RED DEER - A third trip to the Esso Cup Championship is on the line for the St. Albert Slash as they kick off the Pacific Regional Championships on Friday night.

For the third straight year, the St. Albert Slash of the Alberta Female Hockey League will battle the Greater Vancouver Comets for a spot in the Esso Cup. The Slash defeated the Comets in the previous two Pacific Regional Championships en route to back-to-back Esso Cup championships.

Games one and two are scheduled for Friday and Saturday at 7:30pm, with game three set for Sunday at 12:45pm, if necessary. All three games take place at the Akinsdale Arena in St. Albert.

The 2018 Esso Cup runs April 21-27 in Sudbury, Ontario.

RED DEER - The Alberta Female Hockey League is proud to present the list of players who will be suiting up for post-secondary teams this fall.

AFHL players have committed to the following post-secondary institutions for the 2019-20 season:

AFHL Program	Name	Post-Secondary Team
Calgary Fire Red Elite	Cassidy Brown	SAIT
Calgary Fire AAA	Kendi Lundell	University of Windsor
Calgary Fire AAA	MacKenzie Loupelle	Mount Royal University
Calgary Fire AAA	Jordan Holt	Elmira College
Edmonton Pandas AAA	Abby Fonteyne	Red Deer College
Edmonton Pandas AAA	Madeline Stanley	University of Calgary
Edmonton Pandas AAA	Bria Fewchuk	Adrian College
Edmonton Pandas AAA	Kassandra Gaudette	Olds College
Lloydminster Steelers AAA	Sarah Martin	Minot State
Lloydminster Steelers AAA	Bella McKee	Union College
Lloydminster Steelers AAA	Mackenzie Dachuk	Grant MacEwan University
Lloydminster Steelers AAA	Brooklyn Palmer	University of Lethbridge
Lloydminster Steelers AAA	Payton Laumbach	University of Alberta
Lloydminster Steelers AAA	Tyra Anderson	Red Deer College
Red Deer AAA	Rebecca Bridge	Plymouth State University
Red Deer AAA	Sydney Hughson	Grant MacEwan University
Red Deer AAA	Avery Lajuenesse	Red Deer College
Red Deer AAA	Chantelle Sandquist	Nippissing University
Red Deer AAA	Sage Sansregret	University of Lethbridge
Red Deer AAA	Kadey Rosie	NAIT
Red Deer AAA	Vanessa Verbistsky	Grant MacEwan University
Red Deer AAA	Darcee Hall	University of Windsor
Rocky Mountain Raiders Elite	Alana Place	University of Providence (Great Falls, MT)
Rocky Mountain Raiders AAA	Athena Hauck	Mount Royal University
St. Albert Slash AAA	Brianna Sank	Grant MacEwan University
St. Albert Slash AAA	Mackenzie Kordic	University of British Columbia
St. Albert Slash AAA	Tiana Yaremko	University of Alberta
St. Albert Slash AAA	Taylor Anker	University of Alberta
St. Albert Slash AAA	Kiah Vial	University of Ottawa
St. Albert Slash AAA	Madison Willan	University of Alberta
St. Albert Slash AAA	Isabelle Lajoie	University of Alberta
St. Albert Slash AAA	Makenna Schuttler	University of Ottawa

SUDBURY, ON. – A year after becoming the first team to repeat as Esso Cup champions, the St. Albert Slash have made history again, by becoming the first team to win Canada’s National Female Midget Championship three straight years after a 4-1 victory over the host Sudbury Lady Wolves.

“Unbelievable. Surreal.” St. Albert Slash head coach Dan Auchenberg said of his team after the game. “They don’t even know what they just did, three straight Esso Cups. That’s unheard of.”

The Slash finished the preliminary round with a 2-0-1-2 (W-OTW-OTL-L) record before Madison Willan scored the overtime winner to defeat the Saskatoon Stars 2-1 in their semifinal. 

Down by a goal after 20 minutes Saturday, goals from Taylor Anker (Sherwood Park, Alta.) and Mackenzie Kordic (Edmonton, Alta.) put St. Albert up heading to the third period. Kordic added a second goal on the power play, and Dayle Ross (Spirit River, Alta.) sealed the deal with an empty-netter with 40 seconds left. Slash goalie Brianna Sank made 33 saves in the victory.

Jaden Bogden, Isabelle Lajoie, and Brooklyn Schroeder cap off their terrific season by adding this Esso Cup championship to the gold medal they each won as a member of Team Alberta U18 Female at the Canada Winter Games, held in Red Deer in February.  

Anker, Lajoie, Sank, Makenna Schuttler, and Willan have been on the team for all three Esso Cup Championships.

RED DEER - The journey for a three-peat is about to begin for the St. Albert Slash, as the 2019 Esso Cup gets underway on Sunday in Sudbury, ON.

The Slash are representing the Pacific region at the tournament for the third straight year, and are the two-time reigning Esso Cup champions.

The Slash kick off their tournament Sunday afternoon at 1:30pm MST against the As de Quebec.

Schedule > | Stats > | Standings >

RED DEER - The Female ADM Committee have chosen the annual award winners for the 2018-19 season in each division.

Bantam Elite

Most Valuable Player - Jorja Nystrom, North Central Impact

Top Goaltender - Asia Kachuk, Sherwood Park Royals

Top Rookie - Lana Duriez, Lloydminster Jr. Steelers

Coach of the Year - David Fleming, North Central Impact

Midget Elite

Most Valuable Player - Madison Porter, Sherwood Park Fury

Top Goaltender - Cassidy Brown, Calgary Fire Red

Top Rookie - Arilyn Toews, Peace Country Storm

Coach of the Year - David Addison, Calgary Fire Red

Midget AAA

Most Valuable Player - Madison Willan, St. Albert Slash

Top Goaltender - Bella McKee, Lloydminster Steelers

Top Rookie - Jenna Goodwin, St. Albert Slash

Coach of the Year - Terry Johnson, Calgary Fire

AFHL Administrator of the Year - Denise Broadbent, North Central Impact

AFHL Scholarship Recipients

Official: Mikala Brown (Northern Lakes College, Paramedic)

Mikala is 21 years old and grew up in Lloydminster, but currently resides in Cold Lake. She began officiating hockey when she was 12 years old, and became a level three official as well as a instructor when she was 18. Mikala currently works all levels of minor hockey, as well as male Junior B and men’s Senior AA. She graduated from her primary care paramedic program in 2017 and currently works for Cold Lake Ambulance. In the fall of 2019 Mikala will be attending the Advanced Care Paramedic program at Northern Lakes College. 

Coach: Morgan Casson (Grant MacEwan University, Nursing)

Morgan is a fourth year centre for the MacEwan Griffins and a three time ACAC champion. She is in her second year of a Bachelor of science in Nursing degree. Morgan has been a coach for three years, as well as been the program coordinator and founder of the Jr. Griffins female spring hockey program. 

Midget Elite: MaKenna Zanewich, Lethbridge Cyclones (University of Lethbridge, Nursing)

Makenna was born and raised in Lethbridge, and started playing hockey at the age of nine. She has played with the Lethbridge Midget Elite Cyclones for the past three years, and was name Captian this past season. Makenna will graduate from the French Immersion Program at Lethbridge Collegiate Institute in June. She has received an early admission offer to the University of Lethbridge in the Bachelor of Nursing Program, and will begin her studies in September 2019.

 

Midget AAA: Darcee Hall, Red Deer Chiefs (University of Windsor, General Studies)

Darcee was born and raised in Delia, AB. She has played with the Midget AAA Sutter Fund Chiefs for the past two seasons. Her time competing in the AFHL has allowed her to accomplish her educational and physical goals as she will be attending the University of Windsor in the fall where she will be playing hockey and studying psychology. Aside from hockey, Darcee has been a member of Team Alberta Baseball for the past six years. She prides herself in being a multi-sport student athlete who has found success in sport and the classroom and she hopes to continue this through post secondary.

RED DEER - The AFHL crowned another champion over the weekend, as the Midget Elite Provincial Championships, presented by ATB Financial, were hosted in Grande Prairie.

Calgary Fire Red defeated the St. Albert Sharks 5-1 to win the title. Hannah Suto netted a goal and an assist in the win that featured five different goal scorers for the champions.

It was the Sherwood Park Fury who took home the bronze after a 6-4 victory over Calgary Fire White.

FULL STATS AND STANDINGS >