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VG Hockey September Recap: D-Core Leads Way

By Bernie Pimm
(Corrected Oct. 2)
In what was a hectic start to the season, the Stanstead College Varsity Girls Hockey Spartans got off to a 5-2 start on the season, going 4-1 at the prestigious Stoney Creek Showcase. This was a first for the Spartans, who returned with a 3-2 record the last three years in a row.

At Stoney Creek, the girls were dominant over the first 3 games defeating Madison Capitals 7-0, Detroit Little Caesars 4-0 and Milwaukee Admirals 7-1. Several players scored over these three games, including rookies Stephanie Borque (1G + 2A, 2022 grad) and Karel Prefontaine (4G, 2023 grad). Portia Eldaun (1G +1A, 2020 grad) also nabbed her first of the year and first goal in a Stanstead uniform. With a strong defensive corps, led by Hannah Johnson (2A - Syracuse 2020), Dominique Cormier (3G + 1A - Princeton 2021) and Emilie Fortunato, (3G -Team Canada Summer Invite, 2020 grad), the Spartans are developing an impressive transition game, putting their opponents on their heels every shift. In total, our D-Core combined for 10 goals and 9 assists for 19 points in 5 games. Emily Holmes (4A - Team New Brunswick, 2020 grad) was exceptional in a defensive role, leading with 21 stops/stuffs on the weekend.

The weekend also revealed how tough it is for the girls to prepare properly for prime-time opposition, as they were defeated by a very strong Chicago Mission 5-1. Off to a rough start, taking 3 penalties in a row, including a 3-vs-5, the girls got behind 3-0 early. Emilie Fortunato made it 3-1 midway through the second off a hard point shot. Karel Prefontaine subsequently hit the crossbar, a near goal that might have turned the tide. Instead, Chicago cashed in on another Spartan turnover to make it 4-1 at the end of two. The girls learned a lot about themselves, eventually falling 5-1 to a Chicago Mission team that went on to earn second place overall, losing 1-0 in the final to a stacked Etobicoke Dolphins team.

Regrouping, committing to a more disciplined team game, the girls dominated OHA Juniors, despite only winning 1-0. Shots in this game were 34-11 in favour of the Spartans. Ironically, Jane Gervais (3-1, 2SO - Wisconsin 2020) had to make a game-saving breakaway stop with 3 seconds left on the clock! She turned a successful weekend, going 3-1 with two shutouts. Other standout performances included Marianne Picard (2G + 2A - Wisconsin 2020, Team Canada U-18 Summer Series), Karel Prefontaine (4G - 2023), and Audrey McCutcheon (3G + 1A - RPI 2021).

September 21 (Bishop's), September 28 (HTI Institute)
The girls took part in a great celebration of Women in Sport Day at Bishop’s University on Saturday, September 21, playing the Bishop’s University club team. With an abbreviated lineup and despite outshooting Bishops 29-14, our girls lost 4-3 to a very well-coached team whose goaltender was superb!

The main attraction for the day, was an hour with guest speaker Kate Bierness of TSN, who shared her path as an athlete into the professional world of broadcasting. Regardless of the game outcome, this was a fantastic day of building and bonding.

On September 28, our Spartans hosted Hockey Training Institute(HTI) from Toronto, a competitive squad with several good European players. This was a close game, 2-1, until the 14:00 minute mark of the third period, when our girls exploded for 3 goals in less than 5 minutes. Finishing 6-1, the girls finally showed how explosive we can be within our team structure. This should be a breakthrough game for us as we were 3/6 on power play. Laurence Frenette showed her 2018-2019 form with 1G and 4A, while Emile Fortunato kept up her rapid offensive pace to start the season with 2 more assists.

Stoney Creek Showcase Statistics
https://stoneycreekbaashowcase2019.gameonmobile.com/league/7847/statistics
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