If you watched the Ecofish Courtenay Whalers play last week you could barely recognize them! The Whalers had a slow start to the season; having trouble scoring goals and losing by significant goal spreads, but that is all starting to change. The Whalers played the Comox Valley Breakers on Monday as a precursor to the tournament on the weekend. It was a well matched game that saw a lot of action at both ends. The Whalers and the Breakers traded off goals resulting in a close 6-4 victory for the Breakers. Goals and assists for the Whalers were by: Jain Banham put two in assisted by Allison Abraham and Sky Zimmerman (Brian McLean), Robin got her first goal of the season assisted by Tera Kasubuchi (Ecofish Research Ltd) and Denise Davidson scored assisted by Abraham. It was a great warm up to get ready for the tournament.
The 19 Wing Comox Base held their women’s hockey tournament on the weekend. The Whalers played against three teams they had not met in the last couple of seasons so were unsure of what their competition would be like. Their first game was against the Comox Base team. It was a very physical game but the Whalers maintained control of the play and dominated the game resulting in a 3-1 win for the Whalers! Goals and assists by: Kelly Roloff assisted by Davidson and Bert Churchill, Tera Kasubuchi assisted by Josee Bureau (Flip Flop Shops Nanaimo), and Sam Emers got her first goal assisted by Bureau and Kasubuchi.
The second game was against the Fuller Lake She-Devils. It was another physical game and the Whalers continued to play hard. Although the Whalers lost 6-2, they did not let up. They challenged Fuller Lake and did not let them control the game. It was a hard fought battle by both teams. Goals and assists by: Lee McGeorge unassisted and by Zimmerman assisted by McGeorge. Fuller Lake went on to win the tournament.
The third game was against the Victoria Stingers. The teams were evenly matched and the Whalers continued to play physical. The forwards were aggressive on the boards and back checking, while the defense played strong in front of the net and pressured on the line. Although Victoria went away with a 2-0 win, the Whalers showed an intensity and effort that seemed to be missing at the beginning of the year.
On Sunday, the Whalers met the stingers again. The results were similar but, again, the Whalers continued to play hard. The Victoria Stingers goalie was too big of a challenge for the Whalers to overcome. The score was 5-2 with goals and assists by: Davidson assisted by Roloff and Jan Dafoe (Canadian Western Bank) and Roloff scored assisted by Churchill.
It was a great weekend of hockey. The Whalers were aggressive on the boards, shooting more, winning races to the puck and never seem to give up! Everyone kept their feet moving and really supported each other on the ice. They played physical games with a higher level of intensity and focus that had not been there at the beginning of the season. The Whalers are hoping that this carries over into the tournament this coming weekend in Port Hardy.

One response to “Stepping it Up”

  1. Martin Avatar
    Martin

    Go Whalers! Playing inspired hockey by the seem of things. Good luck in the far north this weekend. Keep up the good work Allison.

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