2015 Esso Cup

SUDBURY SHUTS OUT CENTRAL PLAINS, ADVANCES TO GOLD MEDAL GAME

WENDY GRAVES

RED DEER, Alta. – At the 2014 Esso Cup the Sudbury Lady Wolves looked up at the end of their semifinal, saw the scoreboard read 3-0 and could only hang their heads.

Fast-forward one year minus a day later and that same score line now shined over them.

Carley Olivier (Sudbury, Ont.), Kailey Lapensee (Sudbury, Ont.) and Tayler Murphy (Sudbury, Ont.) provided the offence as the Lady Wolves defeated the Central Plains Capitals 3-0 Friday afternoon.

For the nine returning players, they hope to ride the momentum of a semifinal shutout to a gold medal at the Esso Cup, just like the Weyburn Gold Wings did last year.

Danika Ranger (North Bay, Ont.), named the tournament’s Top Goaltender earlier in the day, stopped 23 shots to earn the shutout and pick up her fourth win of the week.

What decided this game were special teams. Clicking at a rate of 26 percent, the Lady Wolves’ power play had been the event’s most successful during the preliminary round. The Capitals’ penalty kill had allowed only one goal in 18 man-disadvantages. Sudbury connected twice in the second period, doubling what Central Plains had allowed in five games in just over 12 minutes.

Three minutes after play resumed Olivier slowly walked around her defender and let a wrist shot fly from the bottom of the face-off circle, beating Lauren Taraschuk (Winnipeg, Man.) high short side.

Just past the 15-minute mark Sudbury doubled its lead. A puck shot in from the side boards found its way to the crease. With Taraschuk obstructed by her own teammate pinning her opponent on her, Lapensee had the whole net to shoot in to.

Easily the week’s top offensive team – with 22 goals and +15 goal differential – what tended to get lost in the conversation was how good the Sudbury defence had been. While the Capitals allowed the fewest goals during the preliminary round (nine), the Lady Wolves surrendered only one more.

The shot count read 23-20 in favour of Central Plains, but numbers can be deceiving. The Lady Wolves never really allowed the Capitals the chance to make a game of it.

With still more than 12 minutes to go, Central Plains shortened its bench, seemingly sending its top line of Sheridan Oswald (MacGregor, Man.), Emily Upgang (Poplar Point, Man.) and Mekaela Fisher (Warren, Ont.) over the boards every other shift.

The Capitals pulled Taraschuk with just over three minutes to go, but the only goal scored was by Murphy into an open net.

The gold medal game goes Saturday afternoon (3:30 p.m. MT). Central Plains will play for bronze earlier in the day (12 p.m. MT).