NEWS PHOTO RYAN MCCRACKEN
Lauren Klick, of the Medicine Hat Mighty Ducks, looks for a shot while two members of the Northwest Wild pressure during the U19A final at the Ed Horvath Interprovincial Classic ringette tournament on Sunday, Dec. 8, 2019 at the Kinplex.
rmccracken@medicinehatnews.com@MHNMcCracken
The Medicine Hat Mighty Ducks left it all on the ice on Sunday afternoon at the Kinplex.
After falling into a four-goal deficit late in the second, the local U19A ringette squad rallied to within two before the clock finally ran out – forcing them to settle for silver in a 7-5 loss to Calgary’s Northwest Wild at the Ed Horvath Interprovincial Classic.
“We didn’t give up,” said Mighty Ducks captain Maggie Carrier. “No one looked down and we really picked up our game defensively. Everyone came around as a team and we popped some quick ones in the net and didn’t give up. This is my last tournament in Medicine Hat, so I’m not sad about the way we went out. It was a great finish.”
Wild captain Gemma De Marchi led her team to victory with a goal and three assists, while Alessia Ferrise added two goals and a helper.
Ashlyn Seale closed out the afternoon with a hat trick and an assist for Medicine Hat, while Amanda Robinson and Allison Mason rounded out the scoring.
“We played well-disciplined ringette this year,” said Mighty Ducks head coach Ryan Klick. “The team is really coming together. They’re supporting each other, they’re buying into our systems and stuff like that. We’re really proud of the girls and the effort they put forward this year.”
Medicine Hat went 1-1 against the Wild in the round robin while also picking up a pair of victories over the Saskatoon Ice before falling in the final. Carrier says the result only leaves her squad wanting more out of the rest of the season, and she anticipates they’ll cross paths with the Wild again when it matters even more.
“This is just the start. We’re looking to go to Westerns. We’re going to see this team at provincials and we know what they’re going to look like so we’re going to take it to them.”
The Mighty Ducks weren’t the only local squad to reach the podium this weekend. The Medicine Hat Riptide defeated the Strathmore Ice 5-1 to win U16A gold, the Matrix topped the Bow View Blazers 6-1 for U16B gold and the Force defeated the Smash 6-5 in an all-Medicine Hat Open B final.
In other tournament action, the Regina Gators took U14B gold with a 2-1 win over the Northwest Mayhem, and in U14A, the Northwest Rampage won gold with a 6-2 win over the Bow View Vex. A score from the U12B final between Lethbridge and Bow View was not available by press time.
