CANORA – In spite of missing a number of key players, the Parkland Prairie Ice girls hockey team played hard in a home game in Canora against the visiting Swift Current Colts on Feb. 8, but went down to defeat by the score of 3-1.
The Ice got off to a slow start, outshot 15-2 in the first period. But goalie Ty Northrop of Norquay stood tall, and the game was scoreless heading into the second period.
Swift Current was the first to hit the scoreboard early in the second period. But instead of feeling sorry for themselves the Ice bounced back in the final 40 minutes, outshooting the visitors 22-18 in what turned out to be a highly competitive game.
After the Colts went up 2-0 early in the third period, Morgan Olson of Sturgis cut the lead in half with a power play goal for the Ice, banging in a feed from line mate Leah Braun of Swan River. But just when it looked like the Ice were on their way to tying the score, the Colts scored again to put the game out of reach.
Even though they were playing with a short bench, Ice Coach Nicole Korpusik said she was pleased with “how the girls showed up to play,” against the Colts.
Things did not get off to a great start for the Ice, being outplayed in the first period.
“I think the Colts were playing well and taking advantage of their opportunities better than we were in the first period,” said Korpusik. “We were breaking the puck out relatively well, but not getting shots off in their end when we needed to.”
The first period intermission proved to be a positive break for the Ice.
“After a chat in between periods the girls made a few calculated shifts and took advantage of our power play opportunities,” said Korpusik. “We put the puck on the net and dug deep to stay competitive.”
During the game the Ice only gave up two power play opportunities to the Colts, while earning seven power plays themselves. Korpusik said her team did a good job combining discipline with controlled aggression, “especially when they got tired. It's easy to fall into old habits or let their fatigue result in tripping or hooking penalties, so I was glad they kept their feet moving and stayed out of the box for the most part.”
With a full lineup, the Ice would usually have 16 skaters, other than goalies. Korpusik said, due to illness, exams and other commitments, they’ve only had about a dozen skaters for games during the last month or so, but said the team continues to produce memorable moments as the season rolls along.
“We had our first league win on Friday (Feb. 6). It was awesome! Our motto for the season has been to focus on all the small things, the little successes and that will eventually result in bigger wins. We're starting to see that happen! Our girls also found some success on the scoreboard in tournament play in January, I think after Friday's game, we were three wins and only one loss in our last four games so that is a great sign!”
Increased success in recent games has come from continued hard work.
“We have seen a marked improvement in the girls' skills and in how well they are playing together,” said Korpusik. “We have been implementing some new systems, which we are starting to see work in games, and the playing shorthanded has made them more resilient and increased their endurance, which is paying off now later in the season."
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