WINNIPEG, Man. – The Thunder Bay Toppers Pizza midget A Queens used solid goaltending and strong defensive play win their first two games Friday at ninth annual Lieutenant Governor’s tournament in Winnipeg.
Thunder Bay began by edging the top team in the Manitoba Women’s Junior Hockey League; the Winnipeg Silvertips 2-1 before going on the blank the Manitoba Blizzard 2-0.
In the win over the Silvertips, Breanna Veneruz put the Queens on the board with the lone tally of the first period.
After Winnipeg tied it with a power play goal in the second, the midget A’s got the game-winner with four and a half minutes remaining in regulation compliments of Caitlyn Olinski.
Brooke Herman, Brynne Lambert and Victoria Darosa picked up assists in the triumph.
Anjelina Badanai made 24 saves to record the win in net.
In the match-up vs. the Blizzard, Cameron Ivall posted the shutout as Thunder Bay improved to 2-0 in the tourney.
Jocelyn Wojciechowski and Jessie Scott notched the tallies for the Queens while Lambert, Madison Lee Fullum, Carly Hennessey and Dayna Doucet supplied helpers.
Round robin play for the midget A’s wraps-up Saturday at 9:15 a.m. against the Fort Saskatchewan Fury.
Quarter-final and consolation round competition begins Saturday night.
Meanwhile the bantam AA Queens won their first game at the Prelude to the Playoffs tourney in Eden Prairie, Minn., by defeating the Forest Lake Rangers 7-3 Friday evening.
Two more tilts awaits the club Saturday starting with a 10:45 a.m. encounter with the Lakeville North Panthers before concluding the day with a 3:45 p.m. match-up vs. the host Eden Prairie Eagles.
Action at the Scheels under-15 International tournament in Fargo, N.D., saw the Tim Horton’s bantam A Queens run into a hot goaltender as they dropped a 2-0 decision to the Wayzata Gold Friday.
Wayzata netminder Julia Kimlinger stopped all 32 shots she faced to record the shutout over the bantam A’s.
The Gold scored once in the second and once more in the third in the win.
Marissa Brosseau faced 26 shots in defeat in the contest.
Saturday’s slate has the Queens squaring off with the Moorhead Spuds at 10:30 a.m. and the Grand Forks Phantoms at 5:45 p.m.
Meanwhile at the Cabin Fever Classic in Osseo-Maple Grove, Minn., the Thunder Bay peewees dropped a 3-1 decision to the Alexandria Cardinals in their tournament opener.
Reese Coffey supplied the lone tally for the Queens on an assist from Kaiya Kamande.
Alexandria scored once in each period, including an empty netter late in the third to round out the scoring.
Reese Keating was in net in the contest for Thunder Bay.
The peewees return to the ice Saturday at 10:45 a.m. to meet the Anoka-Rogers Tornadoes before finishing up against the St. Cloud Huskies at 3:45 p.m.
All four tournaments will be feature consolation, semifinal, bronze and gold medal games Sunday.
