Collège Notre-Dame Alouettes' girls hockey coach Denis Piquette knew that he was heading to OFSAA this year with a relatively young crew.
The task at hand for CND only became more daunting when a handful of the Sudbury Bantam "AA" Lady Wolves, who also play on the high school team, opted to remain behind, focusing on their upcoming league championship weekend and provincial playdowns.
Based on this backdrop of information, Piquette was not about to complain about a 2-2 performance from his squad, one that would see the Alouettes secure a berth in the quarter finals before being eliminated.
Seeded third entering the competition based on the Alouettes success from years gone by, Notre Dame broke the ice in Stratford with a 5-1 win over the St. Mark Lions from Manotick. Madisyn Papineau and Makayla Gratton led the charge with two goals apiece, with Joelle Dubois rounding things off.
Plenty of scoring once again in game two, as the All Saints Titans from Whitby clipped the Alouettes 5-4, as the locals entered day two needing a victory in their final pool game in order to advance to the championship round.
France Bélanger enjoyed a two-goal effort for the northern crew, with Dubois and Papineau also back on the scoresheet for a second straight game. Backstopped by a shutout effort from netminder Mireille Kingsley, the NOSSA champions slipped past the St. Mary's Crusaders from Hamilton by a final score of 1-0, allowing the team to finish second in Pool B".
Papineau netted her fourth marker of the event in accounting for the only scoring of the game. Unfortunately, their "reward" was a date with the host powerhouse, as the St. Michael Warriors from Stratford bounced CND 4-0 on goals from Brooklyn MacLean, Lexi Templeman, Madison Smith and Madison Davey.
For their part, the Notre-Dame girls were recognized for their outstanding sportsmanship, a display which included a rousing rendition of "Sweet Caroline", from both teams, during the second period break.
The Alouettes competed at the 2017 OFSAA "A/AA" Girls Hockey Championship with only eleven skaters and a goalie. Meanwhile, the Lockerby Vikings struggled to remain competitive at the "AAA" tournament in Mississauga, dropping three straight games.
The Vikes fell to the Lawrence Park Panthers from Toronto (8-2), the St. Maximilian Mustangs from Aurora (9-0) and the St. Martin Mustangs from Mississauga (6-1), after finishing second to Notre-Dame at the NOSSA playdowns.
