OWHA Provincials

The OWHA Provincial Champions will be crowned at the end of this weekend. This Dolphins team finished among the top 15 teams in Ontario.

It's a significant achievement for our first-year team to advance to this round. Unfortunately, The Dolphins were eliminated in the second round by Woodstock.

Congratulations on a successful season!

At press time, Woodstock was playing in the Semi-Final game.

Round 3 - North Metro Playoffs

OK. It isn't truly a road trip...we played Burlington in this best-of-three-series. There are no set rules for what's a road trip and what's not, but I'm in Burlington 5 times a week. The team has built an online fanbase and they're asking for more.

A strong opening by The Dolphins in the first game, but not enough stamina this first game since Spring Break. In a classic case of the-score-does-not-reflect-the-game Burlington takes Game 1.

Round 3 v Burlington Game 1

Game 2 in Burlington:

Round 3 v Burlington Game 2

The Dolphins outplayed Burlington. We out-shot Burlington. We showed hustle and drive and teamwork. The girls just could not put the puck past the Barracuda goalie. I won't go into several very controversial calls made by the referee - suffice to say that mild-mannered Dan tried and couldn't get tossed from the bench and the game.

Lorraine was careful to criticize the referee's performance and not the ref himself.

One linesman was engaging the fans, which is always a bad sign, and worse, he was commenting to the bench staff that he didn't agree with some of the calls the referee made.

This isn't sour grapes here. I'm known to say that the ref isn't the one who puts the puck into the net, but in this game, the ref did cost a goal.

Burlington wins the game and takes the series. They'll play in the North Metro Championship Weekend. We have a weekend without games.

All photographs courtesy of John Krieger

The Dolphins advance to the OWHA Provincial tournament after Scarborough fell to North York and Leaside.

Weekend Stats

Best to read the games in the order they were played: 5-4-3-2-1.


Total Goals For: 12
Total Goals Against: 8

Distance travelled : 890 km (from home to rinks only, Fri-Mon)
# Radar Traps: 1
# Speeding Tickets: 0

Slide shows of some games have been added.

Five Times the Hockey

Post-season play. It's a weekend of mixed feelings. It'd be great to advance on either the North Metro playoff side, or the Provincial Play-down side, but both? With one tournament still to go in the season, to move forward on both sides might be too much.

The Play-downs are a one-game round robin in a pool of 4 teams. Only the top team advances to the next round. In round two of the Playoffs, we're paired with Cobourg now - a team who finished first in their division and allowed only 12 goals through the regular season. Their first-place finish gave them a bye into the second round of the North Metros.

Leaside, who finished in second place, is in our provincial pool, will not figure in the weekend, as we played them last weekend and won that battle. Leaside is a talented team and a tough opponent. We like playing Leaside, because their team personality is a lot like our own. They play an intense game, and remember that it's a game. No trash-talking. No hits after the whistle. Games against them are good and clean and fair.

The weekend hockey extravaganza begins with a Provincial Play-down match against North York. We wound up tied for 3rd with North York in the regular season. They're a tough team, who finishes. They have a couple stars who can put the puck in the net.

It's the first game back for Rachel, who left the ice in game 2 of the North Metros, to seek medical attention for a possible forearm fracture. While it's not a fracture, it's still a deep bruise. At practice the other day, she was happy to lace up the skates and grab her stick, but couldn't hide her disappointment that her shot just wasn't what it used to be...yet.

She scores The Dolphins' first goal, high on the stick side, to tie the game. Later in the second period, Niamh pokes a rebound across the line, for the go-ahead goal.

In the third period, Liz ties up The Storm's center and Cat breaks loose from North York's defense. She puts one top-shelf for a short-handed goal and a little insurance.

Late in the third, on a power play, down by 2 goals, The Storm pull their goalie for a face-off in our end. It's a 6-on-3. Becca makes several saves, but we just can't clear the puck. With just over a minute to go in the first penalty, they score. The face-off moves to center-ice. Still no goalie in their net. Cat is in the box, called for interference on an earlier face off. Five-on-four.

North York wins the face off. They fire at our net, pick up the rebound and fire again. Becca continues to make the saves. We clear the puck to the boards. The winger passes to Niamh playing near our blue line. She picks up the puck, puts a move on The Storm's defense and carries the puck down the ice. Seconds to go. A North York player is pushing Niamh to the outside. She waits...then plays the sure thing into the empty net to lock it up.

Final score 4-2.

Tags: [Etobicoke Dolphins] [North York Girls Hockey] [OWHA]

Five Times - Four

Twenty-four hours later, we're at Commander Arena in Scarborough for the final Playdown game, this time against Scarborough.

We played The Sharks twice in the regular season and won. Sometimes the final score doesn't really tell you what the games are like. Our games against Scarborough are like that. Scarborough is a team you can never take for granted. They were only eliminated by North York in the Playoffs in overtime, after forcing a third game in that series.

By the math, a win or tie puts our team into the next round of the Provincials. If we walk away without a point, we have to rely on Leaside and North York to beat Scarborough. The team wants to control its own fate. We want to win.

The Sharks come out strong and hungry for a win. They score early. Settling into the game, Niamh evens it up. Her goal, as described by Martin: She has the puck on her forehand and half the net is wide open. She moves it to her backhand and the goalie is sliding across into position. She swings it around to her forehand again and the net is covered. She flips the puck into the air and scores.

Our players control the play inside Scarborough's blue line and Jill pops in the go-ahead goal (assists to Laura and Julie).

We are down by 1 halfway through the third period. Out of a scramble in front of their net, the puck squirts loose and Cat buries the equalizer.

The players fight hard to go ahead. Emily skates it out from our corner. Her wrist-shot is gloved by the Shark goalie. Then there's a shot - wide. A shot - high. The pass out front - the winger's stick is all tied up. A shot from Mindy at the point - blocked before it could reach the net.

With just over a minute to go, down by one, Jessica skates to the bench and the extra attacker hits the ice. The Dolphins fought from behind throughout most of the game. This game was just a minute too short.

Final score Scarborough 4, Dolphins 3.

Photo Credit: John Krieger


Playdown v Scarborough

Tags: [Etobicoke Dolphins] [Scarborough Girls Hockey] [OWHA]

Five Times - Three

Sunday morning finds us at Chris Tonks arena for the first game of the second round of the North Metro Playoffs against Cobourg.

The team will be without Cat for a while. She plays soccer on the U16 Provincial Soccer team and they are flying to Chile for some tournament action.

A lot of hockey still to go over the next 48 hours. Endurance will play a role.

Rachel's playing with gritty determination and a sore wrist. Kim is driving the net. Niamh is digging it hard out of the corners. Jill's ready for the pass out front. Natalie's pushing the puck deep. Kim F. is forcing Cobourg to turn over the puck in the neutral zone. Julie's no match along the boards. Liz is winning the face offs. Laura's keeping the pressure on the Cobourg goalie.

Mindy's taking shots from the point. Maddy's slap shot is finding the net. Danielle is first to the puck. Emily's defending Becca in net. Every shift is great. The players are driven. They don't seem to tire.

The game belongs to the goalkeepers. Both net-minders are making big saves. Look at this GIANT stick save by Becca. At the other end, Kim, behind the net, passes out front to Liz...Denied. Then with just over 2 minutes to go in the game, Rachel receives the puck from Liz and puts it in!

With just 2 losses on the season, falling behind isn't something this Cobourg squad is used to. They fail to score with the extra attacker on the ice.

Final score: 1-0. Etobicoke leads the best-of-3 series.

Tags: [Etobicoke Dolphins] [Cobourg Girls Hockey] [North Metro Girls Hockey]

Photo credit: John Krieger

Five Times - Two

The series against Cobourg continues Sunday night, this time in Cobourg at Jack Hannen Arena.

Our players are focused. The talk in the dressing room is all about the game. They want to put Cobourg away tonight. It's do-or-die for the Cobourg team. A loss tonight means their season is over. Neither team is going to lie down.

Cobourg is a fast squad. Rarely will you find their players out of position. They execute the fundamentals with precision. I wouldn't stand in there with the Cobourg forwards bearing down.
Fans are treated to a repeat of the morning's game. Great work at both ends. The Dolphins are outshot by Cobourg, but still forcing the turnovers, taking chances and keeping pressure on the Cobourg goalie. Becca is rock-solid between the pipes.

The hometown fans are calling to the refs for a penalty again. Given the seating arrangement at this arena, I can't give them my over-the-shoulder "What, are you crazy?" look. They'll never understand how much they've been spared.

Funny though, the Cobourg fans complain about their home referees as much as they complained about the Toronto referees earlier. As the emotions in the home stands escalate, this loud fan gets a little quieter. When a Cobourg player has her knees in Liz's helmet, the home fans say that is just how the game is played. When a Cobourg player is on the bottom of a pile of bodies, they're calling for a penalty against our goalie! Perspective is everything.

Both teams are getting away with contact, interference, and some hooking is ignored. In that respect, the refereeing is balanced.

Just over 5 minutes to go in the game and the puck takes a bounce in front of Becca and slips into the net. Later, on a line change, the puck sneaks across the line.

Final score 2-0. Series tied.

Photo credit: John Krieger


Round 2 v Cobourg

Tags: [Etobicoke Dolphins] [Cobourg Girls Hockey] [OWHA]

Five Times - One

Less than 24 hours later and The Dolphins have made the journey to Cobourg Memorial Arena. The Cougars, Cobourg's Jr. A team, call this place home. The 60-year old building is a local Heritage Site. The wooden floors are admired...they'll help the fans make some noise.

Stadium seating allows the fans to sit on opposite sides of the rink. One Dolphins player commented that it looked like half the town was out to cheer on the home team. Across the way, the 13 of us sat. Two residents of Clarington, Joe and Victoria, have literally become Dolphins fans overnight. Barb's in her usual spot at the corner. Hugh's behind the net. A couple parents sit at the windows in the lobby that overlook the ice surface. Kevin's missing from his usual post along the boards.

Tension is high as Cobourg wins the opening face-off and puts the puck deep into our end. The players break the puck out cleanly and dump it into Cobourg's end. A quick line change and the forwards are fore-checking and force the turnover. Shots are taken.
Tenacious Kim Selke gives the Dolphins the early lead midway through the first period. Rachel scores her third goal of this 5-game marathon and the Dolphins lead 2-0 at the end of the first. Shots on goal favor Etobicoke 10-4 after the first period.

In the second period, Cobourg gets themselves into penalty-trouble. The fans are proud of our players for not retaliating against the Cobourg players. It can't be easy to hold back.

We have a two-man advantage when Emily's shot from the point finds the top corner. Did it go straight to the corner or get redirected? There's no instant-replay cameras to refer to. Either way, the goal counts.

Cobourg's forcing their offense which allows our forwards to break away with the puck. Natalie, Laura, Jill, Niamh, Julie, Kim F, Liz....they all have some chances.
On defense, Danielle and Emily are using their long reach to poke check and break up plays. Maddy and Mindy are cutting off the paths of the charging Cobourg forwards and clearing the puck to the boards. In net, Becca is flawless.

In the third period, shorthanded, Julie receives the puck at our blue line and accelerates down the ice with it. She leaves one defenseman at our blue line and flies past the other. She has the puck on her forehand and is ready to release her shot when she is dragged down by a Cobourg player who has hustled back. The ref signals penalty for the trip then crosses his hands above his head to award a penalty-shot.


Julie's been working on a new move with her penalty shot at the end of most practices. It's silent inside the arena. We wait to see if she's got some Gordon Bombay triple deke in mind to beat the Cobourg goalie. Julie didn't put it away this time, but you can't beat that kind of excitement.

Adding some more insurance, Rachel scores again. The final minutes play out. The game ends. Final score 4-0. The Dolphins take the series! Congratulations players and coaches!

The team looks forward to a well-earned hiatus over Spring Break. Cross your fingers that the opponent in the third round is just a little closer to home.

Tags: [Etobicoke Dolphins] [North Metro Girls Hockey]

[The Mighty Ducks]

Game photographs: John Krieger

Erie, My Dear

After an intense drive through wintry weather (ice, snow, white-outs) we arrived at the Avalon in Pennsylvania's third largest city, Erie. It was late, well early actually, and we had an early game to open the Sarah Backstrom Tournament.

The team breakfast was scheduled for 7:30 a.m. The itinerary supplied by Dan indicated the bus would leave for the arena at 8:30 a.m. Maddy knocked on our door at 8:25 to see why we missed the breakfast. Well, because we were still sleeping! Turned out the electrical outlet the alarm clock was using had an intermittent power supply problem.

Ready to go in 5 minutes, Jess was not the last one to board the bus - heavily teased, but not the last.

The tough and physical game against Pittsburgh didn't go our way. But we were in it the whole time. The players were caught off guard in the opening minutes: USA Hockey has not yet implemented the interference/hooking/holding rule changes. The players easily adjusted to the different style of the same game. Pittsburgh was a sharp team.

At "The Zoo", I held the door for Ed, who works the penalty box for Mercyhurst's women's hockey team. The women's team at Mercyhurst College is ranked #1 in the U.S. I learned a lot about Mercyhurst from Ed.

Ten hours off and we headed to the arena for game 2. This, against a team we play back home. Once again, we travelled great distance and played a team from next door. On the way to the arena, the players were complaining that their fans (us) are too quiet.

Never one to back away from a challenge, I promised to make a lot of noise in the stands. Before the game, I practiced with some thunder sticks. I sat behind the bench and pounded the glass, stomped my feet, whistled and carried on like a true fanatic. The other team's fans were frightened for my mental health. That one teen looked like he was frightened for his safety. Sure, they were pointing and laughing, but I wasn't letting it hold me back. (Think this was the first time somebody pointed and stared at me?)

There was no way the players would say we were too quiet. Lots of cheering, whistling, clapping, chanting. The metal floor and the bowl-style seating contributed a great echo effect. Oh yeah, the 12 of us were making quite a racket. Coach Mark subtly asked me to move from my seat immediately behind the players' bench. I had my choice of 9,976 other seats to make noise. I couldn't actually see the game from that spot, anyway.

We made some adjustments in the cheering section when the game escalated beyond the refs' control. Read Maximum Security


"It was the highlight of all the hockey games I've ever watched," said Madeline, Natalie's sister. And Madeline's watched a lot of minor hockey.

Read more about Erie

W-erie, My Dear

Late the next morning, a busload headed out for some serious shopping. There was another 8 hours before the next game. Mark and I found North Coast Hockey for some player's skate tune-ups. The owner, Don Marinucci, has a monopoly on hockey equipment and supplies in Erie. His store is well-stocked and the service is exceptional. Don's a transplanted Canadian, from Niagara, and ships product to several regular customers in Canada.

There, we met a parent from Webster, NY whose daughter plays for the Cyclones. Another parent from his team drifted in with some skates that needed sharpening. They were entertained and shocked as Mark recounted our Friday night game.

Turned out the Cyclones drew the quarter-final game at the Igloo and played just ahead of us Saturday night. They lost 1-0. The parents we met at the skate counter considered staying for our game...since we were up against that GTA team from the night before!

Our bench would be without Rachel. The refs determined she needed a game off to reflect on Friday's events. Our opponents were without one skater and one bench staffer. The staffer hadn't done any reflection. If he had, he wouldn't have stood in the corner during the warm-up skate hitting the glass, yelling at the players and swearing like a trooper.

The behavior of some dolts associated with that team was despicable. The epitome of what's wrong with coaching a play to win attitude into a team. A parent from that team actually stood outside our dressing room taunting our players. I was embarrassed for them....and I had embarrassed myself the night before as The Fan From Hell...so that's saying something!

We're lucky that our coaching staff isn't like that. Mark told the girls to keep their heads in the game, not to retaliate and stay out of the box. He reminded them that we play tournaments for fun. Mark expects a well-played game from his players. On the bench, sometimes we hear him holler out "Boards" or "Back" or "Go to the net". He gets emotional, sure. One time, I even saw him take off his hat!

I wasn't up to being the #1 Fan tonight. I tried. I really did. I used the thunder sticks, I stomped my feet. I whistled and clapped. Partway through the third, I had to excuse myself. It wasn't the game, I just wasn't feeling well. And what happened next?

Liz took a check and an elbow to her head then went down hard. She stayed down. The paramedic assigned to the arena sprang to action. With our trainer, they braced her neck and she went off the ice on a stretcher...straight to the hospital. She'll be OK.

Shaken, the team finished the game and boarded the bus. We didn't advance to the semi's.

Pittsburgh went on to win the tournament. My reign as #1 Fan lasted just 24 hrs.

Guys- even Miss USA was given a second chance!

Kingston Cup

According to Mapquest, it takes 3 hrs 15 mins to get to Kingston from here. We left home at 6:00 Thursday night and arrived in Limestone City, Friday at 2:30 p.m. Our non-stop trip included stops at Habitant Arena for a league game, a lay-over at Summers' End followed by the tournament opener in Napanee and then K-town.

Kathy called about 1/2 hr. before the first game to find out if the games were starting on-time. I had no idea: I was sitting in the car running meds. I'd seen people loading and unloading players and equipment, but hadn't a clue as to what was happening inside the building. Turned out they were running early, but we saw almost all of the game.

After lunch and checking in at the hotel, we made a run for Hot Tamales and JuJubes. Jessica entertained in her loft. The players roved downtown Kingston looking for a late dinner and returned before curfew.

Early game back in Napanee the next morning. Kathy was challenged by an obnoxious fan from the other team over a penalty. The father yelled at her,"Get your head out of your ass and go back to Toronto." Kathy asked me quietly, "Does this happen a lot in the stands?" She wanted to clarify with him that her head was atop her shoulders and that she lived nearby, thank you very much, but exercised restraint. Besides, we couldn't take him. The team did lunch then some shopping. Jess caught a ride to the restaurant and to the mall. I didn't mean to, but ended up falling asleep.

And awoke with the "what time is it?" panic. I had to get the equipment to the arena on time...and I didn't have a lot of time. But I made it. The players wore tutus, Groucho-glasses and hummed into kazoos. I do not like this much activity when I wake up, so I found a quiet corner. The Dolphins were beaten up by the team from Russell and suffered their first loss. The players hurt from the many physical injuries. Only 4 players felt strong enough to hit the cinema. No curfew required.

Cup Runneth Over

Another game on Sunday morning. Funny things, tournaments:
1. They're not about what happens on the ice, and all about the off-ice events and
2. You travel half-way across the province to play the team from next-door.

Another intense game, but the girls had reached hockey saturation level.

Jessica and I went for lunch with Kathy, loaded up the car and headed west. The battery on my pump had died running meds prior to the morning game. That, coupled with a few days in a modified routine, and what else, maybe the alignment of the planets, made the drive seem interminable.

We approached the exit to Roni's house. It would be a shame to be so close and not see R,W,K and Z, so we stopped. We had only planned on a 20-30 minute side-trip, but it was lengthened because of our 3:00 family phone call.

Back on the road, we craved the diverse music selections available in the GTA. At the top of hills, we caught a station out of Syracuse, the valleys we picked up AT40. We discovered in Belleville that the MP3 adapter couldn't be repaired.

After dinner in Oshawa, we had spent time with 2/3 of our family on this day. Always nice, but we were ready to go home.

Early Bird Tournament -T minus 28 h

This story begins before we'd even left:

Problem A: Early in the afternoon your vehicle unexpectedly requires repair. It will be on the hoist for 2-3 days. In 2 hours you are expected in another city to pick up players on the school's field hockey team. Two hours after that, your in-house goalie needs to be in Toronto. John, who is at the office, also has to get to a meeting that evening. Solve this in a way that each person gets to where he/she needs to be on time.

Problem B: The next morning is your turn to drive the student carpool to school. You have a med delivery and an appointment. John arranged earlier in the week to drive a co-worker to the office on this day. There is a field hockey game from 3:30 - 5:00, a social event for your other teen, another meeting for John to attend and you need to pack then get to a hockey tournament out of town. You still have one vehicle. Solve this in such a way as to minimize cancellations. Bonus: Feed the dog and walk him, too.

On the road - T + 100:
A little behind schedule, but it's under control. A driver in a Honda thinks that my 120 kmh on the connecting ramp (DVP to 401) is too slow and veers around us. He's at the top of the arc at 135 kmh, realizes he has too much speed, slides sideways to the concrete wall on his left and just misses it. Since he has over-corrected, he slides down to the wall on the inside, turns the wheels hard to avoid the crash, straightens it all by the end of the curve and merges onto the 401 without a scratch.

Summers End, a wonderful country retreat, will be our home for the next couple of days. We are used to placing floor lamps on top of tables to simulate an IV pole, and I have this 2-hanger-contraption I've developed that works well on wall sconces too. Ceiling hooks are the best, but rarely found. There are several tricks we've learned since tearing a curtain rod out of the wall at a hotel one trip. (Maintenance should've used anchors!). The ceiling hooks here are no good: the ceiling is 20-feet away, the IV tubing is only 30-inches! The lamps are far too delicate to handle the weight of the bag. I take a mirror off the wall, put the pump on the table and that seems to work, as long as I don't roll over! The original plan included bringing the IV pole, but had to be left behind as part of the solution to Problem B.

I have been awake for 40 hours and look forward to sleep. Set the alarm. Sleep.

Fall Classic

Up early. Make coffee. Get the paper. Wake up Jessica. She makes herself some breakfast. One owner of Summers End comes downstairs and finds his morning routine disrupted considerably. Dad takes it pretty well...He usually makes the coffee, then he usually gets the paper. He's reading the paper as the large equipment bag rolls by. We are out of there before 8:00 a.m. Gramm and Bubba will see us at the game.

Etobicoke downs Brampton 2-1 in the opening game. The team heads to Summers End for brunch. We have a lot of time until the next game. The players are taken care of thanks to Laura, Barb and Lorraine and Mom. I'm running meds. Mark is inspecting the construction of the century-home. The team goes out to kill some more time. Later, while they're at dinner, I run some saline for hydration and meet them back at the arena. Etobicoke shuts out Vaughn in game 2 and racks up another shut-out against Aurora in game 3.

The team finishes first in their division and advances to the semi-finals. We never expected to make it to the semi-finals! There are several hours until the puck drops. The players want to see a movie. I had an allergic reaction at the arena and agree to sleep in the theater as their chaperone to Jackass Number 2. The girls agree that there will be no shenanigans, like forgetting to wake me up when the film is finished.

Etobicoke falls to the stronger Durham West 2-1 in the win-or-go-home semi-final contest. Nobody's disappointed with the showing at the tournament. It's a fun weekend for the team. There is a point when fans have mixed emotions: they cheer for the team to win, but would be happy to have it over, too. Tournaments are tests of endurance: long days, a lot of down-time for parents/fans, lots of hockey for the players and coaches.

We stay the night at Summers End. On Sunday, I consider heading to the Run in Kingston since I'm almost half-way there already. In the end I determine it will be too much. We head home.