2015 Esso Cup

STARS TOP LINE ONCE AGAIN SHINES

WENDY GRAVES

RED DEER, Alta. – Forgive the pun, but the Stars’ young players continue to shine.

Saskatoon’s top line of Sophie Shirley (Saskatoon, Sask.), Nara Elia (Saskatoon, Sask.) and Julia Rongve (Saskatoon, Sask.) struck for 10 more points Thursday afternoon to lead the Stars past the Moncton Rockets, 7-1, and clinch the second seed ahead of the 2015 Esso Cup semifinals. The trio has now put up 30 points in five games.

Shirley finished with two goals and two assists, while Elia and Rongve had a goal and two assists each.

Danielle Nogier (Saskatoon, Sask.), Jordyn Gerlitz (Saskatoon, Sask.) and Courtney Cormack (Saskatoon, Sask.) scored the other Stars goals. Cormack drew an assist as well. Brittany Heuchert (Saskatoon, Sask.) also had a two-point night with a pair of helpers.

After a close opening day loss to the Sudbury Lady Wolves, the Stars have now won four games in a row. With Sudbury’s victory over the Edmonton Thunder earlier in the day, first place was no longer up for grabs but securing home team status in the semis was.

Shirley made sure her team got the jump it needed only 3:05 in. She picked up a loose puck at centre ice, went around a defender between the face-off circles and put a backhand past Moncton goalie Brianne Waterman (Memramcook, N.B.).

Nogier redirected Heuchert’s shot toward the net to make it 2-0 just past the midway mark of the first.

Saskatoon’s top trio continued its skills show in the second. Shirley circled the puck from the high slot to behind the net, attracting enough attention that Elia was free to one-time her pass home. Later Rongve took a cross-ice feed from Elia and sent a wrist shot high into the net.

Lauren Shaw (Sackville, N.B.) finally got Moncton on the board 12 minutes into the third, tucking in Jennifer Arsenault’s (Moncton, N.B.) pass from the side boards.

From there it was all Stars. Shirley, with her second of the game, and Gerlitz scored 42 seconds apart to make it 6-1, before Cormack went high glove side on a breakaway with only 34 seconds left in the game.

Karlee Fetch (Prince Albert, Sask.) picked up her second win in a row, making 12 saves.

Waterman finished with 36 saves in her final game with the Rockets.