Girls’ hockey program reaches new heights

When the Fort Frances girls’ hockey program first took to the ice three years ago, the coaches were content on breaking down the game into the most simple steps.
But that program is starting to take much bigger steps, as evident by D&A Construction’s victory at a seven-team Bantam tournament in Dryden last weekend.
The Fort captured the tourney title in dramatic fashion when Andrea Lafleur scored 2:34 into overtime to beat the Thunder Bay Haze 1-0.
Co-coach Stuart McIvor said the team used a consistent 1-2-2 forecheck, which sent one player deep on the puck in the offensive zone to help create pressure on the opposition’s puck carrier.
That system worked to perfection, he added, as the Fort was able to create turnovers and help stop Thunder Bay from moving the puck out of their own zone.
That, combined with a strong physical style of play, helped the Fort pull off the upset.
“The referee did a really good jog calling the game in regards to body contact,” said McIvor. “When there’s body contact, our girls play better. We seem to thrive on the physical play.”
They also seemed to thrive on defence, allowing just five goals in five games.
McIvor said the Fort squad, comprised of girls aged 14-19, were led defensively by the trio of Erin McIvor, Dawn DeGagne, and Katelyn Kelly, and the stellar goaltending of Alison McIvor (who earned two straight shutouts in the playoffs).
But he stressed it was a team effort that produced the win–showing just how far the program has come in a relatively short time.
“We talked about this afterwards,” he noted. “Three years ago, we used to get waxed by double digits and we would see 50 or 60 shots against us on our goal.
“In the previous years, Dryden was our perennial rival, and now we have leapfrogged over them and then we beat Thunder Bay, which was unheard of before,” he enthused.
And McIvor envisions more good things for the local girls’ hockey program.
D&A Construction reached the final with another 1-0 win over a Thunder Bay opponent, this time nipping the West End Bruins. McIvor recorded the shutout in goal, including a big stop on a breakaway in the last minute of the game.
Jodi Barker netted the game-winning goal at 7:52 of the second period, assisted by Jennifer Caul.
The Fort finished with a 1-1-1 record in pool play, and needed help from the Basic Machine Steelers (Dryden) to knock off the Sportop Panthers (Thunder Bay) to earn a spot in the playoffs.
D&A Construction opened play Friday night with a 2-2 tie against the Panthers, paced by a two-goal effort from Erin McIvor. The Panthers salvaged the tie with just 3:23 to go.
On Saturday, they skated to a 3-1 win over the Steelers. Tied at 1-1 after the first on a goal by Caul, Barker snapped the deadlock with a goal at 7:31 of the middle frame.
Shannon Koval, assisted by McIvor, then iced the win with 2:31 left.
The Fort closed out pool play later Saturday with a narrow 2-1 loss to the Thunder Bay Ice Gators. Ivory Tuesday scored the lone Fort goal at 12:59 of the second, assisted by Barker.
The Ice Gators had opened up a 2-0 first-period lead.
While McIvor admitted his team struggled a bit in pool play, he said they definitely played better as the tournament wore on, picking up the “intensity” against the stronger competition.