ICE battle back to save a point, after lazy start...

For whatever reason, the ICE like to do things the hard way. On Sunday, the ICE travelled to St. Adolphe to face the Eastman Selects for the first time this season. After a tough loss to Pembina Valley the night before, the ICE spoke of playing a simple game and having fun again. The ICE were excited to play and seemed ready for a battle. However, once the puck was dropped, the only team that seemed ready to play was the Selects. In just over 6 minutes the Selects dominated the ICE and took a 3-0 lead. In what could very well be the worst 6-plus minutes of hockey played by this team in 2 seasons, the ICE managed to dig themselves a huge hole. The ICE seemed to wake up after the 3rd goal and began to play with some much needed urgency.

Not much was said on the bench, there wasn't much that could be said about that first 6 minutes of play, but with 12 minutes left in the first, Kelsey McHolm got the ICE a little closer by scoring a goal assisted by her linemates Jessi Campbell and Kelli Rowswell. At 3-1, the ICE continued to dig themselves out of the mess they created, and with just over 3 minutes left in the first period, Kelli Rowswell added her 4th regular season goal to make it 3-2 (assisted by Kelsey McHolm). Despite coming back to outshoot the Selects 11-7 in the first period, the ICE still trailed 3-2.

The dressing room was fairly quiet between periods as the team discussed what went wrong and what needed to happen to in order to find a way back into this game. Hard work and desperation were the only choices at this point, and the players vowed to tie this game up during the second period. The ICE came out flying and managed to outshoot the Selects 12-3 in the second period, but could not find a way to tie the game. The ICE controlled the puck for most of the period, but the Selects battled through the period without allowing the tying goal.

With 20 minutes left to play, the ICE knew they would need their best period of the game if they were to salvage anything from this game. As they pressed for the tying goal, ICE goaltender Michelle Kerdes (who came in relief for Kathleen Kosior) stopped all 10 shots she faced. The ICE once again controlled the play and outshot the Selects 18-4 in the third, finally managing to tie the game with 8:23 remaining in the third period. Rielle Chwartacki found a loose puck and buried the ICE's 3rd goal, assisted by Meara Grant and Madison Neapew. The ICE bench cheered loudly, as their hard work finally paid off. Neither team managed to get another goal, so the ICE salvaged 1 point, with a 3-3 tie.

Another tough game, that could've been much better for the ICE had they not staked the Selects a 3 goal lead in the first 6 minutes. Lessons must be learned from this experience, but give full credit to the ICE for battling through adversity and finding a way to tie the game late.

Highlights: Carley Jewell fired 11 shots on goal to lead the ICE in that category. Kelli Rowswell and Kelsey McHolm each had 1 goal and 1 assist. Bryn Schmidt led the ICE in plus/minus with her +2 rating. The ICE PK was a perfect 4 for 4, 100% for the second game in a row. Finally, the ICE fired over 40 shots on net for the second time this season, outshooting the Selects 41-14.

Next up is a much anticipated rematch against the high flying Norman Wild on Saturday at home, followed by a rematch against the Selects in St. Adolphe on Sunday.

Bad period cost ICE the game vs. Hawks...

As a new month opened with high expectations for the Winnipeg ICE, the 2-time defending Champs from Pembina Valley used 1 sloppy stretch of time by the ICE to take over the game and prolong the losing streak. A quick start by the Hawks allowed them to take the lead only 2 minutes into the game, but the ICE settled down and played a good first period. The ICE had 4 or 5 quality chances in the slot off of rebounds, but couldn't find the back of the net. It ended up being a fast-paced first period, and the Hawks led 1-0.

The second period started off great for the ICE, as Kelsey McHolm scored from Carley Jewell and Jessi Campbell less than 30 seconds into the period. At 1-1, the ICE played with confidence and pushed for the go ahead goal. Pembina Valley did push back but both teams struggled to find the back of the net through the first 10 minutes of the period. With around 10 minutes left in the period, the ICE did a great job killing off the second Hawks powerplay of the game...but the Hawks managed to score from the point 5 seconds after the kill. The goal deflated the bench and sent the ICE spiraling into 10 minutes of panic. Depsite playing a good 30 minutes of hockey, against a very strong team, the ICE showed little confidence after the 2-1 goal, and doubt started to creep into their game. In a span of 4 minutes and 30 second, the Hawks scored 3 goals to take a 4-1 lead. The rest of period was dominated by the Hawks as well, but Michelle Kerdes stood tall in net, keeping the 4-1 deficit through 2 period.

All it took the Hawks was a 4-plus minutes to stretch the lead and effectively take the game. The ICE battled hard in the third, but the damage was done. PV added 1 in the 3rd and the ICE couldn't score on any of their 11 shots in the final frame. A tough loss for a fragile team, as the scoreboard really didn't reflect how this game was played.

The highlights in this game was the play of goaltender Michelle Kerdes, who stopped 39 of 44 shots faced, and the ICE penalty kill which went 3 for 3 against a strong Hawks PP unit. Next up for the ICE is the first of four meetings with the Eastman Selects in St. Adolphe.