Ecofish Whalers in fine form for the Port Hardy tourney!

The Ecofish Courtenay Whalers headed up north for the annual Port Hardy Wild tournament last weekend for the 5th year in a row. The first game was against the reigning champion, the Port McNeil Downpour. The Whalers were up to the challenge and scored early in the first period with a wicked shot from new team member Tamara Berger. More was to come from Berger with her second assisted by Kelly Godard.  Up 2-0 going into the second period. the Whalers got a little complacent and the opposition took advantage by scoring on a breakaway. The Whalers had many chances to put the game away in the second period but the Downpour goaltender closed the door and kept the game close. The third period got a little dicey when the Downpour were able to tie it up with a great backhand shot just beating Whalers goaltender Nancy Shields. With only a few minutes left to play, the Whalers took the lead with a breakaway goal from no other then Berger, who completing her hat trick.

After a close win in their first game Friday, a good night’s rest and some shopping Port Hardy style, the Whalers were ready for a game against the second team from Port McNeil.  They started out strong and soon found out their second game was going to be a much easier contest than the previous night.  Goals were scored pretty quickly. Captain Allison Abraham (Avril Homes), being the great role model she is, suggested to pass around the puck in the offensive zone before taking shots.  While keeping  this in mind the Whalers still had to win every period and show good sportsmanship.  The Whalers had great team play with the scoring being shared by Berger, Kelly Roloff, Lynn Slaby (Brian McLean) and Godard.  The final score ended at 8-3 for the Whalers and the team was ready to move on to the next challenge.

Coming off a dominating 8-3 win on Saturday morning, the Whalers faced the Port Hardy Wild and continued their impressive winning streak. The game started off great with a few quick goals from Berger, which put the Whalers in full control. Solid defensive play by Sky Niskasari and Allison Abraham helped fight off the Wild as they desperately pushed to gain back ground. The Whalers were relentless, and continued to drive the net, this resulted in four more goals coming from scorers such as Roloff (Brian McLean) and Lindsay Neufeld (Avril Homes). Team work was an important factor for the Whalers, amazing passes and good hockey sense was had by all. The Whalers held the Wild to 2 goals, and the game finished as a 6-2 win! After the final buzzer sounded it was clear to the spectators in Port Hardy that the Whalers came to Port Hardy with one goal in mind, to win.

Port Hardy Tournament is never dull.  The town itself did not disappoint, providing the Whalers with opportunities to dine with the locals (taking over the breakfast cafe and being regaled with stories of tsunami warnings and Willie Mitchell’s childhood, as told by his school bus driver) and shop at the mall where boots, light-up locker room speakers and last minute costume details were purchased.  The highlight of the evening, of course, was winning the ‘best dressed team ‘ award: the Whalers blew away the competition by dressing in costumes that represented the full colourful spectrum of the 80s, collecting a selection of team Canada umbrellas and the coveted collector edition of the 2012-2013 Canucks Calendars as prizes.

The Port Hardy tournament ranks up there to be one of the most fun hockey tournaments to participate in. From the minute you arrived at the area, you can feel the sense of welcome from the community and other players. The Whalers maintained a sense of relaxation and joviality  both on and off the ice. There was no shortage of teasing and tears (from laughing so hard), and this  is now the second tournament in a row where players have been pulled aside at the end of the game by an opposing player, who wanted to compliment the Whalers for being such a fun team to play against. Win or loose, nothing beats the pride of being part of such an amazing group of ladies. Hats off to Port Hardy for a great tournament.

The Whalers would like to thank Ecofish Research Ltd for their constant support as well as Brian McLean who provided the transportation for the trek to Port Hardy!