SELECTS TRAVEL TO SHOAL LAKE FOR GAME 5 OF THEIR SERIES VS THE CHIEFS

The Selects travelled out to Shoal Lake on Saturday for the winner take all final game of the series vs the Chiefs. From the moment the girls boarded the bus it was evident that they were ready to play. Coach Bram and his coaching team made a couple of tweaks to the lineup once again that paid immediate dividends once the puck dropped. The opening 10 minutes was an awesome display of detrmination and hard work by the Selects and they were rewarded when #4 Anikka Purdom (#12 Marcon,#11 Stotski) let a shot go from the point to make it 1-0. The Chiefs battled hard to get the equalizer, but #30 Raina Rempel stood tall in net stopping everything they brought and the Selects ended the period ahead 1-0. The second period opened with more back and forth action and the Chiefs eventually tied it up to make the score 1-1 heading into the second intermission.  The third period play continued to be non-stop back and forth action and the Chiefs scored their second goal around the 9 minute mark to take a 2-1 lead. Coach Bram settled his girls and what followed was an unbelieveable 10 minutes of hockey where one team tried everything they could to defend and the other gave it their all to score. The selects accomplished this with only 59 seconds left in the game when #3 Cami Enns (#8 Tosh, #5 Dundas) sent a bullet from the point past the Chiefs goalie into the top corner of the net with the Selects goalie out of the net for the extra attacker.  TIE GAME 1-1 GOING INTO OVERTIME

To say the air was thick and tense would be an understatement. Both teams came out for the overtime ready to play, but also filled with the knowledge that their season could end with one shot. The Selects and Chiefs battled hard and traded chances, but ended the first overtime tied at 2.

The second overtime period was equally as intense as the first one, but unfortunately the Chiefs scored to take the victory and series 3-2. The season always ends at some point, but the Selects walked away from the season with a new found respect in the league and with their heads held high taking the defending champions to double overtime in the deciding game of the series. Way to go girls, we are all proud of you!

 

SELECTS DROP GAME 4 OF SERIES IN STEINBACH

The Chiefs travelled out to Steinbach for game 4 of the best of five series with their backs against the wall facing the prospect of their season ending with a loss. The Seletc played hard, but ultimately fell to the Chiefs by a score of 5-0.

SELECTS TAKE GAME 3 OF OPENING SERIES VS YELLOWHEAD CHIEFS IN SHOAL LAKE

The Selects travelled out to Shoal lake for game 3 of the opening series this past Sunday for an afternoon game. Coach Bram and his staff changed things up a bit in terms of the lineup for game 3 and it payed off immediately. #7 Callie Phillippe (#22 Warkentin, #10 Christensen) opened the scoring with a blast from the point to give the Selects and early lead and the girls added two more quick goals by #17 Lesuk ((#3 Enns, #14 Dinnin) and #8 Tosh (#17 Lesuk, #4 Purdom) to go ahead 3-0 by the end of the first period.

Period 2 saw the Chiefs score 2 goals a few minutes apart to pull within one, but Coach Bram decided to change the flow of the game by switching goalies after the second goal. #30 Rain Rempel had been playing well, but as all experienced coaches know, a change can often refocus your team and set things back on course. The switch worked and the Selects responded with some better play in front of their goalie (now #33 Raygan Kirk). The second period ended 3-2 for the Selects.

The 3rd period opened with some strong play from the girls and their discipline paid off when the play became extremely physical. #5 Paige Dindas added a 4th goal on a nice pass from #17 Lesuk to make it 4-2. #11 Sydney Stotski (#8 Tosh, #3 Enns) added a fifth goal to make it 5-2. The last few minutes of the game were penalty filled, but the girls kept disciplined and ran out the clock to take a 5-2 win and 2-1 lead in the series. Game 4 is set for Tuesday night in stenbach at 8:00 pm. Come on out and cheer on your Selects as teh y look for another win!

SELECTS STORM BACK AND TAKE GAME 2 OF THE 2016-2017 OPENING SERIES AGAINST THE CHIEFS

The Yellowhead Chiefs travelled to Steinbach for game two of the best of five series on Friday night and ran into a motivated Eastman team that was ready to play. #33 Raygan Kirk set the tone early with some outstanding saves. She continued her strong play throughout the game and proved to be unsolvable on this night. #14 Chelsea Dinnin (#19 Hamm,#22 Warkentin) opened up the scoring in the first period, giving Eastman a 1-0 lead going into the first intermission. The Chiefs and Selects traded scoring chances throughout a very physical 2nd and 3rd periods, but it was Eastman that came out on top when #14 Dinnin (#8 Tosh) netted her second goal of the game into an empty net while Yellowhead had six attackers on the ice desperately searching for the tying goal. Game three takes place this Sunday afternoon in Shoal Lake and promises to be a barn burner! Go Selects Go! Game 4 goes Tuesday night in Steinbach.

 

SELECTS DROP CLOSE GAME 1 0F 2016-2017 PLAYOFFS AGAINST CHIEFS

The Selects travelled out to Shoal lake on Wednesday night to take on the Yellowhead Chiefs in game 1 of their best of 5 opening playoff series. Coach Bram, Enns and Mason had the girls keyed up and ready to go right from the start. The girls had Yellowhead back on their heels for the first 10 minutes or so of the game. They came out skating hard and beat the Chiefs to the puck consistently. One mistake was all that it took for the Chiefs to capitalize when they picked up a giveway at the Selects bench and stormed in slipping the puck past #30 Raina Rempel as she transitioned across the net to take on a Chiefs shooter who had received a nice pass on an odd man rush.

The girls quickly dusted themselves off and got back to work trying to get the equalizer, but unfortunately were unable to put one by the Chiefs goaltender who played well. #30 Raina Rempel played fantastic in net, stopping the Chiefs time and time again as they tried to pull ahead. If the Selects goalies continue to play like this it will be a long series for the Chiefs.

In the end the Chiefs prevailed by a score of 1-0, but truthfully the game could have gone either way. Game 2 of the series takes place this Friday night in Steinbach at the TG Smith arena. Come on out and cheer on your Selects and get in for free if you have a Selects jersey on!

SELECTS DEFEAT LIGHTNING TWICE AND SPLIT WEEKEND SERIES WITH CAPITALS

DURING FINAL WEEKEND OF REGULAR SEASON

The Selects hosted the Interlake Lightning this past Thursday in Steinbach and came out ready to play! From the drop of the puck the girls were ready to go and controlled most of the play.  Goaltender #30 Raina Rempel was tested 16 times during the game and stood tall earning the shutout! The Selects notched 6 goals (#18 Munroe, #9 Mason, #14 Dininn, #21 Joyal, #22 (2) Warkentin ) and got assists from (#19 Hamm, #9 Mason, #17 Lesuk and 3 assists from both #18 Munroe and # 3 Enns). Great game by our girls!

Friday night saw the girls travel out to Portage LaPrairie to take on the Central Plains Capitals. The Girls battled hard, but ultimately came up short losing a heartbreaker by a score of 1-0.

Saturday's rematch in Portage saw the girls come out ready to play. From the playing of O'Canada (beeautiful singing by #14 Dinnin) the girls were all business. The Selects battled hard and played tough. Coach Bram switched things up a bit and moved Captain #22 Warkentin to a wing position and it paid off when Warkentin combined with #19 Hamm to set up #17 Lesuk for the tying goal late in the 1st period. The Caps had scored earlier in the period when an errand shot bounced off the back of the Selects Goalies head ( #30 Raina Rempel). The second period saw no goals scored by either team. The 3rd period saw more back and forth play but #19 Hamm (#7 Phillippe, #11 Stotski) put the Selects ahead 2-1 with a well placed shot past the sprawling Caps goalie. Eastman scored a 3rd goal when #19 Hamm (#5 Dundas, #8 Tosh) put a beauty backhand past the Caps goalie with less than a minute left.

The Selects final game of the regular season took place in Steinbach on Sunday afternoon against the Interlake Lightning. The Selects coaching staff moved some players around for the final game of the season. The girls came out playing hard and never looked back. All of the Selects players contributed to the 13-2 final score which was nice to see. Multiple players had multiple point games and goalie #33 Raygan Kirk played well when tested. The girls will now prepare for their first round playoff series against the Yellowhead Chiefs that starts this Wednesday night in Shoal Lake.

 

JWHL WEEKEND IN MINNEAPOLIS

 

The Selects travelled to Minneapolis on January 20 - 22 for a series of games against opponents from the Junior Womens Hockey League. All of the games took place at the beautiful University of Minneapolis Ridder and Mariucci Arenas (home rinks of the University of Minnesota Golden Gopher Womens and Mens teams). On Friday, the Selects played well as they faced the North American Hockey Academy Prep team from Stowe, Vermont. NAHA led after the 1st period by a score of 1-0, but the Selects fought back and tied the game up early in the 3rd when #3 Cami Enns scored a beauty from the point (assist to #5 Dundas, #14 Dinnin). After some great back and forth action NAHA pulled ahead for good, scoring twice in the last few minutes of the game taking the 3-1 win.

Saturday saw the Selects taking part in two contests. The first game vs the Boston Shamrocks saw plenty of great play, but it was eveident from the start that the Selects had come to play. After ending the first period in a scoreless tie, the Selects struck twice in the second period when #5 Paige Dundas (#3 Enns, #8 Tosh) and #9 Mason Hunter scored to allow Eastman to lead 2-0 going into the final period. The 3 rd period saw a lot of great play by both teams, but ultimately the Selects were too much for the Shamrocks and won 2-0. #30 Raina Rempel stood tall in net earning the shutout.

The second game of the day saw the Selects facing off against the Washington (D.C.) Pride. The Selects controlled the majority of the game, directing 52 shots towards the Pride net, but were unable to solve the outstanding goalie from Washington. Eastman Goalie #33 Raygan Kirk played well and stopped the 5 shots that she faced.  At the end of the game the score was tied at 0-0 , where it ended.

Sunday brought a return match against the NAHA team from Vermont. The game saw a lot of back and forth play and an even number of shots (25 for Eastman, 22 for NAHA). The game remained scoreless through two periods of play, but NAHA slipped one past #30 Raina Rempel with 3 minutes to go in the game. The Selects fell 1-0.

Overall it was a great experience for the girls and Eastman established itself as a program to watch and a program that can play with the best teams in any country. The Selects return to the ice on Monday, January 23rd to prepare for their next game against the Winnipeg Avros which takes place this Wednesday, January 25th in Steinbach.

 

SELECTS TAKE ON POLAR ICE

The Selects suited up and took on the Polar Ice from the Manitoba Junior Womens Hockey League in an exhibition game this past Sunday in Garson  Manitoba. The Polar Ice are a top notch junior team in the MWJHL and would prove to be a tough opponent for the girls. The Selects opened up the scoring with a nice first period powerplay goal from #14 Chelsea Dinnin who received a beautiful pass from #5 Paige Dundas and #22 Lauren Warkentin. The first period saw a lot of pressing by the girls, but they were unable to solve the Polar Ice goaltender, despite several great scoring chances. The second period saw more pressure by the Selects, but again they skated into the second intermission leading only by a score of 1-0.

The third period saw the Polar Ice pressing hard for a tieing goal, but #19 Michaela Hamm blocked a shot on the penalty kill and rushed the puck down the ice to tally a nice short handed goal. #30 Raina Rempel was steady between the pipes and held the Polar Ice off of the scoresheet securing a 2-0 win. The Selects now prepare for a JWHL weekend in Minneapolis where they will take on the top prep teams in the North America.

SELECTS TAKE ON THE WILDCATS

The Selects took on the Westman Wildcats this past weekend with two home games on Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning. The Wildcats who lead the league standings proved to be a tough test for our girls.

The Saturday afternoon game featured Raina Rempel in net who played extremely well allowing only one goal. The Selects were unable to muster much of an offensive game and struggled for most of the game to break through the tough forechecking and stallwart defensive play of the Wildcats. In the end, Westman prevailed 1-0.

Sunday's game saw coach Bill Bram shuffle his lines up and the girls responded to the changes made. Westman struck first with a goal halfway through the second period and then again a few minutes later to make it 2-0, but the selects struck back quickly with a tally of their own by #14 Chelsea Dinnin (assists #17 Lesuk and #19 Hamm) to make it 2-1 after 2 periods. The Selects tied it up in the 3rd on the power play when #19 Michaela Hamm (assists #5 Dundas and #14 Dinnin) snapped in a rebound during a goal mouth scramble. Less than a minute later the Wildcats pulled ahead again when they scored on a shot from the top of the face off circle on a rush. The Selects pressed hard, but fell just short of tieing up the game before time expired. 3-2 Final for Westman.

The Selects now buckle down to get ready for their JWHL weekend in Minneapolis with some practicing and exhibition games over the next week or so.

EASTMAN DOWNS THE WILD IN OT

The Selects took on the Norman Wild in a weekday game this past Thursday in Steinbach. The Selects seemed to struggle finding their skating legs for the first few periods of the game and trailed 1-0 heading into the 3 rd peirod of play.  #17 Kylie Lesuk scored early in the third period (assists to #3 Enns and #14 Dinnin) to tie the game at 1. Shortly after that Norman scored again to take a 2-1 lead, but a few minutes later #17 Lesuk scored her second of the game (assists to #3 Enns and #19 Hamm) to tie the game up at 2. The 3rd period ended with the game tied and the Selects down a player (penalty). The Overtime period opened up with a short power play for Norman and then the Selects went to work pressuring the Wild for the win (heavily at times). With just over a minute to go in overtime #14 Chelsea Dinnin slapped in a rebound in the crease after a goalmouth scramble to give the Selects the victory (assists to #17 Lesuk and #22 Warkentin). The Selects will be back in action with a double header against the Westman Wildcats this weekend in Steinbach.

SELECTS DOMINATE THE LIGHTNING

The Selects travelled out to Warren, Manitoba to take on the Interlake Lightning on Friday, December 30th. The girls were ready to play from the drop of the puck in the first period and took it to the Lightning right from the start. Several players had strong games including the team Captain #22 Lauren Warkentin who scored 3 goals for the first hat trick of her career. Congratulations Lauren! #30 Raina Rempel was not that busy in net, but was sharp when called upon. Congratulations Raina on the shutout!.  # 11 Sydney Stotski, #10 Sam Christensen and #21 Taylor Joyal added goals to help the Selects take a 6-0 win. #14 Chelsea Dinnin, #12 Tessa Marcon, #11 Sydney Stotski, #10 Sam Christensen and #19 Michaela Hamm added the assists. The Selects will now prepare for the Norman Wild who will visit Steinbach on Thursday, January 5th

SELECTS SWEEP WEEKEND SERIES AGAINST CAPITALS

The Selects opened up their  2 game mini home series with a strong effort on Saturday afternoon against the Central Plains Capitals. The first period opened with a quick Selects power play goal by #5 Paige Dundas (assisted by #3 Cami Enns). The Capitals tied the game up with a goal of their own just before the peiod ended to send the teams into the 1st intermission tied at 1. Coach Bill Bram must have had a good chat with the girls between periods because a different Selects team started the 2nd period. There was a noticable increase in effort and pace and the Selects were rewarded with a goal from #11 Sydney Stotski ( #5 Dundas,#19 Hamm) to take a 2-1 lead into the dressing room at the end of 2 periods. The third period saw a number of penalties assessed to each team and some rough play, but the Selects prevailed and pulled farther ahead with another goal courtesy of a great shot from the point from #3 Cami Enns (#19 Hamm,#17 Lesuk). #19 Michaela Hamm (#11 Stotski,#5 Dundas) then added a fourth goal with a nice shot from the slot that beat the CP goaltender. The Capitals replied with a late power play goal to make it 4-2, but ultimately the Selects took the win in a convincing fashion. #30 Raina Rempel played a solid game in net for the Selects and made 26 saves.

Sunday's 2nd game provided the fans in attendance with a real nail biter. The Selects opened the scoring when #14 Chelsea Dinnin tapped in a nice rebound provided by (#17 Lesuk and #3 Enns). The Capitals replied a short time later on the power play to tie the game at 1 heading into the first intermission. The girls came out skating harder in the second 20 minutes and were rewarded with a nice goal by #12 Tessa Marcon (#17 Lesuk). The Capitals replied once again tying the game up at 2 and that's the way the second period ended. The third period has some good back and forth play, but no goals were scored. The 4 on 4 overtime period saw some great chances, but neither team was able to score. The Selects entered the shootout phase of overtime, having lost in their previous 4 attempts but prevailed when #10 Sam Christensen scored on her chance and then #14 Chelsea Dinnin buried a beauty deke on the CP goaltender to end the game in the 4th round of the shootout. #33 Raygan Kirk played extremely well in net and stood tall during the shootout to help the Selects capture the win. The Selects face off against the rival Winnipeg Avros on Wednesday night in Steinbach at 7:00 pm. Make sure to be there!

SELECTS DEFEAT AVROS

The Selects continued on their roll of excellent play, by travelling to Winnipeg and defeating the Winnipeg Avros 2-1.  The girls have bought into the concept of total team play and the results are showing. Eastman opened the scoring at the end of the first period when #17 Kylie Lesuk skillfully slammed the puck into the net while she was on the ice. #19 Michaela Hamm made it 2-0 early in the second period when she received a beautiful saucer pass from #3 Cami Ens (#10 Sam Christensen) and skated down the ice splitting the Avros defence and beating the Winnipeg goalie with a deke and low shot. The Selects then settled down to some good defensive play that continuously shut down the Avros as they tried to come back. #33 Raygan Kirk played extremely stopping 22 of the 23 shots that she faced. The Avros added a late power play goal with 1:08 seconds left in the game, but ultimately the Selects prevailed. Great job girls!

SELECTS DOMINATE WINGS

The Selects played game two of their doubleheader series vs the Weyburn Wings on Sunday at the Iceplex. The Wings were fresh off a win against the Central Plains Capitals from the night before, so they were ready to play. The Selects started off where they had left off the day before and dominated the majority of the play. #7 Callie Phillippe (assist #5 Dundas)  opened the scoring 1:10 into the game to make it 1-0. The game settled down for a bit until #19 Michaela Hamm ( #4 Purdom, #5 Dundas) roofed a shot coming out from behind the net to make it 2-0. #22 Warkentin (#8 Tosh) made it 3-0 after leaving the penalty box and rifling a slapshot through the Weyburn goalie.  The second period opened with a quick Weyburn goal that slipped by #33 Raygan Kirk who had a strong game. #9 Hunter Mason (#4 Purdom, #14 Dinnin) continued the second period scoring  and then added a second unassisted goal with a beautiful rush and dangle to make it 5-1. The third period became a chippy affair with a constant stream of players being sent to the box and the Selects added two more goals from #7 Phillippe (#21 Joyal, #5 Dundas) and #14 Dinnin (#21 Joyal). The game ended with a 7-1 victory for the Selects.

The Selects faced off against the AAA Midget Weyburn Wings today at the iceplex in Winnipeg as part of the Hockey Manitoba showcase weekend. The girls played hard and skated well, right from the drop of the puck. The line combination of #5 Paige Dundas, #11 Sydney Stotski and #19 Michaela Hamm had a great game today. #19 Hamm (assists to #5 Dundas and #11 Stotski) opened the scoring 9 minutes into the first period to make it 1-0. 3 minutes later #3 Cami Enns completed a beautiful passing play with a booming slapper from the point to make it 2-0 (assists to #19 Hamm and #5 Dundas). The second period saw the Selects press hard and they were rewarded with a nice goal by # 11 Stotski (assists to #19 Hamm and #3 Enns). They ended the period leading the Wings by a score of  3-0. The third peiod opened with a Weyburn goal 4 minutes in to make it 3-1, but the Selects buckled down and came back with a nice goal by #19 Hamm (assisted by #5 Dundas and #11 Stotski) to restore the 3 goal lead. The game ended with the Selects ahead by a score of 4-1. #30 Raina Rempel was sharp in net making the big save when it was needed. The Selects and Wings face off again tomorrow at the Iceplex for game two of their weekend series.

 

SELECTS FIGHT CANCER

Congratulations to the Selects who helped raise $21860.50 for cancer research! The Selects faced off against the Pembina Valley Hawks in their cancer care game. Way to go girls!

 

SELECTS SPLIT THE WEEKEND SERIES WITH THE PEMBINA VALLEY HAWKS

The Selects faced off against the Pembina Valley Hawks this past weekend with two home games on the schedule. Saturdays matinee game saw the Selects jump out to a quick lead just three minutes into the game when #19 Michaela Hamm received a pass from #7 Callie Phillippe in the Eastman end of the rink rushing it up the ice through a few Hawk defenders and then finishing the rush with a bullet to the top corner. The Selects continued their quick start playing hard and ending the first period leading by a score of 1-0.  Five minutes into the second period the Selects struck agin when #11 Sydny Stotski buried a rebound in the crease to make it 2-0 Selects (Assists to #7 Phillippe and #22 Warkentin). The Selects then buckled down a were able to withstand the waves of attacks from the Hawks to walk away with a 2-0 victory. #30 Raina Rempel had an awesome game in net, repeatedly stopping the Hawks cold each time they pressed for a goal.

Sunday's game took place in Selkirk where the Selects faced off against the Hawks in the "Hockey Beats Cancer" showcase game. The Selects, who were down three regulars played hard, but ultimately fell by a score of 4-1 against the Hawks. The lone Select goal was scored by #18 Kellie Munro, assisted by #10 Sam Christensen.  The Selects now have a week off from games and will be practicing hard to take on the league champion Yellowhead Chiefs in Steinbach two weeks from now.

SELECTS TRAVEL TO THOMPSON TO TAKE ON THE WILD

The Selects travelled to Thompson this past weekend to take on the Wild on Saturday night and Sunday morning. The trip started off well with great "team building" during the 7 hour drive to Thompson. The Selects played well on Saturday night defeating the Wild by a score of 3 to 1. #30 Raina Rempel played a solid game in net for the win. # 3 Cami Enns opened the scoring for the Selects with a beauty shot from the point after a feed from #22  Lauren Warkentin.  The second goal of the game came from rookie Select #14 Chelsea Dinnin and #4  Annika Prudom capped off the scoring with the third goal of the game (assisted by #9 Hunter Mason and #3 Cami Enns).

Sunday morning saw the Selects start off slow once again giving up the first goal of the game only minutes into the first period. The Selects pressed hard and were rewarded with their first goal of the game from #14 Chelsea Dinnin (assisted by #22 Warkentin and #21 Joyal). MIchaela Hamm #19 had a great period scoring the Selects 2nd (assists to #16 Emily Grossman and #11 Sydney Stotski) and 3rd goals (unassisted). #11 Sydney Stotski added a goal in the third (assists to #7 Phillippe and # 3 Enns) and #14 Dinnin rounded out the scoring with her 2nd of the game after a beautiful pass from #10 Sam Christensen. The Selects got their 2nd win of the weekend defeating the Wild by a final score of 5-2. #33 Raygan Kirk played extremely well in net earning the victory. The Selects now will turn their attention to 2 games against the PV Hawks this upcoming weekend. Great job girls!.