Lately, the Winnipeg ICE are beginning to show signs of a dangerous hockey team. After a mediocre (at best) game against Eastman that ended in a 3-3 tie, the ICE have picked up their play considerably, and are showing countless signs of drastic improvement.
A trip to The Pas, saw the ICE win both games against a very tough Norman Wild team, who were in 2nd place in the MFMHL at the time. The ICE won 6-2 on Saturday night and 5-1 on Sunday morning, in one of the most successful trips in ICE history. Kathleen Kosior stopped 19 of the 21 shots she faced in her win on Saturday, while Michelle Kerdes stopped 27 of the 28 shots she faced in her win on Sunday. It was a great weekend for the ICE, as Renee Stevenson and Ashley Kubic were out due to injury/illness. All lines were firing and playing well, but Kelsey McHolm, Kelli Rowswell, and Jessi Campbell's line (Black Line) combined for 14 points in the two games.
After a sketchy ride home from The Pas, the ICE had no time to rest, as Monday saw the two Winnipeg AAA teams meet for the 3rd time this year. While the ICE held the lead for most of the game, an "interesting" penalty was called with just over 1 minute to play in the game with the ICE leading 3-2. While the ICE PK unit was an impressive 8/8 up until this point in the game, as very skilled Avros powerplay found a way to tie the game at 3 with 18 seconds left. Heartbroken, the ICE lost coverage on the next face-off and allowed the Avros to score again with 1 second remaining to win. A terrible way to lose, but it was a great game overall and the ICE deserved a much better fate.
Finally, in the final game before the Christmas break, the ICE faced the undefeated Pembina Valley Hawks. It was another solid effort by the ICE against a top team in this league, but they couldn't find a way to tie the game late, Hawks win 4-3.
Overall, the ICE earned a 2 and 2 record against arguably the three best teams in the league. More impressive still, is the stats from those games:
Goals for Winnipeg ICE: 17
Goals against: 11
PowerPlay: 5 for 19 = 26%
Penalty Kill: 21 for 22 = 95%
All signs point to the ICE hitting their stride just in time for the most important tournament of the year. The ICE travel to Calgary to compete in the amazing Mac's Midget AAA Tournament, playing some of their best hockey in two years. Finally, it seems, the players are beginning the believe what the coaches have been saying all along...this is a very special group of players....bound to taste success!
From everyone in the Winnipeg Ice family, we wish you all a very happy holiday. Please celebrate the holidays safely, we'll see you in Calgary on Boxing Day!!!
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