some injuries and some of his players having prior commitments as contributing factors to the team finishing sixth out of seven teams. The team earned a 1-3 record. After losing to Lynzey Brodziak’s St. Paul team, and falling 6-3 to Vermilion, Smyl’s team put on an offensive clinic against Cold Lake, routing them 7-2. The team couldn’t pull back to .500 as they lost 1-0 to Lac La Biche in its final game of the tournament on Sunday afternoon.
Brodziak said she “was really proud of how her team worked hard on the field all weekend,” en route to earning fourth place.
After opening the Lakeland Cup with that 3-2 win over Smyl’s team, the team then fought its way to a 2-2 draw against Cold Lake. Sunday was not kind to this team as it fell to Vermilion and Vegreville, allowing eight goals compared to scoring one.
The Lakeland Cup was a different experience for all these girls. Leading up to that tournament, both teams were a combined unit. It was decided that the group should be split up in order to provide more girls with the opportunity to take the field.
U14
None of the St. Paul U14 teams were able to earn a spot on the podium.
The U14 boys, coached by Joy Tremblay, did come close though by earning fourth place. The team’s best result of the round robin was a 2-2 draw against Lac La Biche.
The U14 girls finished seventh out of seven teams. The team lost all three of its round robin games.
