SPORTS FLASHBACK 2013: Prairie Fire sweep NRL rivals at Steinbach ringette tourney

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This article was published 17/03/2024 (749 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Ringette took centre stage at the T.G. Smith Centre in Steinbach last weekend for the 24th Annual Steinbach Panthers Ringette Tournament.

Considered by many to be the premier ringette tournament in the province, anyone who took in any of the action last weekend could readily see why. There were three National Ringette League games during the weekend, featuring the Prairie Fire from Winnipeg, the second ranked team in Canada, taking on the Edmonton WAM.

Hosting this annual behemoth of a tournament is a huge undertaking. Tournament director Laura Oswald, who runs the show along with a dedicated Steinbach Ringette Association executive, says they have about 100 volunteers assisting to put on the tournament.

This year’s tournament featured 25 teams from across the province and there were 53 games in all, as there was wall-to-wall ringette at both Steinbach arenas.

This tournament is so popular in ringette circles in Manitoba tournament organizers sifted through applications from 100 teams that wanted to compete in the tournament. Oswald says in addition to the tournament being one of the largest in the province, it is also the largest tournament hosted in Steinbach.

Oswald, who has already started working on next year’s 25th annual tourney, said there were more than 2,000 ringette fans at the two arenas throughout the weekend, and says the canteen was busier than any other weekend in the year.

Adding to the excitement of the weekend were the three National Ringette League games. The Prairie Fire includes Steinbach’s Mandy Nordstrom, who has been one of the top ringette players in the country for the past decade.

The Prairie Fire, first overall in the NRL Western Conference with a 17-1-1 record, beat the Edmonton team all three games in Steinbach, winning by scores of 11-5, 8-7 and 10-6.

“It was great to see all the people at our games,” said Nordstrom, in reference to the hundreds of people in the stands, cheering on the Fire in the two Saturday games.

Nordstrom played for the Manitoba Jets in the NRL the past two years, but when the Jets folded last year, the two teams combined efforts and are now competing as Prairie Fire.

It has already been quite a season for Nordstrom, one of the top scorers on the Fire, a veteran NRL player who has competed in countless Ringette Canada Nationals over the years.

For the second time in her ringette career, she has been invited to the Team Canada ringette tryout camp being held this month in Ottawa. Sixty players have been invited to the camp. She is also one of 30 players that will be competing in the NRL all-star game, which will be played in Ottawa at the same time.

In all, 22-24 players will make the final national team roster that will represent Canada at the World Ringette Championships, next November.

The Prairie Fire, which includes Sylvie Bohemier and Stephanie Holden from Lorette, will also be competing in the National Championships in April in Fredericton, New Brunswick.

“The younger ringette players at the tournament were just thrilled to talk to some of the Prairie Fire players,” said Oswald. “We hope to have NRL games at the tournament again next year.”

With files from Terry Frey