The Olds midget A female Grizzlys team finished with silver medals at this past weekend's provincial championship, falling 3-2 in overtime to the Calgary Chaos on March 13.
In the gold medal game, Olds held a 2-1 lead with under five minutes left in the third period thanks to a pair of goals from Faith Gette.
The Chaos managed to tie the game and then won it 34 seconds into overtime.
It was a heartrending moment that stunned a Grizzlys team that up to that point, had kept the tournament's most dominant team off the scoreboard for most of the game. Calgary finished 5-0-1 and outscored opponents 31-9.
"We wanted to keep a hard forecheck on them, take away their time and space. We knew we couldn't let up. We give them just a little bit of room out there and they can be dangerous. We made very few mistakes but the couple we made, they capitalized on. That's hockey," said head coach Wade Leonard.
"Silver medal always hurts when you win it because you don't win it. You lose to get the silver, but two, three weeks down the road or a month down the road, you look back and that's when the pride of silver kicks in. There's a lot of sting in not winning the gold but when you look back, that's still a hell of an accomplishment."
Leonard as well as one player believes the season is still a success, considering the team's first-place finish in the Rocky Mountain Female Hockey League, which resumes its playoffs next weekend.
"I'd say so. We only had one regular season loss. We went through the tiering undefeated and in the playoffs, we've got the finals next weekend against that same team. So we're hoping we can come out on top there. All in all, we played good as a team and supported each other," said goaltender Jenna Weseen.
Olds qualified for the championship after a wild finish to its semifinal against the Fort Saskatchewan Fury. Tied 3-3 in the third period, Dayna Leonard's point shot found net with 14 seconds left.
The Grizzlys finished 2-0-2 in the round robin.
Kelly Leonard was their leading scorer, with five goals and six assists. She finished second overall.
Attendance was strong throughout the tournament but especially for the gold medal game.
"The fact that it's my hometown, my last year of hockey. Unreal experience, there's nothing more I could have asked for. The crowd was huge. It was like a Grizzlys (junior A) game. I think it was packed more than that. It was the best experience I could have asked for," said forward Janelle Graham.
For several players, this was their seventh provincials appearance. Leonard counts three silver medals and one gold.
"No shame in that. The girls played their hearts out. I'm proud of each of those girls."
There's a lot of sting in not winning the gold but when you look back, that's still a hell of an accomplishment." WADE LEONARDHEAD COACH
