Esso Cup: Stoney Creek First After Round Robin

The Stoney Creek Sabres went undefeated in the round robin, while Fraser Valley, Regina, and the Northern Selects will also play in the medal round.

The 2023 Esso Cup got underway in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan this week. 

The Stoney Creek Sabres were the first team to punch their ticket through to the Esso Cup semifinals. The Sabres entered the tournament as Ontario champions finishing their season with a pristine 19-1-2, followed by an undefeated playoff run.

Stoney Creek continued their winning ways in the round robin outscoring their opponents 27-7 while going 5-0. Now Stoney Creek will enter the semifinals with a target on their back as the top seed. 

"We've had such good success this year playing our game, we want to just stick to our game plan and not change for any other team," said Stoney Creek head coach Taylor Abbott about entering the medal round.

"We want to start fast, coming out of the gate, we're a team that if we score early, we win a lot of games."

Madison Burr, 2007, who was Stoney Creek's top scorer in the regular season compiling 114 points in 70 games continued to be a driving offensive force racking up 10 in five games in the Esso Cup round robin. She was followed by Caileigh Tiller, 2008, who was second in team scoring. Stoney Creek are the youngest team in the tournament with five players born in 2008 or later.

The Fraser Valley Rush, British Columbia's champion, and the Regina Rush, who won the Saskatchewan title, were the next two teams into the semi finals. Both clubs were powered by a mix of NCAA committed players and youth. Fraser Valley's top performers early were blueliner Aynsley D'Ottavio and forward Vienna Rubin, but the strength of the Rush attack is their depth with roughly half their roster already committed to a college hockey program. For Regina, captain Greta Henderson and youngsters Stryker Zablocki and Berlin Lolacher, along with blueliner Brookyln Nimegeers kept their team moving during tight games.

In the semifinals, Stoney Creek will face off against the Northern Selects. In the round robin, Stoney Creek defeated Northern Selects 4-1, outshooting the selects 36-16. Stoney Creek will be watching for Kendall Doiron, who was the Selects' leading scorer this season. The 14-year-old dynamic forward can break games open.

Fraser Valley and Regina both played to identical 3-2 records in the preliminary round, but the Fraser Valley Rush earned second place by defeating Regina 6-5 in the preliminary round. Regina outshot Fraser Valley 40-34 in the game, and held pressure to the Rush, except for a brief 1:14 span to end the first period where the Rebels allowed three goals, which would prove the difference in the game.