2015 Esso Cup

SASKATOON SECURES SEMIFINAL BERTH

WENDY GRAVES

RED DEER, Alta. – Goals from Grace Shirley (Saskatoon, Sask.), Sophie Shirley (Saskatoon, Sask.) and Kalista Senger (Clavet, Sask.) propelled the Saskatoon Stars past the Red Deer Chiefs Wednesday night and secured the team a spot in the semifinals of the 2015 Esso Cup.

Senger’s blast from the point just shy of the midway point of the third period shot the Stars to the playoffs in their first appearance at Canada’s National Female Midget Championship.

With those playoffs on the horizon the Stars finally started seeing their scoring distributed among more than just its top line. One of Sophie Shirley, Nara Elia (Saskatoon, Sask.) and Julia Rongve (Saskatoon, Sask.) had scored nine of the team’s first 10 goals. Shirley and Rongve picked up assists on Senger’s goal.

Paige Michalenko (Saskatoon, Sask.), Willow Slobodzian (Clavet, Sask.) and Jordyn Gerlitz (Saskatoon, Sask.) also drew assists.

Karlee Fetch (Prince Albert, Sask.) made 22 saves in her first Esso Cup start.

Kaitlan Linnell (Red Deer, Alta.) and Carley Wlad (Red Deer, Alta.) scored for the Chiefs, with Cassidy Hollman (Red Deer, Alta.) adding an assist.

Sarah Murray (Calgary, Alta.) stopped 30 of 33 shots in the Red Deer net.

The teams knew coming in that a win in regulation meant an in to the playoffs. And in the end – literally – the Stars seemed to want it more. After winning a draw in the Red Deer zone with 1:38 left in the third period, the Stars never let the puck leave the offensive zone, keeping Murray pinned to her net and not allowing the Chiefs one last push for the equalizer.

Fetch showed few nerves in her first start, stopping Kirsten Baumgardt (Innisfail, Alta.) on a partial breakaway less than two minutes in. She could hardly be faulted a few minutes later when Linnell showed impressive hand-eye coordination in batting down Hollman’s point shot and putting in her own rebound.

Grace Shirley matched her later in the period, deflecting Michalenko’s point shot from the low slot.

With her team shorthanded late in the first, Wlad gave it back the lead, outracing two defenders and scoring on a second chance from in tight.

The Chiefs looked to be building on that momentum in the second, but a goal from Sophie Shirley – matching her sister on the score sheet – with only two seconds remaining on a five-on-three shut that down.

Red Deer’s best chance to send the game to overtime came with 3:08 to play, when Fetch was able to reach back and pull the puck off the goal line.