Overtime loss in final ends Eastman Selects MFHL U18 AAA season

For the second year in a row, an overtime game in Niverville decided the Manitoba Female Hockey League U18 AAA championship, but this season saw the Winnipeg visitors celebrating, with the Eastman Selects falling.

The Selects lost game four of the finals 3-2. Just 30 seconds into the extra period Winnipeg Ice forward Gabby Robbins found some space in the slot and rifled home a championship winning goal.

The Ice trailed 2-1 late in the third period, but playoff most valuable player Claire Hudson erased a Kennedy Carrière go-ahead goal on the powerplay with just three minutes left on the clock.

After winning game one of the final, the Selects came out on the wrong end of three “coin flip games,” according to Ice head coach Eugene Kaminsky.

“This was a hard-fought battle, this whole series and our girls committed everything to it,” Kaminsky said after the game, his clothes soaked from a celebratory water shower.

“They’ve been dealing with a bit of adversity in every series, and they came through.”

The Selects and Ice lit up the MFHL ranks this season, losing just a combined four games in regulation, including against each other. The two teams battling in a tight final was inevitable.

Last season the Selects won a winner-takes-all game five over the Winnipeg Avros. Assistant coach Stephanie Jones said Selects coaches were quick to send the message the team had plenty to be proud of this season, even if it ended with a loss.

“It was amazing, amazing hockey,” Jones said.

“You think way back when, Eastman wasn’t that top team. Eastman as a program has developed a bunch, especially on the female side and so these girls are part of a legacy. That was also part of our message in the room, you guys have built this program to be what it is today and it will only go up from here.”

After the Selects won game one 5-0, Winnipeg squeezed out three victories with just five goals in regulation, winning game two 2-0 and game three 2-1 in overtime.

“It’s tough, especially some bad bounces and not getting in all of our chances we had in front of the net,” Jones said.

“We knew it wasn’t going to be easy… The girls showed up to play, and the Ice showed up to play as well. It just kind of came down to that last goal.”

The Ice have won three of the last four MFHL U18 AAA championships, with Eastman’s win last year preventing complete domination.

“It’s amazing the talent that’s in this league and sometimes gets overlooked,” Kaminsky said.

“When you get an opportunity to watch a game and see what the calibre of hockey is in this province at the U18 AAA level, it’s remarkable. I’m so proud to be a part of the league, so proud to be a part of this team and tonight so proud of these girls.”

The Ice have Winnipeg will play the Battlefords Sharks to see who advances to this year’s Esso Cup national championship. Games in the best-of-three western championship will be at the Varsity View Sportsplex in Winnipeg April 3-5.

Steinbach Pistons forward Cole Cairins was in attendance to watch his sister, Kate Cairns hoist the championship trophy as a part of the Ice.