Phoenix rises to city ringette title

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This article was published 14/03/2012 (5134 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The ringette season started off as a walk in the park for the Southdale Phoenix, but in the end they were pushed to the limit.

The Phoenix won the gold medal of the Winnipeg Ringette League’s Petite B2 Division on March 10 with a 5-3 win over the Winakwa Wildcats.

The team of 10- and 11-year-olds looked like it was going to romp its way to a championship as it went undefeated through the first half of the season. But after the league reseeded its teams at the midway point, the competition became much more intense.

“Our division ended up in a four-way tie for first place (at 5-3) out of the six teams,” said head coach Serena Brennan.

The Phoenix found their groove again at the right time, going undefeated in the playoffs, including an overtime win over the Fort Garry Fire in the semifinals.

“Ecstatic” was the word Brennan used to describe her face-painted group of players after their gold-medal victory. It was a second city championship for Janelle Bobula, Kristen Krutish, Sydney Woods and assistant coach Guy Woods.

And it kept a remarkable run intact for goalie Lauren Doepker. The 11-year-old from Royalwood has played ringette for four years, and has won a gold medal each time.

“I just try my hardest and come out always winning,” Doepker said. “I think I improved a lot this year.”

Doepker may be getting to be an old hand at winning championships, but she can tell that the task is getting tougher by the year.

“We had more competition this year,” she said, “but I still knew we could do it. We were just really happy we won. We knew we worked hard for it.”

Brennan said improvement throughout the year was a key for all the players on her roster, along with a willingness to play as a team.

“We were a well-rounded team,” Brennan said. “We weren’t relying on one or two players. And the girls got closer throughout the year. For lots of them it was their first time playing together.”

As the team came together, it became better in tight games. Falling behind early didn’t discourage the Phoenix, it only made the players dig deeper.

“This team never gave up,” Brennan said. “Anytime we were down throughout the year they never gave in. It was a hard-working team.”

The Phoenix wasn’t the only ringette team from southeast Winnipeg to claim the city’s top prize. The Southdale Ring Jets won the Novice C Division, the Dakota Thunder won the Novice A Division and Dakota (Staples) was champions of the Belle B Division.

All 20 championships in the 212-team Winnipeg Ringette League were decided on March 10 at Gateway Recreation Centre.

 

avi.saper@canstarnews.com