Just shy of 12 months after winning their first-ever SCWHL provincial championship, the North Shore Rebels have claimed their first-ever regular season title in the South Coast Women’s Hockey League.
North Shore defeated the Richmond Devils 3-1 Thursday night at the Moody Park Arena in New Westminster, then got some help Saturday evening when the Fraser Valley Jets upset the Kamloops Vibe 2-1 Saturday evening at the Sandman Centre in Kamloops.
The Rebels finish the season with a 15-4-7 (win-loss-tied) record, one point better than the Vibe. A 9-0-3 run to finish the season allowed North Shore to overtake the Vibe (16-6-4) in the final standings.
Former Ryerson Ram (now Toronto Metropolitan University) Elexa Pakozdy scored all three goals for the Rebels in the win over Richmond, raising her season’s total to 22, second-best in the SCWHL.
Ivana Bilic, a defender who played four years with the Bemidji State Beavers, netted the lone goal for the Devils.
The Vibe were less than three minutes away from a win over the Jets Saturday night, until Chelsea Wilson netted a pair of goals 53 seconds apart in the last two minutes of play to allow Fraser Valley to steal the victory.
Jenna Ormondy gave Kamloops a 1-0 lead in the first period.
Special teams powered the Vibe to a 3-2 win over Fraser Valley in a rematch Sunday morning, also at the Sandman Centre. Rochelle Smith, Allison Aie on the powerplay, and Michelle Morrison with the game-winner while the Vibe were shorthanded scored for Kamloops.
Marilyne Cloutier and Melanie Jue replied for the Jets.
The loss by the Jets Sunday morning allowed the Meadow Ridge Moose to claim third place in the regular season standings. The Moose had no trouble winning their final game of the season, topping the South Fraser TNT 8-1 Saturday night at the Langley Sportsplex.
Madeleine Ericsson netted a pair of goals for the Moose, with Kirsten Langston, Darcy Henderson, Jade Zamprogno, Leeny Adeslberger, Brie Bellerive and Sydne Kreps adding one each. Meadow Ridge closed out the regular season with a 13-7-6 record, one point better than the 14-9-3 Jets.
Alisha Choy tallied for the TNT, the fifth-place team in the SCWHL with a 12-9-5 mark.
After their loss to the Rebels, the Richmond Devils made a day-trip to Victoria where they blanked the Island Surge 6-0.
Emily Costales paced Richmond with two goals and an assist, with Ashley Specht, Nicole Lim, Deanna Mohr and Emily Chau scoring once each. The Devils have qualified for the SCWHL Provincial Championship Tournament next weekend in Hope with an 10-11-5 record.
