Kincardine U9 girls win Blazers championship in Dorchester
By: Steve Stepaniak
January 23, 2023
This past weekend, the Kincardine Kinucks Under 9 (U9) Tier 1 girls travelled to Dorchester for the BAD Blazers annual tournament and came home with the championship.
The girls started the tournament with a bang, blanking the Lambeth Lancers, 6-0. Balanced scoring, strong defence and great goaltending were all key in this win. Goals were scored by Kenzie Armstrong, Ruby Wreford, Katie Paul, Clara Stepaniak, Kensley Davidson and Bo Johnson. Amelia Hunter was unbeatable in net earning the shut-out.
The Kinucks were next matched up with Stratford, and the Aces proved to be no match for the powerful Kinucks, with Kincardine battling to an 8-2 victory. The Kinucks’ offence was led by Armstrong and Stepaniak with two goals each, with singles to Davidson, Johnson, Natalie Tout and Harper Pollock.
Next up for the Kinucks, was an early morning show-down with the Mooretown Lady Flags, and Kincardine skated away with a convincing 12-1 win. Armstrong put on a scoring clinic with a remarkable six goals. Other scorers were Stepaniak (2), Tout, Pollock, Paul and Ella Lawrence.
The Kinucks’ fourth and final round-robin game had them face off against the unbeaten Lambton Attack. The Attack proved to be too strong for the worn down Kinucks, and Kincardine was handed its first loss, 4-0.
Even with the loss, the Kinucks finished the round-robin, 3-1, good enough for second place in the seven-team tournament and they were rewarded with a semi-final rematch against Lambeth.
The Lancers put up a much better fight this time around and took the Kinucks to the third period tied, 0-0, before Kincardine prevailed, 5-2. Davidson and Armstrong led the Kinucks with two goals each, with Stepaniak chipping in a single.
This win rewarded the Kinucks with a rematch against Lambton in the championship game.
Kincardine fell behind, 1-0, early but superb goaltending by Hunter kept the game within reach before the Kinucks were finally able to beat the strong Lambton goalie on a rifle from the slot by Tout.
The two teams battled back and forth all game, keeping fans on the edge of their seats. Kincardine was able to take control late in the third, with Armstrong scoring on a beautiful shot to the top corner. The Kinucks then sealed the championship win with an empty-net goal by Davidson, taking the 3-1 victory.
Kincardine’s suffocating defence was key all weekend, but was extremely evident in the finals, keeping the powerful Attack to one goal. Strong play by defencemen Nora Kelly, Mila Malhotra, Anna Humphrey and Lawrence was crucial in the Kinucks championship run.
Next up for the Kinucks, will be the Brampton Cougars Festival in February, followed by the WOAA championships in March.
The Kincardine Kinucks U9 Tier 1 girls team wins the Blazers championship in Dorchester; photo courtesy of Steve Stepaniak
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