Team Alberta crowned U19AA national ringette champion

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It was a week to remember for AA Calgary Combat U19s at the 2024 Canadian Ringette Championships.

Representing Team Alberta, the ringette team was crowned U19 national champions after a 3-0 victory over host team New Brunswick to claim the title last weekend.

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“I couldn’t believe it was real,” said Combat Captain Sydnie Rock. “I actually had to look at the scoreboard to make sure the game was really over, simply because we had been working towards it all week and all of a sudden it was over.

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“But it was really exciting.”

Rock says his Combat teammates are very proud of themselves for the achievement, adding that the team knew going into the final game they were going to work well together as a team.

Gwenyth Walker held her own for Team Alberta, stopping all 21 shots she faced to earn the shutout in the final game. Ashley Anderson scored two goals to help seal the victory.

The win was the second straight shutout for Walker, who anchored the team to a 3-0 victory over Zone 2 Alberta, a team from around Calgary, in the semifinals the day before.

“Our goaltending was incredible,” Rock said. “The semi-final and final matches were shutouts for our goalkeeper, which was really surprising for her.”

The captain also praised the team’s overall defense throughout the tournament and said the team improved in that aspect as the week progressed.

The Combat was consistent throughout the season, competing in the gold medal game of every tournament they competed in. Before nationals, head coach Caley Mineault stated that the biggest turning point of the season was his gold medal victory at the Esso Golden Ring in January. Combate then picked up the momentum to help propel them to a provincial championship and then nationals.

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“We are so proud of all the girls for such an incredible year,” said Mike Dunn, father of Hailey and Kim Dunn of Combat. “Between the players, coaches, coaching staff, volunteers and parents, the season was fantastic.”

The U19 team is full of experience, as the team features six third-year players, many of whom bring experience to Team Canada, the Canada Winter Games and other experiences.

Team Alberta was not the only Calgary team to play in the Canadian Ringette U19 Championship, as the Calgary Crew finished fourth in the tournament after a 3-1 loss to the Alberta Zone 2 Blaze in the medal game made of bronze.

In the U16 category a local team also received a medal, as the Alberta team, represented by the U16AA Calgary Strike, received the silver medal after a tough 1-0 loss to the Quebec Cyclones.

“Both the U19 and U16 ‘Team Alberta’ teams performed incredibly well,” said Tim Coli, father of Strike goalkeeper Sophia Coli. “And we couldn’t be prouder of the effort and dedication these girls have shown.”

The Strike’s journey to the gold medal game was impressive, as the team defeated the Calgary Attack 9-3 in the quarterfinals and the Alberta Zone 2 Blaze 6-1 to reach the finals.

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“It’s an incredible accomplishment what this team of young athletes was able to accomplish this year,” Strike head coach Bill Blackwell said. “The players worked hard all year, asked questions, learned, focused and became the best version of themselves they could.”

Blackwell says he’s proud of how the team represented itself and Alberta. The coach knows that the experience will be invaluable for these young players.

“We talk about personal growth with the players and challenge them all to work hard with their future teams to get back to this level and lead by example now that they’ve all been through it,” Blackwell said.

There were two other Calgary teams in the U16 group, as Calgary Peak fell short of the bronze medal after a 7-6 loss to the Zone 2 Blaze and the Attack were eliminated after the aforementioned loss to Team Alberta.

In the National Ringette League, Calgary Rath also competed in the finals, losing 10-3 to Edmonton WAM!

“Calgary Ringette had a team in all three finals,” Dunn said. “An incredible experience in every way.”

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Rock believes there is a strong culture for AA Ringette in Calgary and applauds how the program develops its players and coaches, and loves how much all the teams encourage each other.

“I think since I’ve been in the Calgary AA program for a while, I’ve been able to see how much the teams support each other,” Rock said. “It was really exciting to be at the national championships and be able to cheer on our other Calgary teams, like the other U19 team and the younger teams.”

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ALL NATIONAL STARS

Stars U16
Sophia Coli, Team Alberta
Jadee Patel, Team Alberta
Tasha Blackwell, Team Alberta
Brooke Rolles, Calgary Peak
Brooklyn Munro, zone 2 fire
Jocelyne Galbraith, Calgary Attack
Kyle Koester, Zone 2 Blaze

U19 Stars
Raegan Hatch, Calgary team
Sage Snethun, Team Alberta
Ashley Anderson, Team Alberta
Kaylee Armstrong, Team Alberta
Tessa Galandy, Zone 2 Fire
Lauren Schoenhofen, Calgary team

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