Olympiens wins top WWHSHL title

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This article was published 24/03/2022 (1611 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It went down to the wire, but the Collège Jeanne-Sauvé Olympiens are the champions of the Winnipeg Women’s High School Hockey League’s CTV Division 1.

On March 17, the St. Vital-based Olympiens beat the Southdale-based J.H. Bruns Broncos 3-0 at BellMTS Iceplex in the third game of their best-of-three final series.

The clash between the two southeast Winnipeg teams went to a decider after the Olympiens won the first game 4-0 on March 14, and then the Broncos levelled things up in a 3-2 nailbiter that went to double overtime on March 16.

Talking to Canstar the day after the first game, members of the Olympiens team looked back on the season to date and looked ahead to the next championship game the next day.

Mika Morand, a Grade 11 student who plays right wing and is an alternate team captain this season, said one of the team’s goals at the start of the season was to reach the championship final — and the players and coaches were true to their word.

“Everyone was really excited. (The first game) was a really good result for us, and we were all very hyped before the game. We were ready to be there,” Morand said.

Annika Devine, a Grade 11 student who plays centre and is also an alternate team captain this season, has been really impressed with the team’s work ethic and togetherness this season, not least because of the combination of players from different grades.

“We’ve been working really hard as a team this season. Everyone’s been showing up and playing hard. Teamwork has been a big one. We’ve been learning to play together and working well together,” Devine said.

Hannah Sobkow, a Grade 12 student who plays left wing and is the team’s captain, said she’s enjoying playing at the Iceplex, as it provides a different gameday experience and enhanced the majesty of the occasion, and she was looking forward to playing in the second game.

“Anything can happen, of course, but we’re still going to go and play our hardest. Playing at the Iceplex wasn’t like playing a regular game, partly because of the journey to the game. At the start of the year, everyone was excited to get back to playing hockey, especially after last season,” Sobkow said.

In the Broncos camp, team captain and left defenceman Emma-Rae Wallis and goaltender Katrina Johnston spoke to Canstar hours before taking to the ice for the third and decisive game. For both, it’s been the first time they’ve played in the league’s top division, and they’ve both seized the opportunity with both hands.

“The first division has definitely been a big change compared to the second division, and we knew going in that all of the teams would be hard competition. Of course, some teams have different strengths, but I’m pleased with how we’ve adjusted throughout the season,” Wallis, who is in Grade 11, said.

“We’ve never played in this division before, and the prospect of it was a bit nerve-racking, but we had a good feeling going into the season and we had a feeling we’d do some damage. We’ve had lots of hard games, but we’ve kind of found our groove,” added Johnston, who is in Grade 12.

Johnston said the finals were a great way to end her high hockey school career, not least because she had the opportunity to play on the team with her younger sister, Isabella, who is in Grade 9: “It was a really great honour to play with my sister. In other leagues, because of the age range, we’d never played together before.”

The Olympiens’ head coach is Melissa Blaine. Assistant coaches are Dominique Beaudet, Dominic Courcelles, and Lexie Siwak. The Broncos’ head coach is Maeve Savage. Assistant coaches are Ryley Lawry, Barry Williamson and Ryan Ophey. Tara Wallis is the team’s manager.

Go online at wwhshl.ca for more information.