Purcell Collegiate School (PCS) dropped the puck on a new era for hockey in Kimberley as its 16U Purcell Hockey Academy (PHA) team hosted their first-ever Female Super League (FSL) games at the Civic Centre this past weekend. To mark the occasion, FSL Commissioner Hayley Runnals and Columbia River-Revelstoke MLA Scotty McInnis were on hand to drop ceremonial pucks. The weekend was a huge success for both the FSL and PHA with great crowds turning up to watch the games live and even more fans tuning in from around the world to watch via the exceptional broadcasts provided by Silent Ice TV.
The weekend kicked off with PHA facing the Calgary Glaciers on Friday evening. The home side came out flying and never looked back, racking up a 10-0 shutout victory. Grace Kells had a strong game between the pipes to earn the win. Malgorzata Zakrzewska (3 goals, 2 assists) and Freya Ekberg (1 goal, 4 assists) led the way for PHA with five points apiece. Evelyn Vitkovskiy also had a strong game, chipping in with four helpers. Zia Mayard (1 goal, 2 assists), Carlota Castellanos (2 goals), Amy Leimgruber (1 goal, 1 assist), Anastasiia Nesterenko (1 goal, 1 assist), and Isabella Ferrarelli (2 assists) all had multi-point games. Yaann Yuen (1 goals) and Sohketa Lewis (1 assist) also chipped in for PHA.
PHA played the Calgary Glaciers again on Saturday morning, netting a second victory over the visitors by a score of 9-3. Justyna Koszyk backstopped the victory in net, stopping 18 of 21 shots that came her way. Freya Ekberg had another strong game for PHA, tallying four points (1 goal, 3 assists). Standout performances were registered by Yaann Yuen and Greta Konradova, both of whom netted hattricks. Other multi-point contributors included Zia Mayard (1 goal, 1 assist) and Elsa Rodriguez Camacho (2 assists). Single helpers went to Sohketa Lewis, Malgorzata Zakrzewska, Isabella Ferrarelli, and Rebecca Griffin.
Saturday evening was a highly-anticipated affair pitting the only two undefeated teams in the 16U division of the FSL against one another for the first time. The Bow Valley Nationals entered the game at the top of the standings with a record of 8-0-1. PHA’s record was 6-0-0 leading into what was a tightly-contested affair. Bow Valley emerged with the victory, handing PHA its first league loss of the season, by a final score of 6-5. Freya Ekberg, Greta Konradova, and Malgorzata Zakrzewska all had two-point outings for PHA with a goal and an assist apiece. Singles went to Evelyn Vitkovskiy and Carlota Castellanos. Grace Kells performed well in net for PHA, facing 34 shots and making some incredible saves to keep PHA within striking distance until the buzzer sounded.
Sunday morning saw the same two teams hits the ice for a rematch and, after a slow start, PHA bounced back in a major way, racking up an 8-1 victory over the Nationals. Justyna Koszyk had a standout performance between the pipes for PHA, making numerous highlight-reel saves. Malgorzata Zakrzewska edged her way closer to the league lead in scoring with a four-point game on the strength of 2 goals and 2 assists. Freya Ekberg (2 goals, 1 assist) and Greta Konradova (2 goals) also had strong performances with Evelyn Vitkovskiy (2 assists), Anastasiia Nesterenko (1 goal), Carlota Castellanos (1 goal), Rebecca Griffin (1 assist), and Elsa Rodriguez Camacho (1 assist) finding their ways onto the scoresheet as well.
Head Coach Jalyn Elmes had this to say about her team’s effort over the weekend: “This weekend was an exciting one for PHA. We were pleased to welcome other FSL Teams and FSL staff members to Kimberley, as we are very proud to call the Civic Centre our home base. These girls made a ton of extra-mile efforts this weekend that really contributed to team growth. We are still at the early stages of our season, and I am looking forward to continuing to see this group evolve and build chemistry every time they step on the ice together.”
Assistant Coach Marise Larios echoed those comments: “I am extremely proud of the team. I’ve seen them grow together at a very fast pace, and although we still have a long way to go, I have no doubt in my mind that we are on the right track and will continue to work hard and find success.”
PHA’s 16U team next sees action this weekend when they take to the road to face Phantoms Female Hockey and the Jr. Rustlers in league play in Saskatoon. To keep up with PHA, follow the team on social media at @purcellhockey, on the FSL website at www.femalesuperleague.com, and on Silent Ice TV at www.silenticetv.com.