The Courtenay Whaler’s women’s hockey team continues to thrive in 2017. The team spent January 20-22 in Victoria competing in the 40th annual Pacific Cup hockey tournament. The tournament brings men’s and women’s adult recreational hockey teams from near and far, with upwards of 140 teams participating.
The Whalers met the Nanaimo Black Ice on Friday afternoon and dominated, ending in a win of 9-1. Then Saturday morning they came up against the Bad Habbettes and once again were the dominant team, spending most of the time in the Bad Habbettes zone. Final score for the Whalers second game was 12-4. The last game in round robin play was Sunday morning against the Portland Underdawgs.
Portland opened up the scoring early in the first period and the Whalers continued to play hard against their strong opponents. With six minutes left in the final period, Courtenay was finally able to find the back of the next with some smooth moves and good passing. Less than a minute later Whalers capitalized with a player in the high slot, with a beauty of a one-timer beating the Portland goalie on the catcher side. Last two minutes of play in the game, as the Portland team tried to pull the goalie to add an extra attacker, defenseman Allison Abraham seized the opportunity and shot the puck straight into the Underdawgs net as their goalie made a feeble attempt to race back into position. Score was now 3-1 for the Whalers.
Fuelled from that embarrassing goal, Portland increased pressure on the Whalers, scoring from a scramble in front of the Whalers goal, when the puck hit the post and got kicked into the net. Unfortunately, it was too little, too late. Whalers win, 3-2.
Due to scheduling difficulties, it would turn out this game would also serve as the final game of the tournament, giving the Courtenay Whalers an undefeated record and winning the Pacific Cup.
Whalers continue to practice, developing individual and team skills. The team is looking forward to next month’s trek to Port McNeill to play in the annual Port McNeill Downpour tournament.
If you are interested in joining the Courtenay Whalers Women’s hockey team, search them on Facebook or email cvwhalershockey@gmail.com.
This years sponsors include Brian McLean Chevrolet Buick GMC Limited, Stinson Aerial Services Inc. and Courtenay Motorsport, the Whalers are grateful for their continued support during the 2016-2017 season.
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