A pair of recent shutouts has propelled the Edge School’s female prep hockey team into the top spot of the Canadian Sport School Hockey League [CSSHL] standings.
After a 3-0 home win Nov. 22 over the Northern Alberta Xtreme, the Edge followed up Nov. 27 by easily ousting the Banff Hockey Academy 7-0.
I’m back at @edgeschool for the female prep team’s @CSSHL game against Banff International Academy. It’s 1-0 for the Edge halfway through the 1st. Pretty one-way traffic so far - 12-0 SOG for the hosts. pic.twitter.com/5c8w76yB8Z
— Scott Strasser (@scottstrasser19) November 27, 2019
The one-sided victory against Banff – the current bottom-dweller in the CSSHL’s female prep division – offered the Edge plenty of shooting practice, as the Mountaineers outshot the visitors 55-3.
“Any time you approach a game, it’s an opportunity to grow and get better within what you want to achieve,” said head coach Carla Macleod. “For us, [the game was about] focusing on the little details – taking the shot when it presents itself, having a net-front presence, taking away the eyes of the goalie, [and] advancing the puck to our teammates versus trying to skate through everyone.
“Establishing that good set of habits ends up being a big piece for us, and was something we talked about throughout the game.”
2-0 now, four minutes into the 2nd. SOG 22-2. pic.twitter.com/jJOOl28T07
— Scott Strasser (@scottstrasser19) November 27, 2019
The Edge spread out the scoring, with seven different players tickling twine. Olivia Sutton recorded the lone goal in the first period, before Kaitlin Jockims, Aliya Jomha, Island Bernard-Docker and Erin Campbell extended the Mountaineers’ lead to five goals in the second.
“Those games are always kind of hard to play,” said Jockims, a Grade-12 center. “We use them to get better and work on things more specifically in our execution. Today was about getting shots on net, executing our passes, and generating opportunities on our face-offs.”
Abby McDermid and scoring leader Sarah Wozniewicz put the result to bed with further tallies in the third period.
The recent shutouts mean the Edge will enter December in first place of the eight-team female prep division with a 7-2-1 record.
“We’ve definitely been getting a lot better,” Jockims said. “Even compared to the start of the season, we’re a much better team, and I think we’re going to just keep improving.”
While Pursuit of Excellence dominated the female prep division in 2018-19, this season is proving to be much tighter at the top of the table – just three points separate the top three teams.
“The great thing about our league is there’s a lot of parity, and it’s a competitive league,” Macleod said. “There are five or six teams that could win on any given day.”
Last year, the Edge’s female prep team reached a program milestone by making it to the CSSHL’s championship game, before losing 2-0 in a close fight against Pursuit of Excellence.
Macleod said returning to the gold-medal game is the team’s primary objective, along with player development.
“Getting back there won’t be easy, but it’s certainly what you’re working towards every day, and why you practice the way you do and play the way you can,” she said. “We know there are good teams in this league and it won’t be an easy task.”
The Edge will have a quiet December, league-wise, with just two regular-season games on the schedule when the team travels to Edmonton Dec. 13 and 14 for battles with Northern Alberta Xtreme. The Mountaineers’ next home date is not until Jan. 12, 2020, when the team takes on Banff again.
