National ringette championships hit the ice in Wood Buffalo
Wood Buffalo, AB – March 30, 2015 – It was an action-packed opening day at the 2015 Tim Hortons Canadian Ringette Championships that kicked off in Wood Buffalo, Alberta today. Thirty-seven teams from across the country are competing for national titles in the U16 and U19 divisions, as well as the National Ringette League championship title.
In the National Ringette League (NRL) division, Montreal Mission downed Gloucester Devils 7-6. Montreal’s Julie Blanchette picked up six assists in the game, while Sainte-Julie’s Maude Charbonneau and Montreal’s Catherine Cartier both claimed hat tricks. Richmond Hill Lightning posted a 6-3 win over Edmonton WAM!, with Ajax’s Kristin Johnston picking up five assists and Jess Jones (St. Thomas) claiming a hat trick for the Lightning. In other play, the Cambridge Turbos downed Waterloo Wildfire 6-3 and defending NRL champions Ottawa Ice beat Calgary RATH 6-4.
In the U16 division, six of the 15 teams came out of the first day of competition undefeated. Quebec downed Manitoba Magic 6-5 in overtime and Central Alberta Sting 6-1. Ontario beat Alberta’s Zone 5 Pack 8-3 and Calgary Pursuit 8-2. New Brunswick posted an 8-4 win over Zone 5 Pack and beat British Columbia 9-2. Manitoba downed the Saskatoon Selects 10-4 and the Outaouais Extrême 5-2. Alberta also downed the Saskatoon Selects with a score of 9-4 and beat St. Albert Mission 7-4. Edmonton Elite round out the U16 teams who are undefeated with an 8-3 win over the Manitoba Magic and a 7-6 win over Saskatchewan. Moncton’s Britney Snowdon led the opening day scoring in the U16 division with 12 points – two goals and five assists in the game over Zone 5 and four goals and an assist in the game against British Columbia.
In the U19 division, five out of 14 teams are undefeated after the first day of play. Ontario beat Alberta’s Zone 5 GRIT 6-5 and downed Saskatchewan 7-3. Central Alberta Sting beat Quebec’s Lac St. Louis 8-7 and downed Manitoba 7-5. British Columbia shut out St. Albert Mission 4-0 and beat Quebec 5-1. The Nepean Ravens beat Manitoba’s Eastman Flames 7-5 and St. Albert Mission 6-5. Alberta pulled a tight 3-2 win over the Regina Bandits and went on to beat Manitoba’s Eastman Flames 10-7 in the last game of the day. Lacombe’s Gillian Dreger led the scoring in the U19 division with 11 goals and two assists for the Central Alberta Sting. Dreger picked up six goals and an assist in the 7-5 win over Manitoba and five goals and one assist in the 8-7 win over Lac St. Louis.
Games are taking place at the Frank Lacroix Arena, MacDonald Island Park and Casman Centre in Fort McMurray as well as the Anzac Recreation Centre and Fort McKay Arena. Competition continues all week and the finals will be held on Saturday, April 4th (U19 at 11:30, NRL at 13:30 and U16 at 16:00). All-stars and the NRL Annual Awards will be announced at the closing award ceremony on Saturday night.
Rosters, schedules, standings and stats can be found at the following links:
U16: http://www.leaguestat.com/ringettecanada/crc_u16/en/stats/schedule.php
U19: http://www.leaguestat.com/ringettecanada/crc_u19/en/stats/schedule.php
NRL: http://www.nationalringetteleague.ca/stats/schedule.php?view=day
Competition continues Tuesday, March 31 at 8:00 a.m. (MDT).
Results for Monday, March 30, 2015 at the 2015 Tim Hortons Canadian ringette championships in Wood Buffalo, Alberta:
U16 DIVISION
New Brunswick 8 Zone 5 Pack (AB) 4
Manitoba 10 Saskatoon Selects 4
Quebec 6 Manitoba Magic 5 (OT)
Calgary Pursuit 8 British Columbia 1
St. Alberta Mission (AB) 5 Outaouais Extrême 3
Saskatchewan 4 Central Alberta Sting 3
Alberta 9 Saskatoon Selects 4
Ontario 8 Zone 5 Pack (AB) 3
Edmonton Elite 8 Manitoba Magic 3
New Brunswick 9 British Columbia 2
Manitoba 5 Outaouais Extrême 2
Quebec 6 Central Alberta Sting 1
Ontario 8 Calgary Pursuit 2
Alberta 7 St. Albert Mission 4
Edmonton Elite 7 Saskatchewan 6
U19 DIVISION
Zone 5 GRIT (AB) 5 Edmonton Elite 3
Regina Bandits 5 Quebec 4 (OT)
British Columbia 4 St. Albert Mission (AB) 0
Central Alberta Sting 8 Lac St. Louis (QC) 7
Nepean Ravens (ON) 7 Eastman Flames (MB) 5
Manitoba 8 Saskatchewan 6
Ontario 6 Zone 5 GRIT (AB) 5
Lac St. Louis (QC) 7 Edmonton Elite 6
Alberta 3 Regina Bandits 2
British Columbia 5 Quebec 1
Nepean Ravens (ON) 6 St. Albert Mission (AB) 5
Central Alberta Sting 7 Manitoba 5
Ontario 7 Saskatchewan 3
Alberta 10 Eastman Flames (MB) 7
NRL DIVISION
Cambridge Turbos 6 Waterloo Wildfire 3
Richmond Hill Lightning 6 Edmonton WAM! 3
Ottawa Ice 6 Calgary RATH 4
Montreal Mission 7 Gloucester Devils 6
2015 has been proclaimed the ‘Year of Sport’ in Canada, which aims to celebrate the role that sport plays in our Canadian identity. Ringette Canada fully supports this proclamation and encourages all Canadians to celebrate sport in their communities.