The Airdrie Lightning handed the Calgary Fire White midget AA women’s hockey team its second defeat of the season Dec. 8, thanks to a stellar defensive effort. In a game featuring the top two teams of the Alberta Female Hockey League (AFHL) Midget Elite’s south division, the Lightning overcame the Fire White 1-0 at Genesis Place Recreation Centre. Airdrie’s head coach, Jay Simpson, said he was proud of his team’s effort and the defensive discipline shown throughout the contest. “We hung on there at the end, but we played a really good, controlled game,” he said. “It was nice to see us come out on the other end of the stick.” Coming into the game, the Fire White boasted an 11-1 record in the AFHL Midget Elite, while the Lightning held second spot in the south division with a 10-4 record. When the two teams played earlier this season, the Fire White came out on top, 4-1. It was a battle of attrition throughout the 60 minutes, with the lone goal coming from Airdrie’s Jenica Wilkie in the first period. The 2001-born forward has been showing more confidence in front of net in the past few games, according to Simpson. The tally against Calgary marked Wilkie’s third marker of the 2018-19 season. “It’s nice to see her put the puck on the net and give us some secondary scoring,” Simpson said. After taking the lead, Airdrie had to defend valiantly as the Calgarians bombarded the Lightning net with attack after attack. The Fire White ultimately outshot the Lightning 41-20, with Airdrie goaltender Jocelynn Pearce registering 41 saves to mark the shutout. “It goes faster when there are more shots,” said the 16-year-old netminder. “It definitely felt [like] we were scrambling a lot in the end, in the last few minutes. “It was a close game – only 1-0 – but I haven’t seen our team so excited about anything before. I think everyone was just all-in, and we really wanted the win.” Now boasting an 11-4 record, the Lightning will take on Calgary’s other team in the south division – the Fire Red – Dec. 15. Held at Genesis Place, the game will be the Lightning’s last fixture before the Christmas break.
