Discipline down the line

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This article was published 19/1/2018 (932 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

There’s been no sign of a sophomore slump for the Kildonan East Reivers women’s hockey team this season.

Heading into a Jan. 19 game against Collège Pierre-Elliott-Trudeau, the Reivers had won seven games in regulation, tied one, and dropped a pair in overtime. While their record put them in fourth place of the five team Hire Marketing Division with 17 points, assistant coach Taylor Wilgosh counts the season a success so far.

"I’ve seen a lot of improvements in the girl," said Wilgosh, a hairstyling instructor at KEC. "The girls are working really well together, even our Grade 9s and 12s. It’s nice to see their relationships building. From a teacher’s point of view, that’s what I’m looking for."

While some of the players come from a hockey background, Wilgosh said the girls who came to the team from ringette or without any hockey experience have improved tremendously since the beginning of the season.

"The girls who are new to the game, they can take passes and make passes, take shots on the net," she said. "That’s huge, it keeps the flow of the game going."

Coming off a tough inaugural season, when the team didn’t win a single game, Wilgosh said the attitude the girls have this year has been a big factor.

"They’re more encouraging, they’re coming to the rink ready to play. They amp each other up."

As of Jan. 19, Boppy Kavanagh led the Reivers scoring with 11 goals and three assists for 14 points and only two penalty minutes. All-star goalie Samantha Robert had a record of 7-7-1 and a goals against average of 2.59, while veteran blueliner Meghan Young, also selected for the league all-star game, had posted five goals and three assists, and a team high 29 PIMs.

With only four games left on the schedule, the Reivers will be looking to curtail their trips to the penalty box before playoffs start in February.

"Penalties are our biggest downfall," Wilgosh admitted. "When we play a whole game short handed it’s not fun. That’s part of the reason why we’re not winning as much as we could be."

If the Reivers can stay out of the box, Wilgosh feels they should put up a good fight in the playoffs.

"We know we can be the top of our division," she said. "We’ll push for that. As a team, they really want to make it there, to get the recognition that they’ve worked their butts off."